Code for your audience. If you're trying to getting a retired waitress to analyze your nuclear blast propagation software, you're doing something wrong. On the flipside, if you're trying to get that same retired waitress to setup xorg.conf, you're doing something wrong!
The take-away lesson from this discussion is that we need both types. Idealists like RMS push the boundaries and generally ensure we don't get stuck in any proprietary ruts. Pragmatics compromise with what is still a largely proprietary industry and try to get things to working right now. Some push and pull is healthy-- it means both types are doing their jobs. I'm big on free software, but it sure as hell means a lot to download an ISO and have it Just Work.
The binary drivers are an excellent example as Parent noted-- the manufacturers aren't yet comfortable enough to release free and open drivers-- but at least we get something that works. If the idealists don't give up, someday we'll see a change of heart from the manufacturers.
OK, fine, I get it already. I'll remove you from the Unicyclists Weekly newsletter. You know it's easier to just hit "unsubscribe" than to keep posting these comments on slashdot...
Not *necesserily* a bad idea. While you're right that it's terrible for general purpose transportation, some special purposes find great use out of omnidirectional wheels (Navy forklifts come to mind).
With the speed this thing is currently capable of, I don't think it's intended to do much outdoor tooling around. Two years ago, I would have said "Shag rugs? This isn't the 80s, bro!" but today I think I'll have to give you that one.
I disagree. Smoke signals are still widely used by people from all sorts of backgrounds-- just go to a Jack Johnson or Dave Matthews concert to see them in use.
They might have been looking for "+1 Woosh" and just didn't see it way down the list -- after all I had tried to mod mine "-1 Stupid Sarcastic Bastard" but the damn thing won't let me mod my own post!
This was unfortunately due to some architecture decisions in the OS- Cooperative multitasking and unprotected memory (this might have been changed in 9.something...). A program crash could effect the rest of the system. So, though the early MacOSes weren't crashers per se, they would allow bad apps to crash them.
How is it that a police officer can enter your vehicle or home without a warrant if he or she believes a crime has been, is being, or will be committed?
Because that is their job. Serve and protect. If my house is being raided by thieves I don't want the police waiting for a warrant before they come inside.
How is it that a police officer can run 24/7 surveillance of video and audio without a warrant when he or she is investigating a suspected crime?
Wiretapping by the *police* requires a warrant. Feds however are above the law, did Nixon teach you NOTHING?!
But, they can't track a vehicle without a warrant???
It pleases me when states get it right.
I really think you and I are on the same page-- the police do frequently overstep their authority and innocent people get harassed needlessly. Though, I still believe that these are a tiny minority of police cases. It is our job as the public to keep them in check when they go to far. Protecting the public *and* respecting their privacy can be pulled off, but the continued animosity between people and the police certainly isn't helping. Despite the woefully fear-mongering title, explicitly requiring a warrant for this type of surveillance is a very good thing.
I s'pose there are nostalgic types still using it, but I don't imagine there being any development going on for it. 'Course, people do come up with odd hobbies these days...
Exactly... this is another case of "there should be a law 'bout that" when there already is. Jurors are asked not to, but they do anyway. Perhaps different enforcement would be helpful? I'm not saying harsh punishments are in order, enforcement is something for somebody smarter than I to figure out.
The *problem* is jurors getting outside information that may be biased and it's not a new one. A smartphone doesn't change the problem, just makes it easier.
I give up. All I'll say is that taxing fuel is a good model, but it breaks down when that fuel is pulled from the same power lines that run everything else.
Moving about without fear is definitely a right all Americans should have. Without taxation... now you're getting into some social fundamentals. All Americans are taxed in one way or another. Right now you don't pay any highway gas taxes if you want to grab your pack and hike or bike it. In the future I can't imagine that changing. However, highways that can be navigated by modern cars cost money to build and maintain. Have you ever been on a toll highway or bridge? Before our *tax supported* highway systems were built, toll roads were extremely common. It does not infringe on your rights to ask you to pay for the public infrastructure you use.
