After reading about half the replies here I was thinking that a *lot* of people have a terrible obsessioin with "Aliens Made Of Meat"(TM). Is there a "Universal Law"(TM) that "Intelligent Life"(TM) has to be in some form of shaped protein? Come off it. Why do you think protein has the Patent on "Intelligent Life"(TM) and your limitations also apply to the physical size and limitations you experience?
Why can there be no intelligence in [for instance] the Sun? Because it is too hot? Maybe the solar flares and waves of magnetic radiation *are* a way of communication for "Stellar Beings"(TM) but on a different scale or clock.
Think further. What SETI is doing is scanning the cosmos for a sequence of electronic pulses that may or may not indicate that a form of communication is taking place and that this communication may or may nyet be aimed at us. So what? Maybe the only comunication going on "Out There"(TM) is in the form of gravity waves or modulated photonic streams or by flashing stars.
For now the means and ways we have at our disposal is the works of the SETI society and maybe when we find other means and ways to communicate amongst ourselves we may or may not use these to start listening to the Universe again and maybe we will hear something we are not able to detect now. We just have to start listening somewhere/somehow and why not like we are doing now.
It is my conviction (sp?) that there is "Life Out There"(TM) and it may or may not be "As We Know It"(TM)". We are going to "Hear From Them"(TM) unless they are NOT trying to communicate with Us and encrypt all their "Interstellar Communications"(TM)(R)(C).
SETI has a function... If only to prove that "They" do not use this specific form of communication...
I live in Europe but by my calculations it should be August 24th by now (see timestamp above) even if the "International Dateline"(TM) has rolled over a couple of longitudes (or should that be lattitudes? I forget)
Ok, here is how I see this M$ development:
First: they steal the code and call it their OS;
Second: they steal another idea and call it their GUI;
Third: they steal some more code and call it their browser;
Fourth: they pick up on an idea and call it their internet;
Fifth: they buy all kinds of software-companies and call it their 'innovations';
Sixth: they bully/squeeze/sue all rivals from the market and call it their extend & embrace policy for your good;
Seventh: they FUD and spam on other products and call it their idea of a "Good Thing" (TM);
Eighth: they seek "World Domination"(TM) and call it their idea;
etc. etc. etc.
Now that they have come up with the "innovation" to start on hardware as well as software they (and their peers like Sony, MPAA, etc. etc. etc.) can really start to overtake the majority of business and home computing. With the control over hardware and software they can sell 'blocking/filtering/firewall' services to companies that for example want to kill, crush and destroy the rights of the "consumer" like they are trying now with the DMCA, Napster, et al.
Is it me or does Steve B. look like "The Man"(TM) on the screen in the movie "1984" ?
NOW is the time we should be worried. After all, Linux still has a minor percentage of desktop presence and WINxyz is by far the most pushed/shoved/pre-installed software. Does anyone have a clue how to prevent the "1984" scenario coming to *y*o*u*r* office and home? There is much animosity here on/. but "The Real World"(TM) does not care much for charged/uncharged particles that have an half-life of 60 nanoseconds.
What I want to know is: How do we stop them and what is being done already ?
Living in Europe does free me of some U.S.of A. issues, but the ramifications are obvious to us all the same. Some legislation may cross the Atlantic and contaminate our rights as well!
Brings a whole new meaning to the term, "crowd control". Instead of batons and rubber bullets they use PDA's to crash the systems and render the crowd in a "Blue Scream Of Dearth". Or maybe a public protast can really mean something if a hacker goes around making all the chameleon-jackets display their cry of indignation for 3 blocks round 'ground zero'. How about getting a crowd to Beowulf an e-mail spamming attempt on their local representative? What about...
Ah the possibilities are near infinite;-)
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Re:What's next? Web Wear ; Syntax Error at Eleven
on
Techno Jacket
·
· Score: 1
Nope, all they will see is the underlaying "hardwear" and I sure hope you did not use the "Hot Grits(TM)" plug-in while on the subway to work.
Hey! That's a great idea!
HardWear presents: The plug-in of the millenium: The N(athalie) P(ortman) Plug-In Get your Hot Grits Where Yuo Want It And Get Them Now!
{squawk} Polly want a Cookie!
Don't forget: I thought of it FIRST!
type out my CV in word emulation and finish it before the application or the OS crashes.
