Cheers. I've used some virtual desktop managers in Windows in the past, but in my last Windows-based job I didn't have any install permissions. With Unix machines you're usually much better off even without root, since you can often find a sensible window manager and configure the way you use virtual desktops.
I seem to be more productive with a virtual desktop manager on a small screen than a bigger monitor.
Ditto:)
Having a big screen AND a virtual desktop manager doubles that.;)
I'm not so sure of this. I believe the power of VDs comes from the idea that you focus on one thing at a time, and there are no visual distractions. I think I'd end up wasting a lot of space with large monitors, as I would still like to focus on one thing on one VD.
I get pissed off whenever I have to do complicated work on a Windows machine, with everything piled up on one desktop. I think there's a big problem with the desktop metaphor: Windows is designed to show you everything it's doing, so that you won't lose track of things. But IMHO the whole point of computers is that you can handle larger data sets than you can visualize, otherwise it's just a fancy typewriter. I'm sure the GUI/WYSIWYG metaphor worked back in the 80s with a small number of limited applications you could run at a time, but today you can see it doesn't make much sense.
I think it's a subtle reference to Python's conventional metasyntactic variables. Python was named after Monty Python's Flying Circus, and in the place of foo, bar, baz, quux, etc. it often uses spam, eggs, and sausage.
I think I get your point exactly. If you have such closed hardware that opensource drivers cannot be written, then that hardware (by being closed) is part of the law-enforcing package.
This issue looks similar to whether you could trust a voting machine with opensource software. With OSS you get to check if the system is rigged, but (barring things like signed executables) you also get the ability to rig it yourself. In this sense OSS is technically better but it also carries a bigger responsibility, just like in the WLAN driver case.
By the way, I really don't like the idea that the country of purchase would determine the capabilities of the driver. People do travel, and when they do they are expected to obey the laws of the respective countries anyway. Though it's unfortunate that a joint you buy at a Dutch coffee shop doesn't carry its local laws along to whichever country you're going to:)
Incidentally, I was discussing with one of the network admins at my university today, and he was a little worried since I'm running Ubuntu on a society computer in the university network. He was concerned about the ability to sniff on the local traffic, which allegedly is something you can do in Linux but not in Windows;) Of course it's technically possible, but it's not something I would do. It's kind of funny and sad, since the network is probably healthier with one fewer Windows machine, but Linux is seen as a blackhat tool just because it lets you actually use your computer.
Because some jackass open source programmer will write a driver which will make the card broadcast on an illegal radio spectrum.
Are you saying that hardware should enforce law, by not allowing certain kinds of software operation? Should a network card disable illegal file transfers? Then there are different laws in different countries. This does apply to WLAN frequencies as well.
if you show a person a hard drive and a memory dimm they will not mistake one for the other unless they have very bad eyesight or have neurological problems.
Usually, people don't see or handle these items when they're concerned with RAM or disk space. I believe the problem begins with the word 'memory' which has human origins, and its application to computers is the new and confusing thing. Short term memory corresponds to RAM, and long term memory to hard drive space. This is probably why people think of 'memory' as the HDD; when you 'use your memory', you're usually dealing with your long term memory, i.e. hard drive equivalent.
IMHO, we should never talk about 'memory' when dealing with computers, since it's confusing due to the human memory connotations. It would be clearer if we always referred to RAM, hard drive, etc. specifically.
So, if this technology can shave off 1 mm of the disc's thickness, it means you can use 9 mm jewel cases instead of the regular 10 mm versions. Thus solving the storage problem once and for all!
Of course, you'll probably need an extra strong case to protect this extra fragile disc.
In other words, most of the storage space with CDs/DVDs isn't due to the disc itself, it's due to the ginormous case that some people insist on having around. DVD movie cases are even worse. Personally, I prefer slim "CD single" cases whenever possible.
Make sure you know the difference between grid technology and clustering. Basically, grid is much more complicated but more flexible; the name means you can connect something to a grid to get computing power, just like you can connect to the power grid to get electricity. It looks like you're thinking of clustering instead, which is easier to deploy and in many ways closer to a multiproc machine
Globalization would be great if it were honest and open like Free software. However, my current understanding of globalization is that while I could lose my job to an Indian programmer, I cannot play a cheaper Indian version of a DVD movie. Also, movement of labor is restricted. In other words, globalization in practice means "those parts of globalization that line businessowners' pockets".
(Radios work via inductors; the light does some science magic with the electrons)
As the sibling post already explained, light and radio are both electromagnetic waves. They both do magic with electrons; in fact, the electric fields (forces) merely make the electrons move in the circuit.
Inductors are conventionally used in the resonance circuit which filters the radio frequencies you choose, but it's possible to make a radio without inductors at all.
On the other hand, there are 'inductor antennas' that work with the magnetic (instead of electric) part of radio waves. IIRC these usually have very low efficiencies, and they are only used in some specialty applications like RFID which only works at a close distance ('near field' in physics jargon).
I was only confused until I realized that the Pentagon in the heading was the shape, not the structure/organization. Then it all made much, much more sense.
Me too. Isn't It Great How Headings Are Capitalized in the English Language?-)
Slashdot Mirror
Cheers. I've used some virtual desktop managers in Windows in the past, but in my last Windows-based job I didn't have any install permissions. With Unix machines you're usually much better off even without root, since you can often find a sensible window manager and configure the way you use virtual desktops.
