Back in the day, when I shared a single "56k" dial-up connection with my college roomie I hated adds with a passion, and used ad-blocking software, which worked pretty well.
Now, however, with my fast DSL connection and Mozilla blocking popups and flash (an add-on from mozdev.org, but I can't find the project at the moment) ads don't really bother me. There are some sites whos ads are very annoying, but with few exceptions those sites suck anyways. So tell me, who here (dial-up users excluded) still gets really annoyed by ads?
So what if Vonage or some such comany moved to Canada? Besides possilbe higher connection fees for the data -> POTS connection is there any way US regulators could do anything to them? Someone enlighten me.
Ouch, the mods clearly don't like my over the top analogy. I'm just trying to say the fact that RMS (and many other people here) seem so complacent about this is disturbing.
Think about it this way if you will. The Linux kernel took thousands and thousands of person-hours to make. It's a shining example of free software, a work of art if you will. Don't you think people would be perplexed if, say, the curator of the Smithsonian said after the the war in Iraq, "Well, it would be a shame to see all the priceless artifacts in Iraq looted, but it's not such a big deal, our collection will still be fine." No, you want the curator to be indignant, to call for strict protection for the artifacts, to cry from the top of the mountion how looting in Iraq harms the art community and the world!
RMS (and others) should realize the "that sucks, but we'll be ok either way" attitude is just... I don't know, dumb!
Obviously not, but I think it's illustrative. There's a lot of "gee, it would be too bad, but not so bad!" in this article. Sure, we could move on to other OS, and it's great that GNU tools are so portable. But it wouldn't change the fact that losing Linux would be a huge loss. (Not on the order of North America, though.:-) )
If for some reason North America was wiped of the face of the earth tomorrow people would still be able live elsewhere.
Sure there would probably be major setbacks. It might take another five years to get to the point were we are now but things would eventually get back to normal.
So RMS's statement that North America is no longer essential is true.
I live in North America and I love it. But if I _had_ to I could learn to live in Europe, or Asia even. I know both Europe and Asia are working on getting there[sic] economy up to snuff.
If North America went away tomorrow it would be a real shame (understatement of the year) but it would not be the end of the world.
+5? Good god. What are the mods smoking? Even though NetFlix is sort of cool- I used to be a member, but have moved on to "greener" pastures- and they did have a good idea, why should this be patentable? Being able to patent "Do X, only on the internet" is about as stupid as can be. What if it had been possible to patent "Do X"? Would you all be happy if Blockbuster had a patent on movie rentals? Alamo on car rentals? Or, perhaps, Expedia on "Buying airline tickets... on the internet!"
As others have said, unlimited-time-out rentals are not a new idea, either, so they really are doing this based of off "... on the internet".
I have to agree, I thought Star Wars was too low res. You can disagree all you want, but I could see pixalation at times, and for $12.00 that just doesn't cut it. I wish I had seen it in analog.
...and now there are many. Something like this was inevitable given the growth of the on-line DVD rental industry. You had the trailblazer, then a few specialists started showing up, and now the big boys jump into the fray. It's how almost all new markets progress.
Space Odyssey 2001 is mostly about these guys in space heading to some planet or something. The direction is artsy, but the Computer talks a lot and there's no shortage of slow moments. Some people really dig the movie, but others can't stand it.
I know what I want this for- I want to read the lips of all the coaches and players during basketball/baseball/whatever broadcasts. Maybe ESPN could offer this as a feature, censoring as needed.:-)
This isn't a good question. I don't care for flowers, and I'm algeric to dogs. Even though I actually do like large, properly formatted data files, I'd have to take it even if I didn't give a rat's about them.
+5? You've got to be kidding me. There are plenty of good reasons to run your own MTA, as others have said. Myself, I think it's fun, but most importantly I want an email address that will last "forever". Yea, I could pay someone to host it for me, but when you've got a rock-solid, 1500/750+ DSL connection why bother?
Man, I can't belive I'm reading "just let your ISP do it, why would you want to run your own MTA?" on slashdot...
It should be pointed out that AOL isn't blocking "All DSL" MTAs but those that have dynamically assigned IP addresses. On one hand, this is a stinky, no-good, rotten thing for them to do. On the other hand, the elitest in me says "go get a real DSL connection if you're going to run your own MTA.":-)
But really, I know it's not an option for some, and this move by AOL is pathetic.
Although the toast-making abilities of FreeBSD are un-paralleled, I pick VI by a hair for it's possible uses during floods and other natural disasters.
Direct3D or perl?
As this is/. the answer should be obvious.
perl or vi?
There is no #3.
beer or a stairclimber?
The best way to evaluate this one is to add "in my pants". Beer wins on an inconvenience vs pain scale.
I don't know if I would go quite so far, but I agree that pride in your last name is a good thing. In fact, when I get married in a few months I am going to be changing my last name (Combs to Cohn) for that very reason (I'm a guy, FYI). It came to light a few years ago that my great grandfather and his brothers changed the name and kept the change a secret from the following generations. I think it's sad they felt they had to do it- I say it's time to fix the errors of the past!:-)
Slashdot Mirror
Back in the day, when I shared a single "56k" dial-up connection with my college roomie I hated adds with a passion, and used ad-blocking software, which worked pretty well.
Now, however, with my fast DSL connection and Mozilla blocking popups and flash (an add-on from mozdev.org, but I can't find the project at the moment) ads don't really bother me. There are some sites whos ads are very annoying, but with few exceptions those sites suck anyways. So tell me, who here (dial-up users excluded) still gets really annoyed by ads?
... and how many Library of Congress could you fit in one?
