I'm sorry... this is a question? Slashdot has gone from approximately the level of Enterprise (meh...) to Scooby Doo (oh god, not another song montage... with a stupid dog in the mix...)
You miss the point. No, we don't teach Aristotle's physical theories in physics classes; that would be counter productive. But we do teach some of his methods, that he was one of the earliest to even HAVE a method that was semi-reigourous and repeatable. He was mentioned in my classes. I learned more about his wrong conclusions in philosophy and logic classes than I did in physics and engineering, but he did come up as a progeniter of methodology even in the physics classes.
For a medium or large sized business, it is. For a start-up or independent consultant... I feel your pain!
I'd say if you ever need to have two programs or documents (of any type) open at the same time because you need to refer to one to update the other, then a second monitor does help... how much is subjective, and it's certainly not necessary, but it does help. And to get used to it and then have it taken away... well, I'd put in a requisition and if it wasn't honored quickly I'd start looking.
Bottom line -- if you use two or more applications at the same time, more monitors == better.
Realistically, this is beyond the scope of more than a handful of us tech literate users... my power, I can go outside and record numbers off the meter and then compare to my bill... yeah, I have to do some math, but the equipment is there and I don't have to know how it works (though I admit this will still be prey to deliberately munging the meter so it spins just a tad faster... I'll assume that this kind of thing would be discovered over time. As long as I can trust the meter, it exists as a back check).
I can install DDWRT or setup a bridging only firewall to monitor my traffic... my neighbor wouldn't even know what those words mean.
I don't know the solution as I hate to say government regulation is the answer, but it does put us all on a similar playing field...
We know that every time we've looked into ghost stories, they've turned out to have a mundane explanation or to be complete bullshit. If this guy wants to go out and have some fun with his friends and family, great, have at 'er, but let's not pretend that there's any chance of him actually discovering something new.
We know that almost every time we've looked into ghost stories, they've turned out to have a mundane explanation or to be complete bullshit. That doesn't mean that ghosts have been proven... on the contrary, it means that the wrong things were tested or looked for.
Amateurs have discovered all sorts of things through out history... will he? Probably not, but I can tell you this... staying home and watching reality TV pretty much guarantees he won't.
Have fun with it, and if you do find something odd, you'll have a story to tell about how you tracked it down to it's real source... wherever that might take you.
Ok, I'll admit to not having read the article or much of the details... if it was a "opt in" kind of thing, then I would agree... picketing is probably the best "real world" like example.
I was speaking more generically about DDOS attacks when some pissed off group claims responsibility and tries to wrap themselves in a cloak of righteousness.
While I like the term "cyber-picketing" better than "hacktivism" (that word just sounds stupid, period), I think I must point out at least a slight difference from traditional picketing...
Picketers perform what is (usually) non-violent interference, but the individuals involved are not hiding... if they do cross the line to violent activity (assaulting people who wish to break the line, damaging property, etc.) they can and are arrested, usually as individuals, unless it reaches potential riot proportions.
"Cyber-picketers" sit behind a wall of more or less anonymity, often using hundreds or thousands of OTHER PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS to distance their person from the activity... so when they cross the line of illegality (and in all honesty, using someone else's computer for purposes they do not know about or have not agreed to is illegal in most places) who can be removed to return it to a "peaceful" protest?
Yes, but a useful one... I can't count the number of times I've edited someone's code to capitalize the SQL commands so that the fields and where clauses are more easily picked out of a complex query.
Not saying you're wrong, just that some conventions exist for a reason... and removing the caps-lock simply because some users miss-use it seems more like cutting off an arm because the fingers constantly flick you off...
I'd have to agree with this on the level of likely media awareness of a young child... if you're looking for heroes he won't have to explain, then these are probably the most scientific... not rigorous in the sense of a University Physics lab, but a heck of a lot more rigorous than most anything else that gets wide media attention... identify what to test (myth), give initial hypothesis (explanation), identify how to test, revise if necessary, test, scale up, come to conclusion, revise in later shows, re-test, etc.
Other "heroes" to consider might be internet entrepreneurs, who while not being scientific themselves, managed to take new technology in directions not grasped before... Facebook, Google, Netscape... might be more commercially oriented than you want, but still, it's an area your son and his friends will know well soon, if he doesn't already.
Unfortunately true scientific or mathematical skill comes with a lot of background work and most don't get the credit they deserve, even when older, but definitely not while they're still learning.
