Can't argue what you've added, except to say that I wouldn't bet against the multi-thousand dollar devices. More powerful antennae, better in-the-field processing...
If I'm building a railroad and I need to know exactly where the tracks are going, I don't think I'd buy a $250 Garmin to figure it out, DGPS notwithstanding.
While I understand what you're trying to say, you're not entirely correct.
The "lockout" is known as selective availability (SA) and has been shut off since 1996 or so, not "at the same time" as the first Gulf War.
However, there is an extra band for military use only (someone else can get the exact details). There are also "survey grade" GPS devices that manage much greater accuracy than your $100 Garmin.
All GPSes don't work with the same degree of accuracy.
You're satisfied with your W2k experience (jimi hendrix rolls over...), but many people are not.
Recently I've had the entire graphics subsystem freak out, forcing a reboot. Probably can blame that on an app, but whatever.
I also look at my task manager now, which got corrupted and has no title bar at all. No window frame either.
As an expert user, you can be happy and relatively healthy using Windows. But there are many people unable or unwilling to bother with the forced maintenance.
Read the whole thing again: Windows XP is (or at least seems to be) FASTER on the SAME HARDWARE compared to Gnome and KDE.
Why?
Shouldn't Linux be the better option? Hadn't it better be?? You are also missing the entire point about the incredibly vast market in older systems: Businesses don't need to waste money upgrading every 3 years. If Linux (Gnome, KDE, etc) could allow a business to wait even 4 or 5 years between upgrades, imagine the vast savings! Imagine the market share "we" could achieve!
But no. The average Linux gearhead says "It's your problem, not ours", which is entirely the problem.
My question is simple: How can many Linux folk take people's honest issues and totally dismiss them as being unworthy?
If person X has a machine running XP on one partition and Gnome 2.6 on another, and can SEE THE DIFFERENCE in speed every reboot... how can you possibly suggest that's unfounded?
Just because YOUR experience is better, how can you then extrapolate that out to all machines, everywhere.
It's the old "you must be doing something wrong, and if not, oh well, at least you have a choice" routine that gets old.
If my 900 MHz Duron can't run OpenOffice as well as it can run Word, why NOT improve OO?? What's the problem?
Just to point out, there are also a number of other directions one could go, as opposed to "right" and "left".
There is the libertarian angle, which is sort of perpendicular to left and right, simply because the 'average' libertarian buys into some stuff from both major camps.
I, for one, take a "mind your own damn business" approach to government in general. Small government, in the 'normal' view, would be incredibly right-wing, just because of the "pro-business" stance it would appear to indicate. However, I also think most drugs should be legal, abortion should be encouraged, and religion should play no part in legal circles. So plug me in, left or right?
It's depressing that we have to try to jam people into group A or group B, and then demonize the other group. Human nature, I suppose.
GoofyBoy has it exactly right: The issue here is mainly that we (Linux) used to be faster, but now Windows is... on the same hardware.
It's not just the older, slower machines that this article is about, though that's a big piece: Why not concentrate on making Linux desktops work WELL on older machines? It's certainly possible.
Classic "You're wrong there is no problem" response from the linux man. I'm a linux guy 100%, and I'll update your obviously silly 1997 comment: I use Linux because the whole process is "lighter". This is mainly because I know what's loading, but I can't stand how slow it's becoming.
How can you take obvious evidence of people hating the bloat and how slow Gnome/KDE are becoming and say, "No, you're wrong."
That's exactly the attitude that drives people back to Windows...
Well, it can irk you, but only because you don't understand economics or the oil business at all. Not trying to flame here, just a little info:
1. They don't repond instantly to price increases. Prices increased because OPEC restricted output, but that process started many months ago, months before the "big increase" started.
2. Prices in an area are close to the same because of three main factors: First, there are intrinsic costs in delivering gas to a particular spot. Those are relatively inflexible. Second, taxes in the area. Gas prices 20 miles south of DC are 10-20 cents cheaper, and one main reason is the tax rates are less. Third, there are so many gas stations that they (the local stations) MUST have low profit margins to survive. Look in any economics text for the definition of "perfect competition".
3. The complaints about low margins come mostly from local stations, not the big guys. They are for-profit businesses, and they can't take a huge hit to make you happy, because then they'd be out of business completely.
4. Do you know where the oil company profits come from? Selling on the market. Do you understand how the oil commodities market works? Do you realize that Shell, etc, have little control over the day-to-day price of crude?
Please, if you're going to hate big business, at least do some research first. I used to be you, 10 years ago. Then I realized I was parroting lines by anti-business types, did a little research on my own, and realized that the "evil" corporations are really not. Don't just take what some anti-corporate type shovels you because it sounds good ("Yeah! Stick it to the man!") because you only show your ignorance that way.