But then you would have to touch-type very fast... No! Wait! It would crash then as well because the keyboard is supposed to be a s--l--o--w interface;-)
{squawk} Polly wants a cookie!
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Free ?! Does that mean I can't get a Discount ?!
Well, as an agnost (don't know the correkt spellink) I can say thet losing my thoughts in a game of Doom I in invincible-mode and pretending the insignificant others (a.k.a. enemies) are the problems, and just breezing through the levels can be quite satisfying as well...
I respect every one and all to his/her/it's own belief and/or/including religion. Just don't come to my frontdoor and "save" me.
IMO 'meditation' is something -whatever it's external format- you do to relax the cranium, loosen up the muscles in your back and neck. If prayer works for one: Fine by me. If Tibetan Levitation does it for another: That's just swell as well. "What's good for the goose is good for the gander" ? I don't know. I've tried several things, including baby-oil {wrestling} with my wife and sometimes one thing works, and sometimes sheer senseless virtual bloodshed does the trick. It depends on the moment. There is no single definite one-for-all cure for writers block or whatever your current mentally challenged status. The important thing is to try to leviate the immediate problem or hangup and maybe in the process you learn something valuable about yourself, your ignificant other, your pet, your... I've learned a lot after a severe burnout 2 years ago and not that I'm back in perfect shape again like I thought I was before I crshed'n'burned but I have learned that to pace yourself and to spend time away from the money-making averyday business and to go off on a wild tangent does the trick for me. I've read it all over this thread: Shut down, get out, do something completely different and the background process (lookup man nice sometime) will continue to solve the immediate problem.
{squawk} Polly wants a cookie!
--- Free ?! Does that mean I can't get a Discount ?!
It would take me years to teach a computer how to read(if I could ever do it), but it only takes me a couple of hours to teach somebody the basics of the command-line interface. So we all learn to use "NewSpeak" (tm) even in social interaction ?
No Thankx!
{squawk} Polly wants a cookie!
--- Free ?! Does that mean I can't get a Discount ?!
find ~/ -mtime -7 -exec mv {}/mnt/zip/ \; makes sense. Maybe to you, you man-eating HowTo-breathing A.C. breastfeeded from LDP.
The Above Is Not An Insult, It Is My Interpretation from your comment. This gibberish does not make sense to me, not matter how many times I try to read it without diving into the man pages. If it were possible to use Natural Language (a la 2000:A Space Odessy) the base of understanding the given command is highly interprative to mean just about anything. It is the circumstances that define the meaning, not the syntax. That is why it is so difficult to implement such an interface. Ever tried to start or even maintain a real-life conversation about anything without either party knowing the subject A.N.D the references A.N.D the knowledge what Point Of View either of you is talking about? Even in everyday conversations it is not easy to decipher all that in an instance and react to it in a way that makes sense. Now Homo Sapiens has a lot more processing power than any computer. Homo Sapiens has learned from experience and training how to interpret a sentence like "Move all files I changed in the last week onto my zip disk." If you would give the exact same verbal command to your secretary [or sysadmin] they would know what to do because they understand the C.O.N.T.E.X.T of the command you gave and because of past experience and training (formal or not) they know what to do. And if they do not know, they are smart enough to ask questions so that they know what the P.A.R.AM.E.T.E.R.S are they have to keep in mind when they execute that command.
Back to the Natural Language CLI: Is that all files in this directory or in the whole tree? Is that just last week not this week? Are valid responses even if they are only questions.
Sorry 'in\ the\ last\ week' is not a valid directory. and Sorry 'onto' is not a directory. Are NOT!
Any decent interface, voice- or keyboard- operated, should not stop at a dumb errormassage.
Let's keep an eye open for pitfalls like these and strive to improve the interface, not just put a pretty picture on it or make it listen to you and still not work.
{squawk} Polly wants a cookie!
--- Free ?! Does that mean I can't get a Discount ?!
Well, if your hammer and screwdriver could do everything Linux can, they'd probably have 2000-page manuals... Is it so difficult to understand? If I buy a hammer I buy it so I can ram some nails in a piece of wood. I do not want a fat manual telling me how to cut ['n'paste] down a tree, how to grep with a chisel the form of the stem, how to process chemicals and stuff to make the grip, how to fsck raw iron ore into steel, how to make the steel into a head in a lot of different forms, how to mount the head to the stem etc, etc, etc...
