Sorry, I really wanted to install Debian, but after 3 hours of trying to configure X by hand I returned to Mandrake. I later even tried to install Corel Linux and then apt-get the rest of Debian, but it only created inconsistencies and dependency problems (besides I only have access to very limited bandwith -modem-).
Debian IMVHO should work more on getting the installation right. Those who brought us wonderful tools such as apt and the whole Debian packaging system should be able to add an optional graphical install that installs X and configures networking after the user selects his/her choice of software.
About Mandrake: Its my favorite distro so far... Its still rpm based, but it has managed to keep a safe distance from RedHat. Its user-friendly facilities (install-configure-etc) are without peer. Check them out here.
else think_about_it:
try: Alien starships start on the top left side of the screen, then they start moving downwards and to the left with orderly tab movements!
except: that would be too easy to solve (too easy to understand, dammit!), so it would be better to run an Obfuscated-Perl invaders game...
"""docstring: This is not real Python code, just a simulation"""
If pdf is such an standard, why can you only produce quality pdf's using Mac or Windows?
hint: It has to do with something called "closed standards"
Instead of trying to get adobe to sell us expensive software, we should try to get them to open the pdf specs, so that it becomes a true standard.
In fact, pdf as used by MacOSX sounds very very interesting...
Do you think ethnic British people born in the USA aren't Gringos?
Now now, the term for meddling US-born people is not "Gringos" anymore, its more like:
Pinches Gringos hijos de la chingada
...of course you would have to live south of the US/Mexican border to understand that.
DISCLAIMER: Not all people from the US are deserving of the "Gringo" title, only the ones that feel they are some sort of "roman citizens", inmune to international criticism... Most of them feel very offended by the term itself, so dont prove me right, ok?
Of course you are entitled to having favourites! But my point was that you would be able to drive another car if you had to rent one on a business trip, for instance.
Some people think that computer desktops HAVE to have a panel with a start button, or even a taskbar for users to be able to do anything with them, else they will run in fear.
disclaimer: I run both GNOME and KDE and i like panels (although mine doesnt have a start button) and taskbars (although mine shares space with a pager)
"I am better because I use an expensive OS on expensive hardware"
Why dont you ask Google about the benefits of using Linux on el-cheapo intel-compatible hardware?
Really! Some people just cant afford Sparc, and some of us wouldnt use it, even if we could afford it! So please respect other peoples choices!
Granted, the discussion isnt about OSs, but about desktop enviroments.
But you'll have to admit that GNU/Linux systems running GNOME and/or KDE are the best choice for desktop users that just wanna ditch Microsoft. That is the reason people are talking about this in relation to Linux.
I disagree. My wife is definetely not a techie, but she now uses both KDE and GNOME without much trouble (she prefers KDE, though).
However different the different DE's are, they're still the same windows-mouse-menu-panel metaphor that everybody knows how to use.
Perhaps the following is a bad analogy, but think about this:
There are hundreds of different car panel designs, also there are some that have manual transmition and others with automatic transmission... and of these last ones, some have the changes in the floor and others behind the steering wheel... yet people can drive all those different types with minimal hassle, because the basic controls (steering wheel, pedals, etc) are the same.
What do you guys think?
--I rather have a discussion than moderation--
The site may be based in the US, but it is "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters", not "News for US Nerds, Stuff that Matters to US nerds".
If a site is merely a.com (or.org or.net) it is to be assumed that its intended for everybody in the world. If it were www.slashdot.org.us your comment would be valid, but since its not, you should not complain if somebody suggests more standards-compliant measurements to be added.
There are country or language specific nerd sites, for a taste of them, to go to http://www.linux.org.mx or to http://www.linux.co.jp or even the slasdot clone for the spanish speaking community (note that its not a country specific site, so it doesnt have a country tld: http://www.barrapunto.com
Your "standards" are not standards... You are the only people who use lbs, ft, miles and stuff... The rest of the world (Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America) use the metric system.
Meters, grams and Kilograms, and Kilometers are not only more widely used, but easier to calculate... How many feet are in a mile? or how many ounces in a pound? dunno, but the metric system couldnt be easier: a Kilometer is 1000 meters and a centimeter is 0.01 meters...
Mandrake has a (beta?) utility called DrakX that does what you describe...
