The article is a lot more reasonable than the slashdot quote. It doesn't really sound like a ripoff of BG:DA/KOTOR, although it is using the same engine as BG:DA. But that's the thing that bugs me. The Baldur's Gate engine, which looks really beautiful on TV, apparently is crap on the PC. Look at the screenshots that go with the article. The main character stands in a forest of what? Green vomit? Horribly pixellated tiles? That engine needs some TLC, or the tilesets do.
What this experiment will have to do is prove that Linux can do it for less money and be more efficient than proprietary solutions such as Windows.
Huh? Wasn't the final quote from Microsoft much, much less money than the Linux quote? I thought from the start that they took the more expensive choice because it was the better choice. If in order to be successful it must now "prove that Linux can do it for less money" then we've doomed ourselves to failure from the start.
I don't buy it. The site says they got their information from IBM. That runs totally counter to IMB's don't-talk-to-the-press rule. It looks to me like an attempt to spread bad information, pin the blame on IBM, and tarnish them.
I'd love to be wrong, though. The idea of SCO writing a virus against itself for PR purposes is almost too funny. I'd imagine a company or two might sue SCO to cover wages spent doing MyDoom cleanup. Ha ha. That would make my heart feel soooo good.
I'm impressed enough with Debian that I intend to install it on 50 desktops at work, if only I can convince management of the benefits of doing so.
That would make your company a nice place to work. Probably not a selling point for management, but if were looking for work, that's the kind of place I'd be attracted to.
Also, why does everyone ignore Firebird (the database)?
Firebird was born when Borland open-sourced their database product. I worked at Borland for a number of years. You would think I would be its biggest advocate, rather than giving quotes to promote a non-ACID competitor. But let me tell you why I, and possibly other people, haven't embraced Firebird-the-database. First, having worked at Borland, I saw some of its problems up close & personal. We tried to move borland.com to a database-backed site at one point, and our own product couldn't keep up with the load. Of course, this was 1998, so it's old news. Someone at the company, whose name I wish I could remember, eventually built a smart little system that would pre-generate every possible combination of db-built pages, and pre-load our server with hundreds of thousands of static HTML files. This worked, as the database never took any direct hits, and only had to rebuild the pages at midnight each night. However, since I had just come off a bad experience with IntraBuilder (now cancelled, partly thanks to me & Chris Malatesta trying to use it on borland.com, and watching it crash & burn), I was really wary, and felt that the database was a big compromise.
In addition, the database at the time had a number of bad limitations. One was that, even after deleting records, the database size would grow. We had a customer that wanted to create and delete about a million records a day, but after a month, the database size looked like it housed 30 million records, not 1 million. I initially just assumed that the indexes were not properly maintained, but since Borland eventually lost the customer, I assume a simple regen of the indexes didn't fix it. And of course, as most of us know, after the database was open-sourced, a pretty severe exploit was found, and it existed in all or nearly all versions, including the proprietary ones. That the open-source guys found the exploit and repaired it is a testament to OSS. And as further testament, I just assume that they've tightened up the code now to the point that every previous complaint or concern I've had is moot.
So what's the problem? Well, in the last 6 years, I've left Borland, and found better databases (IMHO) in MySQL and PostgreSQL. MySQL had a reputation for being very basic, but very fast without a lot of tuning, and very easy, and very reliable. PostgreSQL had a reputation for being (nearly) as feature-complete as Oracle. Over the last few years, I've simply defaulted to them -- they're what I know, they're what I use, they work, and I've not had a reason to look elsewhere. And I think that's Firebird's problem: the bulk of Web people have already been in the business for a while, and already grown accustomed to other databases. It's inertia.
To solve this, one of the only things I can think of would be an anti-MySQL campaign, where you clearly outlined MySQL's silent error problem. It's the only problem I've had with MySQL -- this scenario where it doesn't process the request properly, and silently discards it or picks some (never quite right) defaults. I'm currently getting this with some date fields, where it helpfully inserts an unexpected 0000-00-00 date. If someone documented all those issues, and explained them simply, and showed better alternatives, it might open up people's minds. Of course, in my case, I'm enough of a MySQL fan that I'd rather just wait for Monty & others to improve their product. But I'm sure some people could be encouraged to reconsider their loyalties. And until they do, Firebird could be better but still have no mindshare.