All I want is for some genius to hand me an easy understandable form of (preferrably Graphic)
USER
Interface in the form of menu's or whatever so I can focus on the decision wether I do or do not want a specific feature. I concur Linux is not a screwdriver (l.i.n.a.s (now there is an acronym for an OS)) and there are many vital decisions to make before it runs at all (processor, graphics card, nic, ad infinitum). I d.i.d read a lot of FAQ's and HowTo's before I even started building my [beloved, cherised] Linux box. I did so because I want to know what goes on inside. Now I realise this is a bit of a parrotdox/H/H/H paradox because to know you have to learn and go deeper than a few menu-driven choices. I have watched Linux grow from a commandline/makefile driven (nearly) Guru-level toy/OS/sandbox to it's present glory. It has taken Linux this many years to mature [like good single highland malt] and now is the time it is ready for the general public. Remember when only experts could Windo$ so it would run with any hope of efficiency/speed ? Nowadays any half-wit can install it just by thinking a little about what they want and making a few simple choices.
Like windo$ I want to be able to use Linux 'Out Of The Box' with a minimum amount of hassle and have it run a few office-related programs (like Star Office). Unlike windo$ I want to be able to dive into the [let's call it] expert-mode and tweak and fiddle with the software just to see if I understand it at all or to squeeze a bit more speed/power from my hardware.
To get back to the screwdriver analogy; I like to use it with the same level of incompetent/level-zero/thoughtless/user attitude that is really common in today's offices when it comes to computers/copiers/faxes in general. I also like to dive in deeper when something is of interest/use to me. Some like to just drive a car, others want to know how to check tire-pressure, oil-level, etc. and there are others that want to know how to fix that rattle in the engine and with a car you pick yopur own level of sophistication. With Linux you already need to know a lot more and yes... to drive a car you have to take lessons and an exam... and yes to use a computer/xerox/fax you have to read at least two pages of the manual. Why does everybody have to make belief that computers are/should/stay a really complex piece of
equipment
that you have to go back to school before you can even remotely hope to reach te level of knowledge where it does not only take more time to do a job than you could save with it ???
When games get ported to Linux it is a good thing because: A. with Linux you have a s.t.a.b.l.e machine B. with Linux you have the opportunity to even enhance the game-experience/joy because it runs as well or better than it does on windo$ C. with linux you have the opportunity to change anything you think needs improvement D. with Linux..... etc.etc.etc.
The games ported to Linux are those that rise above the crop. It will get interest from them that really enjoy a good game. Linux advocacy is all in the mind of the recipient: If you like a particular brand of chocolate and only buy that brand... Then when you taste another brand you have ignored until now and find you like it better... Would you stick with your previous choice ? Same with an OS I think
{squawk} Polly wants a cookie ! --- Free ?! Does that mean I can't get a Discount ?!
Linux is not gonna be the OS of choice for gamers I agree. Up until a short while ago you had to use WINE to get some of them running. The Linux-native support for accelerated 3D is only now making progress so you can have the benefit of nifty hardware built for games.
but I already beat that game A YEAR AGO when it came out on PC! So... either pay top-dollar for the PC version of the game or wait a little longer and pay less for the non-PC version... I know when to spend my hard-earned money -I have to w.o.r.k for it- and buy a game I really like... After my PC-oriented friends have already shown me it really is a great game.
They want to play new games NOW Right! That is their kick and rush and my hobby is to spend money and precious time on other things and goodies. I only buy if I really - Really - REALLY like it.
Yes, I do keep a 2G W98 partition for some things that have not yet been transmuted to Linux, and also for some programs that do not come with a good looking-working graphical interface. I admit it... I Am Addicted To G.U.I.'s and I don't care if it has a button or a checkbox by any other 'name' I cannot stand the over-complicated commandline-driven setup procedures some packages want me to follow: Way to much typing to do and too much work for my two lazy digits I use for it. I do not understand why anyone could be proud of the fact that he/she/it can type a 500-letter commandline, let alone commit it to memory.
[/OffTopic] Linux IS a great O.S. Linux IS versatile Linux IS Greased Lightning fast Linux IS Good Linux IS Easy To Install (when they started adding menu-driven setup programs) I Do Not Want To Read A Zillion Tons Of Documentation To Use My PC! I Want To Use It And Have Someone Else Handle The Technicalities Of Making It Run. Just Like I Use My Hammer And Screwdriver!
