All the comments I've read so far seem to be very critical of Jon's opinion on this, and everyone has been kind enough to point out other causes that you all feel are more important. I will certainly not deny that there are a lot of problems in this world, of all sorts, but the fact is that the internet is slowly (or even not-so-slowly) the political sphere, the place where we find out what's happening in the world. I've learned more about politics since I've gotten back into computers and gotten lots of bandwidth than I ever had learned before. I now feel infinitly more connected to the rest of the world, and the ability to find out information has lead me in directions that I suspect I never would have gone in before. I've been around computers all my life, and I think they are very very positive in children's development. I refer much more to the internet connection than to the computer itself, as a computer without a connection to the net is really not all that terribly useful to me. So maybe everyone ease up on Jon here a little bit, eh?
Just out of interest, why would anyone view porn in a Library anyway... It's not like you could do anything with it.
Finally, someone brings up a good point! I mean, is this really a problem? Has there been a sudden surge in the amount of porn viewed in public places, hell, I feel kinda awkward reading a porn magazine in public, I've never looked at porn on a public library computer (I've never even really looked at porn at work, just at home). I mean, if this was something that was becomming common, and people were seriously getting upset (Why they would, though, who knows?), then maybe something should be done about it (I doubt it, actually). If this is not a problem, then we certainly don't need any new god damn laws.
Once Linux is installed and configured, it tends to be at least as easy to use as anything else out there...
Yeah, until you have to install a program. I think a lot of linux users have a huge delusion about what non-geeks call "easy to use". Quite a few programs come as source, and don't forget that to people who aren't programmers, compiling the source is a very tough and confusing thing to do. And RPMs? A bunch of arcane names and errors with dependencies is certainly not "user-friendly" or "easy". Not to a whole lot of people at least.
I think the point is that what we need to do is open up the standards. I wouldn't be quite so unhappy with micro$oft if all the standards they used were open and published, then competition would be much easier. If the government could force M$ to open up all their standards and publish specifications, I think that would go a long way.
Okay, this may be off-topic, but since there really isn't a good place to have meta discussions on slashdot (a meta section, anyone?), I think it's okay. I think Anonymous Cowards are absolutely essential, and I would not want to see them go away. This has to be a place where anyone can speak their minds without fear of reprisals. The purpose of the moderation system is to deal with abuse of the system. I think the moderation system simply needs to be tweaked. I'm not exactly sure what's wrong with it, but I am an active member of/. community. I've been here for probably almost six months now. I read almost every day (sometimes only during the week), and post usually every day, but only if I have something particular to say. I would say I read/. an average amount, and am a fairly regular user. I have never moderated, and when I try to meta-moderate, it says I haven't been a user long enough.
I feel that the system is good in concept, but needs to be tweaked, and I think that we should really have a meta section to discuss moderation and the system in general. I have just started a slash site myself infact, and am very interested in the concept of online communities. My site is called Terradot, but is down right now thanks to my DSL provider cutting me off (should be back up in a few days if all goes acording to plan!). Anyway, sorry for the obligatory plug, but I'm done now.:)
as a 16 year old, i'd say you are for the most part right
I simply have to agree with you on this. I am currently 19 years old, and never managed to get into the whole modern pop-music scene. I listen to the classics including the Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Grateful Dead, Crosby Stills and Nash, Simon and Garfunkel, and a bit of the more modern stuff including Phish, Nine Inch Nails. As well as lots and lots of other stuff too numerous to list here of course.
The point is that I think there has been a real decline in the quality of music. Now, people think that all they have to do is get up on stage and look pretty and have something catchy and they'll be popular. Most new "bands" now don't even play their own instruments. I think this is greatly in part to a bloated music industry creating a market for shite. This is something I think the internet will help with. I think Napster, filesharing, and the loss of copyright (I don't think that can be helped anymore) will decrease the quantity of music, but increase the quality.
This project isn't about turning the average Ghanaian into a happy websurfer. It's about giving the average Ghanaian a chance at a decent job, or his business a chance at success.
In my mind it's more about giving the average Ghanian a window to the world outside Ghana, about giving them a voice in the global communications network of this planet. This is an important thing, I think. I'd never heard of Geekcorps before, but I find myself rather excited and intrigued by the idea.
There is indeed a very good reason for getting third world countries on the internet. The internet is becomming our global communications network, and every human on this planet should be able to communicate, and know what's going on in their world. On the internet, I can make my opinions known. In a rainforest in Ghana, with no communications equipment whatsoever, I have no chance to contribue to a world bigger than the one I live in, with trees and rain and animals and the few people around me. This isn't inherently bad, and many people I'm sure are happy this way, but many people have so much more to contribute to the world, and have a calling other than that. What about all those undiscovered geeks down there? Anyway, that was rather rant, but I'm very excited about what geekcorps is doing. The internet will be less and less about money and commercialism in the near future, and will become more about communication and media, but that only really works if we can get more of the world on it! Go geekcorps, and I'll be applying in a few weeks, count on it!
