Even "show me a map of 10 Downing Street" or "where is 10 Downing Street" is better than something that could almost just be a standard bookmark with a keyword (which I've set up some additional ones for myself)
I was just thinking the same - I already have a keyword setup for exactly that. What would be nice though, is if it could remember that when I search a few times for places on Queen Street, for example, I mean Queen Street in Auckland, New Zealand.
At 6:22 pm EST skynet does a self diagnosis of the SEG FAULT and attacks Microsoft. At 7:00 pm EST all online Windows computers start self-installing Linux.
Of course he is. Open source survives on the evolution model - there simply HAVE to be more than one or its doomed to failure. There are just too many individual minds involved for one distribution to satisfy everybody. Yet, when one comes out with something good that the others like, they can use it and everybody benefits. The very existence of many gives everyone the freedom to try out what they think might work. After all, it is about freedom and sharing isn't it?
Its not the command line itself that is the problem. The real problem is not knowing what to type at the command line.
If you're new to Linux (and this is where Linux's real growth potential lies), how are you going to guess that you need a command called "sudo" to get admin priveleges? How are you going to figure out "apt-get" is what you need to manage your software?
I mean, why do we not have simple aliases for these things? like "package-install", "package-list" or similar? My point is this : Boil it all down to as few as possible simple concepts: 1) In Linux, applications are called packages. 2) If you don't know what to type at the command line, type in the first few letters and press Tab.
Just with those two pieces of knowledge, a slightly adventurous user will be at home in very little time.
Now, please don't flame me. I'm talking about the bigger picture here, which is reducing the learning curve. We are at the point where people are now aware of Linux. Chances are they've seen what it can do. They're curious. They want to try it. What we must be concentrating on is making it easy for them.
We can go on about newbs forever. The point is that unless we do something to welcome them, they won't come.
How can Linux win me back? Whatever machine I bring home from Best Buy has to "just work" at the end of the install/config program. Is that too much to ask for?
No, I don't think this is too much to ask for. However, this again points to more vendor support. If vendors chose hardware that they know works well in Linux (and they have the power to do that), then you'd have a good desktop experience.
So you need to bug them about it. Say you want it fixed. Don't return the laptop - returning it means that can count it towards a "linux failure" when that is not the problem. You need the real problem to be logged - and that real problem is lack of drivers from manufacturers.
What needs to happen is for the feedback to trickle back up the pipeline to the laptop manufacturers (and it will) that their hardware needs to work with Linux out of the box.
Yes, a lot of people do not play online because of various factors, one being high server pings from their countries, another typical reason being broadband that is simply not fast enough. I'm not talking OECD countries here - I'm talking the rest of the world and Joe Bloggs who don't know a thing about broadband and sign up for what they think is the best deal because an advertisement told them so. The value of online gaming is growing despite this fact. I know a lot of people who end up playing online because there is only so much fun you can have with game AI. They love the game they play and they are willing to pay to make their game play that much more fun. Man is a social animal. If you look at the current value of online gaming versus the potential market for it, you will see there is a point in transitioning people to online gaming - it is simply more enjoyable than playing alone. The business model of free single player and paid multi player focuses on helping the transition to online and thereby expanding the online gaming market. It simply has to be profitable. It is.
Re:Any chance we can draw circles and boxes now
on
GIMP 2.6 Released
·
· Score: 1
Keep groaning. Here's the truth : No matter what you say, you will always be curious about whats new with each new release. You can help fix what you don't like, or you can wait (and optionally groan). If you don't help, respect the fact that the people who are helping have their priorities and that they might not agree with yours. In addtion, remember that typically, growth and usability of OSS software accelarates once it reaches critical mass. If you want to be a PITA, go ahead. Just know that nobody is going to listen to you until they feel like.
Re:Any chance we can draw circles and boxes now
on
GIMP 2.6 Released
·
· Score: 1
I agree with you, to a point. However, I think its a tad hard on them. I think they're well aware of the things that users want changed, but that there are priorities. All we really need to do is increase adoption. Because it is open source, this would increase the speed that issues get addressed. It will also increase the speed of evolution of the software (this is one place where OSS has an edge over the commercial world - we do not need to time releases with trade shows, for example).
I think they're doing an amazing job. What I really would like to see is some form of unity as far as a native file format is concerned - if most of the popular OSS image editors used one native format (say XCF - could be anything). This would mean that all of a sudden there is so much more you can do with one file and OSS image manipulation as a task becomes that much easier because there is a program for everyone. Kinda what is happening to the OSS Office world right now.
This was my first thought. Given all the recent news about Google going to great lengths to secure the Chrome browser (to the point of being accused of reverse engineering Windows and breaking the EULA), this was the first question on my mind.
