This is truly the problem of the linux crowd. Here is someone asking about linux and open minded. And the response "Hah we know and if you have to ask then that just shows what kind of person you are."
No, the problem with the Linux crowd is when someone says "M$ 5uX0r5!!! U r L4M3!". But I don't really liken that to the Linux community, more to the "wannabe" community. I think my response is not inflammatory at all. I think that because of this guy's MS training, he cannot be open minded. He has been trained to think inside the MS box.
I tried out the previous release of the bootable knoppix and found it incredibly cool. But really, WHAT are the uses for this? or cluster knoppix that we should try or be interested? The only use i have for it is as a bootable cd in case my main os installation is trashed and I need to retrieve some files right away.
For some, this may be the only use, and it is a dang fine one. There are many other uses for it, none of which may appeal to you. But you have found a good use for it, so good for you. Other people may find others, or improve upon it in a way so that you may find it more useful. Knoppix fit a need for me, I modified it to create a bootable Quake server for LAN parties. Someone else has modded it to be a bootable MAME CD. I am sure there are many many others. Why immediately think there is no good use for it instead of trying to think of or create good uses for it? Or just recognize the fact that there are potentially other uses, even though you might not care about them? THAT is the difference in the OSS and the other computing industry.
You HAVE to SELL the idea to people and not just Whoooaaa, coool dude.
Wow. I guess I stand corrected. THIS is the real difference.
Pssst. Nobody cares -- it's all about the functionality and ease-of-use. Pass it on; this is what the OSS community seems to continually not get.
I was referring to the fact that the original poster dis-associated TiVo and the OSS community, when the OSS community is what has enabled TiVo to get where it is. What do you think that functionality and ease of use is built upon?
The mass population is benefitting from OSS software. People should continue to hack things themselves because it can produce great things and spur innovation. If you simply rely on the mass produced products to get what you want, you are truly just a consumer.
Penny Arcade to the rescue
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Neuros Review
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· Score: 4, Funny
I found today's PA comic kind of funny and rather fitting. I love my MP3 player, but it is a Rio500 w/128 MB of storage. I haven't seen the need to plunk down the cash for one of these big dogs yet.
As Louis Armstrong once said
on
ClusterKnoppix
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· Score: 4, Interesting
I really would like to understand (I'm an MCSE running all MSFT except one server - finance server is running RedHat). Someone explain this to me (linux avocates - this is your chance)..
You ain't from around these parts, are you?:-)
In all seriousness though, I do think that your MCSE and your Windows environment is limiting you here. I actually think the MCSE should be changed to CMSE, because you are a Certified Microsoft System Engineer. You are taught how to admin Microsoft systems only. It's OK, those are necessary things. But the problem is that you have been taught how to think in a "Microsoft world". There is a lot outside that world. Clustered computing is one of them. A bootable distro (ala Knoppix and others) is another.
I am sure when the bootable floppy distro came out, the MCSE's cried "what would I do with THAT?". Then CDRWs came about, and the bootable floppy turned into the bootable CD distro. The MS crowd said "Neat. Big deal." That has now turned into a bootable cluster server. Who knows where it might go from here. At some point, someone at Microsoft will say(or has already said) "Hey, that is cool. Can we do that?". They will try to buy the technology, and will find it can't be done. And they will try to build it from scratch, and there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
I think it was Louis Armstrong, who when asked what Jazz is, said "Man, if you gotta ask, you'll never know." I am afraid that applies here.
Good reverend, you should search for PXE info - it is basically a chip on a network card that can basically "boot" to the network...it seaches for DHCP, BOOTP, etc and blah blah blah:)
OK, based on this, it kind of makes sense. But stating "it uses PXE, DHCP, etc etc" isn't much of an indication on how it works. Based on your (and others) response, it can be explained in a sentence or two. I have been using Linux for 5 years now, and have never heard of PXE. In such a diverse and fast-moving world as OSS, sometimes simple explanations can clear up a world of confusion.
And why was my post modded up as Funny? I don't get it.
That would be all well and good, if the standards were worth a damn. But they are not.
CMM is no panacea. It is an indicator of how mature your software development process is - nothing more. If all else is equal, the CMM certified shop will win out. But there is also that killer factor of price. Combine lower price with mature development process, and it is tough to beat.
