calling newegg was easy and they didn't even put up a fight at all abou the foxconn. I bet they know that its a shabby product and only some people will actually keep theirs (if they can even install to it).
You might be right, but it's also likely that they are fairly generous in regard to their return policy, and often give the customer the benefit of the doubt when they claim a defective product.
With more and more unfamiliar names in the market, it's really a caveat emptor world. You have to lurk in online shop comments and hardware forums to determine just how reliable a piece of hardware by NewChineseCompany is. Even then, they might have hired a bunch of people to write "Great product!" comments to skew the public perception in their favor, so you don't know that they use bottom-basement priced components made by a farmer in his tool shed.
(Apologies to TMBG fans)
Also, how about later versions of Windows? Or just later service packs? Will it work properly then? Nobody knows.
Well, the issue was a malformed BIOS table (or something like that, my memory sucks); I don't think they stash an entire BIOS inside the components you mention, unless they are destructively stupid and incompetent. Besides, even though their cost is low, if enough customers complain about failing components, the motherboard manufacturers would behoove themselves to find more reliable components.
Interesting that it breezed through Microsoft's certification. Perhaps with all the scrutiny on them from the EU, they've taken to giving hardware vendors sweet deals like easy cert if they would subvert Linux installations. Never ascribe to malice, unless their recent behavior smells like dirty rodents (ISO).
Or someone at Foxconn in charge of firmware is a PHB and decided that anything Linux is not supportable. Regardless, I'd tap an antitrust lawyer and ask him what we can haul them into court with.
Yeah, and Larry King gathers them on his show so they can all gang up on Bill Nye. Doesn't he have better controversies to discuss on his CNN spot, like his government's abuse of power?
The only ones I think would panic is the religious nut-jobs, although you would think that the would be used to have their view of the world shattered at least once every hundred year or so.
If anyone lives that long: the first time their diaper will need changing, the second time the diaper stinks but the person is dead from a stroke.
That's borderline racketeering: "Nice criminal record/livelihood you got here. It would be a real shame if something were to happen to it." Essentially, the media industry is saying that they'll magnanimously overlook you in their litigation campaign for a fee, even if they have no evidence against you.
That's true, but they and the citizens can use the gathered evidence to get the effectively embezzled funds along with interest. Even if the DA doesn't press charges against him, there's always civil court, where the side with more good evidence wins.
Even if crime drama shows are over-dramatized, they point out a few important rules in the court system: you can't make someone pay just because you "know" that he did something wrong, and the more evidence gathered against him will help a judge rule against him. A possible parallel is the lawyer every gamer hates, Jack Thompson. The more paranoid and ill-tempered he became, the more evidence the Florida Bar collected against him. It didn't weed him out when he did the most damage, but at least he's facing the sanctions he deserves.
Corporate culture and governments in industrialized nations do not like to know that they've screwed up, and will fight kicking and screaming rather that admit that they've done something wrong.
Take a gander at press statements of companies or governments that are caught red-handed doing something that any gerbil could tell you is wrong, and all they will ever apologize for is the fact that they were caught, or that people were inconvenienced.
Slashdot seems to have eaten the arrows in your equations, so here's a try using HTML entities:
CO2 + H2O -> H(+) + HCO3(-)
CaO + H2O -> Ca(2+) + 2 * OH(-)
H(+) + OH(-) -> H2O
Seems Slashdot has something against implementing some form of Unicode (and HTML 4 entity codes), so putting in → (right arrow) or pasting the equivalent character don't work. You'd think they would pass it onto the browser rather than simply deleting them...
Corporations will always try to keep the status quo because they have a hard time to reinvent themselves.
This is because generations of financial minds are geared for short-term growth and profits, and of course the almighty doctrine of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."-- as if one would always see the same pattern of growth just by repeating what one's done for decades, aside from perhaps small-scale farming. Trying to reinvent the media and software industries is probably the best way to go about solving the problems of rampant infringement and misguided driftnets, but it bears enough risk to make even the most bullish investor a coward.
That seems to boil down to one word: Liability. Apple, with its deep pockets and army of lawyers, can assume some degree of liability over its products, and invests in paid support/extended warranties to support issues that big OEMs may simply dismiss as third-party issues. Most Linux distros, however, operate out-of-pocket or through donations, and can at best have non-profit status (if that's even necessary). They can't afford lawsuits from angry users, so they must disclaim any warranty and responsibility for the correct and safe operation of their software, even if it's so stable no one complains any more.
