And even if a grader isn't going to look at those things specifically, they?ll still be affected by them, as well as whether or not they agree with the essay. Not to mention the fact that it's going to be insanely expensive to grade these things. They'll need about 1,500 graders each grading 1,500 papers.
Actually, the marking of essays is a problem that's been pretty comprehensively solved here in sunny Queensland Australia. The trick to it is to have a statistician on hand. Then you take a whole bunch of markers from all around the state and they come together to mark the essays. You give them a whole bunch of training on how to mark the essays, what they should be looking for etc. Each essay is then independently marked twice (ie: two markers read and grade it without knowing anything about what the other marker thought of the paper). Then the results are collated and handed to the statistician who looks for any grades that don't match up - one of the markers isn't marking properly. Which one is easy to pick because during the day each marker will have marked several essays and the pairs of markers always change, so you just look for any marker that shows up in more than one grade mismatch and you have your problem case.
Once you've found the problem cases for the day you prioritise them and take out the most significant problem markers for more training (there's not enough money to retrain them all). If a marker is picked up as a problem case twice they're sent home and won't participate in any further marking (usually for quite a few years, teachers around here have long memories...).
So now we have a system that keeps markers consistent, what do you do with the grades that were mismatched by markers? You have the essay graded by a third person who is very experienced in the marking process and see what they think. If they have trouble deciding they can refer it to a fourth person and so on.
So in short, the way to mark essays reliably and fairly, lots of training, lots of money, and a damn good statistician (yes only one statistician for the entire state of Queensland).
Also note that the test we use (the Queensland Core Skills test or QCS) is regarded as one of the best tests in the world, takes about 2 years to write (they're already working on the 2005 test) and is sold off to other countries like Japan. You should also note that your mark on the QCS test does not affect your tertiary entrace score, rather the results of the QCS test are groups in various ways and use to scale your marks for the rest of your senior year to accomodate for different difficulties of subjects (Physics vs Chemistry vs English vs Art vs Typing etc) as well as differences in marking between schools and a whole host of other things, but never an individual basis. In other words, it takes probability into account which suggests that some students will perform below their normal standard and others will perform above their normal standard since the test is held over only two days (a small sample of the students actual work thus leading to high variance).
The whole process is actually very carefully and very well designed so you're of the belief that tests don't judge personal ability, you should do some research on this process because it's as good an example of test usage you're likely to find. The biggest downside is that because of it's complexity (or particuarly because it's different to the normal way people think about tests) most students don't actually understand the process and really panic about their QCS test results.
Have you actually tried SWT on anything but Windows? It's awful! SWT is inherently not cross platform so it solves the Java GUI support problem on one platform only. On any one platform you can apply optimisations for Swing to get it to run really well on that particularly platform. Look at the Aqua look and feel for 1.3 on OS X.
Writing yet another windowing system based on the same concepts as the original is not the answer to the problem, taking the time to optimise the existing code is the answer to the problem.
MS might be gauging the popularity of WM formats on non-MS platforms. Since Linux is undoubtedly one of the more popular OS platform, perhaps that is why it is chosen as the first platform to be ported to.
Er, I hate to burst your bubble, but Mac's have had a version of Windows Media Player (yes, called Windows Media Player) for quite some time on both OS 9 and OS X. MS isn't experimenting with the popularity of WM formats on non-MS platforms, MS has reached the point where they figure it's worth including Linux in their distribution just so that WM formats get a little more use and squeeze a little more competition out of what is actually a very competitive market.
You're completely right on their motives for porting to other platforms, it's all about them, but this isn't their first move of this type.
FreeBSD is a peripheral enough project that there isn't the kind of politics that leads to people stacking meetings and staging votes.
Apache and every single project within the Apache Foundation work off a democratic basis - that's a lot of people and a lot of politics, but it all works brilliantly.
In New Zealand, it's perfectly OK for the POLICE and the LTSA (Land transport safety authority) to run graphic ads of people flying through windscreens...
Having seen the way you New Zealanders drive I'd have to support that....
Seriously though, the things they show in those ads aren't FUD, it's real. Try spending some time in an emergency ward and you'll see just how real. Computers and the internet have an upside and a downside, road transport has an upside and a downside. People tend to find the good things by themselves (that or some enterprising company points it out), noone likes to think about the bad side, so that's why the Government steps in and points it out. Do they go over the top? Sometimes. Do you really think that all politicians sit around and scheme of ways to screw over the country they grew up in? That's just a little too far fetched for me. They may be wrong a lot of the time, but I doubt it's a grand conspiricy.