All of your other concerns are valid concerns, but only one of them can be addressed in this context: Is it bug free? (meaning does all the specified functionality work as desired?)
While having a mature process doesn't guarantee it is bug free, it can lend a little credibility to the fact. I was going to say that this is a totally unrelated thing, but by proving that you have a solid process in place, you are helping to stomp out bugs earlier in the process. No, it won't eliminate them all, but it isn't intended to.
The other things you mention are valid concerns, but aren't in the context of process. The only thing that having a strong process in place will do is make sure that you can systematically find out some of these issues before it is too late, and you can gather stats to *improve* your process to catch the things that slip through. If you just go about things willy-nilly, you are just fumbling around in the dark. Sometimes that works, most of the time it doesn't. Again, CMM certification isn't the be-all-end-all answer, but it is more than a lot of places have.
From the page: "openMosix terminal server" - uses PXE, DHCP and tftp to boot linux clients via the network.
No CDrom drive/harddisk/floppy needed for the clients
How do the clients work if no CDrom/HD/Floppy is needed? I am trying to wrap my brain around this one. I get the cluster server idea, but then does the server determine which clients on the network will boot into the cluster? Is it via DHCP? Doesn't there need to be *something* on the client side like a HD/floppy/CDrom so it can boot?
Working on OSS while a great thing is not going to bring them the same potential monitary gains as working for a big name software company. It would be great for a country the population of India to listen and follow their leaders urging, but I seriously doubt in a country where many are trying to break free of poverty that they will work for next to nothing on OSS.
Hmm, seems to me that the Indian tech firms are able to make it just fine by getting programming jobs from... the US.
I know a lot of programmers kind of resent this, but it isn't just about them being able to program cheaper. Most of these programming shops in India are at CMM level 3 or higher. That means a lot to big compaines. Not only is it cheaper, but these places put out good, reliable software with good documentation (code, results, requirements, design, etc). That stuff matters. I am currently on a team at my company that is trying to get processes in place to get us to CMM level 2. It is hard. People don't like following processes, don't like documenting what they do, they don't like being held accountable for their work. Some of the good companies in India are at CMM level 5, which is no small feat.
So instead of people bitching about India, and how they are stealing our jobs, and how they are just clawing their way out of poverty, maybe we should ask WHY they are able to achieve these things when most companies in the US are not. It kind of reminds me of the Japanese car scare, where people would only "buy American" even though American cars completely sucked. The cheaper, more reliable Japanese cars of the late 70's/early 80's sure woke up the US car industry. Maybe it is time the US softare market woke up.
Godel Escher Bach, The Mind's I, Fluid Concepts and Creating Analogies, or if you are adventurous and don't mind getting headaches from thinking about things, Metamagical Themas.
My wife has read Le Ton Beau De Marot, and she loved it. She has her masters in French Linguistics, and found this book in the bookstore at the same time that I found Metamagical Themas. We were kind of surprised when we went to check out and found that we had found books by the same author in different sections of the bookstore.
Hofstadter is a very smart and interesting guy, and writes some awesome stuff. I think that GEB is a must read.
I admire Linux for his attempt to take the high road and ignore this as a minor attack. Unfortunately, it is becoming clear that this is not a minor attack. SCO is threatening the viablity of Linus' life work and his greatest accomplishment. If he will not fight when attacked this way, then he has no life's work or accomplishment.
Bullshit. He hasn't been attacked at all. Some 3rd rate dying company, probably on the puppet strings of a defensive, ego-maniacal monopoly, is making idle threats about how other companyies have incorporated Linus' incredibly popular pet project and infringed on something that they purchased. However, Linus has not been implicated until now, and it was a pretty half-assed implication at that. I have a feeling that Linus is pretty confident in his views on Linux. He doesn't NEED to respond unless he is
a) sued by SCO
b) called into court
Not only that, but a lot of his work is documented via newsgroups and past revisions of the kernel.