I told my daughter (now 17) that true skill takes time, and the flashiness of athletes and movie stars almost always dies quickly... a few make it, but thousands don't. I tried to teach her (I hope successfully, and her math and science grades suggest I might have succeeded at least a little bit...) that a hero is one who sticks to her guns, as long as the evidence supports her, and isn't afraid to admit when they were wrong and change their theories. The hero is one true to the search, not the result... cause it only takes one bad result to take you down.
The problem as I see it is not so much how good X is or isn't (and I've seen cases where it's both), but what happens to all of the existing software that is in use, largely in Academia, but also to a significant degree in engineering and other industries using decades old software...
If X compatibility is actually any good, then fine, let change come... OS X was worlds better than the Classic Mac OS, but they did maintain the ability to run a classic emulator (at least until the Intel machines started coming out)... Change can be a fine and necessary thing, but expecting everyone to rebuild and recode before we see how it plays out is just hubris.
Now half-truths and slants on a factual story, that is a problem with the web. People can spin facts in their favor, that actual takes intellect to discern.
I would argue that's a not a problem of the internet, that's a problem of the fact that we don't get the information first hand and evaluate it for ourselves... TV and print media can be accused (and have been) of the same thing.
Ya gotta trust your sources. Next best, understand the biases and "agenda" of your sources and factor that into it...
With a handful of sources, it's easier for the sources to "watch each others back", so to speak. With more sources, it easier to get flooded with crap and have to spend more time cross checking.
Pick your battle cause neither is perfect and it's far from clear which will ultimately prove better.
I'm not sure I'd call CDs relevant still. We've moved on to solid state media, writeable storage decoupled from the content. You could discount 8-track tapes and they wouldn't sell today. CD's don't have the same analog appeal that vinyl records to, either. I expect that eventually they'll just stop making CDs, and all music will be distributed via the network.
This price reduction merely indicates that we're a little bit closer to that day. I doubt it'll do much to boost sales at this point.
Maybe... where can I get an 8 track player these days? While CD players abound... in computers, in cars, in game stations... and DVD (and Blueray? Don't know, don't have one yet...) players can play CD's...
I admit it's late, but it may allow a last gasp, since the players surround us.
WTF does this have to do with slashdot? I mean I'm not *that* new here, but this seems to be a new low for (1) having little to nothing to do with technology and (2) creating a forum that will do nothing but create flame wars.
I'm not really arguing the privacy aspect of it, and I agree that data mining can find relationships we can't even conceive of yet...
I'm arguing that the aspect of using (anonymously or not) my biological material, that I have an implied expectation of being used solely for my benefit (identifying what is wrong with me), in any other way is not being done with informed consent.
I may very well allow someone to use my biological matter to research some ailment, even knowing that it won't be done anonymously... but I should have the right to say yes or no.
This may be a naive expectation, but if it is, then it should be made clear IN PERSON, not just in tiny type on a page I have to sign or initial before they will work on me.
What's scary about this is not the use of the blood samples or even the DNA. What's scary is the lack of informed consent.
Not being a lawyer, I often find it difficult to fully understand waivers and contracts without spending a lot of time going over them... and even then I sometimes have to ask questions.
Now, in this case it is for newborns, so one could argue the parents, in general, will have plenty of time before hand to do so... maybe. But lets take the more general case of why someone is in the hospital -- they need help - surgery, medication, therapy, etc. The point being that they don't have the time to read everything and fully understand it as they need help NOW.
It is quite possible that somewhere in the legalese I have signed to proceed with medical treatment of me or my daughter, I have at some point signed away my right to my biological material. And in most cases, I would likely be fine with this, as it has been pointed out here and elsewhere that this is often used to further medicine, research health trends, etc.
But you can't deny that the IMPLIED purpose of drawing my blood in the emergency room is to run tests ON ME because of the treatment I might need at THIS TIME. If the intent is to do so AND use/sell my blood for further research, then I am not fully informed (I have already conceded that I might have signed something to that effect, but (1) am I in my right mind when I'm in pain? and (2) it was not explained to me that way, just given to me on a piece of paper.
So, it is completely plausible that this could have been/is done now in a LEGAL way involving consent -- but it is not done in a CLEAR and INFORMED way.
I seldom wish I had mod points (I almost never see anything worth modding up), but for you, I'd make an exception. Sarcasm at it's finest -- I salute you!
