There aren't any Windows InstallFests because consumers aren't given the option. It's there already. A Linux InstallFest is fun, because you're showing something new and better to people who, perhaps, never even knew it existed.
Whilst we've been organising it, there's been a joke running around that we shouldn't call it an InstallFest, we should call it a SubvertTheDominantParadigmFest - because we're doing more than just "installing Linux".
If you don't get the word out, and get people interested, you may as well be scratching your navel coding for it.:)
I'm one of the organisers of IF2K (InstallFest 2000), and I really like your idea. Perhaps we'll hand out copies of the One Page Linux Manual at all the fests...
Berlin is not a window manager, it's a windowing system. Berlin won't replace Sawfish, lwm, or even enlightenment. It will make them - initially - irrelevant.
Berlin is here to replace X, and that's a very, very good thing.
Some technologies have been surprisingly long lasting. X is good, but it's not one of them.
It's moderated as +3 Funny as I write this reply, but the post is actually a very valid question.
I'm interested to hear what RMS would choose to ask himself, what he feels is an important issue aspect of his contribution to our community that we may have overlooked, or net yet been exposed to. What a devilishly elegant way to get inside RMS's mind!
The answer of a "question and answer" would tell us plenty more than a simple answer alone.
I believe they are truly evil. They're giving capitalism a bad name, and I hate that.
No, you're idealising capitalism. They have no need to care about my needs whatsoever. They simply care about my purchasing practices. Capitalism is about numbers and money - nothing else. They are not giving capitalism a bad name by being unscrupulous... That's part of the game.
But what has to be admitted is that to a large degree and for a long time, it has *worked*. I would contend that the biggest reason all those artists can only distribute via MP3 (ie: they can't get a contract) is that they're music SUCKS.
I guess it depends on your understanding of what "works". I regard the music that most RIAA affiiated labels put out as manufactured crap, so no, it doesn't work for me.
Labels are not there to provide you with listening pleasure. They are there to manufacture music and "artists" which will suit your demographic, influence your purchasing choices and make sure you do business with them. They don't do that by producing "good music", they do it by producing "listenable and marketable" (what I would call) tripe.
Not everyone can get a contract nor needs one. Labels will only fund so much, and only if it's in their monetary interest. By getting out on your own and making some noise, you can get yourself some fans, and some leverage for a record deal. This is the ideal situation, where labels are used primarily for their distribution power.
Check out an Australia band called The Whitlams, who stayed very independent for a long time, built up a loyal fan base, and then went label shopping. It's an interesting story because they couldn't be bought out by the labels... THEY had the power in their dealings, and the labels were afraid of that. Most cases, labels simly use artists, in this case, it was the artists using the label.
If you're happy with the target marketed crap you're being dished out, by all means believe what you do. If you want artists to be able to get out from under the suffocating lump that record labels have put on the industry, support OTHER MEANS OF HEARING THESE ARTISTS AND LETTING THEM BE HEARD.
On the same page, you'll find a link to Playboy's "next-gen sexual experience" article, describing Everyman's next fantasy (once we're bored of hot tubs, silicon and bisexuality of course).
Sorry to Slashdot readers however, because the aliens aren't interested in humans in our IQ range.
There aren't many examples of Libertarian governments, no. But then, you don't need to be a government to "commit evil" in the name of a given ideology. I have to say that I'm very much against the nature of Libertarianism, in that it looks to empower a single person, rather than a group - a community.
The offshoot of this, I believe, is what we've been seeing grow and grow since the seventies: The mega-corporation and it's power over spineless government. Disempowering government disempowers me, regardless of anyone's spook theories. Ultimately, if government isn't working in the interests of the people, then it's not doing its job.
I laugh whenever I hear someone telling me that their government is "out to get everyone and that they're all-powerful" out of one side of their mouth, whilst trupeting the "goodness at the heart of their country, their liberty and their race" out the other.
If you don't trust your government, boot them out. You can't do that - even through boycotting and FUD - to a multi-national corporation with its fingers in everyone's pie.
