+5, Beyond Insightful! Well said AC. I never have mod points when I need them.
I've personally given up on helping people with their computers for the most part, because in the end they usually seem to be ungrateful assholes who just want to get out of paying some "real" computer repair shop $70 just to fucking look at the damn thing, and who knows what else on tap of that! A shop in a nearby city I noticed advertises that it will remove viruses (that's it!) for a whopping $90. I'm done being walked all over; I rarely offer any kind of help whatsoever. Where I used to explain exactly what the problem and when asked "Do you know how to fix that?" I would respond with "Yes" and happily help them out, now I'm more reluctant to tell them the details and even more reluctant to actually help them out.
Even people who do pay typically pay with a twenty dollar bill, maybe two if I'm lucky, so it's just not worth it. They usually *have* the money, but they want to be cheapskates. They can just go take their machine to the local repair shop and get fucked over--better them than me for a change. Or else, do what they typically claim they're going to do whenever anything happens: waste even more money on a brand new computer to "fix" the problem. But, oh, then they'll want me to tag along for the ride because they otherwise won't know what to get and will be lost.
Hey, I'm not the person bragging on the Internet that I have the coolest desktop wallpaper around, that everyone who sees it is instantly in awe (doesn't this refute your claim that everyone else will hate it?). Yet when people ask to see it, "what, you think I'm gonna show you? Go watch YouTube or something." If you don't think you were bragging, then I would suggest you pick up a dictionary and enlighten yourself. The word has existed long before the Internet.
And Giant Enemy Crabs. Oh, and you gotta love that real-time weapon change enabled only by the power of the PS3. RIIIIDGEE RACER!!! Only five hundred ninety-nine U.S. dollars.
Well it seems you don't really know what UNIX is at all anyway.
Historically, a highly influential OS designed in the late 1960s. These days, just a trademark owned by a standards body who sets the specification for others to follow to varying degrees, and if a company wants an extra selling point they can exchange some money for a compliance test and obtain the right to use the UNIX name for their product.
Given that a large part of Mac OS X's very own core was derived from FreeBSD, that alone says something about the validity of an officially "certified" UNIX vs. the OS upon which it owes in large part its very existence. Hence, my reasoning for not taking Apple's "official" certification too seriously. Not to mention that FreeBSD itself is a direct descendent of the original AT&T UNIX, with certain parts rewritten purely to avoid copyright infringement lawsuits, but is it legally able to carry the UNIX name? Nope, because it would be pointless and simply not possible to throw cash around for the certification. And then when a new version is released... they'd have to pay up yet again just for the privilege to keep using the name.
And who cares? That doesn't change the fact that it's UNIX. Linux was originally designed for x86 PCs, not embedded ARM devices, supercomputers and servers...but look at what it's actually capable of.
Not sure exactly what you're getting at here. Linux is not UNIX either according to The Open Group. Hell, even based on its origins it is not UNIX... Linux was designed as a clone of the UNIX kernel. Or more accurately, a clone of another clone (Minix) of the original OS (UNIX) kernel. It has no backing from the owners of the "real" UNIX trademark whatsoever. And GNU? Well, it's in the name: GNU's Not UNIX, either.
Mac OS X is a Macintosh interface built onto a proprietary replacement windowing system on top of a BSD/Mach core that has been put through and passed certification so that it can carry the official UNIX trademark. It still doesn't change the fact that it feels like a Mac, not UNIX, unless you use the terminal emulator a lot and/or install the X Window System. What I said still stands. I never denied that OS X was UNIX under the hood, just that under normal use it feels nothing like it. And again that is fine, because most Apple users want the feeling of a Mac system.
Money talks. You could get a "certified" sticker for probably just about any BSD or Linux distro if you had the dough to hand over to The Open Group. Fuck, Microsoft could probably take the NT kernel and give it full POSIX/SUS compliance and a UNIX-like userland and with their money obtain almost immediate certification and be allowed to officially call it "UNIX." I don't use "official" UNIX certification as any kind of proof whatsoever that something is UNIX or not. It really doesn't mean jack shit. The Open Group owns the name "UNIX" and they therefore have the right to say what everyone else can say is "UNIX." One profit-based controlling group decides.