I wonder if there are any Linux mad advertising zealots with deep pockets to get some ads on those sites, and to generally kick up a stink and get us lots more stories in the papers and magazines.
I registered linuxmarketing.com a couple weeks ago. My intention is to eventually have press kits, logos, backgrounders, banners, and small button images available for download. I also hope to have a small store with Tux merchandise to help pay for the site, and cover ad costs to promote Linux. But it's slow going. I don't really have "deep pockets" so I do things piecemeal as I have time or a spare $100. But this should do some of what you want. I don't know how quickly it will come online. My respectthepublicdomain.org Web site was online within a day or two of the MPAA launching respectcopyrights.org, but linuxmarketing.com is a LOT bigger project. We'll see.
If you can get a copy of SuSE 7.3 Professional, it comes with IBM's ViaVoice for Linux. It can take audio and turn it into text. The trick is that 7.3 came out about 2 years ago, I think. Most stores would have the newer 9.0 version, which doesn't have ViaVoice.
I guess it is possible that IBM still sells ViaVoice for newer distros. I've never looked.
X:
1) Highlight text-to-be-replaced
2) Delete text-to-be-replaced
3) Highlight new text
4) Delete new text
5) Paste new text
I think you've just unknowingly illustrated MY pet peeve with the X system for copy/paste. That is, step 1 MUST be done before step 3. This doesn't reflect my normal thinking -- If I want to copy/paste, I first get the text I want and then I go to highlight the text I want to delete. The problem, of course, is that the system wipes out the text I want when I highlight the text to delete. This system is fragile, easily breakable. Your alternative proposal is stronger. The Mac and Windows methods are stronger, too.
They're finding that what Microsoft has said about Word is true in general
Hmm. You talk about Word as it were a problem for them, but the article you linked to didn't mention Word at all. I'm sure you were just extrapolating.
Anyway, I do agree with something your comment sort-of implied -- that Linux is having trouble on the desktop already, and it may be too soon for more deployments. Of course, it's been "too soon" for a few years now, and Linux fans keep pushing forward anyway. Personally, I'm starting to wonder what our niche is going to be. Can we be happy with 50% of the population using Linux, or do we have to push for Microsoft-like levels of domination? Apple went for creative/artistic types and seems to be doing OK with 5% of the market. Can we willingly limit our "elevator pitch" when we share our interests with friends & coworkers? For me, I talk about Linux as "good for power users." Need a server? OK. Need a high-end desktop that isn't consumer-ific? OK. Looking to buy products at Best Buy, install with a click, play lots of games, and expect your MS Office clone to be an exact perfect copy? Uh, maybe Windows is best there.
I have refused to put Linux on my dad's computers, even though he has asked. He's not a power user, and I'm not willing to babysit him through every new peripheral installation he tries, package management, kernel recompile, etc. At some point, he may be as skilled with newsgroups and Google searches as he is with reading stock charts, and when that happens, I'll feel that he can find solutions when he gets stuck. But for now, he's better off with Windows. Wouldn't our successes be more sure if we sold/hyped Linux/BSD/OSS more realisticly? Maybe then these articles ("Oops! It's harder for Munich to migrate than they expected!") would happen less.
I would like to thank you for causing me to laugh so loudly and uncontrollably at work that my boss came by to see what was the matter, and immediately noticed that I was not doing anything even remotely work-related. Well, at least now I get to do all the not-work-related stuff I want.
A robot probe to a minor moon nobody's heard of? That isn't gonna help get Dubya re-elected.
Well, you have a point, however sarcastic. But there is one reason for going to Europa: there appears to be water, or at least some sort of ice-cube-cocktail, under its frozen surface. That water provides great hope to many scientists that Europa has the best chance of hosting life outside our planet. Of course, the life would likely be similar to what exists in our own ice-slush waters -- super-tiny organisms and perhaps a few tube-worms near a vent in the ocean floor. Personally, I find even the idea of a tube-worm to be ridiculous (does Europa even have an ocean floor?), but microscopic organisms seem plausible to me.
So the question is: does the President of the United States want to be known for taking a safe bet of scientific progress with a trip to Mars, or known for taking a risk to discover life outside our planet? It appears he already chose the safe bet. Can't say I blame him, even though I would choose differently.
I'm sure Governor "jobs jobs jobs" Arnold must just be thrilled with Carly's comments. It'll totally help the California economy to have our own citizens acting with such disloyalty.