That said, it doesn't mean that they should give the user the run-around every time they ask a legitimate question. Good support techs know to find out what the problem is and answer to the best of their ability and knowledge without telling the caller "Here's the number for..." If they represent the distro, they should put a disclaimer in their signature and still have as much patience with the user as possible. Alternatively they could append a disclaimer to any mail that goes through their support list, or put it on their website. Basically, "We will help as much as we can, but the proper use of the software is ultimately your responsibility."
On OS X, it's "Spaces" (at least in Leopard). I should probably turn it off or reduce it to 2, as I don't really use virtual desktops anymore. Mistyped ctrl-arrow keys can get annoying after a while, and Spaces by default puts Finder on top, pulling focus away from other applications.
More on topic, having a devil's advocate is good, but if he can't hold a reasoned discussion, he's much more harm than good. Linux Hater is very good at using straw men, red herrings, ad hominem, and non sequitur. Meaning, he's a juvenile trying to argue.
I haven't had any of those problems related to sound eight years ago on a FreeBSD 4.0 box (I'm pretty sure I was able to get the mixer working), so I'm thinking it's newer drivers and/or architecture. Still, one would think it wouldn't be too hard to write a mixer that sits in between the applications and audio driver, memory protection notwithstanding...
I would take it up with the Ubuntu crew, with some caveats:
- Be sure to tell them everything about your computer. Not the fact that it has a monitor, mouse, keyboard, and an internet connection, but stuff like which brand of sound and video hardware you're using, and the exact model of your computer (if you didn't build it yourself), such as "Dell Inspiron 640m". A copy/pasted output from the dmesg command should tell them what Ubuntu's thinking your hardware is; something like 'dmesg > ~/dmesg.txt' will do.
- Random crashing can have many causes other than the OS, like overheating hardware, stupid hardware design decisions, and failing RAM. If you have spare hardware or another OS that you can swap into your system, you may eliminate those possibilities.
- TV capture and tuner cards are notorious for being poorly supported outside of Windows. I hear MythTV works for some cards, but I don't know what card you have.
- If the entire desktop locks up (meaning it won't even respond to your mouse), then unfortunately ctrl-alt-backspace to kill/restart X is the only way out. If it's just the application, open up an xterm and run killall on the application. Note that you'll need to know what the actual program's name is, or the process ID number. Usually it's similar to the application's name itself, so run 'ps au' to find it. Ubuntu's version of Gnome may have a "kill" option in the context menu of the task bar entry, so you might want to explore that.
@musicalwoods: You might want to take a bit more time reading the comment before telling him to install the native version of ZSNES when he says it didn't work "under any shape or form"...
I'm no Microsoft apologist, but this is more of a case of PHBs believing they have technical expertise ("look at my Microsoft certificate, you sniveling geek") that in reality doesn't exist.
Look at it this way, had they used Unix as you suggested and still kept you out of the design loop, they would've coded something that nuked / on the POS and the servers, because of course they'd set the default user as root. I mean, any monkey who would delete a file on an error instead of closing it would go the whole 9 miles when given more power.
And, since this is really a matter of personal preference (I for one prefer the style that OP dislikes), it's a trivial matter to write a script to convert from one style to another.
Of course, if the developers are forced to only use the code in the source tree (no local copies), converting the code every checkin and checkout would be a pain in the ass.
The high temps you mention make Texas an ideal candidate for solar thermal generators, assuming you can find a "middle of nowhere" spot to build a collector.
Stirling engines can work, too, just that you may have to dig a deep well for the heatsink.
The problem, perhaps, is then the widely-held assumption that precedent is infallible. Seldom does a case get re-tried or overturned due to new evidence (often, it only happens when it would be politically disastrous to deny it), because the prosecution has the advantage of a decision in its favor. The defense would have to fight tooth and nail to appeal to higher and higher courts, which is increasingly costly to its client. If the criminal justice system really is interested in the actual execution of justice, maybe the appellate courts should at least pause and consider whether the prosecution really did its job properly?
Cue the law-enforcement people complaining that such investigation would tie up their conviction generating machine. Cry me a river.
Slashdot Mirror
Mod this guy up! He's described the characteristics of a sociopath very succinctly.
