There is no real freedom without the capability of lethal self-defense. Power cannot reside in "the people" unless they have the ability to use lethal force. Tyrants can ignore your "rights", but they can't ignore being killed.
If "the governed" cease to "consent", they can fight even beastly governments like that of Syria.
NO ONE HAS TO "SWITCH" OS any more than they have to "switch" browsers. OS and browsers don't get jealous of each other!
You can run all the different OS your computer will support in a variety of ways. Multibooting is easy. VMs are easy to use, and if you like you can boot into your choice of "primary OS" then host others in VMs on that OS. You can also boot from the hard disk of your choice where your BIOS offers that option.
It's easy. I'm fucking ancient (over 50) and only began seriously using PCs at age 40. Today you have choices out the proverbial wazoo and most of them are free.
I don't get this "switch" bullshit. I load whatever OS _serves_me_ as I prefer. If I need a particular one for business or school, I load that and use it for that task only. Computers are tools.
That said, if all you do is game just stay on Windows and don't bother with anything else because you don't need anything else.
"One day, you'll buy a computer that comes with Windows 8, and Windows 7 drivers aren't available for it. Then software comes out that requires Windows 8 or later."
No problem. I'll add a Windows 8 VM to my others running on my Linux host if that matters.
Then it's a Second Amendment issue, and like them or not the NRA and other firearms owners associations fight harder for the Second Amendment than anyone else does for any other Constitutional right.
"Even at that, the Fed and Military would have a real cow under that architecture since they chop up drives are part of their data security process."
They don't need to recover any value from computer resale (pallets of gutted PCs go to property disposal where you can buy 'em cheap via the govliquidation site) and can afford to shred whole machines.
Computers are cheap enough for government and business to treat as disposable.
And they are so well-designed that it's common to make one good one out of two or more wrecks, or build custom "Frankenpads" from parts of different machines.
...twelve hour shifts and units are manned accordingly.
Performance deteriorates after ~11hrs and there is no reason to risk Very Expensive Weapons Systems digging a hole or exploding because of a maintenance mistake.
When I mention this to civilian medical folks their eyes get large, because their schedules don't take sleep deprivation/disruption into account.
Ten hour shifts IME aren't bad and make for a nice four-day week without burnout.
Not everyone lives in the Utopia of the United States of America where handcuffs are only applied with lovingkindness and for indisputable reasons of Social Good.
Get an external keyboard? If you have to commute with the notebook, get two externals and leave one at work (with your name all over it and suitably "uglified" to deter theft).
"We get a genetic elite, modified to be fit for the ruling class, we get several ranks of drone classes, fit for their jobs, but without any chance or ability to become someone else."
At a sufficient level of tech there will be no need for a drone class. Cease to produce them and no one suffers.
"This should not be a surprise that the emissions are lowest in 20 years, that's because so many manufacturing jobs have been moved out of USA."
Efficient manufacturing reduces the number of manufacturing jobs, reduces pollution, and reduces production costs.
" In the past decade, the flow of goods coming from U.S. factories has gone up by a third as capital has increasingly become a greater share of input over labor."
Slashdot Mirror
"So, I would say to you: it's gotta be more than a single shot. Can you really make a repeater?"
You can make any metal firearm with a lathe and a mill, for those can produce most other tooling and machines.
Does that make the Founders "stereotypical gun nuts" for writing the Second Amendment?
Printing weapons is hardly "yahoo" work.
There is no real freedom without the capability of lethal self-defense. Power cannot reside in "the people" unless they have the ability to use lethal force. Tyrants can ignore your "rights", but they can't ignore being killed.
If "the governed" cease to "consent", they can fight even beastly governments like that of Syria.
"the Republicans are hosed this November if they continue to double down on all of this."
Good. The Christian Taliban Party doesn't deserve power. Superstition is slavery and unfit for modern man.
Rant Mode Activated!
NO ONE HAS TO "SWITCH" OS any more than they have to "switch" browsers. OS and browsers don't get jealous of each other!
You can run all the different OS your computer will support in a variety of ways. Multibooting is easy. VMs are easy to use, and if you like you can boot into your choice of "primary OS" then host others in VMs on that OS. You can also boot from the hard disk of your choice where your BIOS offers that option.