I have not yet tried to install games like Q2 on my Linux-box because I am afraid I will have to wade through a gazillion lines of readme and howto. If someone could point me to a good game (like A.C.) and assure me "This game installs and runs as easy as on a windo$ PC" [i.e. with the aid of a GUI menu] I would like to try.
{squawk} Polly wants a cookie!
--- Free ?! Does that mean I can't get a Discount ?!
This is a little radical, but I think that avery admin of a Unix / Linux / BSD or even MAC servers should boot out any MSIE browsers that show up for a day. If Joe average user found out one day that a great majority of their favourite web sites are not powered by Microsoft and are now unaccessable because they are using Microsoft products. Even better would be to redirect them to a site that expalins why they can't go where they want to today. (I know that this is not practical, but I can dream. Can't I?)
Uhmmmm, well what if the boot was on the other foot? Suppose all M$-addicts decided to let only M$IE-browsers enter and reject all others (i.e. Netscape, Opera, HomeBrew, to name a few) or those browsing on platforms != M$ ? Hmmm? Even now it is not easy to make a very good looking and attractive website without having to take into account the difference between browsers because all have their quircks (excuse the spelling).
Furthermore I find this whole thread on/. another perfect shining 24-carat example of F.U.D. the way M$ would like it to be. Every other A.C. or logged in Person attacking their fellow man on some word or interpretation. Just like the first paragraph of this reaction. As I write this I get a sense of drowning in subterfuge and non-issues, recalling to mind a comic called "Asterix and Obelix: The Intrigue" -I do not know if I used the correct word but it is about one person lighting everyone's fire and at the end they are all against everyone. This whole discussion about what M$ will do, would like to do and what they dream of doing is OK; it keeps everyone on their toes and everyone can have his/her/it's voice in a public way. Much like 'Speakers Corner' in Hyde Park, London, UK. It just does not mean we have to turn against one another and start an electronic infight or feud so the matter becomes less important than shouting about it.
Arguing about something does have a limit: The Noise To Reason Level. The more Noise/Volume/Emotion get's into the argument, the less Reason/Fact/Clarity there is. It leads to an emotional deadlock that has no sane solution. If/. says they do not want to discuss legal matter on a public channel: Fine! It is thinking with your head straight on. In WW2 there were posters that read "Walls Have Ears" and "The Enemy Is Listening". It is still true, especially n/. Anyone in their right mind and having knowledge on the legal matter at hand would not offer his/her/it's advice or councelling here in public. They most probably offer their P.O.V. in a discrete E-Mail to/. or Andover.
My last point is this: Some posts get rated "Flamebait", others "Informative". It is just an indication (like PG on rental movies) and it is up to YOU the reader to approve of the label or not. If you disapprove of a lot of the ratings, make your case to/. Otherwise if you approve of the ratings a lot (like 95% of the time) just think of the moderators "As Human As You" are and yes, everybody is entitled to mistackes.
[/SOAPBOX]
--- Free ?! Does that mean I can't get a Discount ?!
Can we please refrain from the "on behalf of all Slashdot readers" crap?
If this is flamebait... Put me on as well
I know there are strong emotional responses first hand, and yeah, I'd like to see him go down just as much as the next guy. But *I* don't take it out on the person but much rather get at the "throat" of the company and specifically the advertising department. What/. is doing is the mature, adult, sentient way of handling it: fight them on their own turf with their own weapons. Reason, Justice and F.A.C.T.S. That is how it is done today, not like some cavemen rampaging avout with wooden clubs or a calcified part of animal stock. Good Luck/.! Go Get Them!
Carpe Jugulum
--- Free ?! Does that mean I can't get a Discount ?!
Slashdot Mirror
In concert with the previous responder:
: exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace
Is this the place of work for you or him?
Not the word "generally" which IMHO says that it a frequent occurrance and not 'always' as you imply.
{squawk} Polly wants a Cookie!
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I hate to do this as I should have thought of it before, but here goes:
It's life Jim, but not as we know it"
The most (ab)used paraphrase from a populair TV series.
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After reading about half the replies here I was thinking that a *lot* of people have a terrible obsessioin with "Aliens Made Of Meat"(TM).
Is there a "Universal Law"(TM) that "Intelligent Life"(TM) has to be in some form of shaped protein? Come off it. Why do you think protein has the Patent on "Intelligent Life"(TM) and your limitations also apply to the physical size and limitations you experience?