I use the one on Mandrake 7.0, which is still pretty beta, but I assume that the one included in 7.2 will be better (gotta get me an upgrade from cheapbytes...)
Does there really something to be gained by torturing monkeys like this? Is there something to be gained by having your mind "downloaded" out of your body and into a computer?
For more interesting thoughts read: In the Absence of the Sacred, by Jerry Mander
A lot of the developers of Mozilla do of course work for Netscape but many also do not and as time goes on more people get involved around the edges and even now and then deep into the core.
Wasnt one of Mozilla's main problems that they couldnt attract many "outside" developers...?
It wouldnt surprise me if thats the reason the Netscape engineers still are the majority of the mozilla developers.
Well, this is not strange as their latest distro includes both KDE2 and HelixGNOME...
In fact, Im pretty sure thats one of the reasons of their distro being so popular lately...
They used to be "RedHat+KDE+bugfixes" but now they've moved on to offer a full-fledged distro, with original software of their own, not just correcting RedHats mistakes.
Hey, mozilla/netscape may not be perfect, but the mozilla project is doing fairly well right now, IMO, and I think there's nowhere to go but up from here.
True, true, when you are at the bottom of the pile, theres nowhere to go but up!
"Beautiful is better than ugly, Explicit is better than implicit, Simple is better than complex, Complex is better than complicated, Flat is better than nested..." -Tim Peters
...Therefore, Python!
I would rather have functionality then ease of you.
And where do you find functionality lacking?
This is the same Linux (and the same GNU) than RedHat, Slackware, Debian, etc... Sure there are differences in configuration and installation, but the Bash prompt is there if you need it, as well as all the wonderfull command line tools that we all know and love.
Yes, you can tamper with car engines if you know what you're doing - and you can pretty much customize your car "how you like it"
Well, this is more true of older cars than of newer ones... Nowadays you have to tinker with poorly documented, propietary electronics as well as the mechanics of the car...
haven't they hired a lot of Indians lately ? That could account for the grammar butchering...
Now what makes you think that a programmer from India, Finland, Russia or Mexico has to have bad english grammar?
I work at support, so I deal everyday with letters from all over the world. Usually the worst english spelling and grammar comes from the USA, since people using english as a second language tend to be more careful when they write.
Of course, this is a generalization, just like yours... Its just that my experiences differ.
(and also your comment looks ethnically biased at first glance)
Slashdot Mirror
Debian IMVHO should work more on getting the installation right. Those who brought us wonderful tools such as apt and the whole Debian packaging system should be able to add an optional graphical install that installs X and configures networking after the user selects his/her choice of software.
About Mandrake: Its my favorite distro so far... Its still rpm based, but it has managed to keep a safe distance from RedHat. Its user-friendly facilities (install-configure-etc) are without peer. Check them out here.
What about "Python invaders"?
#!/usr/local/bin/python
import sys
import humor
if reader == "language zealot":
sys.exit(1)
else think_about_it:
try: Alien starships start on the top left side of the screen, then they start moving downwards and to the left with orderly tab movements!
except: that would be too easy to solve (too easy to understand, dammit!), so it would be better to run an Obfuscated-Perl invaders game...
"""docstring: This is not real Python code, just a simulation"""
I read somewhere that the display engine in MacOSX is not X, but a PDF based GUI.
But they'll be "gringos" until they find something better than the name of the continent to call themselves by...
Very true compadre...
If pdf is such an standard, why can you only produce quality pdf's using Mac or Windows?
hint: It has to do with something called "closed standards"
Instead of trying to get adobe to sell us expensive software, we should try to get them to open the pdf specs, so that it becomes a true standard.
In fact, pdf as used by MacOSX sounds very very interesting...
Now now, the term for meddling US-born people is not "Gringos" anymore, its more like:
Pinches Gringos hijos de la chingada
DISCLAIMER: Not all people from the US are deserving of the "Gringo" title, only the ones that feel they are some sort of "roman citizens", inmune to international criticism... Most of them feel very offended by the term itself, so dont prove me right, ok?
Some people think that computer desktops HAVE to have a panel with a start button, or even a taskbar for users to be able to do anything with them, else they will run in fear.
disclaimer: I run both GNOME and KDE and i like panels (although mine doesnt have a start button) and taskbars (although mine shares space with a pager)
"I am better because I use an expensive OS on expensive hardware"
Why dont you ask Google about the benefits of using Linux on el-cheapo intel-compatible hardware?
