How so? Oh... you're one of those that doesn't know how to bookmark the "Power Search" page and skip past all the drivel... yeah I see. =)
-WW
--
Re:Appeasing the "This isn't newsworthy" crowd
on
Phrack 55 released
·
· Score: 1
They don't need two categories, they just need to be put in the best category. I know exactly what you're talking about re: linux articles. It seems a lot of times articles that are only interesting to linux people end up in other categories (SGI, Games, Hardware, etc).
-WW
-- Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans? When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
That's amazing, because they AREN'T adding on all these bells and whistles. I guess you need to re-read the part where it says these are THIRD PARTY developments.
BTW, this project is open-source. Don't you full expect a distribution of Mozilla that is lean and mean?
Well duhhhh
-WW
-- Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans? When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
"Java has at best a limited market, aimed at those who write programs.... Everyone must use an OS."
So your contention is that Linux -- one OS with a very small share of that market -- is more widespread than Java, a language that spans practically every OS, and is used by both the developers, and the people that run the Java programs?
In short, HUH?
-WW
-- Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans? When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
That's strange, I don't believe I've ever seen a blue screen (or a crash) while using BeOS...
Or did you blindly assume that because I prefer an intuitive GUI, I must be a windoze user?
-WW
-- Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans? When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Re:Hmmm. Is this encouraging?
on
Be on the G4
·
· Score: 1
"Are you so sure Apple has done this?"
Yes.
"If so, how come LinuxPPC and Debian support for recent PowerMacs is so good?"
Because they can reverse-engineer things to get info on G* support, with little fear of being sued by Apple. Be, however, cannot do that.
"Why would they have supported the MkLinux project at all?"
I don't have all the facts on MkLinux and Apple, so I cannot say, other than to guess it would give them more smiling faces in the Linux camp. For example, your response to my message is one perk for Apple.
"Last but not least, between people buying Macs to run BeOS and those buying PCs to run BeOS, what exactly does Apple have to lose?"
That's the point! Apple is shooting themselves in the foot on this one.
Look, it's not some conspiracy theory. Apple WILL NOT PROVIDE THE SPECS FOR THE G* TO BE. This was the case *BEFORE* Intel ever invested in Be. Do you really think Gassee and the rest of Be could sit there and lie about this without being found out?
But let's pretend for a minute that you're right, and that it's just a conspiracy between Intel and Be. You are then forgetting that this hurts Be's chances to make in-roads on all the G* machines being used by media specialists -- people Be is actively targeting with BeOS.
Now how much sense does it make to have this conspiracy with Intel?
-WW
-- Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans? When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Re:Moronic Linux users.
on
Be on the G4
·
· Score: 1
Now now now... We don't need to make fun of other OS's. I agree, this guy is a moron. However, I use Windows as well as BeOS (hopefully that will change soon enough:-). I've used Linux, MacOS, and Irix, too.
They're all just tools.
-WW
-- Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans? When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Re:tried it went back to linux
on
Be on the G4
·
· Score: 1
"UI is quirky, So is E, but it's improving. "
You're the first person I've heard that has said something negative about the GUI. And then to compare it to any unix windowing system is an utter joke, IMO. But hey, what'd you do, use it for all of 5 minutes?
I do believe it took me a few days to get used to Windows, MacOS, BeOS, Irix, GNOME, etc when I first used those...
"Be's raison d'etre is to be a pretty single user unix clone, and charge money for it."
If you knew anything about BeOS, you'd know that it has features Linux users drool over. BFS, pervasive multi-threading, OO API, support for as many processors as your motherboard will allow (and when you add an extra processor, it actually INCREASES the performance of the machine... there's that pervasive multi-threading again), an integrated GUI that is responsive and intuitive, with a POSIX-compliant back-end and a bash shell to boot. Oh, I forgot to mention the 10-second boot time.
Yeah, you're right, BeOS is just a unix-wannabe.
Hahahaha!
By the way, since you're obviously not informed, I'll let you in on a little secret: The BeOS has the road laid out for a multi-user environment. Their current plans are to have it multi-user by R6 or sooner, last I heard. Go ahead, open up a shell and 'ls -a'. Wow, who's that guy Baron?
"Look at how Wall Street treated Be."
Hahahaha! Yeah, I'll use Wall Street tech IPO's as a way to gauge an operating system and a company...