So what if Vonage or some such comany moved to Canada? Besides possilbe higher connection fees for the data -> POTS connection is there any way US regulators could do anything to them? Someone enlighten me.
No ma, I'm not a loser, I'm just saving my success stories for future generations. Yea, that's it...
Think about it this way if you will. The Linux kernel took thousands and thousands of person-hours to make. It's a shining example of free software, a work of art if you will. Don't you think people would be perplexed if, say, the curator of the Smithsonian said after the the war in Iraq, "Well, it would be a shame to see all the priceless artifacts in Iraq looted, but it's not such a big deal, our collection will still be fine." No, you want the curator to be indignant, to call for strict protection for the artifacts, to cry from the top of the mountion how looting in Iraq harms the art community and the world!
RMS (and others) should realize the "that sucks, but we'll be ok either way" attitude is just... I don't know, dumb!
Obviously not, but I think it's illustrative. There's a lot of "gee, it would be too bad, but not so bad!" in this article. Sure, we could move on to other OS, and it's great that GNU tools are so portable. But it wouldn't change the fact that losing Linux would be a huge loss. (Not on the order of North America, though. :-) )
If for some reason North America was wiped of the face of the earth tomorrow people would still be able live elsewhere.
Sure there would probably be major setbacks. It might take another five years to get to the point were we are now but things would eventually get back to normal.
So RMS's statement that North America is no longer essential is true.
I live in North America and I love it. But if I _had_ to I could learn to live in Europe, or Asia even. I know both Europe and Asia are working on getting there[sic] economy up to snuff.
If North America went away tomorrow it would be a real shame (understatement of the year) but it would not be the end of the world.
+5? Good god. What are the mods smoking? Even though NetFlix is sort of cool- I used to be a member, but have moved on to "greener" pastures- and they did have a good idea, why should this be patentable? Being able to patent "Do X, only on the internet" is about as stupid as can be. What if it had been possible to patent "Do X"? Would you all be happy if Blockbuster had a patent on movie rentals? Alamo on car rentals? Or, perhaps, Expedia on "Buying airline tickets... on the internet!" As others have said, unlimited-time-out rentals are not a new idea, either, so they really are doing this based of off "... on the internet".
I have to agree, I thought Star Wars was too low res. You can disagree all you want, but I could see pixalation at times, and for $12.00 that just doesn't cut it. I wish I had seen it in analog.
...and now there are many. Something like this was inevitable given the growth of the on-line DVD rental industry. You had the trailblazer, then a few specialists started showing up, and now the big boys jump into the fray. It's how almost all new markets progress.
I'm not convinced your prime number calculation is well-defined...
With a title like "Inside Microsoft's New F# Language" I was looking for the big foot, but I guess this really isn't a joke...
Space Odyssey 2001 is mostly about these guys in space heading to some planet or something. The direction is artsy, but the Computer talks a lot and there's no shortage of slow moments. Some people really dig the movie, but others can't stand it.
Then get a better ISP (if you can). Mine lets me do "whatever" I want, including running my $100/month 1.5/760 connection full-blast for days on end.
Ahh yes, the Lei. I have a 1996 50,000 lei bill sitting right in front of me from a trip there a few years ago. Pretty bills, messed up country.
I know what I want this for- I want to read the lips of all the coaches and players during basketball/baseball/whatever broadcasts. Maybe ESPN could offer this as a feature, censoring as needed. :-)
Dude, where's the mod points when you need them. +5 funny.
This isn't a good question. I don't care for flowers, and I'm algeric to dogs. Even though I actually do like large, properly formatted data files, I'd have to take it even if I didn't give a rat's about them.
+5? You've got to be kidding me. There are plenty of good reasons to run your own MTA, as others have said. Myself, I think it's fun, but most importantly I want an email address that will last "forever". Yea, I could pay someone to host it for me, but when you've got a rock-solid, 1500/750+ DSL connection why bother?
Man, I can't belive I'm reading "just let your ISP do it, why would you want to run your own MTA?" on slashdot...
It should be pointed out that AOL isn't blocking "All DSL" MTAs but those that have dynamically assigned IP addresses. On one hand, this is a stinky, no-good, rotten thing for them to do. On the other hand, the elitest in me says "go get a real DSL connection if you're going to run your own MTA." :-)
But really, I know it's not an option for some, and this move by AOL is pathetic.
"Given your previous interest in Progeny, I thought you would..."
:-)
It was just a matter of time... Slashdot has finally merged into one collective conscious. Maybe now we can take on Microsoft!
FreeBSD or VI?
/. the answer should be obvious.
Although the toast-making abilities of FreeBSD are un-paralleled, I pick VI by a hair for it's possible uses during floods and other natural disasters.
Direct3D or perl?
As this is
perl or vi?
There is no #3.
beer or a stairclimber?
The best way to evaluate this one is to add "in my pants". Beer wins on an inconvenience vs pain scale.
Itanium is slower right now, but as compilers with optimizations tailored to it come out, it has the potential to...
:-)
And Duke Nukem Forever will be out any day now, too. Blah blah blah, wait for better compilers, etc, etc. Hurd is a better OS too, right?
I don't know if I would go quite so far, but I agree that pride in your last name is a good thing. In fact, when I get married in a few months I am going to be changing my last name (Combs to Cohn) for that very reason (I'm a guy, FYI). It came to light a few years ago that my great grandfather and his brothers changed the name and kept the change a secret from the following generations. I think it's sad they felt they had to do it- I say it's time to fix the errors of the past! :-)
Actually, they do, as of just recently. See this slashback.