You might be right, but it's also likely that they are fairly generous in regard to their return policy, and often give the customer the benefit of the doubt when they claim a defective product.
With more and more unfamiliar names in the market, it's really a caveat emptor world. You have to lurk in online shop comments and hardware forums to determine just how reliable a piece of hardware by NewChineseCompany is. Even then, they might have hired a bunch of people to write "Great product!" comments to skew the public perception in their favor, so you don't know that they use bottom-basement priced components made by a farmer in his tool shed.
(Apologies to TMBG fans)
Microsoft Man?
Well, the issue was a malformed BIOS table (or something like that, my memory sucks); I don't think they stash an entire BIOS inside the components you mention, unless they are destructively stupid and incompetent. Besides, even though their cost is low, if enough customers complain about failing components, the motherboard manufacturers would behoove themselves to find more reliable components.
Interesting that it breezed through Microsoft's certification. Perhaps with all the scrutiny on them from the EU, they've taken to giving hardware vendors sweet deals like easy cert if they would subvert Linux installations. Never ascribe to malice, unless their recent behavior smells like dirty rodents (ISO).
Or someone at Foxconn in charge of firmware is a PHB and decided that anything Linux is not supportable. Regardless, I'd tap an antitrust lawyer and ask him what we can haul them into court with.
C:\>bash Microsoft
'bash' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.
C:\>you suck
I am rubber, you are glue.
Bust the media cartels (RIAA, MPAA, BPI, etc.), let Beckerman retire, THEN kill the lawyers. ;)
For some reason, I feel like an Afghan warlord.
Encourage the implementation of Smell-o-vision first, then take the tests in your birthday suit after a few days of skunk wrestling with no showers.
Yeah, and Larry King gathers them on his show so they can all gang up on Bill Nye. Doesn't he have better controversies to discuss on his CNN spot, like his government's abuse of power?
If anyone lives that long: the first time their diaper will need changing, the second time the diaper stinks but the person is dead from a stroke.
"Princeton?!" *grumble*
That's borderline racketeering: "Nice criminal record/livelihood you got here. It would be a real shame if something were to happen to it." Essentially, the media industry is saying that they'll magnanimously overlook you in their litigation campaign for a fee, even if they have no evidence against you.
That's true, but they and the citizens can use the gathered evidence to get the effectively embezzled funds along with interest. Even if the DA doesn't press charges against him, there's always civil court, where the side with more good evidence wins.
Even if crime drama shows are over-dramatized, they point out a few important rules in the court system: you can't make someone pay just because you "know" that he did something wrong, and the more evidence gathered against him will help a judge rule against him. A possible parallel is the lawyer every gamer hates, Jack Thompson. The more paranoid and ill-tempered he became, the more evidence the Florida Bar collected against him. It didn't weed him out when he did the most damage, but at least he's facing the sanctions he deserves.
Correct scope:
Take a gander at press statements of companies or governments that are caught red-handed doing something that any gerbil could tell you is wrong, and all they will ever apologize for is the fact that they were caught, or that people were inconvenienced.
Slashdot seems to have eaten the arrows in your equations, so here's a try using HTML entities:
CO2 + H2O -> H(+) + HCO3(-)
CaO + H2O -> Ca(2+) + 2 * OH(-)
H(+) + OH(-) -> H2O
Seems Slashdot has something against implementing some form of Unicode (and HTML 4 entity codes), so putting in → (right arrow) or pasting the equivalent character don't work. You'd think they would pass it onto the browser rather than simply deleting them...
Yes, folks, for less than the cost of a glass of milk*, YOU can have your very own free gaming mouse**!
* Assuming liquid N2 is still cheaper than the equivalent volume of milk...
** Dead gamer not included.
Corporations will always try to keep the status quo because they have a hard time to reinvent themselves.
This is because generations of financial minds are geared for short-term growth and profits, and of course the almighty doctrine of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."-- as if one would always see the same pattern of growth just by repeating what one's done for decades, aside from perhaps small-scale farming. Trying to reinvent the media and software industries is probably the best way to go about solving the problems of rampant infringement and misguided driftnets, but it bears enough risk to make even the most bullish investor a coward.
That seems to boil down to one word: Liability. Apple, with its deep pockets and army of lawyers, can assume some degree of liability over its products, and invests in paid support/extended warranties to support issues that big OEMs may simply dismiss as third-party issues. Most Linux distros, however, operate out-of-pocket or through donations, and can at best have non-profit status (if that's even necessary). They can't afford lawsuits from angry users, so they must disclaim any warranty and responsibility for the correct and safe operation of their software, even if it's so stable no one complains any more.
