Why do you have to be so damn insulting with all the "idiot", "sunshine" and "coward" comments? You've already been modded 5, insightful, don't ruin it by looking like an ass.
I've tried it, I've really tried ending my piracy (both software as well as media). It's really, really fucking hard. There's just so much bad free software when compared to their commercial equivalents it's disappointing. They generally "work", but often aren't as pleasurable to use (and any method of keeping down stress is useful, and a nice to use program is far better than a functional but irritation one).
As for media, some stuff is acceptable, but most content simply can't match what's punched out commercially. Ultimately it doesn't matter what I do, as it will not affect the rest of the world, so why put myself under such limits? That's why I don't have the balls.
There is so much free software out there that I almost wonder why people risk all the viruses and other problems that come along with pirated software (yes not all sources do, but you still have to be quite careful) that I wonder why anybody bothers.
People will risk pirating software instead of using free alternatives if it gives them something the free alternative doesn't. Reasons I can think of could be: 1. It's what's used everywhere else, hence no desire to fight the status quo and deal with issues resulting from it. 2. Related to 1, if everyone uses it, you have the maximum level of support (friends, forums, etc). 3. If you're already using a pirated tool, it's easier to stick with what you know rather than moving to a free alternative. 4. A lot of free alternatives simply suck. They either lack the features/functionality, or have major usability issues that result in more mouse clicks, a greater amount of time to accomplish a task compared to their commercial alternatives, or simply give you a headache because of the lousy interface. GIMP vs Photoshop comes to mind here. 5. If you're experienced in these matters, you'll know how to get pirated software in the safest manner. Heck, the entire master collection of CS5 can be used without requiring a single binary crack if you know how the hosts file works.
There's a reason Linux hasn't made headway on the desktop, and I wonder why the zealots find it surprising. The points above represent most of the reasons.
I've been using Outlook for about 2.5 years. Never had a (major) problem with it. I'm not discrediting your issues of course, I just find it interesting how a program can have such varied reactions from different people.
What, really? There's an ISP called that? If they were formed after Ted Stevens's immortal words then I honestly can't feel any anger towards them at all.
I have a 150GB cap (I live in Australia - we've lived with caps since the beginning). I CAN use that much if pushed, but generally don't. Steam? My ISP (Internode) provides official Steam content servers which if selected and used by the Steam client, allow downloads of games unquoted and hence not affecting total usage and endangering the cap. It's a common solution to the cap issue here and works reasonably well, except for the cases where the Internode servers don't mirror some game's content and instead has to use someone else.
Besides, if you're buying new games every month on Steam, are you really going to find time to play them ALL? Yes the specials are nice, but eventually you grow out of buying every damn thing on sale, particularly if you know you're gonna have a backlog. And heck, even if you do hit the cap, it just means you'll find yourself using the computer less and hopefully, do something offline like reading, or building a cannon or something physical. Good for us geeks occasionally!
Funny you mention that. I think the original UT was one of the best multiplayer FPS games of all time, and it came out at the sweet-spot for PC gaming. Good mod tools, a good engine designed specifically for PCs, lots of player-created content, but we even had bonus packs straight from Epic, for free. The Epic of today is quite different to the Epic of years gone by. The closest thing we have to a developer is Valve, as far the amount of free content and mod support goes.
To be honest, I don't care so much about the map itself. It's just pleasing to me there are still FPS games out there with map editors that allow you to make such maps in the first place. So many games are missing level editors and mod tools that it's becoming novel for them to do so (and yes CS:S is getting a bit old, but it's still fun and still supported by Valve). If you're trying to make maps for something like one of the latest versions of Call of Duty, forget it.
can't understand why anyone would buy anything from them, or how it's has stayed in business, let alone how it can actually have fanbois.
Looking at them solely from the PS3 angle, several reasons:
(1) People buy the console because it plays the games they are interested in (particularly games exclusive for the console). (2) People in general don't care about OtherOS support as most people won't need the functionality, and so doesn't factor into their decision making. (3) If you spend a lot of money on ANYTHING (and from memory the PS3 is the most expensive of all current consoles), you're naturally going to want to defend your purchase. Any criticism leveled against it is rejected by the so-called fanbois because they don't want to be proven to have bought a dud, or be on the "wrong side". It hurts to know you've been suckered out of a lot of cash.
I'd like to play the game properly, but I'm suffering a high level of stuttering in the game despite having decent hardware, and I'm not the only one according to the Steam forums. Even the developers aren't sure why some people get the stuttering and others don't, but hey - let's move onto the sequel before fixing this eh!
Complaint will be rescinded if they surprise me by fixing this soon.:)
Something fairly light - only 200MB data per month. I don't use it that much anymore to be honest, but the tethering has been very helpful last year when visiting my girlfriend during a stage of DSL installation (and hence lack of internet).
My somewhat rubbish Nokia 5800 supports tethering via the Nokia PC suite on Windows or directly within Ubuntu. My carrier (Vodafone Australia) doesn't give a shit and has never given a shit about me tethering my phone.
WTF is happening over in the US? Will things ever get better (for users anyway) in the telecommunications area?