The only thing the IPO shows is that Be received bad press before the IPO, and RedHat/Linux is riding a wave of hype. That's OK, I made money off of RHAT, and I'm doing the same thing with BEOS.
"Believe me if there was any success buried in Be Wall Street would have smelled it."
Pardon my German, but why the fuck would I believe someone who obviously has no clue on how the stock market works?
When was the last time you considered "Wall Street" a group of technologically savvy people? Just because RHAT soared and BEOS did not has nothing to do with the business model or OS for either company -- it's all HYPE. I'd be saying the same thing if the roles were reversed.
-WW
-- Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans? When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Back in the December of 1998, Linda Walsh answered my email on the "Ask Tim" section of your website, regarding O'Reilly's support of e-books.
Her answer is here: http://www.oreilly.com/ask_tim/electronic_books.ht ml
Basically, she just says that you'd be announcing your plans "soon."
Nine months later, I don't believe O'Reilly has made any announcements one way or the other... I've been holding off on e-books since then, to find out what O'Reilly is going to do.
Will you support multiple e-books, or will you sign an exclusive deal to work with only one company? If not, which e-book do you personally think handles O'Reilly material better?
Thanks, WW
-- Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans? When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
One reason I can tolerate Windows for the timebeing is because BeOS doesn't yet have support for isynchronous USB, which means they can't support USB digital speakers.
For those who haven't used these yet, they're great! You don't even need a sound card, the audio goes straight from your computer to the speakers, no analog translations at all.
But be prepared to need a bigger hard-drive. You'll want to encode your CD's no lower than 192kbps, or you can really hear the problems in the encoding. I have found certain CD's need to be encoding at the max bit rate in order to get rid of the high-pitched 'whispy' noise.
But you'll be blown away by the sound quality with USB speakers... I don't even mind that mine have "Microsoft" printed on them anymore...
-WW
-- Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans? When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Why bother with the Merced? Just compare it to the Athlon, which is out and kicking Intel/Apple ass NOW.
Gee Apple, did you forget the Athlon comparison charts in your press releases and ticker tape parades?
-WW
-- Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans? When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Re:Be is a never has been
on
Be on the G4
·
· Score: 1
Spoken by someone who's never even used the OS.
I guess Linux was a never has-been when it first started? Same thing with DOS? Apple?
It's called a *NEW OPERATING SYSTEM*. Deal with it.
-WW
-- Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans? When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Re:BE's president is vague...
on
Be on the G4
·
· Score: 1
"It seems to me this guy obfuscates every issue he comes in contact with."
It seems to me you don't read many of his articles. I felt this article was a pretty nice way of saying, "We will not support PPC much longer... unless things change dramatically."
Can you provide some more articles where you feel he's waffling? Or are you just trolling?
"Why doesnt he just say: we dont think this will sell enough more copies of BeOS to make developing for the g4 platform cost-effective."
Uhhh, because that's not the truth? Gassee would like nothing better than to be able and target BeOS at the large number of designers on G* hardware. They need the specs to do that. It's not like it's a huge change to the kernel, but they DO need the info to do it.
They can't use the Linux info without open-sourcing their own kernel because of the GPL. There are legal questions regarding reverse engineering. Apple has been on a legal rampage lately, and court cases cost LOTS of money whether you're right or wrong in the case. They also bring bad publicity.
It's not worth it. It's not about not being able to sell enough copies to people with G* systems, it's whether it's worth the risk for a platform that is obviously going to be a lot of trouble to work with now and in the future.
-WW
-- Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans? When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Re:Hmmm. Is this encouraging?
on
Be on the G4
·
· Score: 1
"The simple fact is they partnered with Intel. They made a choice to support Intel, and dump Apple, and in a nice PR move put all the blame on Apple."
As if they had a choice? Correct me if I'm wrong, but they were on PPC *first*, and then ran into a dead-end when Apple cut off their access to the G* specs.
They could roll over and die, or move on to a larger, cheaper, and faster advancing platform...
-WW
P.S. Apple bashing occurs because Apple pissed off a shitload of PPC users that love the hardware, but not the MacOS!
-- Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans? When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Re:He sidestepped the clone issue.
on
Be on the G4
·
· Score: 1
Apparantly you missed this entire paragraph:
"To return to PowerPC hardware, we need to know more about chipsets that support the PowerPC. Who builds them, how competitive are they, which I/O devices are supported, how is the technical documentation accessed, who fixes bugs in the product and the documentation? As far as the IBM PPC hardware is concerned, other questions arise. Where can I buy it and where can I get it fixed, for instance? As answers emerge, it will be easy for us to make a decision."