I think IBM should simply leave ISO. Its not like they're a trustworthy standards organization anymore. I also agree with the parent post...IBM is a very technically competent and much better any day than MS.
Chalk up another one for the history books : MS has the Midas touch...NOT!
Increasing the install limit from 3 to 5 is easing on restrictions??? What kind of idiots do you think we are?? I was really really awaiting the release of Red Alert 3. I had it on pre-order. I have just cancelled my order. EA, you're going to have to do WAY better than that if you ever want any of my money - I will now be strengthening my protest - I will not buy another EA game unless its good and has no DRM.
Just boycott the entire product line. The commotion with Spore seemed to get through to them enough to get a response. We need real action, not number changes. Boycotting a game isn't enough for them - well, lets boycott the product line. They can go screw themselves - that's what they seem to want to do. I am sick and tied of being treated like a criminal. No more. C ya EA. We will meet again when you next release a good game without DRM.
Well, I've tried downloading I2P several times already in the past n months and I always encounter the same roadblock - the download link for the I2P installation from dev.i2p.net always takes too long to respond. Has anybody got around this?
I think what Mark Shuttleworth is doing is EXACTLY what is needed. GNOME and KDE are both evolving, each in their own way. I've been a long time KDE user, but I now find myself able to use GNOME too and appreciate its approach. I also love the fact that I can switch between these two widely different approaches and still feel at home - they're both doing something right.
I would like to think/hope that Shuttleworth is accelarating this process by funding these projects. They are both beautiful and what we really need is for both of them to be completely usable to a newbie that chooses either.
I guess I'm just hoping that Shuttleworth is able to do for both these desktops what Nintendo did for console gaming with the Wii - make newbies feel at home. That's what we need now - more newbies using Linux. We need input from the non-techies to give us a straight opinion about what they like and what they don't. We need newbies who like it enough to want to contribute in ways that other newbies will appreciate.
We already have solid teams working on these projects. We now need a nice welcome mat for the disgruntled/curious Windows user.
Slashdot Mirror
Even "show me a map of 10 Downing Street" or "where is 10 Downing Street" is better than something that could almost just be a standard bookmark with a keyword (which I've set up some additional ones for myself)
I was just thinking the same - I already have a keyword setup for exactly that. What would be nice though, is if it could remember that when I search a few times for places on Queen Street, for example, I mean Queen Street in Auckland, New Zealand.
Exactly. They've launched a satellite, not an ICBM. Good for them. Maybe they are really trying to develop after all. Let's give them a chance.
At 6:22 pm EST skynet does a self diagnosis of the SEG FAULT and attacks Microsoft.
At 7:00 pm EST all online Windows computers start self-installing Linux.
Of course he is. Open source survives on the evolution model - there simply HAVE to be more than one or its doomed to failure. There are just too many individual minds involved for one distribution to satisfy everybody. Yet, when one comes out with something good that the others like, they can use it and everybody benefits. The very existence of many gives everyone the freedom to try out what they think might work. After all, it is about freedom and sharing isn't it?
One more question...
What is the state of KDE on NVIDIA? I'm on Ubuntu with KDE nightlies and its as laggy as hell. Have yet to check the released 4.2 though.
Hehe. The devil's always in the details :)
Its not the command line itself that is the problem. The real problem is not knowing what to type at the command line.
If you're new to Linux (and this is where Linux's real growth potential lies), how are you going to guess that you need a command called "sudo" to get admin priveleges? How are you going to figure out "apt-get" is what you need to manage your software?
I mean, why do we not have simple aliases for these things? like "package-install", "package-list" or similar? My point is this : Boil it all down to as few as possible simple concepts:
1) In Linux, applications are called packages.
2) If you don't know what to type at the command line, type in the first few letters and press Tab.
Just with those two pieces of knowledge, a slightly adventurous user will be at home in very little time.
Now, please don't flame me. I'm talking about the bigger picture here, which is reducing the learning curve. We are at the point where people are now aware of Linux. Chances are they've seen what it can do. They're curious. They want to try it. What we must be concentrating on is making it easy for them.
We can go on about newbs forever. The point is that unless we do something to welcome them, they won't come.
Yep. Nothing wrong here. Geeks and nerds everywhere are going to be just fine.
So states the "Big Bang Theory" ;)
As always, we live in interesting times.
You don't need glasses and a computer for that in some places.
How can Linux win me back? Whatever machine I bring home from Best Buy has to "just work" at the end of the install/config program. Is that too much to ask for?
No, I don't think this is too much to ask for. However, this again points to more vendor support. If vendors chose hardware that they know works well in Linux (and they have the power to do that), then you'd have a good desktop experience.