I don't mean disloyalty to you or me, most of us on/. haven't even met Carly or her peers. I mean disloyalty to the state and/or country that needs her to act like a responsible citizen. Her actions or lack of them can impact the community. I think the most sadly amusing thing was yesterday's San Jose Mercury newspaper. On the same front page was Arnold at the top talking about how he's going to turn around the economy by job creation, and right below that was an article about 1,300 jobs at Gateway's (I think) support center going overseas.
Chase that money! That bigger profit margin! If anyone interferes, lobby to keep doing it with impunity!...Although if you're lobbying now, why not lobby to make changes here so that jobs can stay here? I mean, if you're going to the effort, why not find a solution that helps your own country?
We invented the computer you are using to connect to the website (also invented here) over the internet (invented here) using broadband (invented here) or the telephone (also invented here).
America did not invent * the computer. * websites (or the WWW). * the telephone.
I'm confused. I mean, I'll give you the Web, that was not invented by US citizens. The grandparent was wrong on that one. But computers and phones? Hmm. Looked up phones on the Web and it appears that Antonio Meucci really invented the phone, not Alexander Bell. OK. Computers? Doesn't this depend upon whether you view the z3 or ENIAC as the first "real" computer? They each have some concepts that resemble computers today, but also each do bits differently. The ENIAC was US. The z3 was German (I think, I can't recall). I don't know, maybe you're thinking of Turing or someone as the true father of computer. Whatever the case, while at least 2 of those items appear to be legitimately invented elsewhere, all 3 got 0wn3d by the USA. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that the USA was the center of power for adoption of those devices. I'm comfortable with that. For most US citizens, the source of pride isn't necessarily that we bred it, but that we fed it.
Pamela Jones, the proprietor of Groklaw, suggests Linus Torvalds would have a great case for defamation as a result of this letter and subsequent events.
He won't get involved any more than he has to. He'd certainly defend himself if sued, but the guy would rather be worrying about the technical stuff. He's not going to get involved, no matter how nasty the other side is.
Of course, I'd like him to, just to crush SCO. But I'm not even sure that Linus has that kind of cash. Last I heard, Linux had given him lots of opportunities and a steady paycheck, but no millionaire-level fortune.
Don't get me wrong, I don't expect KDE to disappear overnight, but the Gnome crowd now has the majority of the professional KDE hackers by their paycheck. At the very least you can expect their to be a lot more talk in the KDE world about "integration" (and it will be the Gnome crowd calling the shots).
You know, when we're talking on Slashdot, it's easy to be evenhanded. That may sound absurd, what with Slashdot trolls and flamebait everywhere you look, but the point is, it usually doesn't have an impact (much to the disappointment of the more political among us). So I can love KDE but say I see merit to Gnome, and it's no skin off my back.
Having said that, I can't be so balanced here. If the Gnome crowd is calling the shots, then in my opinion, this is an unmitigated travesty. I want to be courteous, but seriously, if my desktop is at risk, I need to speak plainly: I think the goals of Gnome, the look & feel of Gnome, even some of the people behind Gnome, are completely at odds with everything I like. I dislike Miguel's MS cheerleading, and I love at least one of the KDE developers for saying bluntly in a Slashdot comment 2 years ago that he/she wants KDE to stay the hell away from that kind of thinking. I think Gnome's widgets are still terribly legacy-driven, and the ideas they have behind uber-simplified preferences flies in the face of everything I ever wanted.
In summary, I've always wanted to be a diplomat with the Gnome/KDE issue, because you catch more flies with honey and all that. But if KDE is going to get quietly redirected, my only response can be "do not go gently." I'm showing my cards. I don't think Gnome has any merit beyond their choice of licensing. KDE is superior in my opinion, and if KDE developers will not be leading Gnome, then at the very least I hope they retain autonomy.
Ones/zeroes - please use numerically-advantaged/disadvantaged
This isn't fair. Just as handicapped people are really "handicapable," so are zeros. To call them disadvantaged implies bias. You can't use "more/less" either. I believe the proper way to resolve this is use the terms, "line/oval."
