You are missing the point. It's not about changing the guy. It's about introducing him to things he either does not understand or doesn't even know are there. It's like playing a song for somebody or watching a movie they haven't seen before with them.
Humans are social creatures. To ignore or not even be aware of the importance of having emotional ties simply means you are missing out on something that humans are programmed to need and enjoy. There is a reason being lonely is considered a bad thing. Most "geeks" even try to prop up that part of their life using internet communications (IRC, AIM, etc.). There is no substitute, however, for the real thing... at least not yet.
The guy trying to introduce this to his student is a good thing with good intentions backing it up. I've learned in my experiences that when a person finds something good, they will try to share it with people. In most cases it's possible that the other people just will not agree it is good, but with having a social life, I am not entirely sure that is the case. I do not think there is a human who could not benefit from a healthy social life. However, I do think the journey required to gain one may not be the most fun thing some people have ever done.
In the end though, I think it is important, but this is a personal judgement and opinion thing. I do not think this sort of thing can be proven.
I am longing and willing to pay... altho you didn't include unable to pay...:P I'd go buy a hdtv and hd-dvd system now if it was available and I could freakin' afford it.
I do not use linux for religious reasons. I use it because I prefer the interface and the technology. I use it because I think it to be superior. The fact that it is open is just there. Perhaps it is part of why it is better. Perhaps it is not. For me that is beside the point, and I have no issues using closed drivers and applications. I assume there are many more like me. It is incredibly short sided of you to ask why bother using linux if you do not insist everything be open. The list of merits of linux contains a lot more than just it being open. Anyone who would use an inferior system solely because of "religious" reasons shall suffer the same fate of those who make life choices solely based on religion imho.
Why in gods name do I need to specify my monitor's vertical and horizontal sync rates? Monitors have been plug n play for years now, why does X not use this info?
X has been using this info since version 4. I have not had to specify my monitors specs in a long time and X has been using the plug 'n play info from it since version 4.
Why, to change the refresh rate, do I have to run xconfig instead of just being able to change it through X like windows? If you think this isn't a problem try using X when you have a fixed-freq monitor.
There is a new extension to allow this. The only problem is it is so new that many window managers and desktop environments haven't had time to fully support it. There have been experimental KDE modules that allow on the fly resolution switching (the real kind where the virtual desktop changes size too) and refresh rate. The new extension also has definitions for allowing on the fly color depth changes however last I checked this functionality had not been implemented yet. Relax however, this stuff is on its way.
Why are there so many problems with different mice/smooth scrolling?
I have personally not run into any problems with mice/scrolling using a variety of brands and models. Therefore I cannot comment on this other than to say, "what problems?"
My final question is wheter anybody on slashdot is running freedesktop's new xserver and, if they are, their experiences with it. I was thinking about installing it on my fedora core install.
I have not tried it yet do to it's inability to support the standard set of X video drivers or any drivers which support that definition (i.e. the NVidia drivers). It's too bad too. It seems like a nice idea but moving to an entirely new driver architecture is a bad idea when the current system works fine and supports so many cards this does not.
No one is forcing them to use those features either. Simply removing them because they won't use them is pointless, as they aren't required to be used to get this basic functionality you describe.
Many of the weekly CVS digests include merged changes from Apple. While I have no idea how many have been merged, a great deal have, and I would venture to say that the Safari team has been very helpful.
A privately-owned-and-operated virtual reality is no different from a privately-held TV station: the owner can restrict the content. That's probably not a Good Thing, but the same thing is happening in actual communities, with public spaces disappearing. The solution is to create more public spaces (virtual or actual, same difference) where public rules still apply.
Loom familiar? Try to read the whole post next time ffs...
The infringment was found based on a comparison of identical string values. The extent of the infrginement cannto be known without access to the KISS player source code. It is entirely likely a lot more was stolen, or nothing more.
I sure don't need a gps to know where I am. A map, a compass and the sun seem to work pretty good.
A horse and carriage work pretty well too, doesn't mean you need to forgo a car. GPS is the more advanced method and it works well. Why purposely decide not to use it when it's available?