Ditto :)
I'm not so sure of this. I believe the power of VDs comes from the idea that you focus on one thing at a time, and there are no visual distractions. I think I'd end up wasting a lot of space with large monitors, as I would still like to focus on one thing on one VD.
I get pissed off whenever I have to do complicated work on a Windows machine, with everything piled up on one desktop. I think there's a big problem with the desktop metaphor: Windows is designed to show you everything it's doing, so that you won't lose track of things. But IMHO the whole point of computers is that you can handle larger data sets than you can visualize, otherwise it's just a fancy typewriter. I'm sure the GUI/WYSIWYG metaphor worked back in the 80s with a small number of limited applications you could run at a time, but today you can see it doesn't make much sense.
Because, IIRC, ReiserFS only journals metadata.
I think it's a subtle reference to Python's conventional metasyntactic variables. Python was named after Monty Python's Flying Circus, and in the place of foo, bar, baz, quux, etc. it often uses spam, eggs, and sausage.
What?
I think I get your point exactly. If you have such closed hardware that opensource drivers cannot be written, then that hardware (by being closed) is part of the law-enforcing package.
This issue looks similar to whether you could trust a voting machine with opensource software. With OSS you get to check if the system is rigged, but (barring things like signed executables) you also get the ability to rig it yourself. In this sense OSS is technically better but it also carries a bigger responsibility, just like in the WLAN driver case.
By the way, I really don't like the idea that the country of purchase would determine the capabilities of the driver. People do travel, and when they do they are expected to obey the laws of the respective countries anyway. Though it's unfortunate that a joint you buy at a Dutch coffee shop doesn't carry its local laws along to whichever country you're going to :)
Incidentally, I was discussing with one of the network admins at my university today, and he was a little worried since I'm running Ubuntu on a society computer in the university network. He was concerned about the ability to sniff on the local traffic, which allegedly is something you can do in Linux but not in Windows ;) Of course it's technically possible, but it's not something I would do. It's kind of funny and sad, since the network is probably healthier with one fewer Windows machine, but Linux is seen as a blackhat tool just because it lets you actually use your computer.
Are you saying that hardware should enforce law, by not allowing certain kinds of software operation? Should a network card disable illegal file transfers? Then there are different laws in different countries. This does apply to WLAN frequencies as well.
I think Guido's answer was a nice pun, but unfortunately you may not get it if you haven't read much Python documentation.
Tuuuuuuble
In Soviet Russia, people know how to spell. As opposed to how they do things in the US.
Usually, people don't see or handle these items when they're concerned with RAM or disk space. I believe the problem begins with the word 'memory' which has human origins, and its application to computers is the new and confusing thing. Short term memory corresponds to RAM, and long term memory to hard drive space. This is probably why people think of 'memory' as the HDD; when you 'use your memory', you're usually dealing with your long term memory, i.e. hard drive equivalent.
IMHO, we should never talk about 'memory' when dealing with computers, since it's confusing due to the human memory connotations. It would be clearer if we always referred to RAM, hard drive, etc. specifically.
At least you're 0x539 enough to know that GIRL is an acronym and not just any odd abbreviation.
So it's a myth that we use different words for different things?
OSS doesn't have any bugs because of the eyeball theory, so we don't need no stinkin' debugger!!!11 ;)
Hey, this is an American story on Slashdot, we don't understand words like kilo or hectogram here. Heh heh, he said "poo"...
And as we all know, most of the space taken up by a hard drive is due to the thickness of the disk platters... or is it?
As a grammar-national socialist I'm implying that the Sun doesn't shine on Uranus.
So, if this technology can shave off 1 mm of the disc's thickness, it means you can use 9 mm jewel cases instead of the regular 10 mm versions. Thus solving the storage problem once and for all! Of course, you'll probably need an extra strong case to protect this extra fragile disc.
In other words, most of the storage space with CDs/DVDs isn't due to the disc itself, it's due to the ginormous case that some people insist on having around. DVD movie cases are even worse. Personally, I prefer slim "CD single" cases whenever possible.
Make sure you know the difference between grid technology and clustering. Basically, grid is much more complicated but more flexible; the name means you can connect something to a grid to get computing power, just like you can connect to the power grid to get electricity. It looks like you're thinking of clustering instead, which is easier to deploy and in many ways closer to a multiproc machine
Are you saying that beauty can only be man-made? If so, you haven't been out much lately... or ever.. ;)
Anyone know what happened with the contest of login/logout sounds for Mandriva 2007? I'd hate to download the entire ISO just to see who won...
Globalization would be great if it were honest and open like Free software. However, my current understanding of globalization is that while I could lose my job to an Indian programmer, I cannot play a cheaper Indian version of a DVD movie. Also, movement of labor is restricted. In other words, globalization in practice means "those parts of globalization that line businessowners' pockets".
Well, Wikipedia suggests that it's more common in the US than in Britain, but there doesn't seem to be a sharp distinction.
As the sibling post already explained, light and radio are both electromagnetic waves. They both do magic with electrons; in fact, the electric fields (forces) merely make the electrons move in the circuit.
Inductors are conventionally used in the resonance circuit which filters the radio frequencies you choose, but it's possible to make a radio without inductors at all.
On the other hand, there are 'inductor antennas' that work with the magnetic (instead of electric) part of radio waves. IIRC these usually have very low efficiencies, and they are only used in some specialty applications like RFID which only works at a close distance ('near field' in physics jargon).