Oh and yeah I know that went further than you were actually saying, but I got started and yeah well....
Re:Maybe they should have started with mac CVS...
on
The Humane Environment
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· Score: 2
Just for the record, the instructions are for OS 9 or optionally OS X. You can of course use a corrected version of you cvs commands to check out the source on OS X assuming you installed the developer tools.
CVS was designed for UNIX/CLI and then ported/hacked to work elsewhere so it is obviously going to be difficult to setup and use.
It is this type of behaviour that instantly picks out an accomplished programmer from a novice... "Oh, I'll write my own string library to make it faster"...
Ahh, but if I were to give you a string library that had fundamental design flaws you would be a fool not to change it regardless of how long it had been in use or how popular it was. You may not have to change everything (or perhaps you might) but you will have to make some major changes.
Bullshit. You can build on small things that already exist right now. Maybe change some major things, but keep the tried and true methods.
Close, but not quite. Firstly, Raskin isn't saying that absolutely everything should be thrown out as you imply, but rather that he and his team are changing some major things but keeping the good parts. Secondly, don't keep the tried and true, keep the good stuff. Just because it's been in use for a long time doesn't mean it's the best that can be done nor does it mean it even works correctly. It only means that noone has gotten around to making something better.
The attitude that we should stick with the tried and true would have caused us to stick with using bubble sort for all eternity. Only a novice programmer would think they can write a faster sort algorithm right?
Sigh, sadly it has fallen into the main problem with OpenSource on Mac OS 9 - lack of a standard compiler. The project uses CodeWarrior by the look of it and importing into ProjectBuilder doesn't seem to be working.
Anyone got CodeWarrior and able to post an actual built copy somewhere? That or know how to build the thing with gcc....
Native widgets are a fantasy. Consider MFC apps, Borland apps, Qt apps, Microsoft's latest apps, or even raw win32 apps. The rule here is that they all have a similar enough "look and feel" that the user is happy, even though they are all different GUI libs. Of course, there are GUI libs that totally break the rule, such as Java's Swing and gtk-win32. And apparently even Mozilla's XUL, according to you.
Go buy a Mac. Linux doesn't have any real concept of native widets. Windows has some concept of it but not a particularly good one. Mac OS has a fantastic idea of native widgets. You can pick a non-native app a mile away.
You should also note that Swing on OS X uses native Widgets whenever possible which is why it looks so good. I don't know the details of gtk-win32 so I can't comment on that. Mozilla's XUL is most definitely not native widgets though because it was designed from scratch to be platform independant and has stayed that way. Compare how Chimera looks and feels to Mozilla on OS X even using the OS X theme, there is a world of difference.
No one has been able to point out a non-native widget Mac app that didn't stand out as using non-native widgets.
Also, "similar enough look and feel" is a cop out. There is no such thing. Either you have the same look and feel or you have very annoying differences. Any UI designer worth their salt knows that.
The solution here is for Mozilla to take better care with "fitting in".
So, instead of using what's already there, you plan to reinvent the wheel. Good choice! You're effectively arguing that you should take cross-platform code and work really hard on it so that it works exactly like the native code on each platform it runs on (thus making it platform specific code). Never mind the fact that it would have been easier just to separate out the UI code and rewrite it for each platform in the first place, plus you wouldn't have to keep trying to play catch up with changes made in the OS look and feel.
And yet Apple does just that. Quicktime, iCal, iChat, iTunes.. all Brushed Steel, not Aqua. IE 5.5 on the Mac sure as hell doesn't use native widgets either.
Erm, actually, they all use native widgets. You can make your app look like that too just by checking a box in interface builder.
Microsoft does it too.. MS Office and WMP don't use the standard Win32 widgets.
There are millions of Office users out there that say Office looks good and definately "feels right".
Two flaws with this - 1. MS make the OS, so any widget they care to make is effectively native, even if it's not available to other applications. 2. Office for at least the great majority of things does use native widgets, there may be a few things that are custom built but certainly not everything.
And where do you get that? Everyone I've talked to says Chimera is very obviously beta software... no polish. You haven't any stats that show Chimera is even half as popular as Mozilla on OSX?
Everyone I've talked to says that Chimera is very good, though still not feature complete. You may wish to check the front page of www.macosxhints.com today for just one such comment.