Kids shoulc be learning the BASICS at this level of school. And you don't need the net for that.
As soon as they're old enough to understand anything, our kids should have free access to as much information as possible about what's happening in the world, they should be able to study any subject in whatever depth they want. The basics you say, like who the president of our country is, like what's happening right now in the middle east, like our history, and yes, if they want, even what's happening in the computer world. Kids should be learning what interests them, and the internet is an amazing resource for that!, but not if you can't access any useful sites thanks to censorware.
I want my kids to be connected to the internet! They will be at home, and if I had any intention of sending them to public schools, I would damn well want them to have access to it there too. I don't want the government telling me what is and what is not appropriate for my children. I'll make that decision.
That's it, this is the last bloody straw, copyright is dead. Copyright has degenerated to the point where it is unenforcable, and people are trying to use it in the greediest and stupidest of ways. Fuck BT, fuck the MPAA, fuck the RIAA, and fuck Stephen King. There is no copyright.
Teachers report their students are getting bored with the Web. Print publishers are closing down their Web sites. Online content companies are producing print publications to increase their advertising revenues.
You know, when I read that article, I could totally see where he's coming from, but indeed I think he's wrong. He's talking about the commercialization of the internet slowing. People are starting to realize that you can't make huge amounts of money off the internet forever. Eventually, the internet will not be a money-making thing, it will just be a medium through which all world communcation (except the face to face kind) happen. I think the real strengths of the internet are just starting to peek up their heads. Slashdot, for instance is an amazing example of what is possible on the internet. I know a lot of you will flame me and talk about how downhill you think/. is getting, but it proves a point. It proves that we can find out what's going on in our world (in the case of/. it's the geek world), without the traditional media (or at least, not as much dependant on them). My knowledge of current events in the geek world has increased rediculously since I started following and participating in this site, and I don't pay a penny for it. I think sites like this, and other sites with actual information are the future of the internet. Does it actually surprise anyone that people are getting tired of all the rediculous sites out there with nothing but a few jokes and a few gimmicks. The sites selling lots of shit are even worse. Now, I'm not dissing the concept of buying things on the internet, I do it all the time, but that's not a new business model, you're still selling the same shit you were, you're just doing it through a different communications medium, and a better one at that, imho. Anyway, that's my rant.
I know that they will (hopefully) test this a good bit before unleashing it on us.
Who the fuck are they and why would they unleash anything on anyone? You won't catch me taking or recieving or whatever it is "they" plan to produce from this research, I don't trust the bastards.
I do, however, think there is a huge corilation(sp?) between diet and lifespan. There's lots of interesting websites and books out there about Natural Heigine and Breatharianism and the like.
All true, I admit it, but damn I miss Britian. I was there for almost a year, and I came back to America (where I grew up) and felt a serious lack of tea. I mean, I feel like I'm the only one in this damn country that drinks at least one cup of tea everyday (usually more), and damnit, where the hell are the electric kettles? I really need to get one, and a teapot too, which seem to be in short supply here.
Anyway, both countries have their issues, but I do love those wee islands.:-)
I highly recommend any of the O'Reilly (http://www.oreilly.com) books.
Funny you should say that, as my copy of Running Linux arrived in the post just today from Thinkgeek. Anyway, most of what you say, I do know, such as man pages, and RTFM, but it still doesn't make it easy.:-)
That's indeed very true, and I hear it all the time from people here on/. as well as other sites. You know what though... I don't mind. I think it's fine that Taco and gang post what interests them, as I think many of my interests mirror theirs, which is why I'm drawn here to slashdot.
The most important thing though, is that you are totally free to post any viewpoint that you want, and people are free to read it, mod it up, or mod it down depending on how they personally feel. Taco and crew don't do the moderating, we do! (actually, I haven't moderated yet, but that's beside the point, cause in theory it's us). Nothing is stopping people from making pro-M$ comments and pro-Intel comments... that's just not the sort we've ended up with here.
Wonder how long these claims would last if Windows users didn't get their software preinstalled...
Okay, I can very much see where you're coming from, but the difference, even when you consider the fact that most users don't install their OSes, linux is still a hell of a lot harder to get running, and linux apps are a hell of a lot harder to get installed than windoze and windoze apps. Not that it is impossible of course! Certainly I'm a linux newbie, but I'm making the effort, but forget not that it is indeed an effort. I'm not a fan of windoze, but I can admit that it is a hell of a lot more intuative than linux.
and uhm... passing a parameter to the kernel at boot should not be THAT hard...