Hmm. That's actually a bit phallic now that I think about it. Hell, I might as well have called it hot dog & doughnut. How about "straightaway/ellipse?" It might still be a bit phallic, but it's getting so obscure that most people would never make the connection. In fact, it's so disconnected from tangible concepts that most people will just wander around in a PC daze, never fully grasping what is being said. And in this PC day and age, we certainly don't want people to be grasping things, as that can have a double meaning too. Sounds like a good solution, then!
Slashdot Mirror
The article is a lot more reasonable than the slashdot quote. It doesn't really sound like a ripoff of BG:DA/KOTOR, although it is using the same engine as BG:DA. But that's the thing that bugs me. The Baldur's Gate engine, which looks really beautiful on TV, apparently is crap on the PC. Look at the screenshots that go with the article. The main character stands in a forest of what? Green vomit? Horribly pixellated tiles? That engine needs some TLC, or the tilesets do.
Huh? Wasn't the final quote from Microsoft much, much less money than the Linux quote? I thought from the start that they took the more expensive choice because it was the better choice. If in order to be successful it must now "prove that Linux can do it for less money" then we've doomed ourselves to failure from the start.
I don't buy it. The site says they got their information from IBM. That runs totally counter to IMB's don't-talk-to-the-press rule. It looks to me like an attempt to spread bad information, pin the blame on IBM, and tarnish them.
I'd love to be wrong, though. The idea of SCO writing a virus against itself for PR purposes is almost too funny. I'd imagine a company or two might sue SCO to cover wages spent doing MyDoom cleanup. Ha ha. That would make my heart feel soooo good.
That would make your company a nice place to work. Probably not a selling point for management, but if were looking for work, that's the kind of place I'd be attracted to.
Firebird was born when Borland open-sourced their database product. I worked at Borland for a number of years. You would think I would be its biggest advocate, rather than giving quotes to promote a non-ACID competitor. But let me tell you why I, and possibly other people, haven't embraced Firebird-the-database. First, having worked at Borland, I saw some of its problems up close & personal. We tried to move borland.com to a database-backed site at one point, and our own product couldn't keep up with the load. Of course, this was 1998, so it's old news. Someone at the company, whose name I wish I could remember, eventually built a smart little system that would pre-generate every possible combination of db-built pages, and pre-load our server with hundreds of thousands of static HTML files. This worked, as the database never took any direct hits, and only had to rebuild the pages at midnight each night. However, since I had just come off a bad experience with IntraBuilder (now cancelled, partly thanks to me & Chris Malatesta trying to use it on borland.com, and watching it crash & burn), I was really wary, and felt that the database was a big compromise.
In addition, the database at the time had a number of bad limitations. One was that, even after deleting records, the database size would grow. We had a customer that wanted to create and delete about a million records a day, but after a month, the database size looked like it housed 30 million records, not 1 million. I initially just assumed that the indexes were not properly maintained, but since Borland eventually lost the customer, I assume a simple regen of the indexes didn't fix it. And of course, as most of us know, after the database was open-sourced, a pretty severe exploit was found, and it existed in all or nearly all versions, including the proprietary ones. That the open-source guys found the exploit and repaired it is a testament to OSS. And as further testament, I just assume that they've tightened up the code now to the point that every previous complaint or concern I've had is moot.
So what's the problem? Well, in the last 6 years, I've left Borland, and found better databases (IMHO) in MySQL and PostgreSQL. MySQL had a reputation for being very basic, but very fast without a lot of tuning, and very easy, and very reliable. PostgreSQL had a reputation for being (nearly) as feature-complete as Oracle. Over the last few years, I've simply defaulted to them -- they're what I know, they're what I use, they work, and I've not had a reason to look elsewhere. And I think that's Firebird's problem: the bulk of Web people have already been in the business for a while, and already grown accustomed to other databases. It's inertia.
To solve this, one of the only things I can think of would be an anti-MySQL campaign, where you clearly outlined MySQL's silent error problem. It's the only problem I've had with MySQL -- this scenario where it doesn't process the request properly, and silently discards it or picks some (never quite right) defaults. I'm currently getting this with some date fields, where it helpfully inserts an unexpected 0000-00-00 date. If someone documented all those issues, and explained them simply, and showed better alternatives, it might open up people's minds. Of course, in my case, I'm enough of a MySQL fan that I'd rather just wait for Monty & others to improve their product. But I'm sure some people could be encouraged to reconsider their loyalties. And until they do, Firebird could be better but still have no mindshare.
