I'm not sure whether or not there would be any issues with patent infringement, but it might be a wise idea to host the iMuse file on thefreeworld.net as a precaution. This way, Americans would be prohibited from downloading the file, which would help to avoid problems from US patents.
Best Regards,
Peter Knowles
P.S. I look forward to giving ScummVM a test sometime. I've got a whole box of LucasArts games just waiting to be played. Thanks for giving me the opportunity.
This is the second time in the past few weeks that I have ended up posting a reply about South Africa. I'm South African myself, and I've lived here my entire life ( 25 years ) and I'm puzzled by some of your comments.
In particular, I don't know what the fluctuating laws are that you are referring to. The government in power ( ANC ) has introduced a few laws but I hardly think that the situation is as you describe it. Granted, some of the laws have been dumb. However, the yanks have the DMCA, so I guess we're even on that score.
The big problem down here is crime. Like you implied in your post, crime is incredible. It's violent in a way that I doubt Slashdot readers could comprehend. We have the highest rape and murder rates outside of a warzone. That's a fact, not exaggeration.
The other big problem is HIV / AIDS. It has taken ( and will continue to take ) a massive toll on the country. Some figures say that as many as 1 in 5 sexually active adults is infected with the HIV virus. This is complicated by the fact that our current president ( Thabo Mbeki ) does not believe that AIDS is caused by the HIV virus. He seems to think it is caused by poverty ( Nelson Mandela, however, knows that HIV causes AIDS. Compared to Mbeki, he's a saint ).
As far as the IT side of things goes, I think that Americans would be surprised. I have worked as a Linux sysadmin for quite a few companies down here. The biggest problem is the so-called 'brain drain' which has been caused by all the skilled ( mostly white ) workers who have departed these shores for greener pastures. I can't blame them. I'm emigrating myself in a few months time.
It's tough here for whites. It's tougher for blacks. Even the average black person here believes that life is worse now than under the previous National Party government ( Apartheid ). Crime is worse. Poverty is worse. Unemployment is worse. It's really a tragedy, when the completely corrupt and evil system of apartheid is remembered by some people ( many of them black ) as the good old days.
As for the topic of this Slashdot story: I can't recommend to the average American to come here. I don't think that he would have the stomach for the conditions. You would have to be an a real thrill-seeking nerd with brass balls to survive it. I suggest that you all continue to write the fine open source software that you have being pumping out from the comfort of your home countries ( In the USA and the rest of the world ). If anything is going to liberate and empower people here, it will be knowledge and education. That's the kind of knowledge that the Linux community has been passing on through the wide range of free ( as in beer and speech ) software.
Free software levels the playing field. It is just as accessible to the first world as the third world. It costs $0 for both of us.
I'm South African. I've lived here my entire life ( 25 years ), and I can promise you that we have *never* had any cable service at all here. Not cable TV, and certainly not broadband Internet feeds.
There are a few dialup ISP's here ( WorldOnline, ABSA and M-Web to name a couple ). There are also a couple of satellite services. However, there is not one single cable company, and there never was one. We don't have any ADSL either.
I think you must be confusing South Africa with some other southern african country ( although I very much doubt that they had any cable providers either ).
I changed over to the Dvorak layout about a year ago after reading about how superior it was ( in terms of speed and comfort ). It took me +-3 weeks to be up to the speed I was with QWERTY. I have no regrets about learning Dvorak, but that is only because it fulfilled 50% of my expectations - namely comfort. It is significantly more comfortable to type on. Your fingers definitely stay on the home row more than with the QWERTY layout. If you're looking to avoid strain on your hands, then Dvorak is quite possibly worth learning.
However, I have not found it to be any faster than QWERTY. If it's speed that you're looking for, then your time would be better spent practicing your QWERTY typing, rather than learning a new layout.
If you do decide to learn Dvorak and you want a Dvorak keyboard, then I recommend purchasing one of the classic 101 key IBM PS/2 keyboards ( using the buckling-spring switches ). I'm sure that you can find a second-hand one quite easily. If you want a new one, then try Unicomp. This is the company that bought the buckling spring technology off of Lexmark ( spun off from IBM ). They sell these keyboards for $69.