It's kinda like why trip at home when you can trip and go clubbing? Take the convenience of city life into the peaceful woods. No need to live like a neanderthal (sp?) on purpose... unless you like pain.
I can't exactly call you a hypocrite because I'm not sure if you of the camp that linux is competition for windows and hope that windows will one day be dethroned by free software. However, for anyone who is and takes it seriously Lindows is a Good Thing. Someone who takes the time to come up with a packaged version of linux designed to ease the pain of switching to new and non-cimputer savy people deserves respect in my book.
Some people think that mking a linux distro to mimick much of the functionality distro is wrong somehow. They think for some reason that if someone must use linux that linux should be freely available and ultimately customizable only if you don't make it look and act like windows. The you are free do do whatever you want as long as you do it this way approach.
Some people like lindows. Some people would use windows if they did not have that option. They also do not give a rats ass wether or not you care. Lindow is not trademark infringment. Anyone with half a brain knows that Windows and Lindows are not the same word. So please tell me, what is it about lindows that scares you so? Are you just against linux adoption in general?
Microsoft is dishing out cash, what people decide to do with that cash is none of microsoft's business. If I were eligible, and I want to buy a lindows based pc with the settlement money that's my business. If Lindows wants to handle the details for me so I have to do less work, yay for them.
So because the code/script inclined can produce a home built system with slightly less polish then tivo, their entire business model is flawed and they are a dead company? Interesting reasoning to say the least... You even go on to give financial advice based on this assumption. God help those that take it to heart.
While if given the opportunity to walk in the surface of mars under your conditions I would take it, I think a lot of the problems we have on earth are due to people who do not put much of a value on human life. I hope I live to see the day when not a single person alive can stomach the death of one person for any reason.
Kicking out the teacher MIGHT be one way of handling it, but that would be assuming there are competant people lining up to replace them. Teachers in general are in short supply. Quality teachers are damn near extinct.
Somehow I doubt fm modulation is the only method of audio output that player that the parent post was referring to. I know it requires some complicated thinking to realize this but.. try. Now for your two points.
1) If that's a problem then uses cords sheesh. Even for an audiophile there would probably be circumstances where using the fm modulator would be just too convenient to pass up. Even if it's just listening to music from your player in your buddies crappy car.
2) Interferance is a fact of life with wireless technologies this is no surprise, and if the area you are in has a used frequency then fortunately most products with modulators have the sense of mind to support several different frequencies.
You act as if buying a player with this feature would require some sort of loss... For most goo dplayers like the Neuros that supports it it's an extra feature, not a replacement method of output. You lose nothing and gain fm modulation.
Just because an idea is dissenting doesn't mean it should be entertained solely on that basis. An idea can be dissencing and foolish too:). The point of the slashdot moderation system is to filter out garbage. If someone posted "LINUX SUXORS WINDOZE RULEZ!!@@!@!@!" it would probably be modded all the way down, and would support a theory of moderators modding down dissenting opinions. However I hope you can agree that even those who are pro microsoft don't wanna have to filter through crap like that to read the more intelligent posts. For every example you may find of a post being modded down due to it's idealogical nature I can point you to a counter example. The moderation system is by no means perfect, but I don't think it's fundamentally broken.
If I posted an argument explaining that the world was cube shaped I hope I'd either be modded down or modded funny if I was not taken seriously, and I think I probably would be. Dissenting idea? Perhaps, but also rediculous as well.
The PVR350 model is also supported and has a few important differences you might or might not be aware of. First off last I checked the 250 still has that tiny crappy remote with nothing but channel changing buttons and a number pad. The 350 comes with a full featured remote which is nice. The 350 also supports tv output directly so you don't have to use your video cards tv output which is usually of lower quality in my experience than something dedicated like in the 350. Also, I am not sure if the 250 has this but the 350 has a mpeg2 decoder as well so time shifting and the sort requires practically 0 cpu usage on the encoding and decoding end. It's a little more expensive but the feature list is impressive.
Bravo, you managed to write a large amount there without really saying anything. What are you trying to get at? What are we voting for and writing to congressman about?
It's not the governments right to tell audio playback manufacturers what to support nor is it governments right to say Apple, Microsoft, and Farunhoffer are not allowed to patent their formats. They worked just as hard as the ogg vorbis team to develop theirs, and they deserve to do what they see fit with their format.