So you're saying that because they've put a user-friendly face on UNIX - whilst not taking away anything - that somehow makes it not UNIX anymore? That's just an elitist attitude.
Apple took away the standard UNIX windowing system by default, requiring the user to install it themselves if they want anything even remotely resembling a UNIX GUI. Of course, once again, this doesn't matter to the vast majority of Apple's audience--they don't know what the hell UNIX is, and probably never even heard of it.
Is this bad? Not necessarily; Apple fans buy their machines because they want a Mac and the MacOS interface that comes with it. Its interface might even have some advantages (especially those Mac users who it was designed for in the first place). But it's not a very UNIX-like system without some additional work (unless you primarily use the terminal). Under the hood it may be UNIX, but that's not my point. My point is, Mac OS X was designed with Mac users in mind above all else, not UNIX users. The UNIX certification is just a secondary selling point; just another bullet point to add to the "features" list to get more users (primarily corporate and geek types) that they otherwise may not have had the chance to sucker into buying it.
D) It is subjective, so trying to offer objective proof is almost as stupid as asking for it
So quit bragging about it if you know it only looks good to you, and will undoubtedly look like shit to everyone else. For all we know, you could just have gay porn or something on your desktop with rose-red transparent window decorations. Maybe you have an animated sex clip of some guy getting pounded up the tailpipe by another guy for your background, which could explain why it supposedly wouldn't work in still image form. Seriously, if you can't or won't back it up, STFU. If you can't even say what it supposedly is, describe it, then it's just not worthy in the first place. The way you're going on about nothing indicates that it is nothing.
This AC needs modded up for being spot-on. That has always been my experience with both Nepomuk and Akonadi. The only difference is that sometimes, in the newer KDE releases, it waits until the desktop has been up and running for a few minutes before crashing.
True... I haven't really been keeping up to date with the emulation scene. Looks like, according to Wikipedia, the last ZSNES release was about five years ago. Oh well... it's a classic. I was never really a heavy ZSNES user myself though.
Apple and Google are mega corporations that have mass quantities of money to throw around to get products built to sell, burn on advertising, and get shit done. That's what it takes... money talks. I have been using Linux on my desktop systems exclusively since 2006, and in many cases it is "ready." There's just not enough money flying around from companies in support of it.
A friend of mine used Ubuntu several years ago (back when it was halfway decent), only gave it up in the end because he wanted to play some Windows-only MMORPG. When he used it he liked it though and used it most of the time, and the only reason he ditched it is because his Windows installation was fucking up (big shock...). He ended up deciding to do a system restore which, as I warned him, would most likely wipe all non-Windows partitions and rewrite the bootloader, eliminating any chance of booting into Linux again, destroying ALL of his files, no matter whether they were on a partition of the disk Windows had any business dealing with or not.
I recently "fixed" an old PPC G4-based iBook for someone. They only wanted to use it for the basics, primarily web browsing; Safari was unusable and Mac OS X was running slow. They did not have the original OS disc, and they did not want to go through the trouble (and additional money) to get one if they didn't have to. Apple no longer supports the PowerPC architecture, the latest versions of OS X do not run on it, Adobe does not support it so Flash is stuck at an old version, and even YouTube does not support anything less than a semi-beefy x86-based Mac. Now, the system is running Debian stable, Wi-Fi is even working (which they did not cite as a high priority), and the system is running quite smooth and decently. It's even playing Flash videos on YouTube with Gnash, although the CPU usage spikes. No complaints, last I heard it was still working just as well as when they received it back.
Linux is most definitely usable as a desktop for the average user in many situations. If anything, Windows' refusal to peacefully coexist on a disk with anything but itself is what ends up fucking shit up.
I would call it an Apple/Mac environment. The only notable UNIX aspect that a normal user can see is the shell, and that's pushing it because the entire system is designed so that the typical Mac user never will likely never even see (or use) it.
100% agreed... but ZSNES and BSNES are both also excellent emulators for the Super NES. Gens+ is also an interesting choice for Genesis, but admittedly not my favorite. I'd also add Stella for Atari 2600 games.
If you want to take a trip down classic emulator memory lane, try out Nesticle, Genecyst, and the original Kega 98. They're old, no longer maintained and far inferior to the latest emulators, but they are what I first used in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They were awesome for their time and required very little processing power.