Really! Some people just cant afford Sparc, and some of us wouldnt use it, even if we could afford it! So please respect other peoples choices!
Granted, the discussion isnt about OSs, but about desktop enviroments.
But you'll have to admit that GNU/Linux systems running GNOME and/or KDE are the best choice for desktop users that just wanna ditch Microsoft. That is the reason people are talking about this in relation to Linux.
However different the different DE's are, they're still the same windows-mouse-menu-panel metaphor that everybody knows how to use.
Perhaps the following is a bad analogy, but think about this:
There are hundreds of different car panel designs, also there are some that have manual transmition and others with automatic transmission... and of these last ones, some have the changes in the floor and others behind the steering wheel... yet people can drive all those different types with minimal hassle, because the basic controls (steering wheel, pedals, etc) are the same.
What do you guys think? --I rather have a discussion than moderation--
Lets all get our wives/brothers/mothers/non-techie friends/etc... to use KDE, GNOME, Windomaker, Enlightment, etc... and ask them for feedback.
Anyone out there with a psychology background that would lend an opinion?
If a site is merely a .com (or .org or .net) it is to be assumed that its intended for everybody in the world. If it were www.slashdot.org.us your comment would be valid, but since its not, you should not complain if somebody suggests more standards-compliant measurements to be added.
There are country or language specific nerd sites, for a taste of them, to go to http://www.linux.org.mx or to http://www.linux.co.jp or even the slasdot clone for the spanish speaking community (note that its not a country specific site, so it doesnt have a country tld: http://www.barrapunto.com
Your "standards" are not standards... You are the only people who use lbs, ft, miles and stuff... The rest of the world (Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America) use the metric system.
Meters, grams and Kilograms, and Kilometers are not only more widely used, but easier to calculate...
How many feet are in a mile? or how many ounces in a pound? dunno, but the metric system couldnt be easier: a Kilometer is 1000 meters and a centimeter is 0.01 meters...
I use the one on Mandrake 7.0, which is still pretty beta, but I assume that the one included in 7.2 will be better (gotta get me an upgrade from cheapbytes...)
Does there really something to be gained by torturing monkeys like this? Is there something to be gained by having your mind "downloaded" out of your body and into a computer?
For more interesting thoughts read: In the Absence of the Sacred, by Jerry Mander
Wasnt one of Mozilla's main problems that they couldnt attract many "outside" developers...?
It wouldnt surprise me if thats the reason the Netscape engineers still are the majority of the mozilla developers.
In fact, Im pretty sure thats one of the reasons of their distro being so popular lately...
They used to be "RedHat+KDE+bugfixes" but now they've moved on to offer a full-fledged distro, with original software of their own, not just correcting RedHats mistakes.
True, true, when you are at the bottom of the pile, theres nowhere to go but up!
"Beautiful is better than ugly, Explicit is better than implicit, Simple is better than complex, Complex is better than complicated, Flat is better than nested..." -Tim Peters
...Therefore, Python!
I have worked with them in the past... oh boy, are they funny!
"Beautiful is better than ugly" Tim Peters
...Therefore, Python!
Mhmmm... good idea...
The Hurd is older than Linux. So its lack of progress is not caused because of its age, but because of design decisions.
And where do you find functionality lacking?
This is the same Linux (and the same GNU) than RedHat, Slackware, Debian, etc... Sure there are differences in configuration and installation, but the Bash prompt is there if you need it, as well as all the wonderfull command line tools that we all know and love.
So why is Mandrake a go-kart (instead of a car)
(assuming you meant "ease of use")
Well, this is more true of older cars than of newer ones... Nowadays you have to tinker with poorly documented, propietary electronics as well as the mechanics of the car...
You mean PAY for software???
Are you nuts?? Or are you so rich that you can afford throwing money away?
Is this guy for real??
Now what makes you think that a programmer from India, Finland, Russia or Mexico has to have bad english grammar?
I work at support, so I deal everyday with letters from all over the world. Usually the worst english spelling and grammar comes from the USA, since people using english as a second language tend to be more careful when they write.
Of course, this is a generalization, just like yours... Its just that my experiences differ. (and also your comment looks ethnically biased at first glance)