Wait... you mean you don't see lower gas prices when the price of oil drops?
Uhhhh. Yeah you do. You just don't see it the same damn day. It takes time to get oil through refineries and pushed out to individual stations. But the price certainly does (and will again) go down.
This isn't insightful, it's wrong. The people here suggesting prices won't go down because they're already getting 43% growth are correct.
I wonder why the old saw "only because windows is more popular" is still being tossed out there?
Does Apache not count? Does anyone think little anti-linux kids aren't trying to bust linux wide open, just to prove all the linux believers that they're wrong?
Please, just once I'd like to see some actual spyware written for linux and installed on a machine without the user knowing. Until then, it's like a theory: Assumed true until proven false.
I was considering getting a DirecTivo, and I admit I don't know enough about DVRs at this point (not having the real urge to watch a ton of TV, considering it's summer). What are the extra features?
Ohhhhh you're talking GUI stuff.:) Okay, I gotcha. When you said "system scripting" I was thinking all the fun stuff that many people use shell scripting to accomplish. I find being expert in PHP on the web helps me to do tons of system-level stuff that I'd take weeks to do if I had to figure out how using bash...
Okay, see ya, have fun with your viruses and worms.
With most (new) Linux distributions you run emerge X, apt-get install X, or use various GUI tools to do the same kind of thing. Ooooo ahhhhhh.
A Great Many users never install anything beyond what they're given anyway, so that's hardly an issue. My parents and in-laws could both easily switch to OS X or Linux because they don't DO much with their machines.
Slashdot Mirror
Can't argue what you've added, except to say that I wouldn't bet against the multi-thousand dollar devices. More powerful antennae, better in-the-field processing...
If I'm building a railroad and I need to know exactly where the tracks are going, I don't think I'd buy a $250 Garmin to figure it out, DGPS notwithstanding.
While I understand what you're trying to say, you're not entirely correct.
The "lockout" is known as selective availability (SA) and has been shut off since 1996 or so, not "at the same time" as the first Gulf War.
However, there is an extra band for military use only (someone else can get the exact details). There are also "survey grade" GPS devices that manage much greater accuracy than your $100 Garmin.
All GPSes don't work with the same degree of accuracy.
I think if you noticed, I said there was no frame, you arrogant fuck.
You're satisfied with your W2k experience (jimi hendrix rolls over...), but many people are not.
Recently I've had the entire graphics subsystem freak out, forcing a reboot. Probably can blame that on an app, but whatever.
I also look at my task manager now, which got corrupted and has no title bar at all. No window frame either.
As an expert user, you can be happy and relatively healthy using Windows. But there are many people unable or unwilling to bother with the forced maintenance.
1. Do you really think that if the US passed such a law that the spammers wouldn't run, not walk, to any country they could? Of course they would.
2. Are you seriously suggesting that we have more serious crime now than we did back in the colonial days?
Oh yes, the computer geeks of the U.S. are the most dangerous.
Thanks for the laugh.
Thank you, sir. A little reason amongst the shrieking masses...
Thank you for missing the whole point.
Read the whole thing again: Windows XP is (or at least seems to be) FASTER on the SAME HARDWARE compared to Gnome and KDE.
Why?
Shouldn't Linux be the better option? Hadn't it better be?? You are also missing the entire point about the incredibly vast market in older systems: Businesses don't need to waste money upgrading every 3 years. If Linux (Gnome, KDE, etc) could allow a business to wait even 4 or 5 years between upgrades, imagine the vast savings! Imagine the market share "we" could achieve!
But no. The average Linux gearhead says "It's your problem, not ours", which is entirely the problem.
My question is simple: How can many Linux folk take people's honest issues and totally dismiss them as being unworthy?
If person X has a machine running XP on one partition and Gnome 2.6 on another, and can SEE THE DIFFERENCE in speed every reboot... how can you possibly suggest that's unfounded?
Just because YOUR experience is better, how can you then extrapolate that out to all machines, everywhere.
It's the old "you must be doing something wrong, and if not, oh well, at least you have a choice" routine that gets old.
If my 900 MHz Duron can't run OpenOffice as well as it can run Word, why NOT improve OO?? What's the problem?
Just to point out, there are also a number of other directions one could go, as opposed to "right" and "left".
There is the libertarian angle, which is sort of perpendicular to left and right, simply because the 'average' libertarian buys into some stuff from both major camps.
I, for one, take a "mind your own damn business" approach to government in general. Small government, in the 'normal' view, would be incredibly right-wing, just because of the "pro-business" stance it would appear to indicate. However, I also think most drugs should be legal, abortion should be encouraged, and religion should play no part in legal circles. So plug me in, left or right?