For a start, Australia is not a Communist country. I've no idea where you got that idea from - oh, and kangaroos aren't fed in the street either...
Secondly, who said that knowing Communism was evil equated to "enlightenment"? I would argue that considering Communism itself to be evil is highly ignorant. Certainly, evil acts have been committed in the name of Communism, but then, evil acts have been committed in the name of Christianity, Judaism, Capitalism, Socialism, Antiquarianism and Libertarianism too.
Note that I chose to embolden the word "name". You can argue all you want about "evil" acts being representative of a movement, but when those acts are committed in the name of the movement, as opposed to the spirit of the movement, your argument holds no water.
Remember, that whatever you've been taught, or whatever you've chosen to learn, the ideals of totalitarianism and the ideals of Communism are on absolute opposite sides of the track. Communism != Totalitarianism.
Do you believe a man is good, simply because he says so? Conversely, do you believe a man is evil, simply because another says so?
Think on that... and think about what your educational system would teach... or is that preach?
I'm sorry to say this, but as much as I like GNOME, I think you've used the single worst example of "consistency" and "usability" in GNOME as it currently stands.
Although there are huge benefits in having evey configuration item accessible from the one window (ala GNOME and Netscape, as opposed to Windows & Mac Control Panels), I think it's massively counter intuitive to provide "try", "ok", "cancel" buttons for each separate entity and *especially* when you have to colourise the ones that haven't been confirmed... I really recommend a look at the new Mozilla config panel - very slick, thanks to the work of Ben Goodger.
For those of you who are more understanding of the legal system in the US:
What are Microsoft's lawyers allowed to say beyond the trial? It wouldn't surprise me if they felt that Microsoft ballsed up what could have been a reasonably good case by obfuscating, avoidance and plain 'n' simple lying.
Can they say anything close to libelous? Assuming they didn't care for the business (which, looking at the string of cases ahead for Microsoft, I doubt), would they be able to come out on the steps and tell us Bill buggered it for himself?
I'm sure there's a few interesting books being written about this case even so...:)
However, "properly used", poetic licence allows you to the bend rules or conventions of writing for effect.:P
My point was that the philosophy lecturer in question says "fillum" instead of "film" - he likes to make himself sound... well, archaic. Don't tell him I said that though: My grades don't need the heat!:)
Last year, my Epistemology 1001 lecturer walked into the lecture theatre and (in his usual style) began his rant with no introduction, or waiting for everyone to shut up. It went kind of like this:
"I went and saw a fillum (sic) this weekend. Some of you boys might be familiar with it. Actually, there's a "cute" boy in it as well, so you girls may have heard of it too. It's called the Matrix. My personal opinion on the matter is that it was utter crap. However! HOW EVER! My professional opinion on the matter is that in under two hours, this film summarises the entire Epistemology 1001 course. Luckily for you, there are also exploding helicopters and computer graphics. Luckily for me, my partner has invited me to a game of golf. Thank you all for coming, I'll see you next week."
He then proceeded to leave the entire lecture theatre of students, mouths wide open, a minute and a half after coming in.
Half of us went striaght over to the cinemas and saw The Matrix!:)
When I first read the Viridian Design Speech - ages ago - it really amused me. It made me consider what could happen in the great two-triple-zero, what the reactions would be, and where we would head.
Without all the jingoistic bullshi*t we hear from our TV's day-in-day-out now that we've tripped over the threshold, Sterling described a great idea, a *caustic* idea. Not only did he envisage a startling about-face, but he set out, point-by-point, how to get there, deftly using the uglier properties of the reigning ideology to his concept's advantage.
He's definitely not a doofus, as others of you have implied. A humorous proof of his ability to understand the "human condition" - even predict it - stared blankly at me during my morning meeting: my boss. She desperately wanted to know what the next "hip, with-it and on the culture beat" things were. "RIGHT NOW. Millennium over: January sales figures loom." Yes, that's a quote.