At this point in time, what does he have to worry about? What would you like him to do? Issue a press release saying that his work is his own, and doesn't infringe on any patents held by SCO? What? What do you want him to do, issue some kind of diatribe on how IP is stupid, or how SCO is run by a bunch of idiots grasping at straws? What? What would you have him do? How about a counter-suit for mentioning his name and tarnishing his reputation?
Linus is more admirable for not doing anything. Amongst all the uproar, posturing, and name calling, he still remains honorable and wise.
Or are you making an uber-geek comparison between a role and an actor?
Nope, just fast typing and the fact that I don't watch any Star Trek. I guess it should have been "Picard or Kirk". But to me, that question is just as relevant - it isn't.
I can just imagine the look on the judges face if this went to trial, and some of the players had to be called to the witness stand. Reading the transcripts of that testimony would be hilarious.
What would a jury think? That people who spent 500 hours building up an imaginary character need to be compensated for their loss? I can just see some uber-gamer breaking down and crying on the stand because their elf now has to start from level 50 when it took him 3 straight months of playing 5 hours a day to get to level 55. (or whatever the terminology is) More than that, how are you going to get a jury of this person's peers to try them in court? How do you interview a jury like that? OK, what is your favorite magic spell? Have you ever spent more that 12 hours straight playing a game? Is your BMI over 40? Picard or Shatner?
Copyrights and patents are protection against strangers. Contracts are what you use against parties you have relationships with. From a legal standpoint, contracts end up being far stronger than anything you could do with copyrights.
I am sure the RIAA and the MPAA just dropped a load in their shorts over this statement. As did Microsoft, realizing that their EULA is a contract of sorts.
Of course, the statement is pretty much BS, that that doesn't mean that people won't believe it. And here I thought that a contract was an agreement between parties, not something you "use against parties". Guess that is why I never got an MBA.
Piracy will always happen. Get over it and spend money on making GOOD movies, not inane shit.
This is true. How much money is wasted on movies that nobody sees? I am sure you can download copies of truly bad movies on the internet, yet they aren't bitching about those. You don't see a news story that "Little Nicky" is available on P2P. Actually, that would be MORE of a reasonable arguement, that this movie didn't make any money because it was available for download on the internet. (we know it isn't true, in this case, the at least the argument would make sense.)
But instead, they make the argument against movies that make the MOST money. The Matrix Reloaded had the highest gross opening weekend EVER for an R rated movie. Yet they are bitching that piracy is killing them. The last time I heard a story about how piracy was killing the movie industry was when this little unheard of film called Spider-Man came out. Or was it that other movie that lost millions of dollars called "Lord of the Rings something something"
Doesn't anyone else see the irony here? They are complaining that piracy is ruining their business yet they are still breaking box-office records.
My question is simple: why are they bothering? They have financial interest in seeing Linux, and MacOS, failing. If Linux's market share expands, theirs contracts. Nothing difficult to understand here.
I don't think you can put Linux and MacOS in the same boat here. MS develops software for the Mac, they are not really direct competitors in the OS world. You can't take a Windows box and install MacOS on it. If you could, you would definitely see MS's attitude change towards them as a competitor. They currently don't really exist in the same market, because of the hardware issue. You want a Mac? You have to shell out the $$ to buy one, and effectively switch platforms. Microsoft knows not everyone will do this, and Apple does too. They are comfortable in their arrangement. They need MacOS around to prove that they have competition in the market.
But to be honest if Microsoft didn't give away the money, people would be crying and moaning about that.
As much as we all hate the evil empire, for them it's damned if they do, and damned if they don't.
I'd agree with this assessment, but that is their problem. The old adage holds true, "
You reap what you sow." Microsoft has built this reputation all by themselves, I don't feel one bit bad for them.
Re:Hammerhead Sharks & Electric Fields
on
Ant Farm PC
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· Score: 3, Funny
Hammerhead sharks can detect subtle electric fields -- the "hammers" are actually sensor arrays, which the sharks use to find the bioelectric signature of prey animals buried in the mud. The sharks also follow geo-electric paths to feeding grounds.
So *that's* why there was a hammerhead shark in my PC case the other day. I wondered how he got in there.
No. What I think gripdamage was basically saying was that there is nothing here. That there is no essential "geekiness", no "special light which shines from within them", etc.