Yeah... the only service around here is cable (Time Warner) and DSL (AT&T). A selection between a garbage service and another garbage service. Cable vs. DSL. Both providers fucking suck. There is no way out of this fucked up, abusive, non-competitive mess.
Unfortunately, as much as it sucks... there will remain a healthy supply of GNOME-based distributions, for whatever reason. And as long as people continue to put out shitty GNOME distributions, they will inevitably have users and GNOME will continue to have an audience. The environment is still garbage even now, yet there continue to be GNOME-based distributions released.
Anyone with any common sense would have jumped ship and is probably using a different desktop environment by now. JavaScript runs like shit in my browser, I don't see why so many projects and operating systems want to make it the standard programming language. If the GNOME Shell is written in JavaScript, then that explains why it too looks and runs like shit. Go GNOME--keep digging your grave.
You are right. I have lived just fine, and so did my family, back before cell phones became big. We had a standard home telephone line and it was plenty. Sure, we had to actually *gasp* plan things back then and when something was decided major changes couldn't easily be made. If a call was expected at a certain time, we had to make sure someone was at the house to answer it. And there was always a wired telephone in the kitchen, guaranteeing that if all else fails at least one phone would work at all times, no battery needed. Put simply, we had to actually *think* back then... I know using your brain is almost a crime these days. The one glaring advantage a cell phone would have provided at the time in addition to the standard line is as an emergency phone, in case of an accident or car trouble while on the road. That was really about it.
Now, honestly, for the most part a standard telephone line would still be enough in most cases... but I'm on my own now. I sure as hell won't "lose" a standard telephone and my service with it or have it stolen; it never even leaves the house. But if I'm not home, I won't get any potentially important calls; I'll have to rely on CallerID when I get back, and maybe an answering machine. These days cell phones act as miniature computers, so they're also good for non-phone functionality (data entry, quick basic research, GPS, etc.), but their batteries are a bitch and the constant need to recharge is a pain in the ass. On top of that, the major providers' plans are all a joke.
Really, I can imagine one day getting basic home phone service again myself, having an everyday cell phone, and a work/backup cell phone. I'd primarily use the home phone when I'm at home, take the work phone with me to work and use sparingly, and take the main cell everywhere else I go. I intend to use Google Voice to tie them all together. It sounds like Ting's cellular plans are sane enough that I might just be able to pull it off... here's hoping that they don't end up like the rest, with fucking their customers up the ass the number one business priority, but so far they sound great. And maybe VoIP, I currently use Google's free calls to talk to people and save my ridiculously low number of minutes.
Cell phones provide a long list of conveniences of their own, but home phones provide conveniences beyond what a cell phone can privide. For example, even a cordless home telephone is more conveniently accessible and less likely to lose, since they typically come with a recharge cradle, to set on the table, permanently plugged in. There is no stupid little cable to deal with (and lose) every few days, getting it back out just to plug the phone back in... but get a wired telephone and you'll have unbeatable reliability and never lose the thing or worry about batteries again. And most likely have cheaper service than any major cell carrier.
Just the exact opposite of the way nature intended it. No (non-hermaphroditic) animal species an this planet would ever survive to evolve and live on if all of their members were gay.
What? I can probably get 1,000 paper clips for less than 10 bucks, and since that's more than I'd probably ever need a smaller, cheaper pack of 50-100 would be just fine. You're right; you don't really have to think much about it... they're just little bent metal strips, they're cheap.
On the other hand, a few hundred dollars just to get a license to use a non-butchered version of Office (ie. with database functionality), on top of another couple hundred dollars to the same company for the operating system just to run it on. That's enough to just say "fuck Office." I can get a real, physical fucking desk and plenty of office supplies of all kinds for that price.
On top of that, I actually own the desk and office supplies. I am only granted the right to use Windows. Bad comparison.
They're all the same. Scumbags and assholes. But I can do without all the garbage that makes up TV... so aside from cable Internet if for whatever reason I have to switch back from DSL, I will likely have to deal with the cell phone companies before the cable companies. And even then, I'd likely get satellite TV if I absolutely must have TV; problem is, their "package" deals are designed to screw you in the same way as cable's, so again, I'd more likely just avoid TV as I have for years.