If we're talking about a console that is defining where new consoles have to start and grow from, then I totally agree -- the Xbox 360 has set the bar for new systems in the coming decade.
The PS2, however, made owning a console for gaming mainstream. Of course, this also occurred at about the same time that those of us who grew up with (or knowing someone with) a console became adults (that sounds weird, doesn't it?) so it's a hard call as to which was more influential -- the PS2 or our expectations.
If you want to identify trend changers for the decade, I have to side slightly higher on the PS2 side. The Xbox 360, and to a lesser extent the Wii, with it's motion sensing apparatus and focus on non-traditional gamers, are definitely setting the stage for the future; but had the PS2 not been as popular and pervasive as it was, the Xbox 360 would never have seen the light of day -- high end gaming would have remained the province of the power-user computer owner, and not the run-of-the-mill joe sixpack wanting to do more with his TV.
The PS3 was a disappointment -- it's a beefed up PS2 with newer/better hardware, but is a study in failed promises (lack of ongoing PS2 support, etc.) and lost opportunities to change the landscape... The PS2 defined a landscape... the PS3 is riding in that same landscape, while the Xbox 360 is expanding it.
The PS2 set the console stage for 2000-2009. The next iteration of the Xbox, after considering the few things the Wii did right, will set the stage for 2010-2019. One could argue that it already does set that stage, but it's early enough I expect them to push the bar up soon, and that's what our children will be using as their measuring stick in 2020.
I gotta concur with this line of thought... Win2k, at least after a service pack or two, was and in my mind still is, the moment when Microsoft actually produced something that was stable enough for the masses but powerful enough for the office. I'll admit that Microsoft never marketed it this way, and thus 9x and ME lasted longer than they should have, but...
For those who went to the trouble/expense of installing Windows 2000, and kept it current, XP was more or less ignored, until Win2k was finally put out to pasture.
From a marketing standpoint, I understand why Engadget chose XP -- it was the first time Microsoft openly pushed the consumer market towards a "modern" OS... but this was a marketing decision, and not a technological one, as 2000 was everything the home user needed in stability and compatibility before XP even existed.
We use Windows 2003 and Windows 2008 server editions at work, but I see no need to move from XP to 7 at home until games and home software solutions no longer support Windows XP. Even with MS's desire to put XP out to pasture at present, I don't expect to upgrade my home machines for at least another year...
Re the Mac, though, I do have to give OS X props... "Classic" macintosh OS's gave the power user practically no ability to push the system to its limits without installing buggy, unsupported, likely to crash on upgrade hacks... As a power user, I hesitate to comment on OS X as a "consumer" OS (other than to say my Mom likes it), but as a power user, I can easily say OS X blows away anything Apple did previously. For Apple hardware, it was a game changer, though I admit I didn't use it until 10.3 and later, so I can't really comment on the earlier versions. And the ability to use most (though not all) open source/linux software with minor to no code changes is amazing -- I no longer use Linux on anything that isn't a server or my netbook (due to drive and memory size).
Don't get me wrong -- I like the concept behind Linux, and I push for it for server solutions, but it is not a consumer OS... even with Ubuntu, with which i have a love/hate relationship with older hardware, it's not for the feint of heart. Most people want a system that just works... in that case, OS X (on Apple hardware) and Windows XP (though maybe 7 in the future) for intel/amd PC's. Ubuntu is fine, preinstalled... but on third hand hardware, cobbled together by hand, it's as buggy as Windows... and while a Power User can make Ubuntu work on said hardware, as a tech guy, I'd rather convince a non-power user to upgrade their hardware than spend the fruitless time it takes to cobble something together that works until they add something new or modify a system setting I told them to ignore... training people who don't "get it" isn't in my job description, and I'm tired of telling friends/family that I'm going to have to ignore them or charge them... it makes things difficult at the dinner table during Christmas:-)
Slashdot Mirror
So now Apple invented stores?
No, the iStore.... and they locked your wallet when you walked in.
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I Drank what?
I'm sorry... this is a question? Slashdot has gone from approximately the level of Enterprise (meh...) to Scooby Doo (oh god, not another song montage... with a stupid dog in the mix...)
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I drank what?
please, fuck Facebook, then patents, that's all I ask...
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I Drank what?
You miss the point. No, we don't teach Aristotle's physical theories in physics classes; that would be counter productive. But we do teach some of his methods, that he was one of the earliest to even HAVE a method that was semi-reigourous and repeatable. He was mentioned in my classes. I learned more about his wrong conclusions in philosophy and logic classes than I did in physics and engineering, but he did come up as a progeniter of methodology even in the physics classes.