The reason I recommend this IBM keyboard is because all the keys have the same angle and shape, so you can rearrange them to a Dvorak layout easily. It took me five minutes to do mine. Another nice feature is that you don't have to pull the whole key off. Each key has a hollow shell on top of the key that you can remove, without pulling the whole key off. Another bonus is the fact that these keyboards have the best 'feel' out of any keyboard I've ever tried.
After you've rearranged your keyboard, you'll still need software to remap the keys. It isn't hard to do under Linux or Windows. The only problem that I've found is that certain Window's games use the original layout ( and ignore your modified keyboard map ). So, for these games you might have to customize the controls. Also, don't forget the QWERTY position of the keys that you need to use for LILO. Both your BIOS setup as well as LILO won't know about your Dvorak layout, which causes problems if you've actually changed the physical keycaps.
The issue about using QWERTY keyboards on the other systems that I have to work on is not a problem. When I actually tell people that I don't use QWERTY it usually impresses the heck out of them ( Of course, the other technical people might be skeptical, but the "people-in-suits" look at me in awe. They think I'm some kind of god for being able to type on keyboards that they can't use. Go figure. ).
To conclude, I actually believe that the quality of the keyboard will usually make more of a difference to your typing than the layout you use. Try not to use the mushy keyboards that are so common today. If you can find yourself a keyboard with good tactile response, then your typing will be infinitely more pleasant, whether or not you use Dvorak.
I have one little suggestion on where to aquire a Dvorak keyboard. There is a company called Unicomp, who purchased the old-buckling spring keyboard technology from Lexmark ( spun off from IBM ). Anyone who remembers the IBM buckling-spring keyboards knows what I'm talking about when I say that they have the best feel out of just about any keyboard. Anyway, I just purchased one of the original classic IBM 101 key keyboards from Unicomp ( $69 ). Aside from the great tactile feel, they also have an easy way to change the position of the characters to convert the layout to Dvorak.
Most keys on these keyboards consist of two parts. The top part is like an outer shell on top of the real key underneath, and all the top shells have exactly the same size and shape. This makes it very easy to pop off the shell and rearrange the letters. I converted mine to Dvorak in a couple of minutes. It's actually very easy. Of course, you still have to remap the keys via software, but at least the characters on the keyboard will match what you type.
Unicomp seemed like a very friendly and efficient bunch, so you might give them a try. I ended up paying a hefty price for DHL shipping to South Africa ( $99! ), but if you live in the US it should be pretty cheap. If you don't want to spend this amount on a new keyboard, then look around for an old second-hand original PS/2 IBM 101 key keyboard. It's the only keyboard I've ever owned which could be converted to Dvorak layout easily.
Firstly, let me apologize for my previous post. I really lost it there. I feel strongly about this and it sometimes gets me pretty worked up.
No, I don't want to ban smoking altogether. I don't believe in banning smoking in bars, clubs or outside either. I also have nothing against smokers. I just hate inconsiderate smokers. In the country I live in, smoking is still allowed in public places / restaurants etc. You can't even go out of your house without taking in the equivalent of about 20 cigarettes worth of smoke.
A few places have banned smoking, and yet many inconsiderate selfish wastes of life still insist on smoking in these areas. I am constantly asking them ( politely ) to put out their cigarettes, and am usually met with indifference or hostility. These people are so insanely selfish that they just can't see what they are doing to asthma sufferers. In the end, your tolerance of smokers in general diminishes.
I believe in your right to smoke. However, I also believe in the rights of others not to be forced into breathing your smoke. A little consideration from smokers wouldn't be a bad thing.
Please think about what your smoke is doing to others. If you were in my shoes, you wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it.
I sincerely hope that you aren't really the pathetic excuse for a human being that your post implies. Why should someone with asthma get a plastic bubble? He isn't asking for anything special. He is merely asking for the right to a healthy environment. You actually have the arrogance to say, "don't tell me what I can put in my body".
Are you really that egotistical? Do you really think that an asthma sufferer gives a damn about what smokers put into their own bodies? The problem that we have is what goes into OUR bodies ( namely your frickin' second-hand smoke ). I don't care if you kill yourself with smoke. In fact, I'm all for it. Raise the tar levels. Raise the nicotine levels. Stick in some more arsenic. Kill yourself quickly. Do it in your own home. Feed your addiction to the point of death. THAT, my friend, is natural selection.
You have a good day now ( you don't have many of those left ).