Agreed, wholeheartedly. I got into a discussion/argument with a Mozilla developer over the benefits of native widgits, versus rolling your own when OpenOffice first came out (it started as a discussion on whether OpenOffice should use native widgets or not).
My prediction then was that Mozilla would have no chance on Mac OS if it didn't use native widgets nor would it be looked upon too kindly by Windows users. I was right. Chimera (Mozilla using native widgets) is about as popular as Mozilla on OS X and it's only at 0.5.
Developers, pay heed! You must use native widgets or you are doomed to look bad everywhere! You can't just create a skin and expect it to look and feel right.
Oh and yes, I agree WinAMP should be shot for starting that craze (though otherwise it's not a bad MP3 player).
Vim has all the features of any IDE: you can compile code and jump to the errors, you can get help from within the file, you can get syntax highlighting, you can get code completion, you can browse directories from within the editor
Woah, woah.... Code completion??? Is there a HOWTO for that and does it support your own custom classes as well as the JRE classes?
And how do I compile code (preferably by running ant)?
Sheesh, I've been using vim for years and never stubled across those features.....
You're almost spot on with your comments but I have a couple of issues with the last bit:
DAT when mastering/archiving studio tracks
Ewww. 16 track tapes would be a much better option here, though it does depend on exactly what you're recording. Digitally created sounds will be better off on DAT (Digital Audio Tape, go figure), whereas "traditional" sounds will be better on analogue tape.
CD when in the shower
Shocking.... sorry couldn't resist....
Vinyl in a quiet room and headphones
Interesting choice. Vinyl can add a really nice atmosphere to some music but is usually a much worse choice than CD and more inconvienient. Again, depends what you're listening to - some of the best music is only avialable on vinyl.
and old analog tapes for mixes for my not-so-high tech friends.
Stop using old analog tapes. Start using new, high tech analog tapes.:) The technology of making analogue tapes (of the 16 track variety) is still progressing with better sound reproduction and longer life spans etc.
Everything has it's place.
Agreed. I'd add another option:
AIFF, for when you want true CD quality but hate changing CDs. Heck, by the time you pay to get a really good pair of speakers dropping 500GB of hard drive space seems cheap anyway.:) Just don't forget to get a top of the line sound card...
You really didn't pay too much attention did you? There is no example of a capitalistic society nor is there an example of a socialistic society. Your comments thsocialism/communism (different theories btw) can't compete in a free market supports my point - we haven't seen any real attempt at making socialism work. The free market is a capitalistic concept - of course socialism won't succeed in capitalism.
Besides this, my other major point was that you don't have to go to extremes. Free market capitalism does *not* work better than anything yet discovered otherwise it would likely be in use - it is not. In most western societies there is a combination of socialism and capitalism integrated into a unified theory that has a free market and also seeks to have a minimum standard of living for all (welfare systems theoretically ensure this).
Try doing a little research into what is actually meant by capitalism, socialism etc in terms of their economic theories rather than the way they are usually characterized. Socialism and capitalism are two extremes on a very long scale, however people tend to think of more conservative combinations of them.
While I don't particularly like greed, history has shown that the economic system based on greed has worked much better than the one based on society's greater good.
Well, not really. Find me an example of a communistic society that was not run by a dictator and wasn't in the middle of a war and I might believe that statement. The fact is however, that communism hasn't really been given a fair trial so we just don't know whether or not it would work.
Having said that, there is no way communism would work in the USA in any forseeable timeframe because the culture is so capitalistic and communism (and capitalism) is a way of life not just an economic system.
Frankly though, I think that a combination of capitalism and communism is the way to go. America is about the closest country to having pure capitalism where everyone is out for their own good and others be damned. In most western countries capitalism and communism is mixed - welfare system anyone? Public healthcare (that's actually functional), government subsidies and bailouts etc, etc, etc. All communistic ideas. Heck, the idea of taxes doesn't fit into a purely capitalistic society (though, that's very extreme capitalism) because it's effectively a means of taking from everyone and distributing for the greater good of society (in theory).
Ahhh, politics can be so complex at times... Stop thinking that communism or capitalism is the be all and end all of everything - there are other ways economics can work.
though they do apparently think nothing of violating your basic right of free expression for doing so
erm, you don't have a basic right of free expression. *If* you live in America then your society has decided that you should be given the right of free speech/expression, however this is not a granted thing. It is possible for American society to change the constitution and revoke the right to free speech (not probable, but possible).