I really don't know why people continue to do business with a company that repeatedly bends them over and fucks them in the ass, especially for a completely unnecessary service: subscription television.
Nooo...its a solution to a VERY real problem but its a problem that most geeks don't realize exists. You see your average Joe has all these devices that can connect to the Internet, multiple PCs, tablet, phone, Internet enabled TV, but they don't have a damned clue on how to make ANY of that shit play nice with one another or to set it up so they can use them on the net as they were designed.
Well, it's about time they fucking learn. Computers don't need to be dumbed down to toaster levels... their increasing number of users need to learn a thing or two about a network of they want to have one in the first place. This mass retardation of computers has allowed even the dumbest people to do basic things on them, and that's great--but if these people want to do anything more advanced, then maybe it's time that they read up and learn how. This mass dumbing down of computing and networking is creating security problems while at the same time inviting even more dumbasses in droves. The world would be better off with fewer of these people, even if that means fewer new computer owners.
There is a reason you have to go through a period of training at a new job, and plenty of practice followed by a test just to get your license to drive a vehicle. There is a certain skill set that is expected, and with computers, that should be no different. Any machine down to a damn cash register should be understood before just diving in. Fuck, you should even have a basic understanding of a toaster before you use one, or else you'll end up getting burned, electrocuted, or even burn the damn house down. It is the users who need to get smarter... not the computers.
Then sleep well knowing that your insistence on continuing to use a known insecure feature just for a little bit of extra convenience might just come back to bite you in the ass eventually. The rest of us who know the flaws of UPnP and how to manually set up port forwarding and/or port triggering have likely already done this long ago; we survived, our networks aren't broken. It's really not difficult; just a couple switches on the router to match the ports of the software you use.
Zippo01, there's no confusion here, a person charged with WIRE FRAUD who committed WIRE FRAUD should be prosecuted for WIRE FRAUD face the evidence in court and and serve a penalty for WIRE FRAUD.
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+5, Beyond Insightful! Well said AC. I never have mod points when I need them.
I've personally given up on helping people with their computers for the most part, because in the end they usually seem to be ungrateful assholes who just want to get out of paying some "real" computer repair shop $70 just to fucking look at the damn thing, and who knows what else on tap of that! A shop in a nearby city I noticed advertises that it will remove viruses (that's it!) for a whopping $90. I'm done being walked all over; I rarely offer any kind of help whatsoever. Where I used to explain exactly what the problem and when asked "Do you know how to fix that?" I would respond with "Yes" and happily help them out, now I'm more reluctant to tell them the details and even more reluctant to actually help them out.
Even people who do pay typically pay with a twenty dollar bill, maybe two if I'm lucky, so it's just not worth it. They usually *have* the money, but they want to be cheapskates. They can just go take their machine to the local repair shop and get fucked over--better them than me for a change. Or else, do what they typically claim they're going to do whenever anything happens: waste even more money on a brand new computer to "fix" the problem. But, oh, then they'll want me to tag along for the ride because they otherwise won't know what to get and will be lost.
Hey, I'm not the person bragging on the Internet that I have the coolest desktop wallpaper around, that everyone who sees it is instantly in awe (doesn't this refute your claim that everyone else will hate it?). Yet when people ask to see it, "what, you think I'm gonna show you? Go watch YouTube or something." If you don't think you were bragging, then I would suggest you pick up a dictionary and enlighten yourself. The word has existed long before the Internet.
And Giant Enemy Crabs. Oh, and you gotta love that real-time weapon change enabled only by the power of the PS3. RIIIIDGEE RACER!!! Only five hundred ninety-nine U.S. dollars.
Well it seems you don't really know what UNIX is at all anyway.
Historically, a highly influential OS designed in the late 1960s. These days, just a trademark owned by a standards body who sets the specification for others to follow to varying degrees, and if a company wants an extra selling point they can exchange some money for a compliance test and obtain the right to use the UNIX name for their product.
Given that a large part of Mac OS X's very own core was derived from FreeBSD, that alone says something about the validity of an officially "certified" UNIX vs. the OS upon which it owes in large part its very existence. Hence, my reasoning for not taking Apple's "official" certification too seriously. Not to mention that FreeBSD itself is a direct descendent of the original AT&T UNIX, with certain parts rewritten purely to avoid copyright infringement lawsuits, but is it legally able to carry the UNIX name? Nope, because it would be pointless and simply not possible to throw cash around for the certification. And then when a new version is released... they'd have to pay up yet again just for the privilege to keep using the name.
