What I want to know is why posts that criticise commercial software are classed as Interesting or Insightful and those that criticise open-source software are classed as Flamebait.
I mean I really do wonder why the statement "Does that mean that MS are now copying Linux...?" is not considered flamebait. Where in the moderation rules does it say that criticising commercial software is to be encouraged but criticising open-source software is to be stamped out?
I do wonder what's wrong with the parent though. I mean it really is a right royal pain in the ass whenever you try to connect a device to Linux machine. Will it work or won't it work? Can I get the drivers? Or has Linux improved in this regard?
"In order to start using your system you will usually have to perform what is known as a user login."
Great introduction on how to use a computer. It would make sense to someone who knew how to use a computer. Er.
This really highlights what open source needs. The product is fantastic. But it needs good documentation. This it does not have and shows no signs of gaining.
Sorry guys, it's back to the drawing board. Again.
Well I did read the article in the printed version of the Guardian and long before the story made it to Slashdot. And yes I do know a little about Kashmir, Taiwanm Kurdistan and Gaza.
The key is that when working outside your own culture you must be very aware of cultural sensitivities in all that you do.
Lack of such awareness is quite normal in all societies and cultures. In fact, plenty of Kashmiris (for example) will not have any understanding of Western cultural norms.
So, Microsoft has recognised this and is educating its staff about the issues. It is undoubtedly very late in doing so but it is now doing the right thing.
If MS employees have little cultural sensitivity then that's probably because they are mostly from the US. Why should MS employees be greatly different from other Americans?
The moderation of this post pretty much sums up the place. You are only allowed to criticise MS. Criticising open source, free software etc. is very bad but criticising slashdot is unforgiveable.
It's getting closer to the day when I leave and go somewhere more open minded, somewhere more in the spirit of free software (that's as in free speech).
Oh silly me. How many people that have cause to use F=ma measure things in slugs? I rather suspect it's not many. In my field of writing engineering analysis software then I know that the Americans want mass measured in lbs. They also want force measured in lbs (they sometimes call it lbs force for clarity) which does make me laugh somewhat.
Really, for engineering work the imperial system is not a good idea. It is perverse to argue for imperial in this context, in my opinion.
Newton's second law of motion is often quoted as Force = Mass x Acceleration (F=ma) which is fine so long as mass is constant. Otherwise you would state it as Force = rate of change of momentum (recall that momentum is mass x velocity).
Anyway, F=ma works if you choose suitable metric units. It doesn't work if you use imperial. For imperial units F=kma where k is some constant dependent on the units chosen for F, m and a.
This really is a big advantage of metric, certainly for scientific and engineering applications. It doesn't really help when you are buying groceries.....
I don't think this is true. If you read the Borland Object Pascal language guide you will see an attribution to Apple. What's more the OOP extensions in Apple ObjectPascal are the deprecated object statements in Delphi. Look for Apple Object Pascal on the web and it's all there.
This is the OOP that was in TurboPascal which was then superceded by class and proper classes rather than records coerced into being classes.
Putting items in categories is notoriously difficult though. It's not as if one language leads to another. Language writers are influenced by all their external stimuli which will no doubt include many other programming languages not too mention beer, pizza and their families. If you accounted for all influences then the number of arrows would increase by orders of magnitude.
There is a difference between language and IDE though. Delphi is not actually a language, rather it is a product including an IDE and a compiler for the Object Pascal language. And Borland's version of the Object Pascal language is, I believe, based on an Apple version.
On a language basis, rather than an IDE basis, the heritage is clearly Pascal -> ObjectPascal -> Delphi. No doubt there are extra bits in between the arrows that I don't know about.
I mean, you can take a basic Pascal program and compile it in Delphi. Pascal is a subset of Delphi in the same way as C is to C++.
I wonder if software can acquire souls in the same way that vamps like Angel and Spike did? Maybe Bill Gates will have to undergo a terrific physical trial like Spike and all of a sudden IE will have a soul......
Post a story about an Office suite and mention Java in passing. Result? Great discussions about Java vs everything else. That's right, it's language wars time.
Why bother with the pretence that this site is about anything other than language wars and Microsoft bashing? How about a programme as follows:
Monday: Java great - discuss. Tuesday: Microsoft suck. Wednesday: Python or Perl? Thursday: Microsoft still suck. Friday: GTK or Qt? Saturday: Windows is crap and Linux rules. Sunday: Microsoft suck etc etc etc etc.
OK, that's interesting. Could you explain why you think this might fix the problem? I would love to know why a user space app can bring the house down. That doesn't seem right to someone used to NT5 kernels.....
.....like I guess the only thing better than crashing 1 computer at a time is crashing an entire room full at once
This sort of statement would be fine if it meant anything. I suppose you are insinuating that Windows is prone to crashing and that other OS's (e.g. Linux) are not. I use 2k at work at XP at home. I never see BSOD.