In Italy, society has most likely decided that you have a right to free speech within the bounds of society's guidelines. ie: they have chosen to give society the right of sensorship and for them it works and most of the people there are happy with it.
There is absolutely no reason why free speech is a required right, it may be desireable but it is never required and society can function extremely well without it (look at pretty much anywhere outside of the USA).
Having said that, it should be noted that I am not arguing either for or against free speech just noting that you shouldn't be forcing your values upon the poor Italians - they can make (and have made) their own decisions on these matters.
The rest of your argument I tend to agree with though I see both sides of the matter a little more. I'd also note (for the general populous not so much FreeUser himself) that the no contraception policy is a Catholic thing and not a general Christian trait. Many churches fully support the use of contraception.
i would hope any american could wear a FUCK AMERICA tshirt every day of their lives and live free
You would hope that but it only happens to an extent. Yes they can live "free" but they sure as heck would be persecuted at every opportunity.
Also note that if you'd gone around New York on Sept 11 supporting Allah, you probably would have been locked up just to keep the peace. There are limits to free speech and just because it's in the constitution in America doesn't mean it's a sure thing there.
Whether all this is good and bad is left to your right to free choice - something notably absent in the American constitution, directly anyhow.
In user interfaces, consistency is king. Having special keyboards for special purposes would be an extremely bad idea as it means you have to learn to type all over again when you switch tasks - much less efficient even in the long run.
In fact, I and many other people do something which is reasonably similar to this - I play multiple musical instruments. Saxophone and piano are different enough that I don't get confused between them, but saxophone and clarinet are similar enough that their differences causes a great number of errors. The human brain learns fingerings for instruments so that they become subconcious acts and I can concentrate on the tone/timing etc of the music rather than what I'm doing with my fingers. The same thing happens when you type - it becomes subconcious. Switching instruments or keyboards destroys this subconcious ability because things have suddenly changed and so you actually loose productivity.
That's the reason that I will likely never bother learning the DVORAK keyboard, because I'm much more efficient overall with QWERTY. I can sit down at any computer and immediately begin typing at full speed. So basically, unless you can provide me with *really* significant speed gains (> 50%) it's not worth switching to a new keyboard layout because I'd loose efficiency everytime I sat down at another computer.
The other alternative I suppose, would be to create a keyboard that is so different that it doesn't interfere with my knowledge of QWERTY keyboards at all (like piano and saxophone), then it would be worth considering.
Yes, I did mean remote, thanks for the correction.
it's not very difficult to find an OS with no running services that has not had a (you mean remote perhaps?) exploit in over a year.
True, but it makes you wonder why OpenBSD which was designed for security had anything open in the default install.... By default all remote access options in an OS should be off. Strangely Windows, OpenBSD, most linux distros (clearly not the build-it-yourself type), all come with at least SSH turned on by default.
Ironically though, since SSH and Apache are both off in the default install, does that mean that OS X takes over the title of "Never had an exploit in the default install"? It's been out a year now so that's actually a reasonably impressive claim.
Have I missed a bug along the way somewhere? I do remember doing a manual apache upgrade at one point but don't recall that being a remote root bug.
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Actually, the marking of essays is a problem that's been pretty comprehensively solved here in sunny Queensland Australia. The trick to it is to have a statistician on hand. Then you take a whole bunch of markers from all around the state and they come together to mark the essays. You give them a whole bunch of training on how to mark the essays, what they should be looking for etc. Each essay is then independently marked twice (ie: two markers read and grade it without knowing anything about what the other marker thought of the paper). Then the results are collated and handed to the statistician who looks for any grades that don't match up - one of the markers isn't marking properly. Which one is easy to pick because during the day each marker will have marked several essays and the pairs of markers always change, so you just look for any marker that shows up in more than one grade mismatch and you have your problem case.
Once you've found the problem cases for the day you prioritise them and take out the most significant problem markers for more training (there's not enough money to retrain them all). If a marker is picked up as a problem case twice they're sent home and won't participate in any further marking (usually for quite a few years, teachers around here have long memories...).
So now we have a system that keeps markers consistent, what do you do with the grades that were mismatched by markers? You have the essay graded by a third person who is very experienced in the marking process and see what they think. If they have trouble deciding they can refer it to a fourth person and so on.