At the end of his charming and enlightening 1998 treatise, he says:
There's one final thing art movements don't have. Lucky Feature Fourteen. They don't have a beta pre-release. That's why I have one. Real zealots ship, you see? Our first pilot project, our first official rollout, is a Viridian Manifesto for January 3, 2000.
But you know what? Where the first Viridian speech had vitality, charm, wit and perspective, this Manifesto is sadly lacking. Although I don't like to hear the condescending tattling of "Bruce Sterling and his Markov Chain Manifesto" (especially under the guise of incoherent anti-spelling), I'm disappointed in the tone, the lack of resolve. But more than that, it feels like forced... (and I hate to say it) jingoism:
Freedom has to be won, and, more importantly, the consequences of freedom have to be lived.
Ivory towers are no longer in order. We need ivory networks.
Still, I enjoy reading the Viridian Design Speech fairly regularly, and I hope the concept can return to that high again. To "turn the lamps on all over the world," we're going to need a crusher of a manifesto.
Funnily enough, I think this would be rather symbolic of the Australia-related stories on Slashdot. We don't even say shrimp - we say prawn... The shrimp on the barbie icon would be an ironic play on the fact that we are so misrepresented overseas - and our government only exacerbates the situation.
I don't know a single person who agrees with any of our recent technology legislation. That includes people who don't have a huge understanding of the ramifications of the changes made. Most of it was put through for the benefit of other bills - mostly related to the current conservative government's tax scheme.
Sadly, most of the media focus on government decisions in the previous few months has been focussed on the republic issue. Even then we were caught with our pants down.
There is only on party in Australia who have any idea of the importance of our technology sector: the Australian Democrats. At the last election, they were essentially given control of senate decisions on partisan issues.
Surely the "must have feature" of the 5th generation browsers is standards compliance...
Oh, so IE5 isn't standards compliant? How surprising...
Surely the "must have feature" of the 6th generation browsers is standards compliance...
Seriously though, Mozilla will be very nice, and it *will* be standards compliant. Check out the pre-M12 ("are we alpha?" being the big question...) nightly builds for a kick - they really, really rock.
If I gotta wait for my 100% standards compliant browser, two months aren't going to phase me. Especially in the face of such good work from the Mozilla team.
Just for some fun, check out the IE4.5 promotional flash animations on the MS-for-Macs site... Featuring ZipIE and zOE - crusading against the most pathetic impersonations of Internet kludge. Laugh at MS desperately trying to appeal to with-it Maccers...
My 65 year old pointy-haired boss had his eyes corrected using laser surgery here in Australia.
It was pretty expensive, but the results were incredible - one week with glasses, the next... *GONE*
He used to wear just under a centimetre thick glasses (and no, I'm not exagerrating, they looked about that). One Friday he went into surgery, having been told that everything would be a little blurry for a couple of days. On Monday, he was fine! He just said that it was lucky he did it before the weekend, because he couldn't have worked otherwise.
So, yeah... It works. He now doesn't need his glasses for most things, and he's getting weak ones for important stuff like driving (and using the 12" monitor he insists on keeping on his desk!) - and this is a guy who's been wearing glasses for the better part of forty years!
Just think about the amount of time we've spent imagining all the incredible vistas brought by this mystical, fascinating secret!
I know I'm intrigued - incredibly intrigued. Surely Tom Waits is too - "What's he doing in there? What's he building in there?"
But for all out time spent, we've only got something to gain - what about Intel? Surely they've been trying to get in on the secret? Maybe they already know. I'd hate to be either them or TransMeta at the moment, one trying to squeeze in and the other trying to shut everyone out. Paranoia mania.
Let's just hope TransMeta aren't developing yet another browser or auction site, eh?
Some people think going to university is all about the sex (cf: American Pie).
Not me. I'm at uni for the Unix. Sex was easy enough to find at high school, but not Unix. No, I was deprived.
When I started, there was a room of BBCs (*SAY THESE THINGS TALK?) and a room of Mac Classics. Soon enough we had a room of Wintels and thankfully (looking back on it), the Macs were upgraded too.