Peter K.
P.S. Yup, It's a flame. It's offtopic too. Mark it down. I've lost a wife to asthma, and I'm not going to read insensitive crap like this without replying.
A while ago I was searching on www.deja.com for an online computer games dealer, when I found this post. When I read the post and then looked at the name of the author I nearly fell off my chair with laughter. How stupid can one man be? Needless to say, I didn't order from this company.
The problem is that there is no way at all the government could afford the hardware ( even with free software ). It just makes no difference. Teachers out here are being retrenched at an alarming rate. Quite frankly, even if someone donated hardware along with the software, it would still be worthless. Most of the rural schools couldn't afford the electricity ( and often there isn't any electrictity at all ).
I think that an offer like this is not going to be received well down here. These schools don't want software. They want heating, desks, electricity, blackboards and a host of other 'basic' requirements. Why don't Corel just offer a free training program for disadvantaged communities. That way, Corel can provide some hardware with Linux and WordPerfect installed, as well as the location for the training. These communities would receive some much needed computer exposure. That would be appreciated more.
Okay, I stand corrected. There is at least one government school in South Africa that has a computer. However, I'm willing to bet that this was not one of the rural, or township schools. Maybe some of the wealthier schools might have a few computers, but they really don't account for a large segment of South Africa's education system. The majority of schools out here would consider a computer a frivolous expense. When you don't even have textbooks, WordPerfect and Linux mean nothing.
My sister used to teach biology, and you would not believe the grim picture she painted of the education system out here.
Hang on here. I live in South Africa, and I fail to see the importance of this offer. To whom is the offer being made? According to the article, it's the South African government. I don't understand then. The schools that will receive a copy of WordPerfect are all government schools. I hate to break it to Corel, but basically not one government school has a computer. I'm serious, most of these schools ( especially the black rural ones that need the most help ) don't even have desks. This is a complete joke. All the private schools can afford WordPerfect, and the public schools can't use it. Do they think that all these schools have PC's just waiting for WordPerfect?
Slashdot Mirror
Hi Ludvig,
I'm not sure whether or not there would be any issues with patent infringement, but it might be a wise idea to host the iMuse file on thefreeworld.net as a precaution. This way, Americans would be prohibited from downloading the file, which would help to avoid problems from US patents.
Best Regards,
Peter Knowles
P.S. I look forward to giving ScummVM a test sometime. I've got a whole box of LucasArts games just waiting to be played. Thanks for giving me the opportunity.
This is the second time in the past few weeks that I have ended up posting a reply about South Africa. I'm South African myself, and I've lived here my entire life ( 25 years ) and I'm puzzled by some of your comments.
In particular, I don't know what the fluctuating laws are that you are referring to. The government in power ( ANC ) has introduced a few laws but I hardly think that the situation is as you describe it. Granted, some of the laws have been dumb. However, the yanks have the DMCA, so I guess we're even on that score.
The big problem down here is crime. Like you implied in your post, crime is incredible. It's violent in a way that I doubt Slashdot readers could comprehend. We have the highest rape and murder rates outside of a warzone. That's a fact, not exaggeration.
The other big problem is HIV / AIDS. It has taken ( and will continue to take ) a massive toll on the country. Some figures say that as many as 1 in 5 sexually active adults is infected with the HIV virus. This is complicated by the fact that our current president ( Thabo Mbeki ) does not believe that AIDS is caused by the HIV virus. He seems to think it is caused by poverty ( Nelson Mandela, however, knows that HIV causes AIDS. Compared to Mbeki, he's a saint ).
As far as the IT side of things goes, I think that Americans would be surprised. I have worked as a Linux sysadmin for quite a few companies down here. The biggest problem is the so-called 'brain drain' which has been caused by all the skilled ( mostly white ) workers who have departed these shores for greener pastures. I can't blame them. I'm emigrating myself in a few months time.
It's tough here for whites. It's tougher for blacks. Even the average black person here believes that life is worse now than under the previous National Party government ( Apartheid ). Crime is worse. Poverty is worse. Unemployment is worse. It's really a tragedy, when the completely corrupt and evil system of apartheid is remembered by some people ( many of them black ) as the good old days.