My wife on the other hand uses Linux at work. She has been compelled to request a move to Windows because Open Office (1.0 and 1.1) regularly crashes the OS when opening MS Office documents. By crashing the OS I mean the screen goes blank and then you get the BIOS memcheck! Irrespective of any arguments about MS Office document compatibility how can a user mode app (Open Office) bring the house down in a supposedly protected OS environment like Linux?
No doubt people out there will be thinking things like, Oh, just upgrade to kernel 2.6 etc. etc. This is fine, but these same people are judging Windows by the performance of Win 95/98. Play fair folks! Have a look at XP - it really is a sweet piece of kit.
I've nothing against Linux but I think that it would be good if people were a little more balanced in their opinions. The whole debate is worse than religion sometimes!
My idea of Utopia is when every single person on the planet has their own personal selection cars. A sporty number for fun trips. A people carrier for when your are taking family and friends. An SUV for off road expeditions.
We humans really have made the planet a wonderful place to live. If only we can achieve enough wealth and prosperity to make this dream a reality for all mankind then that would be something to shout about.:-(
Re:Free software lacks usability testing
on
GNOME for Grandma
·
· Score: 1
I love the idea of the "GNOME Human Interface Guidelines". Has anyone ever watched a user encountering a GTK checkbox widget for the first time?
Is that checked? Hmm, I'm not sure. Let's click it and see what happens. Is it checked now? Hmm, still not sure....
This happens to me every time I use Linux. No doubt I would get used to these widgets if I used Linux for a prolonged period. But I don't. The presence of the words "GNOME" and "intuitive" in the same sentence makes me laugh. Has anyone thought of creating a checkbox widget with a tick like Microsoft do?
I have the same problems when I try and use clever clogs Windows applications that use their own widgets (Winamp springs to mind). One the reasons the Windows and Mac interfaces tend to be more usable than Linux interfaces is that there is a good degree of consistency across applications. Once Linux has this then it will make big strides into the consumer desktop market.
Slashdot Mirror
What I want to know is why posts that criticise commercial software are classed as Interesting or Insightful and those that criticise open-source software are classed as Flamebait.
I mean I really do wonder why the statement "Does that mean that MS are now copying Linux...?" is not considered flamebait. Where in the moderation rules does it say that criticising commercial software is to be encouraged but criticising open-source software is to be stamped out?
I do wonder what's wrong with the parent though. I mean it really is a right royal pain in the ass whenever you try to connect a device to Linux machine. Will it work or won't it work? Can I get the drivers? Or has Linux improved in this regard?
Does that mean that MS are now copying Linux...?
I hope not because then I'd have to start worrying about whether my device will be compatible with my computer.
They do exist. They just aren't very good / incomplete. Which is in reality no better than not existing I suppose....
...is:
"In order to start using your system you will usually have to perform what is known as a user login."
Great introduction on how to use a computer. It would make sense to someone who knew how to use a computer. Er.
This really highlights what open source needs. The product is fantastic. But it needs good documentation. This it does not have and shows no signs of gaining.
Sorry guys, it's back to the drawing board. Again.
Well I did read the article in the printed version of the Guardian and long before the story made it to Slashdot. And yes I do know a little about Kashmir, Taiwanm Kurdistan and Gaza.
The key is that when working outside your own culture you must be very aware of cultural sensitivities in all that you do.
Lack of such awareness is quite normal in all societies and cultures. In fact, plenty of Kashmiris (for example) will not have any understanding of Western cultural norms.
So, Microsoft has recognised this and is educating its staff about the issues. It is undoubtedly very late in doing so but it is now doing the right thing.
If MS employees have little cultural sensitivity then that's probably because they are mostly from the US. Why should MS employees be greatly different from other Americans?
Or am I risking a flame war here....
I think this is how cars with 4 gears instead of 5 are actually made isn't it?
Ah, all is clear then.
;-)
My top tip for units: use SI and sidestep these issues.
The moderation of this post pretty much sums up the place. You are only allowed to criticise MS. Criticising open source, free software etc. is very bad but criticising slashdot is unforgiveable.
It's getting closer to the day when I leave and go somewhere more open minded, somewhere more in the spirit of free software (that's as in free speech).
Oh silly me. How many people that have cause to use F=ma measure things in slugs? I rather suspect it's not many. In my field of writing engineering analysis software then I know that the Americans want mass measured in lbs. They also want force measured in lbs (they sometimes call it lbs force for clarity) which does make me laugh somewhat.
Really, for engineering work the imperial system is not a good idea. It is perverse to argue for imperial in this context, in my opinion.
Newton's second law of motion is often quoted as Force = Mass x Acceleration (F=ma) which is fine so long as mass is constant. Otherwise you would state it as Force = rate of change of momentum (recall that momentum is mass x velocity).