So you need to bug them about it. Say you want it fixed. Don't return the laptop - returning it means that can count it towards a "linux failure" when that is not the problem. You need the real problem to be logged - and that real problem is lack of drivers from manufacturers.
What needs to happen is for the feedback to trickle back up the pipeline to the laptop manufacturers (and it will) that their hardware needs to work with Linux out of the box.
You'd need maximum speed for that :)
Yes, a lot of people do not play online because of various factors, one being high server pings from their countries, another typical reason being broadband that is simply not fast enough. I'm not talking OECD countries here - I'm talking the rest of the world and Joe Bloggs who don't know a thing about broadband and sign up for what they think is the best deal because an advertisement told them so.
The value of online gaming is growing despite this fact. I know a lot of people who end up playing online because there is only so much fun you can have with game AI. They love the game they play and they are willing to pay to make their game play that much more fun. Man is a social animal.
If you look at the current value of online gaming versus the potential market for it, you will see there is a point in transitioning people to online gaming - it is simply more enjoyable than playing alone. The business model of free single player and paid multi player focuses on helping the transition to online and thereby expanding the online gaming market. It simply has to be profitable. It is.
What are you doing on Slashdot, Chandler Bing?
Keep groaning. Here's the truth : No matter what you say, you will always be curious about whats new with each new release. You can help fix what you don't like, or you can wait (and optionally groan). If you don't help, respect the fact that the people who are helping have their priorities and that they might not agree with yours. In addtion, remember that typically, growth and usability of OSS software accelarates once it reaches critical mass. If you want to be a PITA, go ahead. Just know that nobody is going to listen to you until they feel like.
I agree with you, to a point. However, I think its a tad hard on them. I think they're well aware of the things that users want changed, but that there are priorities. All we really need to do is increase adoption. Because it is open source, this would increase the speed that issues get addressed. It will also increase the speed of evolution of the software (this is one place where OSS has an edge over the commercial world - we do not need to time releases with trade shows, for example).
I think they're doing an amazing job. What I really would like to see is some form of unity as far as a native file format is concerned - if most of the popular OSS image editors used one native format (say XCF - could be anything). This would mean that all of a sudden there is so much more you can do with one file and OSS image manipulation as a task becomes that much easier because there is a program for everyone. Kinda what is happening to the OSS Office world right now.
This was my first thought. Given all the recent news about Google going to great lengths to secure the Chrome browser (to the point of being accused of reverse engineering Windows and breaking the EULA), this was the first question on my mind.
I think IBM should simply leave ISO. Its not like they're a trustworthy standards organization anymore. I also agree with the parent post...IBM is a very technically competent and much better any day than MS.
Chalk up another one for the history books : MS has the Midas touch...NOT!
That depends on whether you've had plastic surgery since the last time you paid to hum that tune.
Input from programmer :
>>action plan invalid --reason="cannot terminate artist"
>>new action plan
Action Plan 2: Self Terminate
Increasing the install limit from 3 to 5 is easing on restrictions??? What kind of idiots do you think we are?? I was really really awaiting the release of Red Alert 3. I had it on pre-order. I have just cancelled my order. EA, you're going to have to do WAY better than that if you ever want any of my money - I will now be strengthening my protest - I will not buy another EA game unless its good and has no DRM.
Just boycott the entire product line. The commotion with Spore seemed to get through to them enough to get a response. We need real action, not number changes. Boycotting a game isn't enough for them - well, lets boycott the product line. They can go screw themselves - that's what they seem to want to do. I am sick and tied of being treated like a criminal. No more. C ya EA. We will meet again when you next release a good game without DRM.
Your link worked. Downloading I2P now. Cheers.
Well, I've tried downloading I2P several times already in the past n months and I always encounter the same roadblock - the download link for the I2P installation from dev.i2p.net always takes too long to respond. Has anybody got around this?
+1
I think what Mark Shuttleworth is doing is EXACTLY what is needed. GNOME and KDE are both evolving, each in their own way. I've been a long time KDE user, but I now find myself able to use GNOME too and appreciate its approach. I also love the fact that I can switch between these two widely different approaches and still feel at home - they're both doing something right.
I would like to think/hope that Shuttleworth is accelarating this process by funding these projects. They are both beautiful and what we really need is for both of them to be completely usable to a newbie that chooses either.
I guess I'm just hoping that Shuttleworth is able to do for both these desktops what Nintendo did for console gaming with the Wii - make newbies feel at home. That's what we need now - more newbies using Linux. We need input from the non-techies to give us a straight opinion about what they like and what they don't. We need newbies who like it enough to want to contribute in ways that other newbies will appreciate.
We already have solid teams working on these projects. We now need a nice welcome mat for the disgruntled/curious Windows user.
Mark, if you're reading this, THANK YOU.
Thanks! Will try it out.