I saw a new Lexmark printer on sale the other day for just over 50 bucks. With some ink refills running in the $30 range, it almost seems feasable to eventually have use-once, throw-away (recycle!) printers... much like those cardboard cameras.
And political opinions are best shared during the discussion, not by the editors, in my not-so-humble opinion. Everyone bitches when they plug merchandise, so why not politics?
Just tried to cancel Earthlink myself
on
Disconnecting
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· Score: 1
I just hooked into the local cable service, so I also need to cancel Earthlink. I've tried twice, but I never have time to wait on hold.
I used to have AOL back in the day. At that point, there was NO number listed... you just had to fill out a form or something online to cancel. Of course, that never worked, and you ended up having to work your way through their phone system anyway. Meanwhile, they're still billing you. With it being as hard to cancel service, can you imagine how hard it was to get a refund? Months.
"However, people who can build their own pc's wouldn't buy a retail box at walmart, and probably wouldn't think to install Linux."
What I actually meant was:
People who can build their own pc's wouldn't buy a retail box at Walmart. Those who WOULD buy a box from walmart probably wouldn't think to install Linux.
Don't forget the 32Mb "shared" video ram. For the money spent on these retail systems, most of us could build something much better without having to go so generic.
However, people who can build their own pc's wouldn't buy a retail box at walmart, and probably wouldn't think to install Linux. It's been mentioned before, and is probably true, that people buying these machines are using "pirated" copies of Windows, not Linux, FreeBSD, etc.
So, I don't see this as necessarily a win for Linux and other non-windows platforms. I see it as a piss-off for Microsoft.
Good point. I'm in the same boat. Stupid in college, student loans, recently married, have a 7 month old, rent, food, bills, bills, bills. Call me a "fscking idiot" if you want, but unless you've been there, I would hesitate to be judgemental.
Bad things happend to good people (that's why we have last chance auto insurance:) ) The real idiots are the ones who do absolutely nothing to better their situation.
So, good advice in the original post, but be careful who you judge.
Not necessarily. If all of a sudden protramming wasn't paying out, I'd have to leave and downgrade programming to a hobby. Why? Because my family and their happiness is worth more to me than whether or not I like my job.
Programming is the perfect job for me... I love doing it, and I'm good at it. BUT, some things are more important. I will go to the dark side if I have to.
I suppose I opened myself up to abuse by not being clear. I don't think monopolies are a good thing... but I do think a measure of standardization is good for the typical end user. The people posting to this site are for the most part above average in their computing skills, and I think we sometimes loose focus on the average person.
My attempted point was this: Microsoft is successful because of their big standardization push. Users who learn one product have a very small learning curve for another. You unfortunately don't see this as much in the open source community... which is fine. Just not good for someone not confident with that boxy-thing with the lights and fancy tv:)
To carry the car analogy futher... it would suck to have very vew options in cars. But anybody who learns to drive one car should know how to drive another of the same class, even if they don't take advantage of the additioal features (perhaps gps, fancy climate control, whatever).
This is what we should strive for in our development. Once you learn one suite of productivity software (StarOffice), it should be relatively easy to learn another (Microsoft). Standardization is not only good, but would actually help in providing alternatives to Microsoft.
I've always felt that free (free in the context of this interview) software is a great supplement and alternative for expensive proprietary software if you can't afford it or have no need for it.
HOWEVER, I have a hard time invisioning a world where all software is free and open. Companies have the right to protect intellectual property, and this isn't necessarily a bad thing.
And if you want to talk about OS's specifically, let's not forget the common user out there... Joe "Dumbass" Schmoe. I'd wager that most regular consumers would be at a terrible disadvantage if they didn't have a standardized platform like windows to use. Say what you want about Microsoft and their monopoly, but for many consumers, it works. What would happen to them if all of a sudden there was 5 different versions of Office XP? One version with increased security, another with enhanced menus, etc. It would blow their minds!
Regardless of what we think in this forum, most people are still pretty stupid when it comes to computers... I don't think the world is ready for the kind of variety that would arise from a completely open software market.
*sigh*. Once again I've been grossly misunderstood.
Sorry:)
Pretty much agree with the rest. Maybe it's just me, though, but I'm not sure if the "I'm doing the right thing" feeling would be enough for most parents to let down their guard. I like to think that, anyway. Perhaps it's because I think of things like this as a failover... an extra layer of security. I've been dealing with technology too long to fully trust it. But, to enforce your point, some people are utter morons and slaves to technology.
But I say let this technology advance and grow. Trust in the fact that there are good parents who know how to use it and some who don't... just like seat belts.
I'll let the script kiddies worry about government abuse and Big Brother.
And what, exactly, is freedom in this context? I do not allow a 5-yr-old freedom to play in the street, or to decide if he's going to brush his teeth or eat his greens.
If you mean the freedom for an older child to express him or herself, fine. Freedom to think, freedom to rationalize, freedom to question... all of these are important.