As for the topic of this Slashdot story: I can't recommend to the average American to come here. I don't think that he would have the stomach for the conditions. You would have to be an a real thrill-seeking nerd with brass balls to survive it. I suggest that you all continue to write the fine open source software that you have being pumping out from the comfort of your home countries ( In the USA and the rest of the world ). If anything is going to liberate and empower people here, it will be knowledge and education. That's the kind of knowledge that the Linux community has been passing on through the wide range of free ( as in beer and speech ) software.
Free software levels the playing field. It is just as accessible to the first world as the third world. It costs $0 for both of us.
Best Regards,
Peter Knowles
I'm South African. I've lived here my entire life ( 25 years ), and I can promise you that we have *never* had any cable service at all here. Not cable TV, and certainly not broadband Internet feeds.
There are a few dialup ISP's here ( WorldOnline, ABSA and M-Web to name a couple ). There are also a couple of satellite services. However, there is not one single cable company, and there never was one. We don't have any ADSL either.
I think you must be confusing South Africa with some other southern african country ( although I very much doubt that they had any cable providers either ).
Best Regards,
Peter Knowles
I changed over to the Dvorak layout about a year ago after reading about how superior it was ( in terms of speed and comfort ). It took me +-3 weeks to be up to the speed I was with QWERTY. I have no regrets about learning Dvorak, but that is only because it fulfilled 50% of my expectations - namely comfort. It is significantly more comfortable to type on. Your fingers definitely stay on the home row more than with the QWERTY layout. If you're looking to avoid strain on your hands, then Dvorak is quite possibly worth learning.
However, I have not found it to be any faster than QWERTY. If it's speed that you're looking for, then your time would be better spent practicing your QWERTY typing, rather than learning a new layout.
If you do decide to learn Dvorak and you want a Dvorak keyboard, then I recommend purchasing one of the classic 101 key IBM PS/2 keyboards ( using the buckling-spring switches ). I'm sure that you can find a second-hand one quite easily. If you want a new one, then try Unicomp. This is the company that bought the buckling spring technology off of Lexmark ( spun off from IBM ). They sell these keyboards for $69.
The reason I recommend this IBM keyboard is because all the keys have the same angle and shape, so you can rearrange them to a Dvorak layout easily. It took me five minutes to do mine. Another nice feature is that you don't have to pull the whole key off. Each key has a hollow shell on top of the key that you can remove, without pulling the whole key off. Another bonus is the fact that these keyboards have the best 'feel' out of any keyboard I've ever tried.
After you've rearranged your keyboard, you'll still need software to remap the keys. It isn't hard to do under Linux or Windows. The only problem that I've found is that certain Window's games use the original layout ( and ignore your modified keyboard map ). So, for these games you might have to customize the controls. Also, don't forget the QWERTY position of the keys that you need to use for LILO. Both your BIOS setup as well as LILO won't know about your Dvorak layout, which causes problems if you've actually changed the physical keycaps.
The issue about using QWERTY keyboards on the other systems that I have to work on is not a problem. When I actually tell people that I don't use QWERTY it usually impresses the heck out of them ( Of course, the other technical people might be skeptical, but the "people-in-suits" look at me in awe. They think I'm some kind of god for being able to type on keyboards that they can't use. Go figure. ).
To conclude, I actually believe that the quality of the keyboard will usually make more of a difference to your typing than the layout you use. Try not to use the mushy keyboards that are so common today. If you can find yourself a keyboard with good tactile response, then your typing will be infinitely more pleasant, whether or not you use Dvorak.
Regards,
Peter K.
I have one little suggestion on where to aquire a Dvorak keyboard. There is a company called Unicomp, who purchased the old-buckling spring keyboard technology from Lexmark ( spun off from IBM ). Anyone who remembers the IBM buckling-spring keyboards knows what I'm talking about when I say that they have the best feel out of just about any keyboard. Anyway, I just purchased one of the original classic IBM 101 key keyboards from Unicomp ( $69 ). Aside from the great tactile feel, they also have an easy way to change the position of the characters to convert the layout to Dvorak.
Most keys on these keyboards consist of two parts. The top part is like an outer shell on top of the real key underneath, and all the top shells have exactly the same size and shape. This makes it very easy to pop off the shell and rearrange the letters. I converted mine to Dvorak in a couple of minutes. It's actually very easy. Of course, you still have to remap the keys via software, but at least the characters on the keyboard will match what you type.