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I drank what?
For a medium or large sized business, it is. For a start-up or independent consultant... I feel your pain!
I'd say if you ever need to have two programs or documents (of any type) open at the same time because you need to refer to one to update the other, then a second monitor does help... how much is subjective, and it's certainly not necessary, but it does help. And to get used to it and then have it taken away... well, I'd put in a requisition and if it wasn't honored quickly I'd start looking.
Bottom line -- if you use two or more applications at the same time, more monitors == better.
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I drank what?
You had a formless void?
You were lucky.
(apologies to Monty Python but I couldn't resist...)
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I drank what?
Realistically, this is beyond the scope of more than a handful of us tech literate users... my power, I can go outside and record numbers off the meter and then compare to my bill... yeah, I have to do some math, but the equipment is there and I don't have to know how it works (though I admit this will still be prey to deliberately munging the meter so it spins just a tad faster... I'll assume that this kind of thing would be discovered over time. As long as I can trust the meter, it exists as a back check).
I can install DDWRT or setup a bridging only firewall to monitor my traffic... my neighbor wouldn't even know what those words mean.
I don't know the solution as I hate to say government regulation is the answer, but it does put us all on a similar playing field...
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I drank what?
We know that every time we've looked into ghost stories, they've turned out to have a mundane explanation or to be complete bullshit. If this guy wants to go out and have some fun with his friends and family, great, have at 'er, but let's not pretend that there's any chance of him actually discovering something new.
We know that almost every time we've looked into ghost stories, they've turned out to have a mundane explanation or to be complete bullshit. That doesn't mean that ghosts have been proven... on the contrary, it means that the wrong things were tested or looked for.
Amateurs have discovered all sorts of things through out history... will he? Probably not, but I can tell you this... staying home and watching reality TV pretty much guarantees he won't.
Have fun with it, and if you do find something odd, you'll have a story to tell about how you tracked it down to it's real source... wherever that might take you.
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I drank what?
what about the lawyers? I think I'd put them ahead of marketers... but just.
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I drank what?
Ok, I'll admit to not having read the article or much of the details... if it was a "opt in" kind of thing, then I would agree... picketing is probably the best "real world" like example.
I was speaking more generically about DDOS attacks when some pissed off group claims responsibility and tries to wrap themselves in a cloak of righteousness.
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I drank what?
While I like the term "cyber-picketing" better than "hacktivism" (that word just sounds stupid, period), I think I must point out at least a slight difference from traditional picketing...
Picketers perform what is (usually) non-violent interference, but the individuals involved are not hiding... if they do cross the line to violent activity (assaulting people who wish to break the line, damaging property, etc.) they can and are arrested, usually as individuals, unless it reaches potential riot proportions.
"Cyber-picketers" sit behind a wall of more or less anonymity, often using hundreds or thousands of OTHER PEOPLE'S COMPUTERS to distance their person from the activity... so when they cross the line of illegality (and in all honesty, using someone else's computer for purposes they do not know about or have not agreed to is illegal in most places) who can be removed to return it to a "peaceful" protest?
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I drank what?
Yes, but a useful one... I can't count the number of times I've edited someone's code to capitalize the SQL commands so that the fields and where clauses are more easily picked out of a complex query.
Not saying you're wrong, just that some conventions exist for a reason... and removing the caps-lock simply because some users miss-use it seems more like cutting off an arm because the fingers constantly flick you off...
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I drank what?
I'd have to agree with this on the level of likely media awareness of a young child... if you're looking for heroes he won't have to explain, then these are probably the most scientific... not rigorous in the sense of a University Physics lab, but a heck of a lot more rigorous than most anything else that gets wide media attention... identify what to test (myth), give initial hypothesis (explanation), identify how to test, revise if necessary, test, scale up, come to conclusion, revise in later shows, re-test, etc.
Other "heroes" to consider might be internet entrepreneurs, who while not being scientific themselves, managed to take new technology in directions not grasped before... Facebook, Google, Netscape... might be more commercially oriented than you want, but still, it's an area your son and his friends will know well soon, if he doesn't already.
Unfortunately true scientific or mathematical skill comes with a lot of background work and most don't get the credit they deserve, even when older, but definitely not while they're still learning.