But as it's been said several times in this discussion, this isn't about freedom or personal liberties. This is about keeping scumbags from stealing and abusing our children.
There is a difference between keeping a child safe, and keeping a child sheltered. Don't confuse the two.
I think it's the first 24 hrs. that are critical in a missing persons case (consulting my CSI factoids here). If that's the case, then this device COULD help protect a child... by finding them quickly.
It would be better if the device could be hidden... prehaps a shigawire coil in the hair? (obscure dune reference).
There is absolutely nothing wrong with making our world safer for our children. I'm sorry, but if you don't have children, then I highly doubt you would fully understand this.
There is absolutely NOTHING a parent would not do to keep their children safe. Some go overboard, I'll grant that, but you're going to worry about your child no matter what. You don't want to smother your child in the protective bubble all parents wish they could keep their kids in, but at the same time, you DO have an obligation to keep them alive and healthy at least until they're grown. Then they can shoulder that burden.
But in the end, it doesn't matter what you say, because any parent will immediately reject any opinion about parenting from someone with no kids. This is a great technology, and I think any parent would see it as such.
Of course you don't want to abuse it, and for the/. kiddies out there, I wouldn't worry too much about your parents strapping one of these things on you without your consent. Better to spend your efforts ranting about Microsoft or how great and unbeatable Linux is.
That's great for the hundred or so companies that can afford it... what happens to the 250,000 that can't?
Oh, that's right, they've got that whole monopoly thing going on and the 250,000 HAVE to pay, or else hire a whole new IT staff of open source developers. Silly me.
Don't think you're not paying for windows, just because it came on your new pc. With micro$oft, nothing is free.
And when was the last time your organization spent 100K on server licenses for a Mandrake or Redhat?
It's true that kids will be teased no matter what. I also agree that the major problem with teasing is that it doesn't stop. Some poor bastard wets his pants in elementary school, and it follows him until he graduates.
The only thing that helped me in school was that my dad was in the military, and we got to move around a lot. Granted, the teasing would usually start up again. So After a couple of years of teasing and torment in one place, I would get to the point where I had to leave. My saving grace was that I knew that we would be leaving. I think most kids don't have that luxury, so what other way out do they have? Kill themselves, or get themselves thrown in jail.
Slashdot Mirror
and being void of his powers
They turned him into Newt Gingrich?
Yep... that works better :)
We have one of those radios that makes nature sounds in our nursery... there's one that's supposed to be wind that sounds very similar to a pc.
She doesn't sleep well without it, either.
I saw a new Lexmark printer on sale the other day for just over 50 bucks. With some ink refills running in the $30 range, it almost seems feasable to eventually have use-once, throw-away (recycle!) printers... much like those cardboard cameras.
And political opinions are best shared during the discussion, not by the editors, in my not-so-humble opinion. Everyone bitches when they plug merchandise, so why not politics?
TPJ
I just hooked into the local cable service, so I also need to cancel Earthlink. I've tried twice, but I never have time to wait on hold.
I used to have AOL back in the day. At that point, there was NO number listed... you just had to fill out a form or something online to cancel. Of course, that never worked, and you ended up having to work your way through their phone system anyway. Meanwhile, they're still billing you. With it being as hard to cancel service, can you imagine how hard it was to get a refund? Months.
Where's Adobe when you need them?
... For the porn industry!
"However, people who can build their own pc's wouldn't buy a retail box at walmart, and probably wouldn't think to install Linux."
What I actually meant was:
People who can build their own pc's wouldn't buy a retail box at Walmart. Those who WOULD buy a box from walmart probably wouldn't think to install Linux.
That makes more sense. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Don't forget the 32Mb "shared" video ram. For the money spent on these retail systems, most of us could build something much better without having to go so generic.
However, people who can build their own pc's wouldn't buy a retail box at walmart, and probably wouldn't think to install Linux. It's been mentioned before, and is probably true, that people buying these machines are using "pirated" copies of Windows, not Linux, FreeBSD, etc.
So, I don't see this as necessarily a win for Linux and other non-windows platforms. I see it as a piss-off for Microsoft.
Good point. I'm in the same boat. Stupid in college, student loans, recently married, have a 7 month old, rent, food, bills, bills, bills. Call me a "fscking idiot" if you want, but unless you've been there, I would hesitate to be judgemental.
:) ) The real idiots are the ones who do absolutely nothing to better their situation.
Bad things happend to good people (that's why we have last chance auto insurance
So, good advice in the original post, but be careful who you judge.
Not necessarily. If all of a sudden protramming wasn't paying out, I'd have to leave and downgrade programming to a hobby. Why? Because my family and their happiness is worth more to me than whether or not I like my job.
Programming is the perfect job for me... I love doing it, and I'm good at it. BUT, some things are more important. I will go to the dark side if I have to.
I suppose I opened myself up to abuse by not being clear. I don't think monopolies are a good thing... but I do think a measure of standardization is good for the typical end user. The people posting to this site are for the most part above average in their computing skills, and I think we sometimes loose focus on the average person.