Currently sitting at a Win2K machine and a RH6 486, I'm thinking of how I was blinded, beaten and tortured by MS for all these years. I've set up various computer systems in the bookshops I've worked at... WinNT4 machines mostly, IIS, ASP and the rest. Sure, it was easy... but I didn't learn much. Certainly nothing out of the WinNT playpen.
If it weren't for university, I would never have seen a real OS (well, I did play with Linux back in the old thirty disk Slackware instal days, but mostly for the "ooh, it doesn't say C:\> !" kicks).
Ever. Until the last year, other operating systems have been just too easy to miss - or dismiss.
Convert me. Take of my sins and wash them from me. I wanna ba a Linux guru.
I think we miss a big point in these arguments when we compare the *ideal* of communism to the reality. Most dicussions involving communism that I get into end up along the lines of,
a) "Communism is evil, cf: Russia, Stalin, Cuba"
b) "Communism is impossible, cf: The Former USSR, Cuba, China, human nature."
c) "Communism is unnatural, like sodomy and oral sex" (this one I won't even go into...)
But hold on - aren't all these examples the result of an abuse of power? What people are referring to in these cases is not a failure of the ideal of communism, but a failure of the implementation of it - one reason why I think Marxism leaves a lot to be desired. You can't change people's philosophy by kicking them in the pants.
I'm not fond of the idea that capitalism *is* "human nature", and I'm sure many of you share that opinion - which is why I think the OSS movement has such wonderful anti-capitalist propensities.
If you don't share that opinion, and believe capitalism is the be-all and end-all of human freedom (and that OSS is simply an extension of that freedom), think carefully:
Under capitalism, how can the freedoms of the community be reconciled by the overpowering freedom of the individual? Can they?
This doesn't disappoint me too much - gif was way outdated as it is.
Hold on? Perhaps they ARE being nice to us after all - I mean, it takes so long to get old deprecated crap out of the worlds computers (Win3.1, etc) - maybe this is the fast track way out of the whole "backwards compatibility" bind.
Slashdot Mirror
Some things change, some stay the same: I just erased my pr0n collection to compile 2.4.0-test3. There's always something you never have enough of.
Now I need more bandwidth to get my pr0n back... ;)
There aren't any Windows InstallFests because consumers aren't given the option. It's there already. A Linux InstallFest is fun, because you're showing something new and better to people who, perhaps, never even knew it existed.
:)
Whilst we've been organising it, there's been a joke running around that we shouldn't call it an InstallFest, we should call it a SubvertTheDominantParadigmFest - because we're doing more than just "installing Linux".
If you don't get the word out, and get people interested, you may as well be scratching your navel coding for it.
Hey there,
I'm one of the organisers of IF2K (InstallFest 2000), and I really like your idea. Perhaps we'll hand out copies of the One Page Linux Manual at all the fests...
Thanks heaps!
A few words of `enlightenment' so to speak:
Berlin is not a window manager, it's a windowing system. Berlin won't replace Sawfish, lwm, or even enlightenment. It will make them - initially - irrelevant.
Berlin is here to replace X, and that's a very, very good thing.
Some technologies have been surprisingly long lasting. X is good, but it's not one of them.
It's moderated as +3 Funny as I write this reply, but the post is actually a very valid question.
I'm interested to hear what RMS would choose to ask himself, what he feels is an important issue aspect of his contribution to our community that we may have overlooked, or net yet been exposed to. What a devilishly elegant way to get inside RMS's mind!
The answer of a "question and answer" would tell us plenty more than a simple answer alone.
Good call!
Well... He should've read Cogs Complete then, shouldn't he?
Silly Babbage.
If you haven't tried... try cluetrain.org with the Ask Jesus filter. Guaranteed laughs all 'round.
I believe they are truly evil. They're giving capitalism a bad name, and I hate that.