I can see this. A few of my best friends growing up all ended up being engineers. One Civil, and two are Mechanical. I got my degree in CS. Each of them are geeky in their own way, as am I, but we are all different too. I always wanted to learn how to brew beer, but I can live not knowing. One guy only drinks American Light Beer, while the rest of us like all kinds. I am the only one into computers and geeky political issues. One guy was the smartest, and he appreciates word/math puzzles. One guy is into bodybuilding. We have a lot of similarities, but the differences are greater.
We/they are the same as everyone else whether we like it or not. I agree that most of the replies on this subject are complete elitist crap.
I disagree that we are like everyone else. We are all different, which is the point. Sure, there are similarities with other people, same interests and whatnot, but that is where it ends. I don't get into LOTR, but I have a friend who knows it in and out. He doesn't like computers. I hate Star Trek of all flavors, but know people who love it.
While I was reading through some of the "elitest crap" postings, I could see myself or one of my friends in most of them. Others, I couldn't. It is kind of like psychic readings - you hear what you want to hear. Most people will hear the "cool" things and relate them to themselves, and turn the rest off. Funny how you can relate to the guy who says "I just want to get back to nature, I am a geek" but the geek over there will secretly be thinking "I haven't left my house in 10 years". But that link seems to never make it, but "I want to learn how to brew beer" sparks a "me too!" in your brain. You can't classify geeks into a neat little category, just like you can't classify any other group of people into a category.
I am glad someone called "bullshit" on this post, it needed to be said. But it is still fun to talk about all the stuff people are discussing. But it really isn't anything special to geeks.
Most of it is just marketing hoo-hah. I have been looking for those friggin' Freepads for about 3 years now. They went about a year without updating their website, so it is good to see that they have at least done that. And they created some new "product" images, but that is about it.
Seriously, how can some of these be called "products" when in reality they are concepts. The Freepad now says it uses Opera and Bluetooth, which really just means that they have "upgraded" their marketing materials.
And their motto is something like "the leader in mobile internet access devices" or some such BS. I would go check to see the exact wording, but it would just piss me off more that they aren't a real product.
Re:ESR just couldn't resist...
on
OSI vs SCO
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· Score: 1
The Jargon File defines exactly that - Jargon, of which one dictionary definition is "Speech or writing having unusual or pretentious vocabulary".
Insisting on the meaning of a word stay fixed is, sooner or later just another windmill-jousting exercise. To coin a phrase, "language wants to be free".
Odd that you would, in a way, demean the jargon file because of the word "jargon", give a standard dictionary definition of "jargon", then argue that the meaning of words need to be able to change!
Believe me, I understand the importance of language - I am married to a woman who got her masters in French linguistics. I get lessons all the time on the Latin origin of words, how words have changed over time, etc etc. While it is OK to accept the change of words, it is also OK to fight to retain the meaning of some words. You can argue that people misuse their/there/they're or your/you're all the time, and that's OK because you can figure out what they mean. But I will continue to cringe every time I see it because it is quite simply wrong.
I think there is a difference between a word naturally progressing or evolving (like the word fax) as opposed to something that changes because of misuse. (hacker being one of those) Allowing the media and/or corporations to force the evolution of our language is a terrible thing to let happen. They are able to coin phrases and ramrod them down our throats until we have no choice but to accept them. "Intellectual Property" springs to mind.
Just because the President of the United States mispronounces nuclear doesn't make it right.
Wow, considering all the settings that were tested, and the only improvment beyond 1% was the Clock Speed, seems like the rest of it was kinda a waste...
Well, was it more of a waste of time than playing some online game for 6 hours straight? Ever done that?
While the outcome proves that there was no real increase, it was a worthy test. Would I have done it? No way. Was it a waste of time? Maybe, but was it a worthwhile waste of time, compared to other things? Probably. But the guy was right, until he tried it, the results were unknown. Well, you could argue that it is a pretty obvious conclusion, but I would rather people try something like this than stick some neon lights in a PC case and think they are engineers. This is at least based in engineering, and isn't just fluff. Is the story worthy of being posted on Slashdot? Come on, is any story really "worthy" of being posted here?:-)
Re:ESR just couldn't resist...
on
OSI vs SCO
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· Score: 4, Insightful
'Hacker' is pejorative for many concerned with law enforcement, who do not care about ESR's 'hacker/cracker' agenda. Why not just call them 'contributors' or 'authors'?
