If you've been pirating TV shows for so long and have become accustomed to its benefits (no ads, offline watching at any time and not just when aired/networked, encoded in cross-platform, DRM free formats for easy transfer to multiple devices, etc), it's very hard to go back to traditional methods of watching TV shows.
Whatever. Marketshare has shown you're very much alone even after all this time and with the advantage of being completely free. Maybe it's time to consider if your life has been based on a lie. A painful and shocking revelation I understand... which is why so many Linux fanboys prefer to keep believing that which is not true. The reality is too much to bear.
but still hasn't succeeded in making the difficult easy
I'll meet you half-way and suggest that in Windows, it's easier to get something going initially, but in Linux it's easier to make detailed and significant changes later on.
As for Windows admins wishing they had Linux, I've met a few Win admins and they generally consider interest in Linux to be something of a "phase", one which you grow out once you gain enough experience at what actually happens in corporate setup and why Exchange is so widely used (hint: it's fucking awesome how much capability it provides compared to a scattering of similar tools and services in Linux).
It's really weird how Windows on the desktop has always reigned supreme and Linux could never make any head-way, but now it's Linux (in a form) which is co-dominating on mobile devices and Windows which can't make any head-way. Quite a weird reversal of fortunes. Also somewhat satisfying from a karmic point of view.
Technology changes a lot in 9 years. 9 years ago I honestly though Linux was superior to Windows on a technical level, at least for desktop purposes. Now, I'm quite convinced of the opposite.
You basically just admitted that Linux boxes are harder to administer than Windows servers. This makes Linux servers much less appealing for companies when you can find Windows server admins for a dime a dozen, but Linux admins are harder to find and generally cost a lot more.
And what is its one intended use? Email? Outlook does more than just email. I'd list all the other features like calendering and how well it works when integrated properly into Exchange, but it's starting to sound (for the millionth) time like someone wants to bash a Microsoft product without using it. No wonder Slashdot isn't taken seriously anymore.
Wait, remind me why Outlook is bad. It's an incredibly slick product and hasn't caused me any real problems. Or do people just like to whine and enjoy complaining?
Windows 7/8 isn't hard to pirate. Sure, it doesn't have an activation-free version like Windows XP Professional did, but with the right program it's a one-click activation process. Pretty painless.
As for Linux? Hah! People will just use custom pre-activated versions of Windows 7 distributed by fellow users if necessary. There is close to zero knowledge of Linux in mainstream Western society - what makes you think China's going to be any different? Fuck people are still naive to believe it has a chance on the desktop.
Well sure the Linux fans would say that. Since Linux has never achieved mainstream success on the desktop despite years of fans saying it would, it makes sense to move the goalposts and say that it doesn't matter anymore. It's the easiest way to "win" without losing cred.
Whatever is said though, it's still a fact that right here and now, and probably still for many years in the future, desktops/laptops are going to be the dominant platform for geeks, PC gamers and most people doing actual work which requires a computer of some sort. Tablets and mobiles simply aren't as efficient for most tasks and have yet to obtain the massive amount of legacy and specialist software that exists on Windows.
One thing I've finally come to accept over many many years is that when it comes to technology and computers, you HAVE to learn to accept change and learn how things are rather than how they were. People complain about UI changes with Firefox - I understand that, but I'd rather just learn what they've change and adapt to the (minor) differences in each new version, rather than hang back with older versions/styles until I discover the world around me has changed and adaptation is harder now than it would have been if I just adapter bit by bit as things progressed.
Now keep in mind - I'm not saying change is always for the better. Indeed, a lot of it sucks balls. But I can't help that, and what I DON'T want to be is some aging bearded nerd at 50 thinking everything was better back in my time, even though we have all this great mainstream tech but I avoided it entirely because I was convinced, completely convinced that I knew better and that what I was used to was the epitomize of design and usefulness.
In this field, change happens all the time. It's not necessarily good, but for the sake of your sanity and blood pressure, just go along with it. Adapt bit by bit, and you won't be stressed unnecessarily by the realization in a few years that you're one of the very few who even uses a desktop anymore and everyone considers you an old fogie for not keeping up with the world.