Why can there be no intelligence in [for instance] the Sun? Because it is too hot? Maybe the solar flares and waves of magnetic radiation *are* a way of communication for "Stellar Beings"(TM) but on a different scale or clock.
Think further.
What SETI is doing is scanning the cosmos for a sequence of electronic pulses that may or may not indicate that a form of communication is taking place and that this communication may or may nyet be aimed at us.
So what?
Maybe the only comunication going on "Out There"(TM) is in the form of gravity waves or modulated photonic streams or by flashing stars.
For now the means and ways we have at our disposal is the works of the SETI society and maybe when we find other means and ways to communicate amongst ourselves we may or may not use these to start listening to the Universe again and maybe we will hear something we are not able to detect now.
We just have to start listening somewhere/somehow and why not like we are doing now.
It is my conviction (sp?) that there is "Life Out There"(TM) and it may or may not be "As We Know It"(TM)". We are going to "Hear From Them"(TM) unless they are NOT trying to communicate with Us and encrypt all their "Interstellar Communications"(TM)(R)(C).
SETI has a function... If only to prove that "They" do not use this specific form of communication...
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Hi, I would like to submit the following tweak for DiscPlay 4, formerly owned by Obvion Systems now owned by iCast, under Windows 95/98.
In the registry go to
HKEY_USERS\xxxx\Software\Obvion Systems\DiscPlay\CurrentVersion\CDDB
where "xxxx" must be replaced with the username logged in
Change the entries at Server List and Server to:
freedb.freedb.org
for both values.
Notice: I use *both* W98 and S.u.S.E. 6.4 and each have their own "Good Things"(TM) And I Payed Nothing For Either One.
---
Look at the timestamp:
Still not available!
Can you say "look at the clock" ?
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I live in Europe but by my calculations it should be August 24th by now (see timestamp above) even if the "International Dateline"(TM) has rolled over a couple of longitudes (or should that be lattitudes? I forget)
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Ok, here is how I see this M$ development:
/. but "The Real World"(TM) does not care much for charged/uncharged particles that have an half-life of 60 nanoseconds.
First: they steal the code and call it their OS;
Second: they steal another idea and call it their GUI;
Third: they steal some more code and call it their browser;
Fourth: they pick up on an idea and call it their internet;
Fifth: they buy all kinds of software-companies and call it their 'innovations';
Sixth: they bully/squeeze/sue all rivals from the market and call it their extend & embrace policy for your good;
Seventh: they FUD and spam on other products and call it their idea of a "Good Thing" (TM);
Eighth: they seek "World Domination"(TM) and call it their idea;
etc. etc. etc.
Now that they have come up with the "innovation" to start on hardware as well as software they (and their peers like Sony, MPAA, etc. etc. etc.) can really start to overtake the majority of business and home computing.
With the control over hardware and software they can sell 'blocking/filtering/firewall' services to companies that for example want to kill, crush and destroy the rights of the "consumer" like they are trying now with the DMCA, Napster, et al.
Is it me or does Steve B. look like "The Man"(TM) on the screen in the movie "1984" ?
NOW is the time we should be worried. After all, Linux still has a minor percentage of desktop presence and WINxyz is by far the most pushed/shoved/pre-installed software.
Does anyone have a clue how to prevent the "1984" scenario coming to *y*o*u*r* office and home? There is much animosity here on
What I want to know is: How do we stop them and what is being done already ?
Living in Europe does free me of some U.S.of A. issues, but the ramifications are obvious to us all the same. Some legislation may cross the Atlantic and contaminate our rights as well!
{squawk} Polly want a Cookie!
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Brings a whole new meaning to the term, "crowd control". ...
;-)
Instead of batons and rubber bullets they use PDA's to crash the systems and render the crowd in a "Blue Scream Of Dearth".
Or maybe a public protast can really mean something if a hacker goes around making all the chameleon-jackets display their cry of indignation for 3 blocks round 'ground zero'.
How about getting a crowd to Beowulf an e-mail spamming attempt on their local representative?
What about
Ah the possibilities are near infinite
---
Nope, all they will see is the underlaying "hardwear" and I sure hope you did not use the "Hot Grits(TM)" plug-in while on the subway to work.
Hey! That's a great idea!
HardWear presents:
The plug-in of the millenium:
The N(athalie) P(ortman) Plug-In
Get your Hot Grits Where Yuo Want It And Get Them Now!
{squawk} Polly want a Cookie!