Unicomp seemed like a very friendly and efficient bunch, so you might give them a try. I ended up paying a hefty price for DHL shipping to South Africa ( $99! ), but if you live in the US it should be pretty cheap. If you don't want to spend this amount on a new keyboard, then look around for an old second-hand original PS/2 IBM 101 key keyboard. It's the only keyboard I've ever owned which could be converted to Dvorak layout easily.
Regards,
Peter K.
Firstly, let me apologize for my previous post. I really lost it there. I feel strongly about this and it sometimes gets me pretty worked up.
No, I don't want to ban smoking altogether. I don't believe in banning smoking in bars, clubs or outside either. I also have nothing against smokers. I just hate inconsiderate smokers. In the country I live in, smoking is still allowed in public places / restaurants etc. You can't even go out of your house without taking in the equivalent of about 20 cigarettes worth of smoke.
A few places have banned smoking, and yet many inconsiderate selfish wastes of life still insist on smoking in these areas. I am constantly asking them ( politely ) to put out their cigarettes, and am usually met with indifference or hostility. These people are so insanely selfish that they just can't see what they are doing to asthma sufferers. In the end, your tolerance of smokers in general diminishes.
I believe in your right to smoke. However, I also believe in the rights of others not to be forced into breathing your smoke. A little consideration from smokers wouldn't be a bad thing.
Please think about what your smoke is doing to others. If you were in my shoes, you wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it.
Regards,
Peter K.
I sincerely hope that you aren't really the pathetic excuse for a human being that your post implies. Why should someone with asthma get a plastic bubble? He isn't asking for anything special. He is merely asking for the right to a healthy environment. You actually have the arrogance to say, "don't tell me what I can put in my body".
Are you really that egotistical? Do you really think that an asthma sufferer gives a damn about what smokers put into their own bodies? The problem that we have is what goes into OUR bodies ( namely your frickin' second-hand smoke ). I don't care if you kill yourself with smoke. In fact, I'm all for it. Raise the tar levels. Raise the nicotine levels. Stick in some more arsenic. Kill yourself quickly. Do it in your own home. Feed your addiction to the point of death. THAT, my friend, is natural selection.
You have a good day now ( you don't have many of those left ).
Peter K.
P.S. Yup, It's a flame. It's offtopic too. Mark it down. I've lost a wife to asthma, and I'm not going to read insensitive crap like this without replying.
A while ago I was searching on www.deja.com for an online computer games dealer, when I found this post. When I read the post and then looked at the name of the author I nearly fell off my chair with laughter. How stupid can one man be? Needless to say, I didn't order from this company.
The problem is that there is no way at all the government could afford the hardware ( even with free software ). It just makes no difference. Teachers out here are being retrenched at an alarming rate. Quite frankly, even if someone donated hardware along with the software, it would still be worthless. Most of the rural schools couldn't afford the electricity ( and often there isn't any electrictity at all ).
I think that an offer like this is not going to be received well down here. These schools don't want software. They want heating, desks, electricity, blackboards and a host of other 'basic' requirements. Why don't Corel just offer a free training program for disadvantaged communities. That way, Corel can provide some hardware with Linux and WordPerfect installed, as well as the location for the training. These communities would receive some much needed computer exposure. That would be appreciated more.
Best Regards,
Peter K.
Okay, I stand corrected. There is at least one government school in South Africa that has a computer. However, I'm willing to bet that this was not one of the rural, or township schools. Maybe some of the wealthier schools might have a few computers, but they really don't account for a large segment of South Africa's education system. The majority of schools out here would consider a computer a frivolous expense. When you don't even have textbooks, WordPerfect and Linux mean nothing.
My sister used to teach biology, and you would not believe the grim picture she painted of the education system out here.
Best Regards,
Peter K.
Hang on here. I live in South Africa, and I fail to see the importance of this offer. To whom is the offer being made? According to the article, it's the South African government. I don't understand then. The schools that will receive a copy of WordPerfect are all government schools. I hate to break it to Corel, but basically not one government school has a computer. I'm serious, most of these schools ( especially the black rural ones that need the most help ) don't even have desks. This is a complete joke. All the private schools can afford WordPerfect, and the public schools can't use it. Do they think that all these schools have PC's just waiting for WordPerfect?
Peter K.