Although you used the word skeuomorphic in the wrong context (and got chewed out by several ACs rather than anyone focusing on the actual meat of your content), I agree with you. There seems to be this war on gradients - the current fashion is in simplicity of design, a minimalistic approach to graphics. Although this has some value in getting rid of gaudy elements of UIs, stuff like Windows 8 and Metro just go way too far. I wouldn't say the new Firefox icon is particularly bad, but it is becoming a bit more boring and dreary as time goes on (Office 2013 and Visual Studio 2012 in particular are pathetic, dreary-looking beasts).
Encryption can be dangerous. If a company is using cloud services and encrypts their data, I doubt the NSA would raise any eyebrows as it would make sense for a business to want to secure their data as a matter of good security practices. But if you or I encrypt the data we store in a Dropbox for example, it becomes a bit more noticeable because not many individuals use encryption, and so the NSA might want to know WHY someone is actively using encryption. If you decide to encrypt emails, that becomes VERY noticeable and easy to detect for anyone performing automated scanning on emails.
The best form of encryption is often via hiding in plain site. Steganography, coded but innocuous-looking emails, etc. Encryption draws attention to you - blending into the noise does the opposite.
Wouldn't a good shill be defined as someone who's able to convince people he's not a shill?:)
Doesn't work on Slashdot though. If you say anything even slightly positive about Microsoft/Windows/Office or related stuff, you're a shrill. If you're raise concerns (well-meaning as they might be) about Linux or open source, you're a scummy shrill. If you raise the possibility that a Mac might be less stressful and a better fit than a Linux machine for your average Joe, you're an Apple fanboy.
Slashdot is a place full of opinions. Moderation though tends to encourage only one type of opinion, which is why I hate what ArsTechnica did with their addition of voting on comments.
By the way, I've been accused of being a shill for Apple, Ubuntu, Google, HTC, VMware, OpenSuse, KDE, Foxit, Chrysler, Garmin, Samsung, Motorola, Microsoft, Intel, and Starbucks, to name just a few. If I got a pay check from all of them I could quit my job.
Shit dude, if your posts can really convince people to believe you're a shill for all those companies, clearly you're good enough at the job that maybe you SHOULD seriously consider being a professional shill. Not such a bad side gig for someone who'd be good at it.:)
There is more than one version of Mint. There's a spin of Linux Mint that uses Debian as its base instead of Ubuntu, which is good if Ubuntu ever becomes too much of a burden.
If people honestly think Unity is impressive (and hence Ubuntu), then the Linux community and what I grew up to believe in Linux being the epitome of technical prowess and efficiently is truly dead.
Maybe I was right to give up trying to convert to Linux, what with all the FUCKING CHANGES Ubuntu keeps implementing and not realizing that continual changes for a user-facing OS are a bad thing...
Firefox mobile has too many odd rendering bugs that I just don't see in other browsers like Dolphin or Chrome. It's great to see Adblock Plus works on a mobile (presumably without rooting), but to get system-wide blocking of ads that permeates to apps as well as other browsers, you need to root your phone/tablet which is outside the skillset for most people unfortunately.
In another article for example, the guy gives (among other reasons) the excuse that he won't use Office on Android because Microsoft works closely with the NSA to give access to your documents. Though he's clearly an Android fan and of course, the NSA wouldn't never work with Google (willingly or otherwise) to obtain Google Docs files or access to your actions linked to Google accounts would they.
The guy is a free-software fanboy (says so in his bio on the site). It's really disappointing that there don't seem to be many free-software advocates who can think clearly and are not emotionally so caught up in things that they can't objectively see such obvious hypocrisy in their words. It's one of the things that pushes me away from Linux - I don't want to end up like them.
I like how you insult Windows with a deliberate misspelling even though Linux was the one that performed worse with artifacts and whatnot. Goes to show some people are a little too attached to operating systems such that they don't have any actual problems in life to deal with.
No-one has complained about the performance of Windows 8 - in fact it's known for being a bit better than Windows 7 in some areas. It's just the shoehorned mobile-focus UI in Win 8 that's earned contempt instead of hardware requirements for a change.