No, you're idealising capitalism. They have no need to care about my needs whatsoever. They simply care about my purchasing practices. Capitalism is about numbers and money - nothing else. They are not giving capitalism a bad name by being unscrupulous... That's part of the game.
But what has to be admitted is that to a large degree and for a long time, it has *worked*. I would contend that the biggest reason all those artists can only distribute via MP3 (ie: they can't get a contract) is that they're music SUCKS.
I guess it depends on your understanding of what "works". I regard the music that most RIAA affiiated labels put out as manufactured crap, so no, it doesn't work for me.
Labels are not there to provide you with listening pleasure. They are there to manufacture music and "artists" which will suit your demographic, influence your purchasing choices and make sure you do business with them. They don't do that by producing "good music", they do it by producing "listenable and marketable" (what I would call) tripe.
Not everyone can get a contract nor needs one. Labels will only fund so much, and only if it's in their monetary interest. By getting out on your own and making some noise, you can get yourself some fans, and some leverage for a record deal. This is the ideal situation, where labels are used primarily for their distribution power.
Check out an Australia band called The Whitlams, who stayed very independent for a long time, built up a loyal fan base, and then went label shopping. It's an interesting story because they couldn't be bought out by the labels... THEY had the power in their dealings, and the labels were afraid of that. Most cases, labels simly use artists, in this case, it was the artists using the label.
If you're happy with the target marketed crap you're being dished out, by all means believe what you do. If you want artists to be able to get out from under the suffocating lump that record labels have put on the industry, support OTHER MEANS OF HEARING THESE ARTISTS AND LETTING THEM BE HEARD.
On the same page, you'll find a link to Playboy's "next-gen sexual experience" article, describing Everyman's next fantasy (once we're bored of hot tubs, silicon and bisexuality of course).
Sorry to Slashdot readers however, because the aliens aren't interested in humans in our IQ range.
We'll make great PETs.
There aren't many examples of Libertarian governments, no. But then, you don't need to be a government to "commit evil" in the name of a given ideology. I have to say that I'm very much against the nature of Libertarianism, in that it looks to empower a single person, rather than a group - a community.
The offshoot of this, I believe, is what we've been seeing grow and grow since the seventies: The mega-corporation and it's power over spineless government. Disempowering government disempowers me, regardless of anyone's spook theories. Ultimately, if government isn't working in the interests of the people, then it's not doing its job.
I laugh whenever I hear someone telling me that their government is "out to get everyone and that they're all-powerful" out of one side of their mouth, whilst trupeting the "goodness at the heart of their country, their liberty and their race" out the other.
If you don't trust your government, boot them out. You can't do that - even through boycotting and FUD - to a multi-national corporation with its fingers in everyone's pie.
YIKES! Get a clue, my American friend!
For a start, Australia is not a Communist country. I've no idea where you got that idea from - oh, and kangaroos aren't fed in the street either...
Secondly, who said that knowing Communism was evil equated to "enlightenment"? I would argue that considering Communism itself to be evil is highly ignorant. Certainly, evil acts have been committed in the name of Communism, but then, evil acts have been committed in the name of Christianity, Judaism, Capitalism, Socialism, Antiquarianism and Libertarianism too.
Note that I chose to embolden the word "name". You can argue all you want about "evil" acts being representative of a movement, but when those acts are committed in the name of the movement, as opposed to the spirit of the movement, your argument holds no water.
Remember, that whatever you've been taught, or whatever you've chosen to learn, the ideals of totalitarianism and the ideals of Communism are on absolute opposite sides of the track. Communism != Totalitarianism.
Do you believe a man is good, simply because he says so? Conversely, do you believe a man is evil, simply because another says so?
Think on that... and think about what your educational system would teach... or is that preach?
Congratulations Rob, Hemos, Nate and the rest of the gang... The code is now everyone's, but the perspective, as always, is all yours.
And that's what Slashdot means to me.
I'm sorry to say this, but as much as I like GNOME, I think you've used the single worst example of "consistency" and "usability" in GNOME as it currently stands.