Because they are hackers. Why did he use that term? Well, he did write the book on it, so to speak.
I am really saddened at the weak constitutions of most people today, even in the tech community. Everyone has a "why not conform?" attitude. What ever happened to actually having beliefs in something and standing up for it? Everyone derides ESR and RMS because they stick by what they believe in. Even if you don't agree with them, why do you feel that they need to change their stance? Why does everyone need to have the same opinion on things?
Even though I haven't seen it yet, I have seen this quote from the Matrix Reloaded:
Lock: Not everyone has the same beliefs as you do.
Morpheus: My beliefs do not require them to.
ESR, RMS, and others HAVE beliefs in things - what do you believe in?
First, I would like to give a lot of credit to the United States for being one of the catalysts in creating the internet. Yes, it is worldwide, but the US was a major part of its creation.
That being said, the US is also the major reason why it is becoming so fucked up. If the US has such a huge influence on the net, then perhaps a majority of it will essentially be killed off by corporatism. But I think the rest of the world sees the value in the internet as it is (or was) and will hopefully not follow the same path of self-destruction.
Maybe our corporate-whore government will ruin it for us, but hopefully the rest of the world won't that that happen to them. At least then I'll have someplace to move when the time comes.
Please, somebody explain to me how open source on a closed, specific system helps...
Instead of writing things from scratch, they can take existing OSS code and tweak it. It could also be a cost saving measure, since tweaking code is cheaper than starting a project from scratch. They don't necessarily have to release it back to the world if their modifications are just for "in-house" software.
Slashdot Mirror
No, the problem with the Linux crowd is when someone says "M$ 5uX0r5!!! U r L4M3!". But I don't really liken that to the Linux community, more to the "wannabe" community. I think my response is not inflammatory at all. I think that because of this guy's MS training, he cannot be open minded. He has been trained to think inside the MS box.
I tried out the previous release of the bootable knoppix and found it incredibly cool. But really, WHAT are the uses for this? or cluster knoppix that we should try or be interested? The only use i have for it is as a bootable cd in case my main os installation is trashed and I need to retrieve some files right away.
For some, this may be the only use, and it is a dang fine one. There are many other uses for it, none of which may appeal to you. But you have found a good use for it, so good for you. Other people may find others, or improve upon it in a way so that you may find it more useful. Knoppix fit a need for me, I modified it to create a bootable Quake server for LAN parties. Someone else has modded it to be a bootable MAME CD. I am sure there are many many others. Why immediately think there is no good use for it instead of trying to think of or create good uses for it? Or just recognize the fact that there are potentially other uses, even though you might not care about them? THAT is the difference in the OSS and the other computing industry.
You HAVE to SELL the idea to people and not just Whoooaaa, coool dude.
Wow. I guess I stand corrected. THIS is the real difference.
I was referring to the fact that the original poster dis-associated TiVo and the OSS community, when the OSS community is what has enabled TiVo to get where it is. What do you think that functionality and ease of use is built upon?
The mass population is benefitting from OSS software. People should continue to hack things themselves because it can produce great things and spur innovation. If you simply rely on the mass produced products to get what you want, you are truly just a consumer.
I found today's PA comic kind of funny and rather fitting. I love my MP3 player, but it is a Rio500 w/128 MB of storage. I haven't seen the need to plunk down the cash for one of these big dogs yet.
You ain't from around these parts, are you? :-)
In all seriousness though, I do think that your MCSE and your Windows environment is limiting you here. I actually think the MCSE should be changed to CMSE, because you are a Certified Microsoft System Engineer. You are taught how to admin Microsoft systems only. It's OK, those are necessary things. But the problem is that you have been taught how to think in a "Microsoft world". There is a lot outside that world. Clustered computing is one of them. A bootable distro (ala Knoppix and others) is another.