And who cares? That doesn't change the fact that it's UNIX. Linux was originally designed for x86 PCs, not embedded ARM devices, supercomputers and servers...but look at what it's actually capable of.
Not sure exactly what you're getting at here. Linux is not UNIX either according to The Open Group. Hell, even based on its origins it is not UNIX... Linux was designed as a clone of the UNIX kernel. Or more accurately, a clone of another clone (Minix) of the original OS (UNIX) kernel. It has no backing from the owners of the "real" UNIX trademark whatsoever. And GNU? Well, it's in the name: GNU's Not UNIX, either.
Mac OS X is a Macintosh interface built onto a proprietary replacement windowing system on top of a BSD/Mach core that has been put through and passed certification so that it can carry the official UNIX trademark. It still doesn't change the fact that it feels like a Mac, not UNIX, unless you use the terminal emulator a lot and/or install the X Window System. What I said still stands. I never denied that OS X was UNIX under the hood, just that under normal use it feels nothing like it. And again that is fine, because most Apple users want the feeling of a Mac system.
And i would call it what it is, which is a certified UNIX system.
Money talks. You could get a "certified" sticker for probably just about any BSD or Linux distro if you had the dough to hand over to The Open Group. Fuck, Microsoft could probably take the NT kernel and give it full POSIX/SUS compliance and a UNIX-like userland and with their money obtain almost immediate certification and be allowed to officially call it "UNIX." I don't use "official" UNIX certification as any kind of proof whatsoever that something is UNIX or not. It really doesn't mean jack shit. The Open Group owns the name "UNIX" and they therefore have the right to say what everyone else can say is "UNIX." One profit-based controlling group decides.
So you're saying that because they've put a user-friendly face on UNIX - whilst not taking away anything - that somehow makes it not UNIX anymore? That's just an elitist attitude.
Apple took away the standard UNIX windowing system by default, requiring the user to install it themselves if they want anything even remotely resembling a UNIX GUI. Of course, once again, this doesn't matter to the vast majority of Apple's audience--they don't know what the hell UNIX is, and probably never even heard of it.
Is this bad? Not necessarily; Apple fans buy their machines because they want a Mac and the MacOS interface that comes with it. Its interface might even have some advantages (especially those Mac users who it was designed for in the first place). But it's not a very UNIX-like system without some additional work (unless you primarily use the terminal). Under the hood it may be UNIX, but that's not my point. My point is, Mac OS X was designed with Mac users in mind above all else, not UNIX users. The UNIX certification is just a secondary selling point; just another bullet point to add to the "features" list to get more users (primarily corporate and geek types) that they otherwise may not have had the chance to sucker into buying it.
Watch out for those Windows 8/RT ARM-based machines. Not possible without money going to Microsoft for a key.
D) It is subjective, so trying to offer objective proof is almost as stupid as asking for it
So quit bragging about it if you know it only looks good to you, and will undoubtedly look like shit to everyone else. For all we know, you could just have gay porn or something on your desktop with rose-red transparent window decorations. Maybe you have an animated sex clip of some guy getting pounded up the tailpipe by another guy for your background, which could explain why it supposedly wouldn't work in still image form. Seriously, if you can't or won't back it up, STFU. If you can't even say what it supposedly is, describe it, then it's just not worthy in the first place. The way you're going on about nothing indicates that it is nothing.
This AC needs modded up for being spot-on. That has always been my experience with both Nepomuk and Akonadi. The only difference is that sometimes, in the newer KDE releases, it waits until the desktop has been up and running for a few minutes before crashing.
True... I haven't really been keeping up to date with the emulation scene. Looks like, according to Wikipedia, the last ZSNES release was about five years ago. Oh well... it's a classic. I was never really a heavy ZSNES user myself though.
Apple and Google are mega corporations that have mass quantities of money to throw around to get products built to sell, burn on advertising, and get shit done. That's what it takes... money talks. I have been using Linux on my desktop systems exclusively since 2006, and in many cases it is "ready." There's just not enough money flying around from companies in support of it.