I registered linuxmarketing.com a couple weeks ago. My intention is to eventually have press kits, logos, backgrounders, banners, and small button images available for download. I also hope to have a small store with Tux merchandise to help pay for the site, and cover ad costs to promote Linux. But it's slow going. I don't really have "deep pockets" so I do things piecemeal as I have time or a spare $100. But this should do some of what you want. I don't know how quickly it will come online. My respectthepublicdomain.org Web site was online within a day or two of the MPAA launching respectcopyrights.org, but linuxmarketing.com is a LOT bigger project. We'll see.
If you can get a copy of SuSE 7.3 Professional, it comes with IBM's ViaVoice for Linux. It can take audio and turn it into text. The trick is that 7.3 came out about 2 years ago, I think. Most stores would have the newer 9.0 version, which doesn't have ViaVoice.
I guess it is possible that IBM still sells ViaVoice for newer distros. I've never looked.
I think you've just unknowingly illustrated MY pet peeve with the X system for copy/paste. That is, step 1 MUST be done before step 3. This doesn't reflect my normal thinking -- If I want to copy/paste, I first get the text I want and then I go to highlight the text I want to delete. The problem, of course, is that the system wipes out the text I want when I highlight the text to delete. This system is fragile, easily breakable. Your alternative proposal is stronger. The Mac and Windows methods are stronger, too.
Uh, yeah, spending 5 minutes to think that up and type it all in correctly was much faster, I'm sure. :)
Hmm. You talk about Word as it were a problem for them, but the article you linked to didn't mention Word at all. I'm sure you were just extrapolating.
Anyway, I do agree with something your comment sort-of implied -- that Linux is having trouble on the desktop already, and it may be too soon for more deployments. Of course, it's been "too soon" for a few years now, and Linux fans keep pushing forward anyway. Personally, I'm starting to wonder what our niche is going to be. Can we be happy with 50% of the population using Linux, or do we have to push for Microsoft-like levels of domination? Apple went for creative/artistic types and seems to be doing OK with 5% of the market. Can we willingly limit our "elevator pitch" when we share our interests with friends & coworkers? For me, I talk about Linux as "good for power users." Need a server? OK. Need a high-end desktop that isn't consumer-ific? OK. Looking to buy products at Best Buy, install with a click, play lots of games, and expect your MS Office clone to be an exact perfect copy? Uh, maybe Windows is best there.
I have refused to put Linux on my dad's computers, even though he has asked. He's not a power user, and I'm not willing to babysit him through every new peripheral installation he tries, package management, kernel recompile, etc. At some point, he may be as skilled with newsgroups and Google searches as he is with reading stock charts, and when that happens, I'll feel that he can find solutions when he gets stuck. But for now, he's better off with Windows. Wouldn't our successes be more sure if we sold/hyped Linux/BSD/OSS more realisticly? Maybe then these articles ("Oops! It's harder for Munich to migrate than they expected!") would happen less.
Hey! If it's good enough for Star Wars, it's good enough for /. nerds!
Dear Mr. Aardvark,
I would like to thank you for causing me to laugh so loudly and uncontrollably at work that my boss came by to see what was the matter, and immediately noticed that I was not doing anything even remotely work-related. Well, at least now I get to do all the not-work-related stuff I want.
Yours truly,
Mr. Anthony "Unemployed" Boyd :)
Well, you have a point, however sarcastic. But there is one reason for going to Europa: there appears to be water, or at least some sort of ice-cube-cocktail, under its frozen surface. That water provides great hope to many scientists that Europa has the best chance of hosting life outside our planet. Of course, the life would likely be similar to what exists in our own ice-slush waters -- super-tiny organisms and perhaps a few tube-worms near a vent in the ocean floor. Personally, I find even the idea of a tube-worm to be ridiculous (does Europa even have an ocean floor?), but microscopic organisms seem plausible to me.
So the question is: does the President of the United States want to be known for taking a safe bet of scientific progress with a trip to Mars, or known for taking a risk to discover life outside our planet? It appears he already chose the safe bet. Can't say I blame him, even though I would choose differently.
I'm sure Governor "jobs jobs jobs" Arnold must just be thrilled with Carly's comments. It'll totally help the California economy to have our own citizens acting with such disloyalty.