It is for a total linux newbie like myself! This, I think is the real problem with any *nix getting really mainstream and in any way competing with windoze/mac... linux users have trouble remembering how steep the linux learning curve really is, and how hard it is to get going. I got through it cause I have plenty of computer knowledge, and plenty of friends to ask, but someone who isn't as knowledgable as me simply couldn't get linux running without help, and that is what needs to change before linux can really get bigger.
That is indeed how I finally got the bugger to boot, thanks to some very similar (and helpful advice from DJBongHit on IRC, after trying to install RedHat7.0, which was so screwed up that the install program barely worked, and the screen didn't redraw properly. It booted, but it was whack.
Unfortunately, I'm still a bit of a newbie, and haven't braved the compiling of the kernel yet, but I willdo soon, I'm sure.:)
It seems that the linux kernel has more problems than just the Pentium IV. I recently bought a brand new machine (piece by piece), with an AMD Thunderbird 800Mhz processor, and when I installed RedHat 6.2, the installation went fine, but as soon as I tried to boot, it tried to disable the CPUID and kernel panics and goes into a hard lock every time. I managed to pass a parameter to the kernel at boot, but it's rather rediculous that the kernel seems to have this problem fairly often.
These days, it seems that virtually no professional musicians actually make a decent living.
Actually, it may be hard but there are thousands of musicians out there making a decent living off their music. Now, I don't mean they're getting filthy rich and collecting massive royalties, but they're actually playing music, which is a concept I think people are forgetting about. Digital music will not stop people from paying musicians for live performances, and I daresay that will never stop. Phish, TMBG (?), DMB, and a slew of other artists who make their money primarily from touring are not hurt by napster (et, al.) in the slightest, and I won't cry for the losses of Britney Spears and S Club 7. I think the internet will eventually improve the quality of music in general.
This sounds to me like a clear indication of the need to put serious effort and research into alternative power sources. Solarhost is managing to do pretty well, and that Cambodian village is now on the internet with solar and satelite dishes. There are lots of examples of people applying alternative power technologies, and many possible technologies, some with potential that need some serious research efforts. I hope that this incident will help spark on those kinds of efforts.
Slashdot Mirror
cheers, joshua
Terradot
Joshua
Terradot
Finally, someone brings up a good point! I mean, is this really a problem? Has there been a sudden surge in the amount of porn viewed in public places, hell, I feel kinda awkward reading a porn magazine in public, I've never looked at porn on a public library computer (I've never even really looked at porn at work, just at home). I mean, if this was something that was becomming common, and people were seriously getting upset (Why they would, though, who knows?), then maybe something should be done about it (I doubt it, actually). If this is not a problem, then we certainly don't need any new god damn laws.
Joshua
Terradot
Yeah, until you have to install a program. I think a lot of linux users have a huge delusion about what non-geeks call "easy to use". Quite a few programs come as source, and don't forget that to people who aren't programmers, compiling the source is a very tough and confusing thing to do. And RPMs? A bunch of arcane names and errors with dependencies is certainly not "user-friendly" or "easy". Not to a whole lot of people at least.
Joshua
Terradot
Just a thought...
Joshua
Terradot
I feel that the system is good in concept, but needs to be tweaked, and I think that we should really have a meta section to discuss moderation and the system in general. I have just started a slash site myself infact, and am very interested in the concept of online communities. My site is called Terradot, but is down right now thanks to my DSL provider cutting me off (should be back up in a few days if all goes acording to plan!). Anyway, sorry for the obligatory plug, but I'm done now. :)
Cheers, Joshua
Terradot
I simply have to agree with you on this. I am currently 19 years old, and never managed to get into the whole modern pop-music scene. I listen to the classics including the Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Grateful Dead, Crosby Stills and Nash, Simon and Garfunkel, and a bit of the more modern stuff including Phish, Nine Inch Nails. As well as lots and lots of other stuff too numerous to list here of course.
The point is that I think there has been a real decline in the quality of music. Now, people think that all they have to do is get up on stage and look pretty and have something catchy and they'll be popular. Most new "bands" now don't even play their own instruments. I think this is greatly in part to a bloated music industry creating a market for shite. This is something I think the internet will help with. I think Napster, filesharing, and the loss of copyright (I don't think that can be helped anymore) will decrease the quantity of music, but increase the quality.
Joshua
Terradot
In my mind it's more about giving the average Ghanian a window to the world outside Ghana, about giving them a voice in the global communications network of this planet. This is an important thing, I think. I'd never heard of Geekcorps before, but I find myself rather excited and intrigued by the idea.
Terradot
Joshua
Terradot
As soon as they're old enough to understand anything, our kids should have free access to as much information as possible about what's happening in the world, they should be able to study any subject in whatever depth they want. The basics you say, like who the president of our country is, like what's happening right now in the middle east, like our history, and yes, if they want, even what's happening in the computer world. Kids should be learning what interests them, and the internet is an amazing resource for that!, but not if you can't access any useful sites thanks to censorware.