Slashdot Mirror
If you've been pirating TV shows for so long and have become accustomed to its benefits (no ads, offline watching at any time and not just when aired/networked, encoded in cross-platform, DRM free formats for easy transfer to multiple devices, etc), it's very hard to go back to traditional methods of watching TV shows.
Whatever. Marketshare has shown you're very much alone even after all this time and with the advantage of being completely free. Maybe it's time to consider if your life has been based on a lie. A painful and shocking revelation I understand... which is why so many Linux fanboys prefer to keep believing that which is not true. The reality is too much to bear.
I'll meet you half-way and suggest that in Windows, it's easier to get something going initially, but in Linux it's easier to make detailed and significant changes later on.
As for Windows admins wishing they had Linux, I've met a few Win admins and they generally consider interest in Linux to be something of a "phase", one which you grow out once you gain enough experience at what actually happens in corporate setup and why Exchange is so widely used (hint: it's fucking awesome how much capability it provides compared to a scattering of similar tools and services in Linux).
It's really weird how Windows on the desktop has always reigned supreme and Linux could never make any head-way, but now it's Linux (in a form) which is co-dominating on mobile devices and Windows which can't make any head-way. Quite a weird reversal of fortunes. Also somewhat satisfying from a karmic point of view.
Technology changes a lot in 9 years. 9 years ago I honestly though Linux was superior to Windows on a technical level, at least for desktop purposes. Now, I'm quite convinced of the opposite.
You basically just admitted that Linux boxes are harder to administer than Windows servers. This makes Linux servers much less appealing for companies when you can find Windows server admins for a dime a dozen, but Linux admins are harder to find and generally cost a lot more.
Apparently they are.
And what is its one intended use? Email? Outlook does more than just email. I'd list all the other features like calendering and how well it works when integrated properly into Exchange, but it's starting to sound (for the millionth) time like someone wants to bash a Microsoft product without using it. No wonder Slashdot isn't taken seriously anymore.
Wait, remind me why Outlook is bad. It's an incredibly slick product and hasn't caused me any real problems. Or do people just like to whine and enjoy complaining?
It wouldn't be Slashdot without someone finding a way to mention Linux in an article that isn't even relevant to it. :)
Windows 7/8 isn't hard to pirate. Sure, it doesn't have an activation-free version like Windows XP Professional did, but with the right program it's a one-click activation process. Pretty painless.
As for Linux? Hah! People will just use custom pre-activated versions of Windows 7 distributed by fellow users if necessary. There is close to zero knowledge of Linux in mainstream Western society - what makes you think China's going to be any different? Fuck people are still naive to believe it has a chance on the desktop.
Well sure the Linux fans would say that. Since Linux has never achieved mainstream success on the desktop despite years of fans saying it would, it makes sense to move the goalposts and say that it doesn't matter anymore. It's the easiest way to "win" without losing cred.
Whatever is said though, it's still a fact that right here and now, and probably still for many years in the future, desktops/laptops are going to be the dominant platform for geeks, PC gamers and most people doing actual work which requires a computer of some sort. Tablets and mobiles simply aren't as efficient for most tasks and have yet to obtain the massive amount of legacy and specialist software that exists on Windows.
One thing I've finally come to accept over many many years is that when it comes to technology and computers, you HAVE to learn to accept change and learn how things are rather than how they were. People complain about UI changes with Firefox - I understand that, but I'd rather just learn what they've change and adapt to the (minor) differences in each new version, rather than hang back with older versions/styles until I discover the world around me has changed and adaptation is harder now than it would have been if I just adapter bit by bit as things progressed.
Now keep in mind - I'm not saying change is always for the better. Indeed, a lot of it sucks balls. But I can't help that, and what I DON'T want to be is some aging bearded nerd at 50 thinking everything was better back in my time, even though we have all this great mainstream tech but I avoided it entirely because I was convinced, completely convinced that I knew better and that what I was used to was the epitomize of design and usefulness.