So in short, the way to mark essays reliably and fairly, lots of training, lots of money, and a damn good statistician (yes only one statistician for the entire state of Queensland).
Also note that the test we use (the Queensland Core Skills test or QCS) is regarded as one of the best tests in the world, takes about 2 years to write (they're already working on the 2005 test) and is sold off to other countries like Japan. You should also note that your mark on the QCS test does not affect your tertiary entrace score, rather the results of the QCS test are groups in various ways and use to scale your marks for the rest of your senior year to accomodate for different difficulties of subjects (Physics vs Chemistry vs English vs Art vs Typing etc) as well as differences in marking between schools and a whole host of other things, but never an individual basis. In other words, it takes probability into account which suggests that some students will perform below their normal standard and others will perform above their normal standard since the test is held over only two days (a small sample of the students actual work thus leading to high variance).
The whole process is actually very carefully and very well designed so you're of the belief that tests don't judge personal ability, you should do some research on this process because it's as good an example of test usage you're likely to find. The biggest downside is that because of it's complexity (or particuarly because it's different to the normal way people think about tests) most students don't actually understand the process and really panic about their QCS test results.
You're from New Zealand and your calling France irrelevant???
*shakes head*
Writing yet another windowing system based on the same concepts as the original is not the answer to the problem, taking the time to optimise the existing code is the answer to the problem.
MS might be gauging the popularity of WM formats on non-MS platforms. Since Linux is undoubtedly one of the more popular OS platform, perhaps that is why it is chosen as the first platform to be ported to.
Er, I hate to burst your bubble, but Mac's have had a version of Windows Media Player (yes, called Windows Media Player) for quite some time on both OS 9 and OS X. MS isn't experimenting with the popularity of WM formats on non-MS platforms, MS has reached the point where they figure it's worth including Linux in their distribution just so that WM formats get a little more use and squeeze a little more competition out of what is actually a very competitive market.
You're completely right on their motives for porting to other platforms, it's all about them, but this isn't their first move of this type.
FreeBSD is a peripheral enough project that there isn't the kind of politics that leads to people stacking meetings and staging votes.
Apache and every single project within the Apache Foundation work off a democratic basis - that's a lot of people and a lot of politics, but it all works brilliantly.
In New Zealand, it's perfectly OK for the POLICE and the LTSA (Land transport safety authority) to run graphic ads of people flying through windscreens...
Having seen the way you New Zealanders drive I'd have to support that....
Seriously though, the things they show in those ads aren't FUD, it's real. Try spending some time in an emergency ward and you'll see just how real. Computers and the internet have an upside and a downside, road transport has an upside and a downside. People tend to find the good things by themselves (that or some enterprising company points it out), noone likes to think about the bad side, so that's why the Government steps in and points it out. Do they go over the top? Sometimes. Do you really think that all politicians sit around and scheme of ways to screw over the country they grew up in? That's just a little too far fetched for me. They may be wrong a lot of the time, but I doubt it's a grand conspiricy.
Oh and yeah I know that went further than you were actually saying, but I got started and yeah well....
CVS was designed for UNIX/CLI and then ported/hacked to work elsewhere so it is obviously going to be difficult to setup and use.
Ahh, but if I were to give you a string library that had fundamental design flaws you would be a fool not to change it regardless of how long it had been in use or how popular it was. You may not have to change everything (or perhaps you might) but you will have to make some major changes.
Bullshit. You can build on small things that already exist right now. Maybe change some major things, but keep the tried and true methods.
Close, but not quite. Firstly, Raskin isn't saying that absolutely everything should be thrown out as you imply, but rather that he and his team are changing some major things but keeping the good parts. Secondly, don't keep the tried and true, keep the good stuff. Just because it's been in use for a long time doesn't mean it's the best that can be done nor does it mean it even works correctly. It only means that noone has gotten around to making something better.
The attitude that we should stick with the tried and true would have caused us to stick with using bubble sort for all eternity. Only a novice programmer would think they can write a faster sort algorithm right?
Sigh, sadly it has fallen into the main problem with OpenSource on Mac OS 9 - lack of a standard compiler. The project uses CodeWarrior by the look of it and importing into ProjectBuilder doesn't seem to be working.
Anyone got CodeWarrior and able to post an actual built copy somewhere? That or know how to build the thing with gcc....
Go buy a Mac. Linux doesn't have any real concept of native widets. Windows has some concept of it but not a particularly good one. Mac OS has a fantastic idea of native widgets. You can pick a non-native app a mile away.