Don't forget: I thought of it FIRST!
---
"Insert ... here /. page:
How about this one from the bottom of the
On-line, adj.: The idea that a human being should always be accessible to a computer.
---
What's next, Seti@Home? ;-) :-O
Yup, it is here
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type out my CV in word emulation and finish it before the application or the OS crashes. ... ;-)
But then you would have to touch-type very fast
No! Wait! It would crash then as well because the keyboard is supposed to be a s--l--o--w interface
{squawk} Polly wants a cookie!
---
Free ?! Does that mean I can't get a Discount ?!
Well, as an agnost (don't know the correkt spellink) I can say thet losing my thoughts in a game of Doom I in invincible-mode and pretending the insignificant others (a.k.a. enemies) are the problems, and just breezing through the levels can be quite satisfying as well ...
...
I respect every one and all to his/her/it's own belief and/or/including religion. Just don't come to my frontdoor and "save" me.
IMO 'meditation' is something -whatever it's external format- you do to relax the cranium, loosen up the muscles in your back and neck. If prayer works for one: Fine by me. If Tibetan Levitation does it for another: That's just swell as well.
"What's good for the goose is good for the gander" ? I don't know. I've tried several things, including baby-oil {wrestling} with my wife and sometimes one thing works, and sometimes sheer senseless virtual bloodshed does the trick. It depends on the moment.
There is no single definite one-for-all cure for writers block or whatever your current mentally challenged status.
The important thing is to try to leviate the immediate problem or hangup and maybe in the process you learn something valuable about yourself, your ignificant other, your pet, your
I've learned a lot after a severe burnout 2 years ago and not that I'm back in perfect shape again like I thought I was before I crshed'n'burned but I have learned that to pace yourself and to spend time away from the money-making averyday business and to go off on a wild tangent does the trick for me.
I've read it all over this thread: Shut down, get out, do something completely different and the background process (lookup man nice sometime) will continue to solve the immediate problem.
{squawk} Polly wants a cookie!
---
Free ?! Does that mean I can't get a Discount ?!
Yup, it's falling allright.
...
Flying is the art of falling
And miss the ground !!
{squawk} Polly wants a cookie !
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Free ?! Does that mean I can't get a Discount ?!
It would take me years to teach a computer how to read(if I could ever do it), but it only takes me a couple of hours to teach somebody the basics of the command-line interface.
So we all learn to use "NewSpeak" (tm) even in social interaction ?
No Thankx!
{squawk} Polly wants a cookie!
---
Free ?! Does that mean I can't get a Discount ?!
find ~/ -mtime -7 -exec mv {} /mnt/zip/ \; makes sense.
Maybe to you, you man-eating HowTo-breathing A.C. breastfeeded from LDP.
The Above Is Not An Insult, It Is My Interpretation from your comment.
This gibberish does not make sense to me, not matter how many times I try to read it without diving into the man pages.
If it were possible to use Natural Language (a la 2000:A Space Odessy) the base of understanding the given command is highly interprative to mean just about anything. It is the circumstances that define the meaning, not the syntax. That is why it is so difficult to implement such an interface.
Ever tried to start or even maintain a real-life conversation about anything without either party knowing the subject A.N.D the references A.N.D the knowledge what Point Of View either of you is talking about?
Even in everyday conversations it is not easy to decipher all that in an instance and react to it in a way that makes sense. Now Homo Sapiens has a lot more processing power than any computer. Homo Sapiens has learned from experience and training how to interpret a sentence like "Move all files I changed in the last week onto my zip disk."
If you would give the exact same verbal command to your secretary [or sysadmin] they would know what to do because they understand the C.O.N.T.E.X.T of the command you gave and because of past experience and training (formal or not) they know what to do. And if they do not know, they are smart enough to ask questions so that they know what the P.A.R.AM.E.T.E.R.S are they have to keep in mind when they execute that command.
Back to the Natural Language CLI:
Is that all files in this directory or in the whole tree? Is that just last week not this week?
Are valid responses even if they are only questions.
Sorry 'in\ the\ last\ week' is not a valid directory. and Sorry 'onto' is not a directory.
Are NOT!
Any decent interface, voice- or keyboard- operated, should not stop at a dumb errormassage.
Let's keep an eye open for pitfalls like these and strive to improve the interface, not just put a pretty picture on it or make it listen to you and still not work.
{squawk} Polly wants a cookie!