It all boils down to somebody paying for road building somewhere, we just need to ensure taxes collected for road building aren't too obtrusive into our travels. You say roads are useless if you can't afford to use them-- millions of people can't afford a car or gas now (or even choose not to). This doesn't mean they aren't free. Owning and operating an automobile is *not* an "inalienable right" everybody is automatically entitled to. You need to earn your car and pay to operate it.
This topic isn't about paying for highways- everybody should understand that highways cost money (currently paid for largely by highway taxes), it's about how that money is collected. Would you rather it be an increase in your income taxes? A tacked on sales tax? Toll roads? There are hundreds of options, most of them terrible. Maintaining the roads should remain as it largely has on the people who use them most. Gas taxes were a decent (albeit not perfect) means, but that won't apply as the nation starts shifting to electric vehicles.
This isn't about restricting your right to move around at will, it's about providing the privilege of quality roads and infrastructure to move around on. Hybrid electric cars aren't the real worry here-- eventually we *will* need a new road use taxing system as we ween ourselves off of gasoline. For now we can raise gas taxes, but eventually we need a new source of income for road maintenance.
I still will never be convinced that a GPS based solution is the answer. This reeks of a corporate pet project.
Except it's not a 1% chance. It's not a 1 in 500 chance. Extinction level impacts are a once in tens of millions of years event. I'm no astronomer, so have no ideas the difficulties involved in finding and tracking all NEOs-- but I do know that the effort involved for that is compounded by any number of objects that don't regularly live in our space. Essentially, you can never be 100% safe. I'm not saying do nothing, it's a mitigation versus aversion discussion. You can mitigate risks substantially where completely avoiding the risk is impossibly expensive.
Additionally-- impact events are only one of a myriad of potential calamities that we might face. Destabilization of the atmosphere (runnaway global cooling/warming), supervolcanoes, nearby gamma ray bursts, clathrate methane release, velociraptors, etcetc. You can't protect against everything, spending everything you have attempting to do so is just silly. Face it - Life is risky.
Point well taken-- I think the main issue is the perception of what the netbook is intended to do. We can spend all day coming up with uses they are ill suited for due to size/form factor/performance etc. I suspect video games and potentially HD video are among the few things netbooks don't do well that people really want. If one of those is your dealbreaker then you are right for not buying yet. I have an Aspire 110L (one of the more ancient models with the GMA 950) running xubuntu. It is quite capable of playing full screen standard definition video (unless it's Flash video... but that's a linux Flash problem). I honestly haven't tried HD video as standard def playback on that screen really hasn't left me wanting. Of course, you have a different opinion in that matter.
There are a ton of complaints about netbooks in comments on this article, it seems the issue folks take with them is they can't always replace a desktop. That's fine, they aren't designed to. HD video and video games are two applications I'd have to give you that they don't do well.
I... I don't understand... Wasn't that what they are designed for? There are half a dozen posts on here bashing netbooks for not doing everything a desktop does. That's like bashing a Civic for not hauling your boat.
That said, I can definitely understand not buying a netbook if you have an older small laptop kicking around. They both serve the same purpose!
I do... Local stores only stock Windows models (best buy, costco)...
Hell, Newegg lists two models of their hundred or so netbook offerings with linux-- both are Asus EEEs and only one is in stock. For what netbooks are designed to do, there are few compelling reasons to force windows. It's been mentioned over and over- the "netbooks" are moving upmarket as simply "cheap laptops." I really hope the ARM based models in the works are able to revive the low-cost tiny web browser market.
Aren't that powerful for what, though? They are *plenty* powerful for the majority of computer use. Video games and serious photo/video manipulation aside, few folks are going to really tax the hardware.
Wireless video streaming works dandy... except of course for the braindead Linux implementation of Flash video...
Slashdot Mirror
Code for your audience. If you're trying to getting a retired waitress to analyze your nuclear blast propagation software, you're doing something wrong. On the flipside, if you're trying to get that same retired waitress to setup xorg.conf, you're doing something wrong!