Or perhaps you intend to use the government to force broadcasters of digital content to use open formats for audio. It's shady enough forcing them to broadcast in digital as it is.. now you want the government to force them to use a certain digital format? If it was my business I'd want the right to broadcast how and what I choose, so long as I abide by the regulations of the FCC in what frequencies I use. Frequency allocation is all they should be controlling as chaos would ensue and no wireless communication at all would be reliable if they did not.
Perhaps it's DRM you want them to vote against. Again I must defend the rights of the music and movie industry to use DRM, however in as much as I defend their rights to use I I'll defend your right to not buy hardware or listen to/watch content broadcast in a drm enabled format. I don't support the government forcing people to use DRM anymore than I support the government forcing them not to.
Legislating an open format to popularity is just as wrong as the opposing side using law to make such formats illegal or ensure they remain unpopular.
Perhaps none of these was your point and I completely missed it. If I did please make it clearer what your point was. Ogg vorbis support in digital audio players is being adopted very quickly. Check the list yourself! I was amazed when I saw just how many players support the format.
Oh, and one more thing..
This is wrong, seriously wrong, and serious issues of liberty - both personal and civil - are at stake here. For without an open format, the plug can be pulled.
Please elborate on how this plug can be pulled exactly when there are millions of mp3's and if not millions then hundreds of thousands of hardware players out there. Not to mention the plethora of freely available decoders and encoders of the MP3 format available on thousands of websites all over the world. That is an awefully big plug to pull. At best Fraunhoffer could prohibit the manufacture and sale of any new hardware players, and if that happened the public would very quickly move to another format... maybe even ogg vorbis because hardware players are becoming very wide spread and are growing in popularity by the day. People will continue to want to use them, and if they must they will switch formats to do so.
You are missing the point. It's not about changing the guy. It's about introducing him to things he either does not understand or doesn't even know are there. It's like playing a song for somebody or watching a movie they haven't seen before with them.
Humans are social creatures. To ignore or not even be aware of the importance of having emotional ties simply means you are missing out on something that humans are programmed to need and enjoy. There is a reason being lonely is considered a bad thing. Most "geeks" even try to prop up that part of their life using internet communications (IRC, AIM, etc.). There is no substitute, however, for the real thing... at least not yet.
The guy trying to introduce this to his student is a good thing with good intentions backing it up. I've learned in my experiences that when a person finds something good, they will try to share it with people. In most cases it's possible that the other people just will not agree it is good, but with having a social life, I am not entirely sure that is the case. I do not think there is a human who could not benefit from a healthy social life. However, I do think the journey required to gain one may not be the most fun thing some people have ever done.
In the end though, I think it is important, but this is a personal judgement and opinion thing. I do not think this sort of thing can be proven.
I am longing and willing to pay... altho you didn't include unable to pay... :P I'd go buy a hdtv and hd-dvd system now if it was available and I could freakin' afford it.
I do not use linux for religious reasons. I use it because I prefer the interface and the technology. I use it because I think it to be superior. The fact that it is open is just there. Perhaps it is part of why it is better. Perhaps it is not. For me that is beside the point, and I have no issues using closed drivers and applications. I assume there are many more like me. It is incredibly short sided of you to ask why bother using linux if you do not insist everything be open. The list of merits of linux contains a lot more than just it being open. Anyone who would use an inferior system solely because of "religious" reasons shall suffer the same fate of those who make life choices solely based on religion imho.
Whoa obession... think maybe over dramatizing a bit?
BAH just spoil everybodies fun! :(
Why in gods name do I need to specify my monitor's vertical and horizontal sync rates? Monitors have been plug n play for years now, why does X not use this info?
X has been using this info since version 4. I have not had to specify my monitors specs in a long time and X has been using the plug 'n play info from it since version 4.
Why, to change the refresh rate, do I have to run xconfig instead of just being able to change it through X like windows? If you think this isn't a problem try using X when you have a fixed-freq monitor.