Windows 7 IS a worthy upgrade from XP - certainly from the security point of view. I have helped people with transitions from XP/Vista to 7 and found an almost unanimous praise for it. Given the choice, people preferred 7 for reasons of aesthetics, functionality and robustness.
The longer the Linux crowd believes that Microsoft can not make decent quality (once in a while at least), the longer they'll fail to make any changes which might someday resolve the issues that push people away from Linux.
People will abuse the generosity of people time and time again. Doesn't mean you shouldn't be generous occasionally, but just keep in mind it's not as black and white as you make it appear.
Same reason people always look at a car accident as they're driving past - morbid curiosity. The idiocy that happens here is far too amusing to look away from.:)
Well hey, that's cool. At least you've got some tangible reasons for not liking the changes. Most people just bash relentlessly without any real basis. That's the main thing which bothers me.
I don't understand why Slashdot posts Windows articles anymore. All you get is flaming by "geeks" who can switch from Windows to Linux and adapt to entirely different UIs and desktop paradigms, yet consistently flame the ribbon interface despite the fact my non-geek fiance was capable of making the transition from Office 2003 -> 2007 within a few minutes.
Very few people on Slashdot have any objectivity and can see improvements for what they are. You don't come here for quality discussion on Microsoft stuff, which I feel is a damn shame. There are a lot of intelligent people around here who are able to contribute to some deep and thoughtful discussions, but anything about Microsoft and the 2-minute hate starts.
Windows 7 + Office 2010 is some of the best work MS has done in recent times, and very few people on Slashdot are willing to at least acknowledge this. If they did, perhaps things would be more civil around here. But no, instead the circle-jerk continues.
Oh come ON! We're geek here, and my non-geek fiance was able to learn how to use the ribbon in a few minutes.
Are Linux nuts so incapable of learning a UI? Or is it a UI in a Microsoft product that automatically puts up a mental blinder that they cannot push through?
Ever day that passes I have less and less respect for geeks who can't remain impartial.
I don't need my computer to be slick any more than I need a hammer to be pretty.
If you spend the majority of your time (work + hobby time) in front of a computer, you tend to appreciate a slick, pretty (or just classy) interface. It's more enjoyable, and somehow reduces stress. I can't explain it much more than that - a slick interface is a tangible benefit to a desktop.
A hammer is something you use occasionally, for a short period of time. It doesn't really compare.
Slashdot Mirror
Why do you have to be so damn insulting with all the "idiot", "sunshine" and "coward" comments? You've already been modded 5, insightful, don't ruin it by looking like an ass.
I've tried it, I've really tried ending my piracy (both software as well as media). It's really, really fucking hard. There's just so much bad free software when compared to their commercial equivalents it's disappointing. They generally "work", but often aren't as pleasurable to use (and any method of keeping down stress is useful, and a nice to use program is far better than a functional but irritation one).
As for media, some stuff is acceptable, but most content simply can't match what's punched out commercially. Ultimately it doesn't matter what I do, as it will not affect the rest of the world, so why put myself under such limits? That's why I don't have the balls.
People will risk pirating software instead of using free alternatives if it gives them something the free alternative doesn't. Reasons I can think of could be:
1. It's what's used everywhere else, hence no desire to fight the status quo and deal with issues resulting from it.
2. Related to 1, if everyone uses it, you have the maximum level of support (friends, forums, etc).
3. If you're already using a pirated tool, it's easier to stick with what you know rather than moving to a free alternative.
4. A lot of free alternatives simply suck. They either lack the features/functionality, or have major usability issues that result in more mouse clicks, a greater amount of time to accomplish a task compared to their commercial alternatives, or simply give you a headache because of the lousy interface. GIMP vs Photoshop comes to mind here.
5. If you're experienced in these matters, you'll know how to get pirated software in the safest manner. Heck, the entire master collection of CS5 can be used without requiring a single binary crack if you know how the hosts file works.
There's a reason Linux hasn't made headway on the desktop, and I wonder why the zealots find it surprising. The points above represent most of the reasons.
I've been using Outlook for about 2.5 years. Never had a (major) problem with it. I'm not discrediting your issues of course, I just find it interesting how a program can have such varied reactions from different people.
What, really? There's an ISP called that? If they were formed after Ted Stevens's immortal words then I honestly can't feel any anger towards them at all.
This means Microsoft can finally start bundling useful things like Microsoft Security Essentials in Windows 8 without being hounded by the feds.
I have a 150GB cap (I live in Australia - we've lived with caps since the beginning). I CAN use that much if pushed, but generally don't. Steam? My ISP (Internode) provides official Steam content servers which if selected and used by the Steam client, allow downloads of games unquoted and hence not affecting total usage and endangering the cap. It's a common solution to the cap issue here and works reasonably well, except for the cases where the Internode servers don't mirror some game's content and instead has to use someone else.
Besides, if you're buying new games every month on Steam, are you really going to find time to play them ALL? Yes the specials are nice, but eventually you grow out of buying every damn thing on sale, particularly if you know you're gonna have a backlog. And heck, even if you do hit the cap, it just means you'll find yourself using the computer less and hopefully, do something offline like reading, or building a cannon or something physical. Good for us geeks occasionally!