---
Free ?! Does that mean I can't get a Discount ?!
Is it so difficult to understand?
If I buy a hammer I buy it so I can ram some nails in a piece of wood. I do not want a fat manual telling me how to cut ['n'paste] down a tree, how to grep with a chisel the form of the stem, how to process chemicals and stuff to make the grip, how to fsck raw iron ore into steel, how to make the steel into a head in a lot of different forms, how to mount the head to the stem etc, etc, etc
All I want is for some genius to hand me an easy understandable form of (preferrably Graphic)
- USER
Interface in the form of menu's or whatever so I can focus on the decision wether I do or do not want a specific feature.I concur Linux is not a screwdriver (l.i.n.a.s (now there is an acronym for an OS)) and there are many vital decisions to make before it runs at all (processor, graphics card, nic, ad infinitum). I d.i.d read a lot of FAQ's and HowTo's before I even started building my [beloved, cherised] Linux box. I did so because I want to know what goes on inside. Now I realise this is a bit of a parrotdox/H/H/H paradox because to know you have to learn and go deeper than a few menu-driven choices.
I have watched Linux grow from a commandline/makefile driven (nearly) Guru-level toy/OS/sandbox to it's present glory. It has taken Linux this many years to mature [like good single highland malt] and now is the time it is ready for the general public.
Remember when only experts could Windo$ so it would run with any hope of efficiency/speed ? Nowadays any half-wit can install it just by thinking a little about what they want and making a few simple choices.
Like windo$ I want to be able to use Linux 'Out Of The Box' with a minimum amount of hassle and have it run a few office-related programs (like Star Office).
Unlike windo$ I want to be able to dive into the [let's call it] expert-mode and tweak and fiddle with the software just to see if I understand it at all or to squeeze a bit more speed/power from my hardware.
To get back to the screwdriver analogy; I like to use it with the same level of incompetent/level-zero/thoughtless/user attitude that is really common in today's offices when it comes to computers/copiers/faxes in general. I also like to dive in deeper when something is of interest/use to me.
Some like to just drive a car, others want to know how to check tire-pressure, oil-level, etc. and there are others that want to know how to fix that rattle in the engine and with a car you pick yopur own level of sophistication. With Linux you already need to know a lot more and yes... to drive a car you have to take lessons and an exam... and yes to use a computer/xerox/fax you have to read at least two pages of the manual.
Why does everybody have to make belief that computers are/should/stay a really complex piece of
- equipment
that you have to go back to school before you can even remotely hope to reach te level of knowledge where it does not only take more time to do a job than you could save with it ???When games get ported to Linux it is a good thing because:
A. with Linux you have a s.t.a.b.l.e machine
B. with Linux you have the opportunity to even enhance the game-experience/joy because it runs as well or better than it does on windo$
C. with linux you have the opportunity to change anything you think needs improvement
D. with Linux
The games ported to Linux are those that rise above the crop. It will get interest from them that really enjoy a good game.
Linux advocacy is all in the mind of the recipient: If you like a particular brand of chocolate and only buy that brand... Then when you taste another brand you have ignored until now and find you like it better... Would you stick with your previous choice ?
Same with an OS I think
{squawk} Polly wants a cookie !
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Free ?! Does that mean I can't get a Discount ?!
Linux is not gonna be the OS of choice for gamers
... I Am Addicted To G.U.I.'s and I don't care if it has a button or a checkbox by any other 'name'
I agree. Up until a short while ago you had to use WINE to get some of them running. The Linux-native support for accelerated 3D is only now making progress so you can have the benefit of nifty hardware built for games.
but I already beat that game A YEAR AGO when it came out on PC!
So... either pay top-dollar for the PC version of the game or wait a little longer and pay less for the non-PC version... I know when to spend my hard-earned money -I have to w.o.r.k for it- and buy a game I really like... After my PC-oriented friends have already shown me it really is a great game.
They want to play new games NOW
Right! That is their kick and rush and my hobby is to spend money and precious time on other things and goodies.
I only buy if I really - Really - REALLY like it.
Yes, I do keep a 2G W98 partition for some things that have not yet been transmuted to Linux, and also for some programs that do not come with a good looking-working graphical interface. I admit it
I cannot stand the over-complicated commandline-driven setup procedures some packages want me to follow: Way to much typing to do and too much work for my two lazy digits I use for it.
I do not understand why anyone could be proud of the fact that he/she/it can type a 500-letter commandline, let alone commit it to memory.