The take-away lesson from this discussion is that we need both types. Idealists like RMS push the boundaries and generally ensure we don't get stuck in any proprietary ruts. Pragmatics compromise with what is still a largely proprietary industry and try to get things to working right now. Some push and pull is healthy-- it means both types are doing their jobs. I'm big on free software, but it sure as hell means a lot to download an ISO and have it Just Work.
The binary drivers are an excellent example as Parent noted-- the manufacturers aren't yet comfortable enough to release free and open drivers-- but at least we get something that works. If the idealists don't give up, someday we'll see a change of heart from the manufacturers.
OK, fine, I get it already. I'll remove you from the Unicyclists Weekly newsletter. You know it's easier to just hit "unsubscribe" than to keep posting these comments on slashdot...
Not *necesserily* a bad idea. While you're right that it's terrible for general purpose transportation, some special purposes find great use out of omnidirectional wheels (Navy forklifts come to mind).
With the speed this thing is currently capable of, I don't think it's intended to do much outdoor tooling around. Two years ago, I would have said "Shag rugs? This isn't the 80s, bro!" but today I think I'll have to give you that one.
Oh god.... what's going to happen in the Sidewiki comments on YouTube?
I disagree. Smoke signals are still widely used by people from all sorts of backgrounds-- just go to a Jack Johnson or Dave Matthews concert to see them in use.
They might have been looking for "+1 Woosh" and just didn't see it way down the list -- after all I had tried to mod mine "-1 Stupid Sarcastic Bastard" but the damn thing won't let me mod my own post!
Clearly the cleaning crew were illegal immigrants. I mean, who are they gonna complain to?
Good luck findin one for mac OS 9. Let me know what you come up with. I have an old iBook that could use a reasonable browser.
Wasn't Opera shareware for ages?
Honestly... this made me choke up a little bit.
This was unfortunately due to some architecture decisions in the OS- Cooperative multitasking and unprotected memory (this might have been changed in 9.something...). A program crash could effect the rest of the system. So, though the early MacOSes weren't crashers per se, they would allow bad apps to crash them.
How is it that a police officer can enter your vehicle or home without a warrant if he or she believes a crime has been, is being, or will be committed?
Because that is their job. Serve and protect. If my house is being raided by thieves I don't want the police waiting for a warrant before they come inside.
How is it that a police officer can run 24/7 surveillance of video and audio without a warrant when he or she is investigating a suspected crime?
Wiretapping by the *police* requires a warrant. Feds however are above the law, did Nixon teach you NOTHING?!
But, they can't track a vehicle without a warrant???
It pleases me when states get it right.
I really think you and I are on the same page-- the police do frequently overstep their authority and innocent people get harassed needlessly. Though, I still believe that these are a tiny minority of police cases. It is our job as the public to keep them in check when they go to far. Protecting the public *and* respecting their privacy can be pulled off, but the continued animosity between people and the police certainly isn't helping. Despite the woefully fear-mongering title, explicitly requiring a warrant for this type of surveillance is a very good thing.
I s'pose there are nostalgic types still using it, but I don't imagine there being any development going on for it. 'Course, people do come up with odd hobbies these days...
Or try out iCab... Shareware, but it's *mostly* modern. I haven't tried Flash with it yet, though...
Exactly... this is another case of "there should be a law 'bout that" when there already is. Jurors are asked not to, but they do anyway. Perhaps different enforcement would be helpful? I'm not saying harsh punishments are in order, enforcement is something for somebody smarter than I to figure out.
The *problem* is jurors getting outside information that may be biased and it's not a new one. A smartphone doesn't change the problem, just makes it easier.
I hate jurors...
But I'm going to sensitivity training to clear that up.
I give up. All I'll say is that taxing fuel is a good model, but it breaks down when that fuel is pulled from the same power lines that run everything else.
Moving about without fear is definitely a right all Americans should have. Without taxation... now you're getting into some social fundamentals. All Americans are taxed in one way or another. Right now you don't pay any highway gas taxes if you want to grab your pack and hike or bike it. In the future I can't imagine that changing. However, highways that can be navigated by modern cars cost money to build and maintain. Have you ever been on a toll highway or bridge? Before our *tax supported* highway systems were built, toll roads were extremely common. It does not infringe on your rights to ask you to pay for the public infrastructure you use.