I am sure when the bootable floppy distro came out, the MCSE's cried "what would I do with THAT?". Then CDRWs came about, and the bootable floppy turned into the bootable CD distro. The MS crowd said "Neat. Big deal." That has now turned into a bootable cluster server. Who knows where it might go from here. At some point, someone at Microsoft will say(or has already said) "Hey, that is cool. Can we do that?". They will try to buy the technology, and will find it can't be done. And they will try to build it from scratch, and there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
I think it was Louis Armstrong, who when asked what Jazz is, said "Man, if you gotta ask, you'll never know." I am afraid that applies here.
Psst. TiVo runs Linux. Pass it on.
OK, based on this, it kind of makes sense. But stating "it uses PXE, DHCP, etc etc" isn't much of an indication on how it works. Based on your (and others) response, it can be explained in a sentence or two. I have been using Linux for 5 years now, and have never heard of PXE. In such a diverse and fast-moving world as OSS, sometimes simple explanations can clear up a world of confusion.
And why was my post modded up as Funny? I don't get it.
CMM is no panacea. It is an indicator of how mature your software development process is - nothing more. If all else is equal, the CMM certified shop will win out. But there is also that killer factor of price. Combine lower price with mature development process, and it is tough to beat.
All of your other concerns are valid concerns, but only one of them can be addressed in this context:
Is it bug free? (meaning does all the specified functionality work as desired?)
While having a mature process doesn't guarantee it is bug free, it can lend a little credibility to the fact. I was going to say that this is a totally unrelated thing, but by proving that you have a solid process in place, you are helping to stomp out bugs earlier in the process. No, it won't eliminate them all, but it isn't intended to.
The other things you mention are valid concerns, but aren't in the context of process. The only thing that having a strong process in place will do is make sure that you can systematically find out some of these issues before it is too late, and you can gather stats to *improve* your process to catch the things that slip through. If you just go about things willy-nilly, you are just fumbling around in the dark. Sometimes that works, most of the time it doesn't. Again, CMM certification isn't the be-all-end-all answer, but it is more than a lot of places have.
"openMosix terminal server" - uses PXE, DHCP and tftp to boot linux clients via the network. No CDrom drive/harddisk/floppy needed for the clients
How do the clients work if no CDrom/HD/Floppy is needed? I am trying to wrap my brain around this one. I get the cluster server idea, but then does the server determine which clients on the network will boot into the cluster? Is it via DHCP? Doesn't there need to be *something* on the client side like a HD/floppy/CDrom so it can boot?
Hmm, seems to me that the Indian tech firms are able to make it just fine by getting programming jobs from ... the US.
I know a lot of programmers kind of resent this, but it isn't just about them being able to program cheaper. Most of these programming shops in India are at CMM level 3 or higher. That means a lot to big compaines. Not only is it cheaper, but these places put out good, reliable software with good documentation (code, results, requirements, design, etc). That stuff matters. I am currently on a team at my company that is trying to get processes in place to get us to CMM level 2. It is hard. People don't like following processes, don't like documenting what they do, they don't like being held accountable for their work. Some of the good companies in India are at CMM level 5, which is no small feat.
So instead of people bitching about India, and how they are stealing our jobs, and how they are just clawing their way out of poverty, maybe we should ask WHY they are able to achieve these things when most companies in the US are not. It kind of reminds me of the Japanese car scare, where people would only "buy American" even though American cars completely sucked. The cheaper, more reliable Japanese cars of the late 70's/early 80's sure woke up the US car industry. Maybe it is time the US softare market woke up.
Godel Escher Bach, The Mind's I, Fluid Concepts and Creating Analogies, or if you are adventurous and don't mind getting headaches from thinking about things, Metamagical Themas.
All his books from Amazon , but I would go to best book buys to find the best prices on them.
My wife has read Le Ton Beau De Marot, and she loved it. She has her masters in French Linguistics, and found this book in the bookstore at the same time that I found Metamagical Themas. We were kind of surprised when we went to check out and found that we had found books by the same author in different sections of the bookstore. Hofstadter is a very smart and interesting guy, and writes some awesome stuff. I think that GEB is a must read.