In other words, they want to wait and see how the IBM boards work out before committing to them...
Doink.
-WW
-- Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans? When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
I think $1000 and $1999 are within the same order of magnitude as well... but I'd rather pay $1000. What's your point?
The choice of OS is not the point. It's the cost of hardware. If anything, I wouldn't bring up the OS issue here... it just shows how many more flavors run on x86 than on PPC, and goes further to show the value of a cheaper system.
Doink.
-WW
-- Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans? When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Excuse me. You must have missed the part where I named all the different OS's I've used, so I'll do it again: Windows, BeOS, MacOS, Irix, and Linux.
Currently I rank user-friendliness of those systems as such:
1. MacOS 2. Windows 3. BeOS (still young, but can beat Windows in this category very soon with some changes) 4. Irix 5. Linux
That's just my opinion, but I would challenge anyone to show how Linux is any easier to use than BeOS, Windows, or MacOS for the *average user*.
"If you put Windows and Linux head-to-head in front of a computer-unaware beginner with the goal of installing exactly the same feature set, Windows would be so far behind that it wouldn't even figure on the user-friendly map."
Hahaha! I cannot describe how absurd this statement truly is. Sadly, it is very clear that you are blinded by your Linux faith. Instead, why not open your eyes and try to realize where Linux's failings really are? It can't hurt.
First of all, your argument hinges on Windows only. My statement was that Linux is well behind Windows, MacOS, and BeOS. Apparantly you agree that Linux doesn't compare to MacOS or BeOS in the user-friendliness category.
Secondly, you only speak of the installation process. I am more concerned about the ease of use of the operating system after installation. However, installation is a key for seconday OS's like BeOS and Linux.
I am a competent computer user (been using them for 12+ years). I have been programming for the past 3-4 years, and I am a CS major. In short, the first time I installed Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT, etc. I found them annoying, and occasionally impossible due to hardware problems.
However, compared to the 5 different times I tried or completed a Linux installation (all in the past year or two), I felt like I had gone through HELL. Reading HOWTO's out the wazoo for every different piece of hardware, securing the system, navigating the system, and::shudder:: configuring the windowing systems. None of the entire process was the least bit intuitive. Worst of all, most of the installs I tried were downright UGLY. Not just in what I had to do, but what I had to look at on-screen. These things go a long way towards user-friendliness.
Not that I like to defend the likes of Microsoft, but they have spent millions on testing the window system on people to see what makes things easier to use. This has led to advancements in things like access for the handicapped and sight- impaired. I would rather inflict Chinese water torture then turn over a Linux-based computer to a handicapped friend or relative!
Instead of comparing Linux installs to Windows -- which as you said is not fair because Windows comes pre-installed on most computers -- why not compare it to BeOS?
BeOS installation takes roughly 10-15 minutes, and is almost completely GUI based. Granted, it will likely become a longer process once there is more supported hardware and networking/multi-user capabilities. However, don't expect it to ever sink to the level of a current Linux install.
It's sort of a paradox that Linux's biggest plus is also it's largest minus: it's development is driven largely by computer geeks. I mean, the reason Linux has come so far is because it has had great people working on it. But it has now reached a point where it needs the influence of designers and GUI gurus if it wants to approach the consumer level. I wish Linux the best of luck, but I'm not betting on it at the consumer level.
-WW
-- Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans? When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Slashdot Mirror
How so? Oh... you're one of those that doesn't
know how to bookmark the "Power Search" page and
skip past all the drivel... yeah I see. =)
-WW
--
They don't need two categories, they just need
to be put in the best category. I know exactly
what you're talking about re: linux articles. It
seems a lot of times articles that are only
interesting to linux people end up in other
categories (SGI, Games, Hardware, etc).
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Hello,
I've reported bugs through the Fullcircle
program that comes with Mozilla several times
regarding the crashes I get in Mozilla on W2K.
I assumed this was actually making it to
mozilla.org, with the crash dump and everything,
but I guess not.
Are you saying you're not getting any reports
about Mozilla crashes on startup?
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Ummm, what if the computer stored each number as
one byte instead of two ascii (bytes) characters?