Funny you mention that. I think the original UT was one of the best multiplayer FPS games of all time, and it came out at the sweet-spot for PC gaming. Good mod tools, a good engine designed specifically for PCs, lots of player-created content, but we even had bonus packs straight from Epic, for free. The Epic of today is quite different to the Epic of years gone by. The closest thing we have to a developer is Valve, as far the amount of free content and mod support goes.
To be honest, I don't care so much about the map itself. It's just pleasing to me there are still FPS games out there with map editors that allow you to make such maps in the first place. So many games are missing level editors and mod tools that it's becoming novel for them to do so (and yes CS:S is getting a bit old, but it's still fun and still supported by Valve). If you're trying to make maps for something like one of the latest versions of Call of Duty, forget it.
Looking at them solely from the PS3 angle, several reasons:
(1) People buy the console because it plays the games they are interested in (particularly games exclusive for the console).
(2) People in general don't care about OtherOS support as most people won't need the functionality, and so doesn't factor into their decision making.
(3) If you spend a lot of money on ANYTHING (and from memory the PS3 is the most expensive of all current consoles), you're naturally going to want to defend your purchase. Any criticism leveled against it is rejected by the so-called fanbois because they don't want to be proven to have bought a dud, or be on the "wrong side". It hurts to know you've been suckered out of a lot of cash.
I'd like to play the game properly, but I'm suffering a high level of stuttering in the game despite having decent hardware, and I'm not the only one according to the Steam forums. Even the developers aren't sure why some people get the stuttering and others don't, but hey - let's move onto the sequel before fixing this eh!
Complaint will be rescinded if they surprise me by fixing this soon. :)
Something fairly light - only 200MB data per month. I don't use it that much anymore to be honest, but the tethering has been very helpful last year when visiting my girlfriend during a stage of DSL installation (and hence lack of internet).
My somewhat rubbish Nokia 5800 supports tethering via the Nokia PC suite on Windows or directly within Ubuntu. My carrier (Vodafone Australia) doesn't give a shit and has never given a shit about me tethering my phone.
WTF is happening over in the US? Will things ever get better (for users anyway) in the telecommunications area?
Posting in an epic thread!
What? Recent stories have lead me to believe Slashdot is turning into Fark anyway, so why not. /epic thread //one day after Caturday ///slashies
Windows 7 IS a worthy upgrade from XP - certainly from the security point of view. I have helped people with transitions from XP/Vista to 7 and found an almost unanimous praise for it. Given the choice, people preferred 7 for reasons of aesthetics, functionality and robustness.
The longer the Linux crowd believes that Microsoft can not make decent quality (once in a while at least), the longer they'll fail to make any changes which might someday resolve the issues that push people away from Linux.
Sounds like you're unable to enjoy any movies/music/gaming without continually analyzing it for "ulterior" motives. How is that fun in any way?
Give an inch, take a mile.
People will abuse the generosity of people time and time again. Doesn't mean you shouldn't be generous occasionally, but just keep in mind it's not as black and white as you make it appear.
Same reason people always look at a car accident as they're driving past - morbid curiosity. The idiocy that happens here is far too amusing to look away from. :)
Well hey, that's cool. At least you've got some tangible reasons for not liking the changes. Most people just bash relentlessly without any real basis. That's the main thing which bothers me.
I don't understand why Slashdot posts Windows articles anymore. All you get is flaming by "geeks" who can switch from Windows to Linux and adapt to entirely different UIs and desktop paradigms, yet consistently flame the ribbon interface despite the fact my non-geek fiance was capable of making the transition from Office 2003 -> 2007 within a few minutes.
Very few people on Slashdot have any objectivity and can see improvements for what they are. You don't come here for quality discussion on Microsoft stuff, which I feel is a damn shame. There are a lot of intelligent people around here who are able to contribute to some deep and thoughtful discussions, but anything about Microsoft and the 2-minute hate starts.
Windows 7 + Office 2010 is some of the best work MS has done in recent times, and very few people on Slashdot are willing to at least acknowledge this. If they did, perhaps things would be more civil around here. But no, instead the circle-jerk continues.
Oh come ON! We're geek here, and my non-geek fiance was able to learn how to use the ribbon in a few minutes.
Are Linux nuts so incapable of learning a UI? Or is it a UI in a Microsoft product that automatically puts up a mental blinder that they cannot push through?
Ever day that passes I have less and less respect for geeks who can't remain impartial.
If I recall correctly, he forgot to take into account that even though he caught up with the Road Runner, he was unable to stop. Hilarity ensures.
If you spend the majority of your time (work + hobby time) in front of a computer, you tend to appreciate a slick, pretty (or just classy) interface. It's more enjoyable, and somehow reduces stress. I can't explain it much more than that - a slick interface is a tangible benefit to a desktop.
A hammer is something you use occasionally, for a short period of time. It doesn't really compare.
A goddamn sausage fest is not a pretty site. Plus given the typical programmer's appearance... oh God help me!
Imagine how the one and only female programmer would feel.
Post-event citation then.
If the world ends in 2012, then you can link back to his post and prove him wrong.