[/OffTopic]
Linux IS a great O.S.
Linux IS versatile
Linux IS Greased Lightning fast
Linux IS Good
Linux IS Easy To Install (when they started adding menu-driven setup programs)
I Do Not Want To Read A Zillion Tons Of Documentation To Use My PC! I Want To Use It And Have Someone Else Handle The Technicalities Of Making It Run. Just Like I Use My Hammer And Screwdriver!
I have not yet tried to install games like Q2 on my Linux-box because I am afraid I will have to wade through a gazillion lines of readme and howto. If someone could point me to a good game (like A.C.) and assure me "This game installs and runs as easy as on a windo$ PC" [i.e. with the aid of a GUI menu] I would like to try.
{squawk} Polly wants a cookie!
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Free ?! Does that mean I can't get a Discount ?!
a copy of Choplifter or Evolution
Yep, still got the original disks. Problem is: How do I read them with my PC-drive to get them on the net?
Any idea? Suggestions? Tools? Anyone?
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Free ?! Does that mean I can't get a Discount ?!
This is a little radical, but I think that avery admin of a Unix / Linux / BSD or even MAC servers should boot out any MSIE browsers that show up for a day. If Joe average user found out one day that a great majority of their favourite web sites are not powered by Microsoft and are now unaccessable because they are using Microsoft products. Even better would be to redirect them to a site that expalins why they can't go where they want to today. (I know that this is not practical, but I can dream. Can't I?)
/. another perfect shining 24-carat example of F.U.D. the way M$ would like it to be. Every other A.C. or logged in Person attacking their fellow man on some word or interpretation. Just like the first paragraph of this reaction.
/. says they do not want to discuss legal matter on a public channel: Fine! It is thinking with your head straight on. In WW2 there were posters that read "Walls Have Ears" and "The Enemy Is Listening". It is still true, especially n /. /. or Andover.
/. Otherwise if you approve of the ratings a lot (like 95% of the time) just think of the moderators "As Human As You" are and yes, everybody is entitled to mistackes.
Uhmmmm, well what if the boot was on the other foot? Suppose all M$-addicts decided to let only M$IE-browsers enter and reject all others (i.e. Netscape, Opera, HomeBrew, to name a few) or those browsing on platforms != M$ ?
Hmmm?
Even now it is not easy to make a very good looking and attractive website without having to take into account the difference between browsers because all have their quircks (excuse the spelling).
Furthermore I find this whole thread on
As I write this I get a sense of drowning in subterfuge and non-issues, recalling to mind a comic called "Asterix and Obelix: The Intrigue" -I do not know if I used the correct word but it is about one person lighting everyone's fire and at the end they are all against everyone.
This whole discussion about what M$ will do, would like to do and what they dream of doing is OK; it keeps everyone on their toes and everyone can have his/her/it's voice in a public way. Much like 'Speakers Corner' in Hyde Park, London, UK.
It just does not mean we have to turn against one another and start an electronic infight or feud so the matter becomes less important than shouting about it.
Arguing about something does have a limit: The Noise To Reason Level. The more Noise/Volume/Emotion get's into the argument, the less Reason/Fact/Clarity there is. It leads to an emotional deadlock that has no sane solution.
If
Anyone in their right mind and having knowledge on the legal matter at hand would not offer his/her/it's advice or councelling here in public. They most probably offer their P.O.V. in a discrete E-Mail to
My last point is this: Some posts get rated "Flamebait", others "Informative". It is just an indication (like PG on rental movies) and it is up to YOU the reader to approve of the label or not. If you disapprove of a lot of the ratings, make your case to
[/SOAPBOX]
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Free ?! Does that mean I can't get a Discount ?!
Can we please refrain from the "on behalf of all Slashdot readers" crap?
... Put me on as well
/. is doing is the mature, adult, sentient way of handling it: fight them on their own turf with their own weapons. Reason, Justice and F.A.C.T.S. /.! Go Get Them!
If this is flamebait
I know there are strong emotional responses first hand, and yeah, I'd like to see him go down just as much as the next guy. But *I* don't take it out on the person but much rather get at the "throat" of the company and specifically the advertising department.
What
That is how it is done today, not like some cavemen rampaging avout with wooden clubs or a calcified part of animal stock.
Good Luck
Carpe Jugulum
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Free ?! Does that mean I can't get a Discount ?!