0x09 0x09 0x63 = 9/9/99
The point is you can't possibly know how every
progam stores the data... Assumptions like these
are going to lead to problems 1/1/00.
Whoops I mean 1/1/2000. Shit I wouldn't want
slashdot to fritz out on the double-aughts. Doh.
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
That's amazing, because they AREN'T adding on all these bells and whistles. I guess you need to
re-read the part where it says these are THIRD PARTY developments.
BTW, this project is open-source. Don't you full
expect a distribution of Mozilla that is lean and mean?
Well duhhhh
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Don't you think it's extremely lame to try and
rag on someone because they can speak more languages than you can?
C'mon, you can do better than that, right?
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Heheheh... wow this has got to be one of the :-)
most one-sided battle of wits I've ever seen.
Red pen... don't waste your time any more.
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
"Java has at best a limited market, aimed at those who write programs. ... Everyone must use an OS."
So your contention is that Linux -- one OS with a
very small share of that market -- is more widespread
than Java, a language that spans practically every
OS, and is used by both the developers, and the
people that run the Java programs?
In short, HUH?
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Apparantly Microsoft agreed with you, which is
why you can set it up for single-clicking in
Win98 and 2000.
But if you're going to go that route, can't I ask
you what is *intuitive* about pressing on this weird thing with the little plastic boxes on it?
Especially those weird ones at the top, with two
different symbols on each box... what the hell does
!
1
mean anyway?
-WW
P.S. I bet more people on earth have seen someone
double-click than type 'ls' at a command prompt.
That's what I consider intuitive.
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
That's strange, I don't believe I've ever seen
a blue screen (or a crash) while using BeOS...
Or did you blindly assume that because I prefer
an intuitive GUI, I must be a windoze user?
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
"Are you so sure Apple has done this?"
Yes.
"If so, how come LinuxPPC and Debian support for recent PowerMacs is so good?"
Because they can reverse-engineer things to get
info on G* support, with little fear of being
sued by Apple. Be, however, cannot do that.
"Why would they have supported the MkLinux project at all?"
I don't have all the facts on MkLinux and Apple,
so I cannot say, other than to guess it would
give them more smiling faces in the Linux camp.
For example, your response to my message is one
perk for Apple.
"Last but not least, between people buying Macs to run BeOS and those buying PCs to run BeOS, what exactly does Apple have to lose?"
That's the point! Apple is shooting themselves in
the foot on this one.
Look, it's not some conspiracy theory. Apple WILL NOT PROVIDE THE SPECS FOR THE G* TO BE. This was
the case *BEFORE* Intel ever invested in Be. Do
you really think Gassee and the rest of Be could
sit there and lie about this without being found
out?
But let's pretend for a minute that you're right,
and that it's just a conspiracy between Intel and
Be. You are then forgetting that this hurts Be's
chances to make in-roads on all the G* machines
being used by media specialists -- people Be is
actively targeting with BeOS.
Now how much sense does it make to have this
conspiracy with Intel?
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Now now now... We don't need to make fun of other :-). I've used Linux, MacOS,
OS's. I agree, this guy is a moron. However, I
use Windows as well as BeOS (hopefully that will
change soon enough
and Irix, too.
They're all just tools.
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
"UI is quirky, So is E, but it's improving. "
You're the first person I've heard that has said
something negative about the GUI. And then to
compare it to any unix windowing system is an
utter joke, IMO. But hey, what'd you do, use it
for all of 5 minutes?
I do believe it took me a few days to get used to
Windows, MacOS, BeOS, Irix, GNOME, etc when I
first used those...
"Be's raison d'etre is to be a pretty single user unix clone, and charge money for it."
If you knew anything about BeOS, you'd know
that it has features Linux users drool over. BFS,
pervasive multi-threading, OO API, support for as
many processors as your motherboard will allow (and when you add an extra processor, it actually
INCREASES the performance of the machine... there's that pervasive multi-threading again), an
integrated GUI that is responsive and intuitive,
with a POSIX-compliant back-end and a bash shell
to boot. Oh, I forgot to mention the 10-second
boot time.
Yeah, you're right, BeOS is just a unix-wannabe.
Hahahaha!
By the way, since you're obviously not informed,
I'll let you in on a little secret: The BeOS has
the road laid out for a multi-user environment.