That said, it doesn't mean that they should give the user the run-around every time they ask a legitimate question. Good support techs know to find out what the problem is and answer to the best of their ability and knowledge without telling the caller "Here's the number for..." If they represent the distro, they should put a disclaimer in their signature and still have as much patience with the user as possible. Alternatively they could append a disclaimer to any mail that goes through their support list, or put it on their website. Basically, "We will help as much as we can, but the proper use of the software is ultimately your responsibility."
On OS X, it's "Spaces" (at least in Leopard). I should probably turn it off or reduce it to 2, as I don't really use virtual desktops anymore. Mistyped ctrl-arrow keys can get annoying after a while, and Spaces by default puts Finder on top, pulling focus away from other applications.
More on topic, having a devil's advocate is good, but if he can't hold a reasoned discussion, he's much more harm than good. Linux Hater is very good at using straw men, red herrings, ad hominem, and non sequitur. Meaning, he's a juvenile trying to argue.
I haven't had any of those problems related to sound eight years ago on a FreeBSD 4.0 box (I'm pretty sure I was able to get the mixer working), so I'm thinking it's newer drivers and/or architecture. Still, one would think it wouldn't be too hard to write a mixer that sits in between the applications and audio driver, memory protection notwithstanding...
I would take it up with the Ubuntu crew, with some caveats:
- Be sure to tell them everything about your computer. Not the fact that it has a monitor, mouse, keyboard, and an internet connection, but stuff like which brand of sound and video hardware you're using, and the exact model of your computer (if you didn't build it yourself), such as "Dell Inspiron 640m". A copy/pasted output from the dmesg command should tell them what Ubuntu's thinking your hardware is; something like 'dmesg > ~/dmesg.txt' will do.
- Random crashing can have many causes other than the OS, like overheating hardware, stupid hardware design decisions, and failing RAM. If you have spare hardware or another OS that you can swap into your system, you may eliminate those possibilities.
- TV capture and tuner cards are notorious for being poorly supported outside of Windows. I hear MythTV works for some cards, but I don't know what card you have.
- If the entire desktop locks up (meaning it won't even respond to your mouse), then unfortunately ctrl-alt-backspace to kill/restart X is the only way out. If it's just the application, open up an xterm and run killall on the application. Note that you'll need to know what the actual program's name is, or the process ID number. Usually it's similar to the application's name itself, so run 'ps au' to find it.
Ubuntu's version of Gnome may have a "kill" option in the context menu of the task bar entry, so you might want to explore that.
@musicalwoods: You might want to take a bit more time reading the comment before telling him to install the native version of ZSNES when he says it didn't work "under any shape or form"...
I'm no Microsoft apologist, but this is more of a case of PHBs believing they have technical expertise ("look at my Microsoft certificate, you sniveling geek") that in reality doesn't exist.
Look at it this way, had they used Unix as you suggested and still kept you out of the design loop, they would've coded something that nuked / on the POS and the servers, because of course they'd set the default user as root. I mean, any monkey who would delete a file on an error instead of closing it would go the whole 9 miles when given more power.
And, since this is really a matter of personal preference (I for one prefer the style that OP dislikes), it's a trivial matter to write a script to convert from one style to another.
Of course, if the developers are forced to only use the code in the source tree (no local copies), converting the code every checkin and checkout would be a pain in the ass.
"There's nothing more dangerous than a resourceful idiot." --Dilbert
The high temps you mention make Texas an ideal candidate for solar thermal generators, assuming you can find a "middle of nowhere" spot to build a collector.
Stirling engines can work, too, just that you may have to dig a deep well for the heatsink.
The problem, perhaps, is then the widely-held assumption that precedent is infallible. Seldom does a case get re-tried or overturned due to new evidence (often, it only happens when it would be politically disastrous to deny it), because the prosecution has the advantage of a decision in its favor. The defense would have to fight tooth and nail to appeal to higher and higher courts, which is increasingly costly to its client. If the criminal justice system really is interested in the actual execution of justice, maybe the appellate courts should at least pause and consider whether the prosecution really did its job properly?
Cue the law-enforcement people complaining that such investigation would tie up their conviction generating machine. Cry me a river.