I told my daughter (now 17) that true skill takes time, and the flashiness of athletes and movie stars almost always dies quickly... a few make it, but thousands don't. I tried to teach her (I hope successfully, and her math and science grades suggest I might have succeeded at least a little bit...) that a hero is one who sticks to her guns, as long as the evidence supports her, and isn't afraid to admit when they were wrong and change their theories. The hero is one true to the search, not the result... cause it only takes one bad result to take you down.
Hope this helps in some small way :-)
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I drank what?
The problem as I see it is not so much how good X is or isn't (and I've seen cases where it's both), but what happens to all of the existing software that is in use, largely in Academia, but also to a significant degree in engineering and other industries using decades old software...
If X compatibility is actually any good, then fine, let change come... OS X was worlds better than the Classic Mac OS, but they did maintain the ability to run a classic emulator (at least until the Intel machines started coming out)... Change can be a fine and necessary thing, but expecting everyone to rebuild and recode before we see how it plays out is just hubris.
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I drank what?
what's the second rule?
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I drank what?
Now half-truths and slants on a factual story, that is a problem with the web. People can spin facts in their favor, that actual takes intellect to discern.
I would argue that's a not a problem of the internet, that's a problem of the fact that we don't get the information first hand and evaluate it for ourselves... TV and print media can be accused (and have been) of the same thing.
Ya gotta trust your sources. Next best, understand the biases and "agenda" of your sources and factor that into it...
With a handful of sources, it's easier for the sources to "watch each others back", so to speak. With more sources, it easier to get flooded with crap and have to spend more time cross checking.
Pick your battle cause neither is perfect and it's far from clear which will ultimately prove better.
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I drank what?
Used CD dealers used to be used tape dealers who used to be user record dealers...
Anyone in this market should know that the market exists because formats change and peoples needs change...
You're right they'll take a hit... but they have before and they'll come up with something new, as they always have.
Granted, I don't know what form it will take... maybe used MP3 players or used flash storage? Who knows...
But I somehow feel that this industry is used to change, even if a given dealer may not be.
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I drank what?
I'm not sure I'd call CDs relevant still. We've moved on to solid state media, writeable storage decoupled from the content. You could discount 8-track tapes and they wouldn't sell today. CD's don't have the same analog appeal that vinyl records to, either. I expect that eventually they'll just stop making CDs, and all music will be distributed via the network.
This price reduction merely indicates that we're a little bit closer to that day. I doubt it'll do much to boost sales at this point.
Maybe... where can I get an 8 track player these days? While CD players abound... in computers, in cars, in game stations... and DVD (and Blueray? Don't know, don't have one yet...) players can play CD's...
I admit it's late, but it may allow a last gasp, since the players surround us.
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I drank what?
WTF does this have to do with slashdot? I mean I'm not *that* new here, but this seems to be a new low for (1) having little to nothing to do with technology and (2) creating a forum that will do nothing but create flame wars.
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I drank what?
I'm not really arguing the privacy aspect of it, and I agree that data mining can find relationships we can't even conceive of yet...
I'm arguing that the aspect of using (anonymously or not) my biological material, that I have an implied expectation of being used solely for my benefit (identifying what is wrong with me), in any other way is not being done with informed consent.
I may very well allow someone to use my biological matter to research some ailment, even knowing that it won't be done anonymously... but I should have the right to say yes or no.
This may be a naive expectation, but if it is, then it should be made clear IN PERSON, not just in tiny type on a page I have to sign or initial before they will work on me.
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I drank what?
What's scary about this is not the use of the blood samples or even the DNA. What's scary is the lack of informed consent.
Not being a lawyer, I often find it difficult to fully understand waivers and contracts without spending a lot of time going over them... and even then I sometimes have to ask questions.
Now, in this case it is for newborns, so one could argue the parents, in general, will have plenty of time before hand to do so... maybe. But lets take the more general case of why someone is in the hospital -- they need help - surgery, medication, therapy, etc. The point being that they don't have the time to read everything and fully understand it as they need help NOW.
It is quite possible that somewhere in the legalese I have signed to proceed with medical treatment of me or my daughter, I have at some point signed away my right to my biological material. And in most cases, I would likely be fine with this, as it has been pointed out here and elsewhere that this is often used to further medicine, research health trends, etc.
But you can't deny that the IMPLIED purpose of drawing my blood in the emergency room is to run tests ON ME because of the treatment I might need at THIS TIME. If the intent is to do so AND use/sell my blood for further research, then I am not fully informed (I have already conceded that I might have signed something to that effect, but (1) am I in my right mind when I'm in pain? and (2) it was not explained to me that way, just given to me on a piece of paper.