Their current plans are to have it multi-user by
R6 or sooner, last I heard. Go ahead, open up a
shell and 'ls -a'. Wow, who's that guy Baron?
"Look at how Wall Street treated Be."
Hahahaha! Yeah, I'll use Wall Street tech IPO's
as a way to gauge an operating system and a company...
The only thing the IPO shows is that Be received
bad press before the IPO, and RedHat/Linux is
riding a wave of hype. That's OK, I made money off
of RHAT, and I'm doing the same thing with BEOS.
"Believe me if there was any success buried in Be
Wall Street would have smelled it."
Pardon my German, but why the fuck would I believe
someone who obviously has no clue on how the stock
market works?
When was the last time you considered "Wall Street"
a group of technologically savvy people? Just
because RHAT soared and BEOS did not has nothing
to do with the business model or OS for either
company -- it's all HYPE. I'd be saying the same
thing if the roles were reversed.
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
REALLY??? You mean my ear is incapable of handling
direct digital waves???
Who'd a thunk it. And all this time, I thought
sound waves were digital...
Doink.
-WW
P.S. Compare the sound quality side by side, and
hear the difference for yourself -- I did!
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Back in the December of 1998, Linda Walsh answered
t ml
...
my email on the "Ask Tim" section of your website, regarding O'Reilly's support of e-books.
Her answer is here: http://www.oreilly.com/ask_tim/electronic_books.h
Basically, she just says that you'd be announcing
your plans "soon."
Nine months later, I don't believe O'Reilly has
made any announcements one way or the other
I've been holding off on e-books since then, to
find out what O'Reilly is going to do.
Will you support multiple e-books, or will you
sign an exclusive deal to work with only one
company? If not, which e-book do you personally
think handles O'Reilly material better?
Thanks,
WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Edie Freedman is the one who designs and chooses
:-)
the woodcuts. This was answered in the "Ask Tim"
section of the O'Reilly site.
Not sure about the rest of your question, but
I believe the answer is, "You'll have to interview
Edie!"
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
One reason I can tolerate Windows for the
timebeing is because BeOS doesn't yet have
support for isynchronous USB, which means they
can't support USB digital speakers.
For those who haven't used these yet, they're
great! You don't even need a sound card, the
audio goes straight from your computer to the
speakers, no analog translations at all.
But be prepared to need a bigger hard-drive.
You'll want to encode your CD's no lower than
192kbps, or you can really hear the problems
in the encoding. I have found certain CD's need
to be encoding at the max bit rate in order to
get rid of the high-pitched 'whispy' noise.
But you'll be blown away by the sound quality
with USB speakers... I don't even mind that mine
have "Microsoft" printed on them anymore...
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Why bother with the Merced? Just compare it to the
Athlon, which is out and kicking Intel/Apple ass
NOW.
Gee Apple, did you forget the Athlon comparison
charts in your press releases and ticker tape
parades?
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Spoken by someone who's never even used the OS.
I guess Linux was a never has-been when it first
started? Same thing with DOS? Apple?
It's called a *NEW OPERATING SYSTEM*. Deal with it.
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
"It seems to me this guy obfuscates every issue he comes in contact with."
It seems to me you don't read many of his
articles. I felt this article was a pretty nice
way of saying, "We will not support PPC much
longer... unless things change dramatically."
Can you provide some more articles where you feel
he's waffling? Or are you just trolling?
"Why doesnt he just say: we dont think this will sell enough more copies of BeOS to make developing for the g4 platform cost-effective."
Uhhh, because that's not the truth? Gassee would
like nothing better than to be able and target
BeOS at the large number of designers on G*
hardware. They need the specs to do that. It's not
like it's a huge change to the kernel, but they
DO need the info to do it.
They can't use the Linux info without open-sourcing their own kernel because of the GPL.
There are legal questions regarding reverse engineering. Apple has been on a legal rampage
lately, and court cases cost LOTS of money whether
you're right or wrong in the case. They also bring
bad publicity.
It's not worth it. It's not about not being able
to sell enough copies to people with G* systems,
it's whether it's worth the risk for a platform
that is obviously going to be a lot of trouble to
work with now and in the future.
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
"The simple fact is they partnered with Intel. They made a choice to support Intel, and dump Apple, and in a nice PR move put all the blame on Apple."
As if they had a choice? Correct me if I'm wrong,
but they were on PPC *first*, and then ran into
a dead-end when Apple cut off their access to the
G* specs.
