Purchasing a cable modem is a pretty cost-effective thing to do. I did it myself...got one for $50 after a rebate. With the $10/mo I save on my cable bill, it'll pay for itself in 5 months, and from there on out it's just like pure profit. An upgrade 6 months or a year down the road will have already been paid for.
Well wasn't that sweet of them. Glad to see SOMEONE concerned about the font situation in *nix. RedHat made a leap forward by allowing TrueType fonts to be used in KDE/Gnome natively just by dropping them in ~/.fonts. But with this release, and hopefully more to come, we won't need to be bound by TrueType much longer. Yay!
I think if you were to try Kylix 3, you'd find a *vast* improvement over versions 1 and 2. Borland has been putting quite a bit of focus on Kylix (and the CLX application framework in general) with the latest releases of Kylix and Delphi. I can't say enough about what they've done for cross-platform development. And the dbExpress components have really matured to an enterprise-level database application solution. And don't even get me started on IntraWeb.:)
I my (admittedly limited) experience, there's no other development environment out there under which I can take code written in Delphi (as a CLX application), copy it over to my linux box and compile it in Kylix without altering a single line of code.
"I can't help but wonder if this will become a trend."
I think it's safe to say this is already a trend, what with all the stories we've seen here in the last few months. Hopefully a trend that will become more and more widespread as the truth gets out there.
"Microsoft's changing attitude in competing with Linux -- no longer calling it a "cancer" but instead promoting the advantages of Windows."
Well it looks like Microsoft is finally catching onto the idea that it can't compete with Linux using their normal "FUD" tactics. Of course, touting the *cough*advantages*cough* of Windows may not be such a winning solution either.:) But maybe now we'll see how MS reacts to competition when it can't just stamp it out. My guess is they'll run around like decapitated chickens for another few months at least.
Reading these reviews, I can definitely agree with the technical flaws inherent in Mission to Mars. And it's true, the plot was no Pulitzer Prize winner. But it was a fun SF flick.
I've been going to science fiction films semi-religiously for a long time now. I especially like movies involving space travel or exploration in some way, since space is something that I'm fascinated with. I saw Wing Commander. Sure it was bad when you compare it to the games. But I never had a chance to play the games. So it was a fun movie for me.
Mission to Mars was also a fun movie. I have believed for a long time that space exploration is very important, especially exploring colonization options in our own solar system. So, it was nice to see a movie explore colonization of Mars - a very real prospect in 2020. Plus, the visual effects were stunning, despite the physics flaws.
I try not to over-analyze movies until my second viewing of them. The first time I see a movie, I want to enjoy it for what it is. Then I'll go rent it and tear it apart. Try it...you might like it.
I take offense to this comment. I work at OfficeMax part time on breaks from college, and I don't appreciate your generalization of retail salespeople. I like to think of myself as highly knowlegeable, as do my supervisors and my customers. Sure, there are a few bad apples who don't know their stuff, but on the whole, people working in electronics departments are well-informed about the products they sell. If they're not, they end up with a pink slip unless their manager is as lazy as they are. Generalizations like the one you make are unfounded and uninformed.
You mention "crappy prepackaged component machines" as if it were an unholy thing. For families and casual users just getting into computing, these systems offer minimal hassle and price, and the customer benefits in that they understand what it is they're getting, they don't have to choose components they don't comprehend. I have never been a fan of proprietary systems, but that's only because I'm an advanced user. The average Joe American who just needs to browse the web, email their cousins, and play the occasional game doesn't care about UDMA/66 and AGP4x and having the fastest system on their block. They want to take home a few boxes, plug in a few wires, and go.
The deal with these $100 to $400 rebates is this:
(1) You've just bought a new computer and want to get onto the internet. Why not sign up for one, two, or three years and get a few hundred bucks back? (2) You already have a computer and want to get onto the internet. So why not sign up at your local OfficeMax and get a free printer, scanner, or some software out of the deal?
So to capuchin and all others who agree with his generalization: please don't insult the entire retail electronics workforce without knowing it.
While we're on the subject of distros, I'm a first-time Linux user, and am wondering what distro would be best, overall. I've heard a lot of good things about Mandrake, but all this talk on Caldera makes me wonder which is better.
I'd like to start off with a distro that's fairly easy, then once I learn my way around Linux, move to some of the others.
Slashdot Mirror
Purchasing a cable modem is a pretty cost-effective thing to do. I did it myself...got one for $50 after a rebate. With the $10/mo I save on my cable bill, it'll pay for itself in 5 months, and from there on out it's just like pure profit. An upgrade 6 months or a year down the road will have already been paid for.