You should also note that Swing on OS X uses native Widgets whenever possible which is why it looks so good. I don't know the details of gtk-win32 so I can't comment on that. Mozilla's XUL is most definitely not native widgets though because it was designed from scratch to be platform independant and has stayed that way. Compare how Chimera looks and feels to Mozilla on OS X even using the OS X theme, there is a world of difference.
No one has been able to point out a non-native widget Mac app that didn't stand out as using non-native widgets.
Also, "similar enough look and feel" is a cop out. There is no such thing. Either you have the same look and feel or you have very annoying differences. Any UI designer worth their salt knows that.
The solution here is for Mozilla to take better care with "fitting in".
So, instead of using what's already there, you plan to reinvent the wheel. Good choice! You're effectively arguing that you should take cross-platform code and work really hard on it so that it works exactly like the native code on each platform it runs on (thus making it platform specific code). Never mind the fact that it would have been easier just to separate out the UI code and rewrite it for each platform in the first place, plus you wouldn't have to keep trying to play catch up with changes made in the OS look and feel.
Erm, actually, they all use native widgets. You can make your app look like that too just by checking a box in interface builder.
Microsoft does it too.. MS Office and WMP don't use the standard Win32 widgets.
There are millions of Office users out there that say Office looks good and definately "feels right".
Two flaws with this - 1. MS make the OS, so any widget they care to make is effectively native, even if it's not available to other applications. 2. Office for at least the great majority of things does use native widgets, there may be a few things that are custom built but certainly not everything.
And where do you get that? Everyone I've talked to says Chimera is very obviously beta software... no polish. You haven't any stats that show Chimera is even half as popular as Mozilla on OSX?
Everyone I've talked to says that Chimera is very good, though still not feature complete. You may wish to check the front page of www.macosxhints.com today for just one such comment.
Agreed, wholeheartedly. I got into a discussion/argument with a Mozilla developer over the benefits of native widgits, versus rolling your own when OpenOffice first came out (it started as a discussion on whether OpenOffice should use native widgets or not).
My prediction then was that Mozilla would have no chance on Mac OS if it didn't use native widgets nor would it be looked upon too kindly by Windows users. I was right. Chimera (Mozilla using native widgets) is about as popular as Mozilla on OS X and it's only at 0.5.
Developers, pay heed! You must use native widgets or you are doomed to look bad everywhere! You can't just create a skin and expect it to look and feel right.
Oh and yes, I agree WinAMP should be shot for starting that craze (though otherwise it's not a bad MP3 player).
Woah, woah.... Code completion??? Is there a HOWTO for that and does it support your own custom classes as well as the JRE classes?
And how do I compile code (preferably by running ant)?
Sheesh, I've been using vim for years and never stubled across those features.....
DAT when mastering/archiving studio tracks
Ewww. 16 track tapes would be a much better option here, though it does depend on exactly what you're recording. Digitally created sounds will be better off on DAT (Digital Audio Tape, go figure), whereas "traditional" sounds will be better on analogue tape.
CD when in the shower
Shocking.... sorry couldn't resist....
Vinyl in a quiet room and headphones
Interesting choice. Vinyl can add a really nice atmosphere to some music but is usually a much worse choice than CD and more inconvienient. Again, depends what you're listening to - some of the best music is only avialable on vinyl.
and old analog tapes for mixes for my not-so-high tech friends.
Stop using old analog tapes. Start using new, high tech analog tapes. :) The technology of making analogue tapes (of the 16 track variety) is still progressing with better sound reproduction and longer life spans etc.
Everything has it's place.
Agreed. I'd add another option: :) Just don't forget to get a top of the line sound card...
AIFF, for when you want true CD quality but hate changing CDs. Heck, by the time you pay to get a really good pair of speakers dropping 500GB of hard drive space seems cheap anyway.
Besides this, my other major point was that you don't have to go to extremes. Free market capitalism does *not* work better than anything yet discovered otherwise it would likely be in use - it is not. In most western societies there is a combination of socialism and capitalism integrated into a unified theory that has a free market and also seeks to have a minimum standard of living for all (welfare systems theoretically ensure this).
Try doing a little research into what is actually meant by capitalism, socialism etc in terms of their economic theories rather than the way they are usually characterized. Socialism and capitalism are two extremes on a very long scale, however people tend to think of more conservative combinations of them.