In this field, change happens all the time. It's not necessarily good, but for the sake of your sanity and blood pressure, just go along with it. Adapt bit by bit, and you won't be stressed unnecessarily by the realization in a few years that you're one of the very few who even uses a desktop anymore and everyone considers you an old fogie for not keeping up with the world.
Although you used the word skeuomorphic in the wrong context (and got chewed out by several ACs rather than anyone focusing on the actual meat of your content), I agree with you. There seems to be this war on gradients - the current fashion is in simplicity of design, a minimalistic approach to graphics. Although this has some value in getting rid of gaudy elements of UIs, stuff like Windows 8 and Metro just go way too far. I wouldn't say the new Firefox icon is particularly bad, but it is becoming a bit more boring and dreary as time goes on (Office 2013 and Visual Studio 2012 in particular are pathetic, dreary-looking beasts).
Encryption can be dangerous. If a company is using cloud services and encrypts their data, I doubt the NSA would raise any eyebrows as it would make sense for a business to want to secure their data as a matter of good security practices. But if you or I encrypt the data we store in a Dropbox for example, it becomes a bit more noticeable because not many individuals use encryption, and so the NSA might want to know WHY someone is actively using encryption. If you decide to encrypt emails, that becomes VERY noticeable and easy to detect for anyone performing automated scanning on emails.
The best form of encryption is often via hiding in plain site. Steganography, coded but innocuous-looking emails, etc. Encryption draws attention to you - blending into the noise does the opposite.
Doesn't work on Slashdot though. If you say anything even slightly positive about Microsoft/Windows/Office or related stuff, you're a shrill. If you're raise concerns (well-meaning as they might be) about Linux or open source, you're a scummy shrill. If you raise the possibility that a Mac might be less stressful and a better fit than a Linux machine for your average Joe, you're an Apple fanboy.
Slashdot is a place full of opinions. Moderation though tends to encourage only one type of opinion, which is why I hate what ArsTechnica did with their addition of voting on comments.
Shit dude, if your posts can really convince people to believe you're a shill for all those companies, clearly you're good enough at the job that maybe you SHOULD seriously consider being a professional shill. Not such a bad side gig for someone who'd be good at it. :)
Yeah OK, that's a good point.
There is more than one version of Mint. There's a spin of Linux Mint that uses Debian as its base instead of Ubuntu, which is good if Ubuntu ever becomes too much of a burden.
If people honestly think Unity is impressive (and hence Ubuntu), then the Linux community and what I grew up to believe in Linux being the epitome of technical prowess and efficiently is truly dead.
Maybe I was right to give up trying to convert to Linux, what with all the FUCKING CHANGES Ubuntu keeps implementing and not realizing that continual changes for a user-facing OS are a bad thing...
Firefox mobile has too many odd rendering bugs that I just don't see in other browsers like Dolphin or Chrome. It's great to see Adblock Plus works on a mobile (presumably without rooting), but to get system-wide blocking of ads that permeates to apps as well as other browsers, you need to root your phone/tablet which is outside the skillset for most people unfortunately.
In another article for example, the guy gives (among other reasons) the excuse that he won't use Office on Android because Microsoft works closely with the NSA to give access to your documents. Though he's clearly an Android fan and of course, the NSA wouldn't never work with Google (willingly or otherwise) to obtain Google Docs files or access to your actions linked to Google accounts would they.
The guy is a free-software fanboy (says so in his bio on the site). It's really disappointing that there don't seem to be many free-software advocates who can think clearly and are not emotionally so caught up in things that they can't objectively see such obvious hypocrisy in their words. It's one of the things that pushes me away from Linux - I don't want to end up like them.
I like how you insult Windows with a deliberate misspelling even though Linux was the one that performed worse with artifacts and whatnot. Goes to show some people are a little too attached to operating systems such that they don't have any actual problems in life to deal with.
No-one has complained about the performance of Windows 8 - in fact it's known for being a bit better than Windows 7 in some areas. It's just the shoehorned mobile-focus UI in Win 8 that's earned contempt instead of hardware requirements for a change.
There's always someone who has to bring someone down rather than consider their point might have some merit.