I don't mean disloyalty to you or me, most of us on /. haven't even met Carly or her peers. I mean disloyalty to the state and/or country that needs her to act like a responsible citizen. Her actions or lack of them can impact the community. I think the most sadly amusing thing was yesterday's San Jose Mercury newspaper. On the same front page was Arnold at the top talking about how he's going to turn around the economy by job creation, and right below that was an article about 1,300 jobs at Gateway's (I think) support center going overseas.
Chase that money! That bigger profit margin! If anyone interferes, lobby to keep doing it with impunity! ...Although if you're lobbying now, why not lobby to make changes here so that jobs can stay here? I mean, if you're going to the effort, why not find a solution that helps your own country?
I'm confused. I mean, I'll give you the Web, that was not invented by US citizens. The grandparent was wrong on that one. But computers and phones? Hmm. Looked up phones on the Web and it appears that Antonio Meucci really invented the phone, not Alexander Bell. OK. Computers? Doesn't this depend upon whether you view the z3 or ENIAC as the first "real" computer? They each have some concepts that resemble computers today, but also each do bits differently. The ENIAC was US. The z3 was German (I think, I can't recall). I don't know, maybe you're thinking of Turing or someone as the true father of computer. Whatever the case, while at least 2 of those items appear to be legitimately invented elsewhere, all 3 got 0wn3d by the USA. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that the USA was the center of power for adoption of those devices. I'm comfortable with that. For most US citizens, the source of pride isn't necessarily that we bred it, but that we fed it.
<sarcasm>
And this is different from standard Microsoft policy, how?
</sarcasm>
I agree. We should decide for everyone else. I say Gnome concedes, and KDE takes over. Thanks!
You:
Gore:
And then Al's quote:
Ah! So Al didn't "invent" it, he "created" it. Huge difference!
/me rolls eyes
That's it?!?!? I have German relatives, and my wife is Korean! I'm not buying any phone which limits the people I can speak to!
What's sad is, you don't sound very smart, but you're still right.
He won't get involved any more than he has to. He'd certainly defend himself if sued, but the guy would rather be worrying about the technical stuff. He's not going to get involved, no matter how nasty the other side is.
Of course, I'd like him to, just to crush SCO. But I'm not even sure that Linus has that kind of cash. Last I heard, Linux had given him lots of opportunities and a steady paycheck, but no millionaire-level fortune.
You know, when we're talking on Slashdot, it's easy to be evenhanded. That may sound absurd, what with Slashdot trolls and flamebait everywhere you look, but the point is, it usually doesn't have an impact (much to the disappointment of the more political among us). So I can love KDE but say I see merit to Gnome, and it's no skin off my back.
Having said that, I can't be so balanced here. If the Gnome crowd is calling the shots, then in my opinion, this is an unmitigated travesty. I want to be courteous, but seriously, if my desktop is at risk, I need to speak plainly: I think the goals of Gnome, the look & feel of Gnome, even some of the people behind Gnome, are completely at odds with everything I like. I dislike Miguel's MS cheerleading, and I love at least one of the KDE developers for saying bluntly in a Slashdot comment 2 years ago that he/she wants KDE to stay the hell away from that kind of thinking. I think Gnome's widgets are still terribly legacy-driven, and the ideas they have behind uber-simplified preferences flies in the face of everything I ever wanted.
In summary, I've always wanted to be a diplomat with the Gnome/KDE issue, because you catch more flies with honey and all that. But if KDE is going to get quietly redirected, my only response can be "do not go gently." I'm showing my cards. I don't think Gnome has any merit beyond their choice of licensing. KDE is superior in my opinion, and if KDE developers will not be leading Gnome, then at the very least I hope they retain autonomy.
As a 32 year-old, I wish I had known that I had developed this "crap-detection" skill, because I somehow managed to buy Lionheart.
This isn't fair. Just as handicapped people are really "handicapable," so are zeros. To call them disadvantaged implies bias. You can't use "more/less" either. I believe the proper way to resolve this is use the terms, "line/oval."
Hmm. That's actually a bit phallic now that I think about it. Hell, I might as well have called it hot dog & doughnut. How about "straightaway/ellipse?" It might still be a bit phallic, but it's getting so obscure that most people would never make the connection. In fact, it's so disconnected from tangible concepts that most people will just wander around in a PC daze, never fully grasping what is being said. And in this PC day and age, we certainly don't want people to be grasping things, as that can have a double meaning too. Sounds like a good solution, then!