It's depressing that we have to try to jam people into group A or group B, and then demonize the other group. Human nature, I suppose.
GoofyBoy has it exactly right: The issue here is mainly that we (Linux) used to be faster, but now Windows is... on the same hardware.
It's not just the older, slower machines that this article is about, though that's a big piece: Why not concentrate on making Linux desktops work WELL on older machines? It's certainly possible.
Classic "You're wrong there is no problem" response from the linux man. I'm a linux guy 100%, and I'll update your obviously silly 1997 comment: I use Linux because the whole process is "lighter". This is mainly because I know what's loading, but I can't stand how slow it's becoming.
How can you take obvious evidence of people hating the bloat and how slow Gnome/KDE are becoming and say, "No, you're wrong."
That's exactly the attitude that drives people back to Windows...
Well, it can irk you, but only because you don't understand economics or the oil business at all. Not trying to flame here, just a little info:
1. They don't repond instantly to price increases. Prices increased because OPEC restricted output, but that process started many months ago, months before the "big increase" started.
2. Prices in an area are close to the same because of three main factors: First, there are intrinsic costs in delivering gas to a particular spot. Those are relatively inflexible. Second, taxes in the area. Gas prices 20 miles south of DC are 10-20 cents cheaper, and one main reason is the tax rates are less. Third, there are so many gas stations that they (the local stations) MUST have low profit margins to survive. Look in any economics text for the definition of "perfect competition".
3. The complaints about low margins come mostly from local stations, not the big guys. They are for-profit businesses, and they can't take a huge hit to make you happy, because then they'd be out of business completely.
4. Do you know where the oil company profits come from? Selling on the market. Do you understand how the oil commodities market works? Do you realize that Shell, etc, have little control over the day-to-day price of crude?
Please, if you're going to hate big business, at least do some research first. I used to be you, 10 years ago. Then I realized I was parroting lines by anti-business types, did a little research on my own, and realized that the "evil" corporations are really not. Don't just take what some anti-corporate type shovels you because it sounds good ("Yeah! Stick it to the man!") because you only show your ignorance that way.
Wait... you mean you don't see lower gas prices when the price of oil drops?
Uhhhh. Yeah you do. You just don't see it the same damn day. It takes time to get oil through refineries and pushed out to individual stations. But the price certainly does (and will again) go down.
This isn't insightful, it's wrong. The people here suggesting prices won't go down because they're already getting 43% growth are correct.
When did a request to mod a parent up become Offtopic -1? Oh well...
I was going to say the same thing, so in hopes that yours will be noticed, mod this up!
Famous, my ass...
My thanks, you are a gentleman and a scholar. :-p
I wonder why the old saw "only because windows is more popular" is still being tossed out there?
Does Apache not count? Does anyone think little anti-linux kids aren't trying to bust linux wide open, just to prove all the linux believers that they're wrong?
Please, just once I'd like to see some actual spyware written for linux and installed on a machine without the user knowing. Until then, it's like a theory: Assumed true until proven false.
I was considering getting a DirecTivo, and I admit I don't know enough about DVRs at this point (not having the real urge to watch a ton of TV, considering it's summer). What are the extra features?
:))
(sorry this is off-topic, but whatever...
Well, let's see. You and a few of your friends can "do all this now".
MILLIONS of paying subscribers can't, without the help of friendly set-top boxes.
MILLIONS of paying subscribers aren't even aware that you COULD do this kind of thing.
Do the math.
You know, mod this funny because it is, but only because there isn't a "Depressing" mod option...
:)) going to pay you to monkey around?
:)
60% of my tax dollars (assuming you're in the US, if not never mind
I mean, I don't work near the full 8 hours every day either, but at least I'm not a public servant...
At least aim for 50%!
Nice try, but the freaking out will continue unabated. :)
And it's a grand jury, not like he's been formally indicted with anything yet.
The level of conclusion-jumping around here is staggering. I agree with your last sentence wholeheartedly.
Ohhhhh you're talking GUI stuff. :) Okay, I gotcha. When you said "system scripting" I was thinking all the fun stuff that many people use shell scripting to accomplish. I find being expert in PHP on the web helps me to do tons of system-level stuff that I'd take weeks to do if I had to figure out how using bash...
Did you mean to suggest that PHP can't do system scripting? Just curious why you believe Python can do a "much better job".
PHP CLI-mode is way too much fun.
Okay, see ya, have fun with your viruses and worms.
With most (new) Linux distributions you run emerge X, apt-get install X, or use various GUI tools to do the same kind of thing. Ooooo ahhhhhh.
A Great Many users never install anything beyond what they're given anyway, so that's hardly an issue. My parents and in-laws could both easily switch to OS X or Linux because they don't DO much with their machines.