A friend of mine used Ubuntu several years ago (back when it was halfway decent), only gave it up in the end because he wanted to play some Windows-only MMORPG. When he used it he liked it though and used it most of the time, and the only reason he ditched it is because his Windows installation was fucking up (big shock...). He ended up deciding to do a system restore which, as I warned him, would most likely wipe all non-Windows partitions and rewrite the bootloader, eliminating any chance of booting into Linux again, destroying ALL of his files, no matter whether they were on a partition of the disk Windows had any business dealing with or not.
I recently "fixed" an old PPC G4-based iBook for someone. They only wanted to use it for the basics, primarily web browsing; Safari was unusable and Mac OS X was running slow. They did not have the original OS disc, and they did not want to go through the trouble (and additional money) to get one if they didn't have to. Apple no longer supports the PowerPC architecture, the latest versions of OS X do not run on it, Adobe does not support it so Flash is stuck at an old version, and even YouTube does not support anything less than a semi-beefy x86-based Mac. Now, the system is running Debian stable, Wi-Fi is even working (which they did not cite as a high priority), and the system is running quite smooth and decently. It's even playing Flash videos on YouTube with Gnash, although the CPU usage spikes. No complaints, last I heard it was still working just as well as when they received it back.
Linux is most definitely usable as a desktop for the average user in many situations. If anything, Windows' refusal to peacefully coexist on a disk with anything but itself is what ends up fucking shit up.
I would call it an Apple/Mac environment. The only notable UNIX aspect that a normal user can see is the shell, and that's pushing it because the entire system is designed so that the typical Mac user never will likely never even see (or use) it.
Duh, forget my Stella addition... somehow I passed that up when reading the original post, it was already covered...
100% agreed... but ZSNES and BSNES are both also excellent emulators for the Super NES. Gens+ is also an interesting choice for Genesis, but admittedly not my favorite. I'd also add Stella for Atari 2600 games.
If you want to take a trip down classic emulator memory lane, try out Nesticle, Genecyst, and the original Kega 98. They're old, no longer maintained and far inferior to the latest emulators, but they are what I first used in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They were awesome for their time and required very little processing power.
The logo, or the retarded tiles-based Metro start screen?
Yeah... the only service around here is cable (Time Warner) and DSL (AT&T). A selection between a garbage service and another garbage service. Cable vs. DSL. Both providers fucking suck. There is no way out of this fucked up, abusive, non-competitive mess.
Unfortunately, as much as it sucks... there will remain a healthy supply of GNOME-based distributions, for whatever reason. And as long as people continue to put out shitty GNOME distributions, they will inevitably have users and GNOME will continue to have an audience. The environment is still garbage even now, yet there continue to be GNOME-based distributions released.
Anyone with any common sense would have jumped ship and is probably using a different desktop environment by now. JavaScript runs like shit in my browser, I don't see why so many projects and operating systems want to make it the standard programming language. If the GNOME Shell is written in JavaScript, then that explains why it too looks and runs like shit. Go GNOME--keep digging your grave.
You are right. I have lived just fine, and so did my family, back before cell phones became big. We had a standard home telephone line and it was plenty. Sure, we had to actually *gasp* plan things back then and when something was decided major changes couldn't easily be made. If a call was expected at a certain time, we had to make sure someone was at the house to answer it. And there was always a wired telephone in the kitchen, guaranteeing that if all else fails at least one phone would work at all times, no battery needed. Put simply, we had to actually *think* back then... I know using your brain is almost a crime these days. The one glaring advantage a cell phone would have provided at the time in addition to the standard line is as an emergency phone, in case of an accident or car trouble while on the road. That was really about it.
Now, honestly, for the most part a standard telephone line would still be enough in most cases... but I'm on my own now. I sure as hell won't "lose" a standard telephone and my service with it or have it stolen; it never even leaves the house. But if I'm not home, I won't get any potentially important calls; I'll have to rely on CallerID when I get back, and maybe an answering machine. These days cell phones act as miniature computers, so they're also good for non-phone functionality (data entry, quick basic research, GPS, etc.), but their batteries are a bitch and the constant need to recharge is a pain in the ass. On top of that, the major providers' plans are all a joke.