Although there are huge benefits in having evey configuration item accessible from the one window (ala GNOME and Netscape, as opposed to Windows & Mac Control Panels), I think it's massively counter intuitive to provide "try", "ok", "cancel" buttons for each separate entity and *especially* when you have to colourise the ones that haven't been confirmed... I really recommend a look at the new Mozilla config panel - very slick, thanks to the work of Ben Goodger.
For those of you who are more understanding of the legal system in the US:
:)
What are Microsoft's lawyers allowed to say beyond the trial? It wouldn't surprise me if they felt that Microsoft ballsed up what could have been a reasonably good case by obfuscating, avoidance and plain 'n' simple lying.
Can they say anything close to libelous? Assuming they didn't care for the business (which, looking at the string of cases ahead for Microsoft, I doubt), would they be able to come out on the steps and tell us Bill buggered it for himself?
I'm sure there's a few interesting books being written about this case even so...
Quite.
:P
:)
However, "properly used", poetic licence allows you to the bend rules or conventions of writing for effect.
My point was that the philosophy lecturer in question says "fillum" instead of "film" - he likes to make himself sound... well, archaic. Don't tell him I said that though: My grades don't need the heat!
He then proceeded to leave the entire lecture theatre of students, mouths wide open, a minute and a half after coming in.
Half of us went striaght over to the cinemas and saw The Matrix!
Without all the jingoistic bullshi*t we hear from our TV's day-in-day-out now that we've tripped over the threshold, Sterling described a great idea, a *caustic* idea. Not only did he envisage a startling about-face, but he set out, point-by-point, how to get there, deftly using the uglier properties of the reigning ideology to his concept's advantage.
He's definitely not a doofus, as others of you have implied. A humorous proof of his ability to understand the "human condition" - even predict it - stared blankly at me during my morning meeting: my boss. She desperately wanted to know what the next "hip, with-it and on the culture beat" things were. "RIGHT NOW. Millennium over: January sales figures loom." Yes, that's a quote.
At the end of his charming and enlightening 1998 treatise, he says: But you know what? Where the first Viridian speech had vitality, charm, wit and perspective, this Manifesto is sadly lacking. Although I don't like to hear the condescending tattling of "Bruce Sterling and his Markov Chain Manifesto" (especially under the guise of incoherent anti-spelling), I'm disappointed in the tone, the lack of resolve. But more than that, it feels like forced... (and I hate to say it) jingoism: Still, I enjoy reading the Viridian Design Speech fairly regularly, and I hope the concept can return to that high again. To "turn the lamps on all over the world," we're going to need a crusher of a manifesto.
Please! A "shrimp" on the barbie!
Funnily enough, I think this would be rather symbolic of the Australia-related stories on Slashdot. We don't even say shrimp - we say prawn... The shrimp on the barbie icon would be an ironic play on the fact that we are so misrepresented overseas - and our government only exacerbates the situation.
I don't know a single person who agrees with any of our recent technology legislation. That includes people who don't have a huge understanding of the ramifications of the changes made. Most of it was put through for the benefit of other bills - mostly related to the current conservative government's tax scheme.
Sadly, most of the media focus on government decisions in the previous few months has been focussed on the republic issue. Even then we were caught with our pants down.
There is only on party in Australia who have any idea of the importance of our technology sector: the Australian Democrats. At the last election, they were essentially given control of senate decisions on partisan issues.
There is hope...
Surely the "must have feature" of the 5th generation browsers is standards compliance...
Oh, so IE5 isn't standards compliant? How surprising...
Surely the "must have feature" of the 6th generation browsers is standards compliance...
Seriously though, Mozilla will be very nice, and it *will* be standards compliant. Check out the pre-M12 ("are we alpha?" being the big question...) nightly builds for a kick - they really, really rock.
If I gotta wait for my 100% standards compliant browser, two months aren't going to phase me. Especially in the face of such good work from the Mozilla team.
Just for some fun, check out the IE4.5 promotional flash animations on the MS-for-Macs site... Featuring ZipIE and zOE - crusading against the most pathetic impersonations of Internet kludge. Laugh at MS desperately trying to appeal to with-it Maccers...