Anyway, F=ma works if you choose suitable metric units. It doesn't work if you use imperial. For imperial units F=kma where k is some constant dependent on the units chosen for F, m and a.
This really is a big advantage of metric, certainly for scientific and engineering applications. It doesn't really help when you are buying groceries.....
I don't think this is true. If you read the Borland Object Pascal language guide you will see an attribution to Apple. What's more the OOP extensions in Apple ObjectPascal are the deprecated object statements in Delphi. Look for Apple Object Pascal on the web and it's all there.
This is the OOP that was in TurboPascal which was then superceded by class and proper classes rather than records coerced into being classes.
Well, in that case C# comes from VB too.
Putting items in categories is notoriously difficult though. It's not as if one language leads to another. Language writers are influenced by all their external stimuli which will no doubt include many other programming languages not too mention beer, pizza and their families. If you accounted for all influences then the number of arrows would increase by orders of magnitude.
There is a difference between language and IDE though. Delphi is not actually a language, rather it is a product including an IDE and a compiler for the Object Pascal language. And Borland's version of the Object Pascal language is, I believe, based on an Apple version.
On a language basis, rather than an IDE basis, the heritage is clearly Pascal -> ObjectPascal -> Delphi. No doubt there are extra bits in between the arrows that I don't know about.
I mean, you can take a basic Pascal program and compile it in Delphi. Pascal is a subset of Delphi in the same way as C is to C++.
I wonder if software can acquire souls in the same way that vamps like Angel and Spike did? Maybe Bill Gates will have to undergo a terrific physical trial like Spike and all of a sudden IE will have a soul......
Well, I'm reassured by your post that XFree86 is better even though it feels worse.
..........
Or are you perhaps missing the point?
Only a total good installs a firewall by downloading it on an unprotected machine. Doh!
Stick it on a memory stick and carry it with you everywhere!
... or, as the open source app's documentation said, ""
Post a story about an Office suite and mention Java in passing. Result? Great discussions about Java vs everything else. That's right, it's language wars time.
Why bother with the pretence that this site is about anything other than language wars and Microsoft bashing? How about a programme as follows:
Monday: Java great - discuss.
Tuesday: Microsoft suck.
Wednesday: Python or Perl?
Thursday: Microsoft still suck.
Friday: GTK or Qt?
Saturday: Windows is crap and Linux rules.
Sunday: Microsoft suck etc etc etc etc.
Just a thought.....
thanks for your help
OK, that's interesting. Could you explain why you think this might fix the problem? I would love to know why a user space app can bring the house down. That doesn't seem right to someone used to NT5 kernels.....
This sort of statement would be fine if it meant anything. I suppose you are insinuating that Windows is prone to crashing and that other OS's (e.g. Linux) are not. I use 2k at work at XP at home. I never see BSOD.
My wife on the other hand uses Linux at work. She has been compelled to request a move to Windows because Open Office (1.0 and 1.1) regularly crashes the OS when opening MS Office documents. By crashing the OS I mean the screen goes blank and then you get the BIOS memcheck! Irrespective of any arguments about MS Office document compatibility how can a user mode app (Open Office) bring the house down in a supposedly protected OS environment like Linux?
No doubt people out there will be thinking things like, Oh, just upgrade to kernel 2.6 etc. etc. This is fine, but these same people are judging Windows by the performance of Win 95/98. Play fair folks! Have a look at XP - it really is a sweet piece of kit.
I've nothing against Linux but I think that it would be good if people were a little more balanced in their opinions. The whole debate is worse than religion sometimes!
6'2" and 230lbs sounds pretty fat to me
My idea of Utopia is when every single person on the planet has their own personal selection cars. A sporty number for fun trips. A people carrier for when your are taking family and friends. An SUV for off road expeditions.
:-(
We humans really have made the planet a wonderful place to live. If only we can achieve enough wealth and prosperity to make this dream a reality for all mankind then that would be something to shout about.
I love the idea of the "GNOME Human Interface Guidelines". Has anyone ever watched a user encountering a GTK checkbox widget for the first time?
Is that checked? Hmm, I'm not sure. Let's click it and see what happens. Is it checked now? Hmm, still not sure....
This happens to me every time I use Linux. No doubt I would get used to these widgets if I used Linux for a prolonged period. But I don't. The presence of the words "GNOME" and "intuitive" in the same sentence makes me laugh. Has anyone thought of creating a checkbox widget with a tick like Microsoft do?
I have the same problems when I try and use clever clogs Windows applications that use their own widgets (Winamp springs to mind). One the reasons the Windows and Mac interfaces tend to be more usable than Linux interfaces is that there is a good degree of consistency across applications. Once Linux has this then it will make big strides into the consumer desktop market.
.....his hair went straight up and he was bloody stupid.