:)
My attempted point was this: Microsoft is successful because of their big standardization push. Users who learn one product have a very small learning curve for another. You unfortunately don't see this as much in the open source community... which is fine. Just not good for someone not confident with that boxy-thing with the lights and fancy tv
To carry the car analogy futher... it would suck to have very vew options in cars. But anybody who learns to drive one car should know how to drive another of the same class, even if they don't take advantage of the additioal features (perhaps gps, fancy climate control, whatever).
This is what we should strive for in our development. Once you learn one suite of productivity software (StarOffice), it should be relatively easy to learn another (Microsoft). Standardization is not only good, but would actually help in providing alternatives to Microsoft.
I've always felt that free (free in the context of this interview) software is a great supplement and alternative for expensive proprietary software if you can't afford it or have no need for it.
HOWEVER, I have a hard time invisioning a world where all software is free and open. Companies have the right to protect intellectual property, and this isn't necessarily a bad thing.
And if you want to talk about OS's specifically, let's not forget the common user out there... Joe "Dumbass" Schmoe. I'd wager that most regular consumers would be at a terrible disadvantage if they didn't have a standardized platform like windows to use. Say what you want about Microsoft and their monopoly, but for many consumers, it works. What would happen to them if all of a sudden there was 5 different versions of Office XP? One version with increased security, another with enhanced menus, etc. It would blow their minds!
Regardless of what we think in this forum, most people are still pretty stupid when it comes to computers... I don't think the world is ready for the kind of variety that would arise from a completely open software market.
Agreed. Karaoke is also supposed to be painful for the non-drinkers... this encourages drinking to numb the senses.
*sigh*. Once again I've been grossly misunderstood. Sorry :)
Pretty much agree with the rest. Maybe it's just me, though, but I'm not sure if the "I'm doing the right thing" feeling would be enough for most parents to let down their guard. I like to think that, anyway. Perhaps it's because I think of things like this as a failover... an extra layer of security. I've been dealing with technology too long to fully trust it. But, to enforce your point, some people are utter morons and slaves to technology.
But I say let this technology advance and grow. Trust in the fact that there are good parents who know how to use it and some who don't... just like seat belts.
I'll let the script kiddies worry about government abuse and Big Brother.
And what, exactly, is freedom in this context? I do not allow a 5-yr-old freedom to play in the street, or to decide if he's going to brush his teeth or eat his greens.
If you mean the freedom for an older child to express him or herself, fine. Freedom to think, freedom to rationalize, freedom to question... all of these are important.
But as it's been said several times in this discussion, this isn't about freedom or personal liberties. This is about keeping scumbags from stealing and abusing our children.
There is a difference between keeping a child safe, and keeping a child sheltered. Don't confuse the two.
I think it's the first 24 hrs. that are critical in a missing persons case (consulting my CSI factoids here). If that's the case, then this device COULD help protect a child... by finding them quickly.
It would be better if the device could be hidden... prehaps a shigawire coil in the hair? (obscure dune reference).
Bet I know 1,214 ex-parents who would love to kick your stupid ass out a window. Then you'll see how "miniscule" that number is.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with making our world safer for our children. I'm sorry, but if you don't have children, then I highly doubt you would fully understand this.
/. kiddies out there, I wouldn't worry too much about your parents strapping one of these things on you without your consent. Better to spend your efforts ranting about Microsoft or how great and unbeatable Linux is.
There is absolutely NOTHING a parent would not do to keep their children safe. Some go overboard, I'll grant that, but you're going to worry about your child no matter what. You don't want to smother your child in the protective bubble all parents wish they could keep their kids in, but at the same time, you DO have an obligation to keep them alive and healthy at least until they're grown. Then they can shoulder that burden.
But in the end, it doesn't matter what you say, because any parent will immediately reject any opinion about parenting from someone with no kids. This is a great technology, and I think any parent would see it as such.
Of course you don't want to abuse it, and for the
I wonder what he would think about this?
That's great for the hundred or so companies that can afford it... what happens to the 250,000 that can't?
Oh, that's right, they've got that whole monopoly thing going on and the 250,000 HAVE to pay, or else hire a whole new IT staff of open source developers. Silly me.
Don't think you're not paying for windows, just because it came on your new pc. With micro$oft, nothing is free. And when was the last time your organization spent 100K on server licenses for a Mandrake or Redhat?
It's true that kids will be teased no matter what. I also agree that the major problem with teasing is that it doesn't stop. Some poor bastard wets his pants in elementary school, and it follows him until he graduates.
The only thing that helped me in school was that my dad was in the military, and we got to move around a lot. Granted, the teasing would usually start up again. So After a couple of years of teasing and torment in one place, I would get to the point where I had to leave. My saving grace was that I knew that we would be leaving. I think most kids don't have that luxury, so what other way out do they have? Kill themselves, or get themselves thrown in jail.