I was of the understanding that by accepting the Slashdot EULA, that "when in doubt", one should blame CowboyNeal...
Perhaps I'm just going off half-cocked. Certainly not a full 18".
My 65 year old pointy-haired boss had his eyes corrected using laser surgery here in Australia.
It was pretty expensive, but the results were incredible - one week with glasses, the next... *GONE*
He used to wear just under a centimetre thick glasses (and no, I'm not exagerrating, they looked about that). One Friday he went into surgery, having been told that everything would be a little blurry for a couple of days. On Monday, he was fine! He just said that it was lucky he did it before the weekend, because he couldn't have worked otherwise.
So, yeah... It works. He now doesn't need his glasses for most things, and he's getting weak ones for important stuff like driving (and using the 12" monitor he insists on keeping on his desk!) - and this is a guy who's been wearing glasses for the better part of forty years!
Just think about the amount of time we've spent imagining all the incredible vistas brought by this mystical, fascinating secret!
I know I'm intrigued - incredibly intrigued. Surely Tom Waits is too - "What's he doing in there? What's he building in there?"
But for all out time spent, we've only got something to gain - what about Intel? Surely they've been trying to get in on the secret? Maybe they already know. I'd hate to be either them or TransMeta at the moment, one trying to squeeze in and the other trying to shut everyone out. Paranoia mania.
Let's just hope TransMeta aren't developing yet another browser or auction site, eh?
Some people think going to university is all about the sex (cf: American Pie).
Not me. I'm at uni for the Unix. Sex was easy enough to find at high school, but not Unix. No, I was deprived.
When I started, there was a room of BBCs (*SAY THESE THINGS TALK?) and a room of Mac Classics. Soon enough we had a room of Wintels and thankfully (looking back on it), the Macs were upgraded too.
Currently sitting at a Win2K machine and a RH6 486, I'm thinking of how I was blinded, beaten and tortured by MS for all these years. I've set up various computer systems in the bookshops I've worked at... WinNT4 machines mostly, IIS, ASP and the rest. Sure, it was easy... but I didn't learn much. Certainly nothing out of the WinNT playpen.
If it weren't for university, I would never have seen a real OS (well, I did play with Linux back in the old thirty disk Slackware instal days, but mostly for the "ooh, it doesn't say C:\> !" kicks).
Ever. Until the last year, other operating systems have been just too easy to miss - or dismiss.
Convert me. Take of my sins and wash them from me. I wanna ba a Linux guru.
I think we miss a big point in these arguments when we compare the *ideal* of communism to the reality. Most dicussions involving communism that I get into end up along the lines of,
a) "Communism is evil, cf: Russia, Stalin, Cuba"
b) "Communism is impossible, cf: The Former USSR, Cuba, China, human nature."
c) "Communism is unnatural, like sodomy and oral sex" (this one I won't even go into...)
But hold on - aren't all these examples the result of an abuse of power? What people are referring to in these cases is not a failure of the ideal of communism, but a failure of the implementation of it - one reason why I think Marxism leaves a lot to be desired. You can't change people's philosophy by kicking them in the pants.
I'm not fond of the idea that capitalism *is* "human nature", and I'm sure many of you share that opinion - which is why I think the OSS movement has such wonderful anti-capitalist propensities.
If you don't share that opinion, and believe capitalism is the be-all and end-all of human freedom (and that OSS is simply an extension of that freedom), think carefully:
Under capitalism, how can the freedoms of the community be reconciled by the overpowering freedom of the individual? Can they?
I wager not.
This doesn't disappoint me too much - gif was way outdated as it is.
Hold on? Perhaps they ARE being nice to us after all - I mean, it takes so long to get old deprecated crap out of the worlds computers (Win3.1, etc) - maybe this is the fast track way out of the whole "backwards compatibility" bind.
UPGRADE OR I'LL SUE!!!
Hell, that'll work for me!