They could roll over and die, or move on to a
larger, cheaper, and faster advancing platform...
-WW
P.S. Apple bashing occurs because Apple pissed off
a shitload of PPC users that love the hardware,
but not the MacOS!
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Apparantly you missed this entire paragraph:
"To return to PowerPC hardware, we need to know more about chipsets that support the PowerPC. Who builds them, how competitive are they, which I/O devices are supported, how is the technical documentation accessed, who fixes bugs in the product and the documentation? As far as the IBM PPC hardware is concerned, other questions arise. Where can I buy it and where can I get it fixed, for instance? As answers emerge, it will be easy for us to make a decision."
In other words, they want to wait and see how the
IBM boards work out before committing to them...
Doink.
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
I think $1000 and $1999 are within the same
order of magnitude as well... but I'd rather pay
$1000. What's your point?
The choice of OS is not the point. It's the
cost of hardware. If anything, I wouldn't bring
up the OS issue here... it just shows how many
more flavors run on x86 than on PPC, and goes
further to show the value of a cheaper system.
Doink.
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
Excuse me. You must have missed the part where I
::shudder:: configuring the
named all the different OS's I've used, so I'll do
it again: Windows, BeOS, MacOS, Irix, and Linux.
Currently I rank user-friendliness of those
systems as such:
1. MacOS
2. Windows
3. BeOS (still young, but can beat Windows
in this category very soon with some changes)
4. Irix
5. Linux
That's just my opinion, but I would challenge
anyone to show how Linux is any easier to use
than BeOS, Windows, or MacOS for the *average
user*.
"If you put Windows and Linux head-to-head in front of a computer-unaware beginner with the goal of installing exactly the same feature set, Windows would be so far behind that it wouldn't even figure on the user-friendly map."
Hahaha! I cannot describe how absurd this statement truly is. Sadly, it is very clear
that you are blinded by your Linux faith.
Instead, why not open your eyes and try to
realize where Linux's failings really are?
It can't hurt.
First of all, your argument hinges on Windows
only. My statement was that Linux is well behind
Windows, MacOS, and BeOS. Apparantly you agree
that Linux doesn't compare to MacOS or BeOS in
the user-friendliness category.
Secondly, you only speak of the installation
process. I am more concerned about the ease of
use of the operating system after installation.
However, installation is a key for seconday OS's
like BeOS and Linux.
I am a competent computer user (been using them
for 12+ years). I have been programming for the
past 3-4 years, and I am a CS major. In short, the
first time I installed Windows 3.1, Windows 95,
Windows NT, etc. I found them annoying, and
occasionally impossible due to hardware problems.
However, compared to the 5 different times I tried
or completed a Linux installation (all in the past
year or two), I felt like I had gone through HELL.
Reading HOWTO's out the wazoo for every different
piece of hardware, securing the system, navigating
the system, and
windowing systems. None of the entire process was
the least bit intuitive. Worst of all, most of the
installs I tried were downright UGLY. Not just in
what I had to do, but what I had to look at
on-screen. These things go a long way towards
user-friendliness.
Not that I like to defend the likes of Microsoft,
but they have spent millions on testing the window
system on people to see what makes things easier
to use. This has led to advancements in things
like access for the handicapped and sight-
impaired. I would rather inflict Chinese water
torture then turn over a Linux-based computer to a
handicapped friend or relative!
Instead of comparing Linux installs to Windows --
which as you said is not fair because Windows
comes pre-installed on most computers -- why not
compare it to BeOS?
BeOS installation takes roughly 10-15 minutes, and
is almost completely GUI based. Granted, it will
likely become a longer process once there is more
supported hardware and networking/multi-user
capabilities. However, don't expect it to ever
sink to the level of a current Linux install.
It's sort of a paradox that Linux's biggest plus
is also it's largest minus: it's development is
driven largely by computer geeks. I mean, the
reason Linux has come so far is because it has had
great people working on it. But it has now reached
a point where it needs the influence of designers
and GUI gurus if it wants to approach the consumer
level. I wish Linux the best of luck, but I'm not
betting on it at the consumer level.
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring
What is the market share breakdown of "webTV"
companies? I do believe WebTV has the biggest
market.
-WW
--
Why are there so many Unix-using Star Trek fans?
When was the last time Picard said, "Computer, bring