It's easy. I'm fucking ancient (over 50) and only began seriously using PCs at age 40. Today you have choices out the proverbial wazoo and most of them are free.
I don't get this "switch" bullshit. I load whatever OS _serves_me_ as I prefer. If I need a particular one for business or school, I load that and use it for that task only. Computers are tools.
That said, if all you do is game just stay on Windows and don't bother with anything else because you don't need anything else.
"One day, you'll buy a computer that comes with Windows 8, and Windows 7 drivers aren't available for it. Then software comes out that requires Windows 8 or later."
No problem. I'll add a Windows 8 VM to my others running on my Linux host if that matters.
"So he's probably a frequent AC on /.?"
Bet he has one awesome Hosts file.
Then it's a Second Amendment issue, and like them or not the NRA and other firearms owners associations fight harder for the Second Amendment than anyone else does for any other Constitutional right.
"Even at that, the Fed and Military would have a real cow under that architecture since they chop up drives are part of their data security process."
They don't need to recover any value from computer resale (pallets of gutted PCs go to property disposal where you can buy 'em cheap via the govliquidation site) and can afford to shred whole machines.
Computers are cheap enough for government and business to treat as disposable.
" Nobody in their right mind is buying a new $3000 laptop every three years"
Plenty of folks can afford it, and other may sell off their machine while it's still worth something and put that toward a new one.
I don't roll that way, but geeks are NOT, repeat NOT Apples target market. Apple know their target market and cater to it quite profitably.
And they are so well-designed that it's common to make one good one out of two or more wrecks, or build custom "Frankenpads" from parts of different machines.
"If Exxon-Mobil stops pumping out oil and refining gas, diesel and jet fuel, what's the worst that will happen?"
They will be replaced and their assets promptly purchased by other companies.
...twelve hour shifts and units are manned accordingly.
Performance deteriorates after ~11hrs and there is no reason to risk Very Expensive Weapons Systems digging a hole or exploding because of a maintenance mistake.
When I mention this to civilian medical folks their eyes get large, because their schedules don't take sleep deprivation/disruption into account.
Ten hour shifts IME aren't bad and make for a nice four-day week without burnout.
Not everyone lives in the Utopia of the United States of America where handcuffs are only applied with lovingkindness and for indisputable reasons of Social Good.
There are many ways to maintain a CleanPC.
"Romney/Ryan 2012. Take back America."
"The government only exists to protect private property rights and NOTHING ELSE."
Those are mutually exclusive. Please choose one.
"But what can a girl do? Make my own?"
Get an external keyboard? If you have to commute with the notebook, get two externals and leave one at work (with your name all over it and suitably "uglified" to deter theft).
Soldered-in RAM and non-user-serviceable battery aren't impressive either.
Many customers, self included, prefer it.
...are doing what they choose.
Developers don't need users so they don't need to give a fuck about what users want.
"We get a genetic elite, modified to be fit for the ruling class, we get several ranks of drone classes, fit for their jobs, but without any chance or ability to become someone else."
At a sufficient level of tech there will be no need for a drone class. Cease to produce them and no one suffers.
"This isn't genetics; it's EUGENICS."
I don't confuse pseudo-scientific eugenics with eugenics. There is no reason to fear it if properly applied.
Birth defects such as being a gimp and a retard OTOH are horrible for the defective human and let's not sugar-coat that.
"Sorry you're all fucked up, but we had to let that happen for the diversity!"
"This should not be a surprise that the emissions are lowest in 20 years, that's because so many manufacturing jobs have been moved out of USA."
Efficient manufacturing reduces the number of manufacturing jobs, reduces pollution, and reduces production costs.
" In the past decade, the flow of goods coming from U.S. factories has gone up by a third as capital has increasingly become a greater share of input over labor."
http://www.aei-ideas.org/2012/05/u-s-manufacturing-output-may-boom-but-not-jobs/
"Don't screw up the perfectly fine UI because you have nothing else to do. (GNOME 3)"
Al UI should constantly change because change is progress.
That's why the letters of the alphabet are revised every few years.