There is a new extension to allow this. The only problem is it is so new that many window managers and desktop environments haven't had time to fully support it. There have been experimental KDE modules that allow on the fly resolution switching (the real kind where the virtual desktop changes size too) and refresh rate. The new extension also has definitions for allowing on the fly color depth changes however last I checked this functionality had not been implemented yet. Relax however, this stuff is on its way.
Why are there so many problems with different mice/smooth scrolling?
I have personally not run into any problems with mice/scrolling using a variety of brands and models. Therefore I cannot comment on this other than to say, "what problems?"
My final question is wheter anybody on slashdot is running freedesktop's new xserver and, if they are, their experiences with it. I was thinking about installing it on my fedora core install.
I have not tried it yet do to it's inability to support the standard set of X video drivers or any drivers which support that definition (i.e. the NVidia drivers). It's too bad too. It seems like a nice idea but moving to an entirely new driver architecture is a bad idea when the current system works fine and supports so many cards this does not.
No one is forcing them to use those features either. Simply removing them because they won't use them is pointless, as they aren't required to be used to get this basic functionality you describe.
Linux won't make it's way to the desktop just by being there. Some pushing has to be done or no one will think to try it.
Many of the weekly CVS digests include merged changes from Apple. While I have no idea how many have been merged, a great deal have, and I would venture to say that the Safari team has been very helpful.
Hmm...
A privately-owned-and-operated virtual reality is no different from a privately-held TV station: the owner can restrict the content. That's probably not a Good Thing, but the same thing is happening in actual communities, with public spaces disappearing. The solution is to create more public spaces (virtual or actual, same difference) where public rules still apply.
Loom familiar? Try to read the whole post next time ffs...
The infringment was found based on a comparison of identical string values. The extent of the infrginement cannto be known without access to the KISS player source code. It is entirely likely a lot more was stolen, or nothing more.
I sure don't need a gps to know where I am. A map, a compass and the sun seem to work pretty good.
A horse and carriage work pretty well too, doesn't mean you need to forgo a car. GPS is the more advanced method and it works well. Why purposely decide not to use it when it's available?
It's kinda like why trip at home when you can trip and go clubbing? Take the convenience of city life into the peaceful woods. No need to live like a neanderthal (sp?) on purpose... unless you like pain.
Dumping tivo stock now. If only I had realized mythtv had a larger market share..
I can't exactly call you a hypocrite because I'm not sure if you of the camp that linux is competition for windows and hope that windows will one day be dethroned by free software. However, for anyone who is and takes it seriously Lindows is a Good Thing. Someone who takes the time to come up with a packaged version of linux designed to ease the pain of switching to new and non-cimputer savy people deserves respect in my book.
Some people think that mking a linux distro to mimick much of the functionality distro is wrong somehow. They think for some reason that if someone must use linux that linux should be freely available and ultimately customizable only if you don't make it look and act like windows. The you are free do do whatever you want as long as you do it this way approach.
Some people like lindows. Some people would use windows if they did not have that option. They also do not give a rats ass wether or not you care. Lindow is not trademark infringment. Anyone with half a brain knows that Windows and Lindows are not the same word. So please tell me, what is it about lindows that scares you so? Are you just against linux adoption in general?
Microsoft is dishing out cash, what people decide to do with that cash is none of microsoft's business. If I were eligible, and I want to buy a lindows based pc with the settlement money that's my business. If Lindows wants to handle the details for me so I have to do less work, yay for them.
So because the code/script inclined can produce a home built system with slightly less polish then tivo, their entire business model is flawed and they are a dead company? Interesting reasoning to say the least... You even go on to give financial advice based on this assumption. God help those that take it to heart.
While if given the opportunity to walk in the surface of mars under your conditions I would take it, I think a lot of the problems we have on earth are due to people who do not put much of a value on human life. I hope I live to see the day when not a single person alive can stomach the death of one person for any reason.
Kicking out the teacher MIGHT be one way of handling it, but that would be assuming there are competant people lining up to replace them. Teachers in general are in short supply. Quality teachers are damn near extinct.
Somehow I doubt fm modulation is the only method of audio output that player that the parent post was referring to. I know it requires some complicated thinking to realize this but.. try. Now for your two points.