Bullshit. He hasn't been attacked at all. Some 3rd rate dying company, probably on the puppet strings of a defensive, ego-maniacal monopoly, is making idle threats about how other companyies have incorporated Linus' incredibly popular pet project and infringed on something that they purchased. However, Linus has not been implicated until now, and it was a pretty half-assed implication at that. I have a feeling that Linus is pretty confident in his views on Linux. He doesn't NEED to respond unless he is
a) sued by SCO
b) called into court
Not only that, but a lot of his work is documented via newsgroups and past revisions of the kernel.
At this point in time, what does he have to worry about? What would you like him to do? Issue a press release saying that his work is his own, and doesn't infringe on any patents held by SCO? What? What do you want him to do, issue some kind of diatribe on how IP is stupid, or how SCO is run by a bunch of idiots grasping at straws? What? What would you have him do? How about a counter-suit for mentioning his name and tarnishing his reputation?
Linus is more admirable for not doing anything. Amongst all the uproar, posturing, and name calling, he still remains honorable and wise.
Nope, just fast typing and the fact that I don't watch any Star Trek. I guess it should have been "Picard or Kirk". But to me, that question is just as relevant - it isn't.
What would a jury think? That people who spent 500 hours building up an imaginary character need to be compensated for their loss? I can just see some uber-gamer breaking down and crying on the stand because their elf now has to start from level 50 when it took him 3 straight months of playing 5 hours a day to get to level 55. (or whatever the terminology is) More than that, how are you going to get a jury of this person's peers to try them in court? How do you interview a jury like that? OK, what is your favorite magic spell? Have you ever spent more that 12 hours straight playing a game? Is your BMI over 40? Picard or Shatner?
I am sure the RIAA and the MPAA just dropped a load in their shorts over this statement. As did Microsoft, realizing that their EULA is a contract of sorts.
Of course, the statement is pretty much BS, that that doesn't mean that people won't believe it. And here I thought that a contract was an agreement between parties, not something you "use against parties". Guess that is why I never got an MBA.
This is true. How much money is wasted on movies that nobody sees? I am sure you can download copies of truly bad movies on the internet, yet they aren't bitching about those. You don't see a news story that "Little Nicky" is available on P2P. Actually, that would be MORE of a reasonable arguement, that this movie didn't make any money because it was available for download on the internet. (we know it isn't true, in this case, the at least the argument would make sense.)
But instead, they make the argument against movies that make the MOST money. The Matrix Reloaded had the highest gross opening weekend EVER for an R rated movie. Yet they are bitching that piracy is killing them. The last time I heard a story about how piracy was killing the movie industry was when this little unheard of film called Spider-Man came out. Or was it that other movie that lost millions of dollars called "Lord of the Rings something something"
Doesn't anyone else see the irony here? They are complaining that piracy is ruining their business yet they are still breaking box-office records.
I don't think you can put Linux and MacOS in the same boat here. MS develops software for the Mac, they are not really direct competitors in the OS world. You can't take a Windows box and install MacOS on it. If you could, you would definitely see MS's attitude change towards them as a competitor. They currently don't really exist in the same market, because of the hardware issue. You want a Mac? You have to shell out the $$ to buy one, and effectively switch platforms. Microsoft knows not everyone will do this, and Apple does too. They are comfortable in their arrangement. They need MacOS around to prove that they have competition in the market.
I'd agree with this assessment, but that is their problem. The old adage holds true, " You reap what you sow." Microsoft has built this reputation all by themselves, I don't feel one bit bad for them.
So *that's* why there was a hammerhead shark in my PC case the other day. I wondered how he got in there.
I can see this. A few of my best friends growing up all ended up being engineers. One Civil, and two are Mechanical. I got my degree in CS. Each of them are geeky in their own way, as am I, but we are all different too. I always wanted to learn how to brew beer, but I can live not knowing. One guy only drinks American Light Beer, while the rest of us like all kinds. I am the only one into computers and geeky political issues. One guy was the smartest, and he appreciates word/math puzzles. One guy is into bodybuilding. We have a lot of similarities, but the differences are greater.
We/they are the same as everyone else whether we like it or not. I agree that most of the replies on this subject are complete elitist crap.
I disagree that we are like everyone else. We are all different, which is the point. Sure, there are similarities with other people, same interests and whatnot, but that is where it ends. I don't get into LOTR, but I have a friend who knows it in and out. He doesn't like computers. I hate Star Trek of all flavors, but know people who love it.