It all boils down to somebody paying for road building somewhere, we just need to ensure taxes collected for road building aren't too obtrusive into our travels. You say roads are useless if you can't afford to use them-- millions of people can't afford a car or gas now (or even choose not to). This doesn't mean they aren't free. Owning and operating an automobile is *not* an "inalienable right" everybody is automatically entitled to. You need to earn your car and pay to operate it.
This topic isn't about paying for highways- everybody should understand that highways cost money (currently paid for largely by highway taxes), it's about how that money is collected. Would you rather it be an increase in your income taxes? A tacked on sales tax? Toll roads? There are hundreds of options, most of them terrible. Maintaining the roads should remain as it largely has on the people who use them most. Gas taxes were a decent (albeit not perfect) means, but that won't apply as the nation starts shifting to electric vehicles.
This isn't about restricting your right to move around at will, it's about providing the privilege of quality roads and infrastructure to move around on. Hybrid electric cars aren't the real worry here-- eventually we *will* need a new road use taxing system as we ween ourselves off of gasoline. For now we can raise gas taxes, but eventually we need a new source of income for road maintenance.
I still will never be convinced that a GPS based solution is the answer. This reeks of a corporate pet project.
Yes... but many non-techies are getting them instead of a 'real' laptop because of the price.
Oh I see... Well those cheapskates have it comin!
Except it's not a 1% chance. It's not a 1 in 500 chance. Extinction level impacts are a once in tens of millions of years event. I'm no astronomer, so have no ideas the difficulties involved in finding and tracking all NEOs-- but I do know that the effort involved for that is compounded by any number of objects that don't regularly live in our space. Essentially, you can never be 100% safe. I'm not saying do nothing, it's a mitigation versus aversion discussion. You can mitigate risks substantially where completely avoiding the risk is impossibly expensive.
Additionally-- impact events are only one of a myriad of potential calamities that we might face. Destabilization of the atmosphere (runnaway global cooling/warming), supervolcanoes, nearby gamma ray bursts, clathrate methane release, velociraptors, etcetc. You can't protect against everything, spending everything you have attempting to do so is just silly. Face it - Life is risky.
Point well taken-- I think the main issue is the perception of what the netbook is intended to do. We can spend all day coming up with uses they are ill suited for due to size/form factor/performance etc. I suspect video games and potentially HD video are among the few things netbooks don't do well that people really want. If one of those is your dealbreaker then you are right for not buying yet. I have an Aspire 110L (one of the more ancient models with the GMA 950) running xubuntu. It is quite capable of playing full screen standard definition video (unless it's Flash video... but that's a linux Flash problem). I honestly haven't tried HD video as standard def playback on that screen really hasn't left me wanting. Of course, you have a different opinion in that matter.
There are a ton of complaints about netbooks in comments on this article, it seems the issue folks take with them is they can't always replace a desktop. That's fine, they aren't designed to. HD video and video games are two applications I'd have to give you that they don't do well.
But, they're great for light use & travel.
I... I don't understand... Wasn't that what they are designed for? There are half a dozen posts on here bashing netbooks for not doing everything a desktop does. That's like bashing a Civic for not hauling your boat.
That said, I can definitely understand not buying a netbook if you have an older small laptop kicking around. They both serve the same purpose!
I do... Local stores only stock Windows models (best buy, costco)...
Hell, Newegg lists two models of their hundred or so netbook offerings with linux-- both are Asus EEEs and only one is in stock. For what netbooks are designed to do, there are few compelling reasons to force windows. It's been mentioned over and over- the "netbooks" are moving upmarket as simply "cheap laptops." I really hope the ARM based models in the works are able to revive the low-cost tiny web browser market.
Aren't that powerful for what, though? They are *plenty* powerful for the majority of computer use. Video games and serious photo/video manipulation aside, few folks are going to really tax the hardware.
Wireless video streaming works dandy... except of course for the braindead Linux implementation of Flash video...