Well wasn't that sweet of them. Glad to see SOMEONE concerned about the font situation in *nix. RedHat made a leap forward by allowing TrueType fonts to be used in KDE/Gnome natively just by dropping them in ~/.fonts. But with this release, and hopefully more to come, we won't need to be bound by TrueType much longer. Yay!
I think if you were to try Kylix 3, you'd find a *vast* improvement over versions 1 and 2. Borland has been putting quite a bit of focus on Kylix (and the CLX application framework in general) with the latest releases of Kylix and Delphi. I can't say enough about what they've done for cross-platform development. And the dbExpress components have really matured to an enterprise-level database application solution. And don't even get me started on IntraWeb. :)
I my (admittedly limited) experience, there's no other development environment out there under which I can take code written in Delphi (as a CLX application), copy it over to my linux box and compile it in Kylix without altering a single line of code.
"I can't help but wonder if this will become a trend."
:) But maybe now we'll see how MS reacts to competition when it can't just stamp it out. My guess is they'll run around like decapitated chickens for another few months at least.
I think it's safe to say this is already a trend, what with all the stories we've seen here in the last few months. Hopefully a trend that will become more and more widespread as the truth gets out there.
"Microsoft's changing attitude in competing with Linux -- no longer calling it a "cancer" but instead promoting the advantages of Windows."
Well it looks like Microsoft is finally catching onto the idea that it can't compete with Linux using their normal "FUD" tactics. Of course, touting the *cough*advantages*cough* of Windows may not be such a winning solution either.
I guess I'm lucky, but I'm working at a really great company that's going nowhere but up, and we all just got handed $500 bonus checks last week.
*Shrug*
Reading these reviews, I can definitely agree with the technical flaws inherent in Mission to Mars. And it's true, the plot was no Pulitzer Prize winner. But it was a fun SF flick.
I've been going to science fiction films semi-religiously for a long time now. I especially like movies involving space travel or exploration in some way, since space is something that I'm fascinated with. I saw Wing Commander. Sure it was bad when you compare it to the games. But I never had a chance to play the games. So it was a fun movie for me.
Mission to Mars was also a fun movie. I have believed for a long time that space exploration is very important, especially exploring colonization options in our own solar system. So, it was nice to see a movie explore colonization of Mars - a very real prospect in 2020. Plus, the visual effects were stunning, despite the physics flaws.
I try not to over-analyze movies until my second viewing of them. The first time I see a movie, I want to enjoy it for what it is. Then I'll go rent it and tear it apart. Try it...you might like it.
ErnieD
ErnieD's Dungeon
I'm curious whether anyone has tried this yet. I have a Promise Ultra66, and my dad is very handy with soldering. If it works, well...hey!
I take offense to this comment. I work at OfficeMax part time on breaks from college, and I don't appreciate your generalization of retail salespeople. I like to think of myself as highly knowlegeable, as do my supervisors and my customers. Sure, there are a few bad apples who don't know their stuff, but on the whole, people working in electronics departments are well-informed about the products they sell. If they're not, they end up with a pink slip unless their manager is as lazy as they are. Generalizations like the one you make are unfounded and uninformed.
You mention "crappy prepackaged component machines" as if it were an unholy thing. For families and casual users just getting into computing, these systems offer minimal hassle and price, and the customer benefits in that they understand what it is they're getting, they don't have to choose components they don't comprehend. I have never been a fan of proprietary systems, but that's only because I'm an advanced user. The average Joe American who just needs to browse the web, email their cousins, and play the occasional game doesn't care about UDMA/66 and AGP4x and having the fastest system on their block. They want to take home a few boxes, plug in a few wires, and go.
The deal with these $100 to $400 rebates is this:
(1) You've just bought a new computer and want to get onto the internet. Why not sign up for one, two, or three years and get a few hundred bucks back?
(2) You already have a computer and want to get onto the internet. So why not sign up at your local OfficeMax and get a free printer, scanner, or some software out of the deal?
So to capuchin and all others who agree with his generalization: please don't insult the entire retail electronics workforce without knowing it.
Dan Barr
ErnieD
While we're on the subject of distros, I'm a first-time Linux user, and am wondering what distro would be best, overall. I've heard a lot of good things about Mandrake, but all this talk on Caldera makes me wonder which is better.
I'd like to start off with a distro that's fairly easy, then once I learn my way around Linux, move to some of the others.
Suggestions, anyone?