While I was reading through some of the "elitest crap" postings, I could see myself or one of my friends in most of them. Others, I couldn't. It is kind of like psychic readings - you hear what you want to hear. Most people will hear the "cool" things and relate them to themselves, and turn the rest off. Funny how you can relate to the guy who says "I just want to get back to nature, I am a geek" but the geek over there will secretly be thinking "I haven't left my house in 10 years". But that link seems to never make it, but "I want to learn how to brew beer" sparks a "me too!" in your brain. You can't classify geeks into a neat little category, just like you can't classify any other group of people into a category.
I am glad someone called "bullshit" on this post, it needed to be said. But it is still fun to talk about all the stuff people are discussing. But it really isn't anything special to geeks.
Most of it is just marketing hoo-hah. I have been looking for those friggin' Freepads for about 3 years now. They went about a year without updating their website, so it is good to see that they have at least done that. And they created some new "product" images, but that is about it.
Seriously, how can some of these be called "products" when in reality they are concepts. The Freepad now says it uses Opera and Bluetooth, which really just means that they have "upgraded" their marketing materials.
And their motto is something like "the leader in mobile internet access devices" or some such BS. I would go check to see the exact wording, but it would just piss me off more that they aren't a real product.
Odd that you would, in a way, demean the jargon file because of the word "jargon", give a standard dictionary definition of "jargon", then argue that the meaning of words need to be able to change!
Believe me, I understand the importance of language - I am married to a woman who got her masters in French linguistics. I get lessons all the time on the Latin origin of words, how words have changed over time, etc etc. While it is OK to accept the change of words, it is also OK to fight to retain the meaning of some words. You can argue that people misuse their/there/they're or your/you're all the time, and that's OK because you can figure out what they mean. But I will continue to cringe every time I see it because it is quite simply wrong.
I think there is a difference between a word naturally progressing or evolving (like the word fax) as opposed to something that changes because of misuse. (hacker being one of those) Allowing the media and/or corporations to force the evolution of our language is a terrible thing to let happen. They are able to coin phrases and ramrod them down our throats until we have no choice but to accept them. "Intellectual Property" springs to mind.
Just because the President of the United States mispronounces nuclear doesn't make it right.
Well, was it more of a waste of time than playing some online game for 6 hours straight? Ever done that?
While the outcome proves that there was no real increase, it was a worthy test. Would I have done it? No way. Was it a waste of time? Maybe, but was it a worthwhile waste of time, compared to other things? Probably. But the guy was right, until he tried it, the results were unknown. Well, you could argue that it is a pretty obvious conclusion, but I would rather people try something like this than stick some neon lights in a PC case and think they are engineers. This is at least based in engineering, and isn't just fluff. Is the story worthy of being posted on Slashdot? Come on, is any story really "worthy" of being posted here? :-)
Because they are hackers. Why did he use that term? Well, he did write the book on it, so to speak.
I am really saddened at the weak constitutions of most people today, even in the tech community. Everyone has a "why not conform?" attitude. What ever happened to actually having beliefs in something and standing up for it? Everyone derides ESR and RMS because they stick by what they believe in. Even if you don't agree with them, why do you feel that they need to change their stance? Why does everyone need to have the same opinion on things?
Even though I haven't seen it yet, I have seen this quote from the Matrix Reloaded:
Lock: Not everyone has the same beliefs as you do.
Morpheus: My beliefs do not require them to.
ESR, RMS, and others HAVE beliefs in things - what do you believe in?
That being said, the US is also the major reason why it is becoming so fucked up. If the US has such a huge influence on the net, then perhaps a majority of it will essentially be killed off by corporatism. But I think the rest of the world sees the value in the internet as it is (or was) and will hopefully not follow the same path of self-destruction.
Maybe our corporate-whore government will ruin it for us, but hopefully the rest of the world won't that that happen to them. At least then I'll have someplace to move when the time comes.
Instead of writing things from scratch, they can take existing OSS code and tweak it. It could also be a cost saving measure, since tweaking code is cheaper than starting a project from scratch. They don't necessarily have to release it back to the world if their modifications are just for "in-house" software.