So, it is completely plausible that this could have been/is done now in a LEGAL way involving consent -- but it is not done in a CLEAR and INFORMED way.
That's what I find scary...
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I drank what?
Oh my god! It's coming right for us!
I seldom wish I had mod points (I almost never see anything worth modding up), but for you, I'd make an exception. Sarcasm at it's finest -- I salute you!
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I drank what?
If we're talking about a console that is defining where new consoles have to start and grow from, then I totally agree -- the Xbox 360 has set the bar for new systems in the coming decade.
The PS2, however, made owning a console for gaming mainstream. Of course, this also occurred at about the same time that those of us who grew up with (or knowing someone with) a console became adults (that sounds weird, doesn't it?) so it's a hard call as to which was more influential -- the PS2 or our expectations.
If you want to identify trend changers for the decade, I have to side slightly higher on the PS2 side. The Xbox 360, and to a lesser extent the Wii, with it's motion sensing apparatus and focus on non-traditional gamers, are definitely setting the stage for the future; but had the PS2 not been as popular and pervasive as it was, the Xbox 360 would never have seen the light of day -- high end gaming would have remained the province of the power-user computer owner, and not the run-of-the-mill joe sixpack wanting to do more with his TV.
The PS3 was a disappointment -- it's a beefed up PS2 with newer/better hardware, but is a study in failed promises (lack of ongoing PS2 support, etc.) and lost opportunities to change the landscape... The PS2 defined a landscape... the PS3 is riding in that same landscape, while the Xbox 360 is expanding it.
The PS2 set the console stage for 2000-2009. The next iteration of the Xbox, after considering the few things the Wii did right, will set the stage for 2010-2019. One could argue that it already does set that stage, but it's early enough I expect them to push the bar up soon, and that's what our children will be using as their measuring stick in 2020.
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I drank what?
I gotta concur with this line of thought... Win2k, at least after a service pack or two, was and in my mind still is, the moment when Microsoft actually produced something that was stable enough for the masses but powerful enough for the office. I'll admit that Microsoft never marketed it this way, and thus 9x and ME lasted longer than they should have, but...
For those who went to the trouble/expense of installing Windows 2000, and kept it current, XP was more or less ignored, until Win2k was finally put out to pasture.
From a marketing standpoint, I understand why Engadget chose XP -- it was the first time Microsoft openly pushed the consumer market towards a "modern" OS... but this was a marketing decision, and not a technological one, as 2000 was everything the home user needed in stability and compatibility before XP even existed.
We use Windows 2003 and Windows 2008 server editions at work, but I see no need to move from XP to 7 at home until games and home software solutions no longer support Windows XP. Even with MS's desire to put XP out to pasture at present, I don't expect to upgrade my home machines for at least another year...
Re the Mac, though, I do have to give OS X props... "Classic" macintosh OS's gave the power user practically no ability to push the system to its limits without installing buggy, unsupported, likely to crash on upgrade hacks... As a power user, I hesitate to comment on OS X as a "consumer" OS (other than to say my Mom likes it), but as a power user, I can easily say OS X blows away anything Apple did previously. For Apple hardware, it was a game changer, though I admit I didn't use it until 10.3 and later, so I can't really comment on the earlier versions. And the ability to use most (though not all) open source/linux software with minor to no code changes is amazing -- I no longer use Linux on anything that isn't a server or my netbook (due to drive and memory size).
Don't get me wrong -- I like the concept behind Linux, and I push for it for server solutions, but it is not a consumer OS... even with Ubuntu, with which i have a love/hate relationship with older hardware, it's not for the feint of heart. Most people want a system that just works... in that case, OS X (on Apple hardware) and Windows XP (though maybe 7 in the future) for intel/amd PC's. Ubuntu is fine, preinstalled... but on third hand hardware, cobbled together by hand, it's as buggy as Windows... and while a Power User can make Ubuntu work on said hardware, as a tech guy, I'd rather convince a non-power user to upgrade their hardware than spend the fruitless time it takes to cobble something together that works until they add something new or modify a system setting I told them to ignore... training people who don't "get it" isn't in my job description, and I'm tired of telling friends/family that I'm going to have to ignore them or charge them... it makes things difficult at the dinner table during Christmas :-)
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I drank what?