Joshua
Terradot
Joshua
Terradot
Terradot
You know, when I read that article, I could totally see where he's coming from, but indeed I think he's wrong. He's talking about the commercialization of the internet slowing. People are starting to realize that you can't make huge amounts of money off the internet forever. Eventually, the internet will not be a money-making thing, it will just be a medium through which all world communcation (except the face to face kind) happen. I think the real strengths of the internet are just starting to peek up their heads. Slashdot, for instance is an amazing example of what is possible on the internet. I know a lot of you will flame me and talk about how downhill you think /. is getting, but it proves a point. It proves that we can find out what's going on in our world (in the case of /. it's the geek world), without the traditional media (or at least, not as much dependant on them). My knowledge of current events in the geek world has increased rediculously since I started following and participating in this site, and I don't pay a penny for it. I think sites like this, and other sites with actual information are the future of the internet. Does it actually surprise anyone that people are getting tired of all the rediculous sites out there with nothing but a few jokes and a few gimmicks. The sites selling lots of shit are even worse. Now, I'm not dissing the concept of buying things on the internet, I do it all the time, but that's not a new business model, you're still selling the same shit you were, you're just doing it through a different communications medium, and a better one at that, imho. Anyway, that's my rant.
Joshua
Terradot
Who the fuck are they and why would they unleash anything on anyone? You won't catch me taking or recieving or whatever it is "they" plan to produce from this research, I don't trust the bastards.
I do, however, think there is a huge corilation(sp?) between diet and lifespan. There's lots of interesting websites and books out there about Natural Heigine and Breatharianism and the like.
Cheers! Joshua
Terradot
Actually, C sharp == D flat, I believe. ;)
Terradot
Anyway, both countries have their issues, but I do love those wee islands. :-)
Joshua
Terradot
Funny you should say that, as my copy of Running Linux arrived in the post just today from Thinkgeek. Anyway, most of what you say, I do know, such as man pages, and RTFM, but it still doesn't make it easy. :-)
Joshua
Terradot
That's indeed very true, and I hear it all the time from people here on /. as well as other sites. You know what though... I don't mind. I think it's fine that Taco and gang post what interests them, as I think many of my interests mirror theirs, which is why I'm drawn here to slashdot.
The most important thing though, is that you are totally free to post any viewpoint that you want, and people are free to read it, mod it up, or mod it down depending on how they personally feel. Taco and crew don't do the moderating, we do! (actually, I haven't moderated yet, but that's beside the point, cause in theory it's us). Nothing is stopping people from making pro-M$ comments and pro-Intel comments... that's just not the sort we've ended up with here.
Joshua
Terradot
Okay, I can very much see where you're coming from, but the difference, even when you consider the fact that most users don't install their OSes, linux is still a hell of a lot harder to get running, and linux apps are a hell of a lot harder to get installed than windoze and windoze apps. Not that it is impossible of course! Certainly I'm a linux newbie, but I'm making the effort, but forget not that it is indeed an effort. I'm not a fan of windoze, but I can admit that it is a hell of a lot more intuative than linux.
Joshua
Terradot
It is for a total linux newbie like myself! This, I think is the real problem with any *nix getting really mainstream and in any way competing with windoze/mac... linux users have trouble remembering how steep the linux learning curve really is, and how hard it is to get going. I got through it cause I have plenty of computer knowledge, and plenty of friends to ask, but someone who isn't as knowledgable as me simply couldn't get linux running without help, and that is what needs to change before linux can really get bigger.
Joshua
Terradot
That is indeed how I finally got the bugger to boot, thanks to some very similar (and helpful advice from DJBongHit on IRC, after trying to install RedHat7.0, which was so screwed up that the install program barely worked, and the screen didn't redraw properly. It booted, but it was whack.
Unfortunately, I'm still a bit of a newbie, and haven't braved the compiling of the kernel yet, but I willdo soon, I'm sure. :)
Cheers, Joshua
Terradot
Joshua
Terradot
And if we didn't spend so much money destroying the environment, we wouldn't need cash to help it either.
Joshua
Terradot
Actually, it may be hard but there are thousands of musicians out there making a decent living off their music. Now, I don't mean they're getting filthy rich and collecting massive royalties, but they're actually playing music, which is a concept I think people are forgetting about. Digital music will not stop people from paying musicians for live performances, and I daresay that will never stop. Phish, TMBG (?), DMB, and a slew of other artists who make their money primarily from touring are not hurt by napster (et, al.) in the slightest, and I won't cry for the losses of Britney Spears and S Club 7. I think the internet will eventually improve the quality of music in general.
Joshua
Terradot
Joshua
Terradot