Really, I can imagine one day getting basic home phone service again myself, having an everyday cell phone, and a work/backup cell phone. I'd primarily use the home phone when I'm at home, take the work phone with me to work and use sparingly, and take the main cell everywhere else I go. I intend to use Google Voice to tie them all together. It sounds like Ting's cellular plans are sane enough that I might just be able to pull it off... here's hoping that they don't end up like the rest, with fucking their customers up the ass the number one business priority, but so far they sound great. And maybe VoIP, I currently use Google's free calls to talk to people and save my ridiculously low number of minutes.
Cell phones provide a long list of conveniences of their own, but home phones provide conveniences beyond what a cell phone can privide. For example, even a cordless home telephone is more conveniently accessible and less likely to lose, since they typically come with a recharge cradle, to set on the table, permanently plugged in. There is no stupid little cable to deal with (and lose) every few days, getting it back out just to plug the phone back in... but get a wired telephone and you'll have unbeatable reliability and never lose the thing or worry about batteries again. And most likely have cheaper service than any major cell carrier.
Just the exact opposite of the way nature intended it. No (non-hermaphroditic) animal species an this planet would ever survive to evolve and live on if all of their members were gay.
What? I can probably get 1,000 paper clips for less than 10 bucks, and since that's more than I'd probably ever need a smaller, cheaper pack of 50-100 would be just fine. You're right; you don't really have to think much about it... they're just little bent metal strips, they're cheap.
On the other hand, a few hundred dollars just to get a license to use a non-butchered version of Office (ie. with database functionality), on top of another couple hundred dollars to the same company for the operating system just to run it on. That's enough to just say "fuck Office." I can get a real, physical fucking desk and plenty of office supplies of all kinds for that price.
On top of that, I actually own the desk and office supplies. I am only granted the right to use Windows. Bad comparison.
They're all the same. Scumbags and assholes. But I can do without all the garbage that makes up TV... so aside from cable Internet if for whatever reason I have to switch back from DSL, I will likely have to deal with the cell phone companies before the cable companies. And even then, I'd likely get satellite TV if I absolutely must have TV; problem is, their "package" deals are designed to screw you in the same way as cable's, so again, I'd more likely just avoid TV as I have for years.
I really don't know why people continue to do business with a company that repeatedly bends them over and fucks them in the ass, especially for a completely unnecessary service: subscription television.
Sun flares and Roman candles!
Nooo...its a solution to a VERY real problem but its a problem that most geeks don't realize exists. You see your average Joe has all these devices that can connect to the Internet, multiple PCs, tablet, phone, Internet enabled TV, but they don't have a damned clue on how to make ANY of that shit play nice with one another or to set it up so they can use them on the net as they were designed.
Well, it's about time they fucking learn. Computers don't need to be dumbed down to toaster levels... their increasing number of users need to learn a thing or two about a network of they want to have one in the first place. This mass retardation of computers has allowed even the dumbest people to do basic things on them, and that's great--but if these people want to do anything more advanced, then maybe it's time that they read up and learn how. This mass dumbing down of computing and networking is creating security problems while at the same time inviting even more dumbasses in droves. The world would be better off with fewer of these people, even if that means fewer new computer owners.
There is a reason you have to go through a period of training at a new job, and plenty of practice followed by a test just to get your license to drive a vehicle. There is a certain skill set that is expected, and with computers, that should be no different. Any machine down to a damn cash register should be understood before just diving in. Fuck, you should even have a basic understanding of a toaster before you use one, or else you'll end up getting burned, electrocuted, or even burn the damn house down. It is the users who need to get smarter... not the computers.
Then sleep well knowing that your insistence on continuing to use a known insecure feature just for a little bit of extra convenience might just come back to bite you in the ass eventually. The rest of us who know the flaws of UPnP and how to manually set up port forwarding and/or port triggering have likely already done this long ago; we survived, our networks aren't broken. It's really not difficult; just a couple switches on the router to match the ports of the software you use.
Zippo01, there's no confusion here, a person charged with WIRE FRAUD who committed WIRE FRAUD should be prosecuted for WIRE FRAUD face the evidence in court and and serve a penalty for WIRE FRAUD.
Well done, AC, well done. You nailed it.