Care to actually argue against it rather than throw childish insults around then?
Well, not really. Find me an example of a communistic society that was not run by a dictator and wasn't in the middle of a war and I might believe that statement. The fact is however, that communism hasn't really been given a fair trial so we just don't know whether or not it would work.
Having said that, there is no way communism would work in the USA in any forseeable timeframe because the culture is so capitalistic and communism (and capitalism) is a way of life not just an economic system.
Frankly though, I think that a combination of capitalism and communism is the way to go. America is about the closest country to having pure capitalism where everyone is out for their own good and others be damned. In most western countries capitalism and communism is mixed - welfare system anyone? Public healthcare (that's actually functional), government subsidies and bailouts etc, etc, etc. All communistic ideas. Heck, the idea of taxes doesn't fit into a purely capitalistic society (though, that's very extreme capitalism) because it's effectively a means of taking from everyone and distributing for the greater good of society (in theory).
Ahhh, politics can be so complex at times... Stop thinking that communism or capitalism is the be all and end all of everything - there are other ways economics can work.
Thank you. Your attempted troll was pathetic though - it was actually a very insightful comment. :)
if you don't like what anyone says, just ignore it and live a much happier life.
That's my general policy - unless there's a good argument in it....
erm, you don't have a basic right of free expression. *If* you live in America then your society has decided that you should be given the right of free speech/expression, however this is not a granted thing. It is possible for American society to change the constitution and revoke the right to free speech (not probable, but possible).
In Italy, society has most likely decided that you have a right to free speech within the bounds of society's guidelines. ie: they have chosen to give society the right of sensorship and for them it works and most of the people there are happy with it.
There is absolutely no reason why free speech is a required right, it may be desireable but it is never required and society can function extremely well without it (look at pretty much anywhere outside of the USA).
Having said that, it should be noted that I am not arguing either for or against free speech just noting that you shouldn't be forcing your values upon the poor Italians - they can make (and have made) their own decisions on these matters.
The rest of your argument I tend to agree with though I see both sides of the matter a little more. I'd also note (for the general populous not so much FreeUser himself) that the no contraception policy is a Catholic thing and not a general Christian trait. Many churches fully support the use of contraception.
You would hope that but it only happens to an extent. Yes they can live "free" but they sure as heck would be persecuted at every opportunity.
Also note that if you'd gone around New York on Sept 11 supporting Allah, you probably would have been locked up just to keep the peace. There are limits to free speech and just because it's in the constitution in America doesn't mean it's a sure thing there.
Whether all this is good and bad is left to your right to free choice - something notably absent in the American constitution, directly anyhow.
erm, except the gpg signature comes from the same person supplying the malicious file..... oops.
In fact, I and many other people do something which is reasonably similar to this - I play multiple musical instruments. Saxophone and piano are different enough that I don't get confused between them, but saxophone and clarinet are similar enough that their differences causes a great number of errors. The human brain learns fingerings for instruments so that they become subconcious acts and I can concentrate on the tone/timing etc of the music rather than what I'm doing with my fingers. The same thing happens when you type - it becomes subconcious. Switching instruments or keyboards destroys this subconcious ability because things have suddenly changed and so you actually loose productivity.
That's the reason that I will likely never bother learning the DVORAK keyboard, because I'm much more efficient overall with QWERTY. I can sit down at any computer and immediately begin typing at full speed. So basically, unless you can provide me with *really* significant speed gains (> 50%) it's not worth switching to a new keyboard layout because I'd loose efficiency everytime I sat down at another computer.
The other alternative I suppose, would be to create a keyboard that is so different that it doesn't interfere with my knowledge of QWERTY keyboards at all (like piano and saxophone), then it would be worth considering.
Not my day... that should have said remotely accessible services.
it's not very difficult to find an OS with no running services that has not had a (you mean remote perhaps?) exploit in over a year.
True, but it makes you wonder why OpenBSD which was designed for security had anything open in the default install.... By default all remote access options in an OS should be off. Strangely Windows, OpenBSD, most linux distros (clearly not the build-it-yourself type), all come with at least SSH turned on by default.
Ironically though, since SSH and Apache are both off in the default install, does that mean that OS X takes over the title of "Never had an exploit in the default install"? It's been out a year now so that's actually a reasonably impressive claim.
Have I missed a bug along the way somewhere? I do remember doing a manual apache upgrade at one point but don't recall that being a remote root bug.