1) If that's a problem then uses cords sheesh. Even for an audiophile there would probably be circumstances where using the fm modulator would be just too convenient to pass up. Even if it's just listening to music from your player in your buddies crappy car.
2) Interferance is a fact of life with wireless technologies this is no surprise, and if the area you are in has a used frequency then fortunately most products with modulators have the sense of mind to support several different frequencies.
You act as if buying a player with this feature would require some sort of loss... For most goo dplayers like the Neuros that supports it it's an extra feature, not a replacement method of output. You lose nothing and gain fm modulation.
Just because an idea is dissenting doesn't mean it should be entertained solely on that basis. An idea can be dissencing and foolish too :). The point of the slashdot moderation system is to filter out garbage. If someone posted "LINUX SUXORS WINDOZE RULEZ!!@@!@!@!" it would probably be modded all the way down, and would support a theory of moderators modding down dissenting opinions. However I hope you can agree that even those who are pro microsoft don't wanna have to filter through crap like that to read the more intelligent posts. For every example you may find of a post being modded down due to it's idealogical nature I can point you to a counter example. The moderation system is by no means perfect, but I don't think it's fundamentally broken.
If I posted an argument explaining that the world was cube shaped I hope I'd either be modded down or modded funny if I was not taken seriously, and I think I probably would be. Dissenting idea? Perhaps, but also rediculous as well.
So you support a law against divorces or are using it as an example of another law just as silly as banning a game?
The PVR350 model is also supported and has a few important differences you might or might not be aware of. First off last I checked the 250 still has that tiny crappy remote with nothing but channel changing buttons and a number pad. The 350 comes with a full featured remote which is nice. The 350 also supports tv output directly so you don't have to use your video cards tv output which is usually of lower quality in my experience than something dedicated like in the 350. Also, I am not sure if the 250 has this but the 350 has a mpeg2 decoder as well so time shifting and the sort requires practically 0 cpu usage on the encoding and decoding end. It's a little more expensive but the feature list is impressive.
500Kbps holy christ... why don't you just use FLAC?
Bravo, you managed to write a large amount there without really saying anything. What are you trying to get at? What are we voting for and writing to congressman about?
It's not the governments right to tell audio playback manufacturers what to support nor is it governments right to say Apple, Microsoft, and Farunhoffer are not allowed to patent their formats. They worked just as hard as the ogg vorbis team to develop theirs, and they deserve to do what they see fit with their format.
Or perhaps you intend to use the government to force broadcasters of digital content to use open formats for audio. It's shady enough forcing them to broadcast in digital as it is.. now you want the government to force them to use a certain digital format? If it was my business I'd want the right to broadcast how and what I choose, so long as I abide by the regulations of the FCC in what frequencies I use. Frequency allocation is all they should be controlling as chaos would ensue and no wireless communication at all would be reliable if they did not.
Perhaps it's DRM you want them to vote against. Again I must defend the rights of the music and movie industry to use DRM, however in as much as I defend their rights to use I I'll defend your right to not buy hardware or listen to/watch content broadcast in a drm enabled format. I don't support the government forcing people to use DRM anymore than I support the government forcing them not to.
Legislating an open format to popularity is just as wrong as the opposing side using law to make such formats illegal or ensure they remain unpopular.
Perhaps none of these was your point and I completely missed it. If I did please make it clearer what your point was. Ogg vorbis support in digital audio players is being adopted very quickly. Check the list yourself! I was amazed when I saw just how many players support the format.
Oh, and one more thing..
This is wrong, seriously wrong, and serious issues of liberty - both personal and civil - are at stake here. For without an open format, the plug can be pulled.
Please elborate on how this plug can be pulled exactly when there are millions of mp3's and if not millions then hundreds of thousands of hardware players out there. Not to mention the plethora of freely available decoders and encoders of the MP3 format available on thousands of websites all over the world. That is an awefully big plug to pull. At best Fraunhoffer could prohibit the manufacture and sale of any new hardware players, and if that happened the public would very quickly move to another format... maybe even ogg vorbis because hardware players are becoming very wide spread and are growing in popularity by the day. People will continue to want to use them, and if they must they will switch formats to do so.