What are you talking about? The President supports getting warrants. In HIS own words: "Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so. It's important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution." G.W.B. April 20, 2004 http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/04/20 040420-2.html
I don't work in I.S. but somehow, among family and friends, I've become a goto guy for a computer malfunction. (Maybe it's because my machines are running slackware and linux from scratch). Questions I get in response to my attempts to diagnose problems might give some insight.
Problem: Lost my paper, photo, etc.
Me: "What was the name of the file and where were you storing it?"
Them: "I don't know the name. It was stored in my computer"
(note: that wasn't "My Computer").
Me: "OK, Open up a file browser and let's look for it."
Them: "What's a file browser?"
Me after getting them to open windows explorer: "What type of file was it? A jpeg, Gif, bmp, tiff?"
Them: "I don't know. It was a picture."
Problem: Lost email.
Me: "Was the email stored on your computer or on the server."
Them: "I don't know. I opened up my infolder and it's gone. "
Me: "Is the 'infolder' something you click on in a web browser?"
Them: "What's a web browser?"
Attempting to find out what type of hardware they have.
Me: "How much RAM or memory does your computer have."
Them: "20 Gigabytes"
Me: "I think that's probably hard drive space. I mean working memory, RAM."
Them: "I don't know. It's a DELL."
Me: "Do you have any Paperwork that came with the computer?"
Them: "I think it's in the garage in a box behind the water heater."
Don't get me started on trying to find out if they have the necessary drivers.
What this is telling me is that, somehow, people are using computers without understanding basics like file types, and file systems, or whether the information they are viewing resides on their own hard drive or on the internet. It amazes me that they manage to get as much from their computers and the internet as they do without comprehending these basics. I think the mistake is allowing them to use the computer at all without having just a few of these ideas under their belt. You don't allow someone to drive without knowing that they might have to put gas and oil into the vehicle or that they must stop at red lights.
You don't even have to know the coordinates. Just type in "Area 51" on the Google Earth Search tool. I did this before but now, I think, the images are even more Hi Res than they were a few months ago.
Re:If KDE is so advanced, why gnome?
on
KDE 3.5 Released
·
· Score: 1
"Why the need for so many incompatible systems like KDE, gnome, Enlightenment, fvwm, etc?"
Copy and Paste, Highlight and press the middle mouse button, works in all X, KDE, gnome, etc. I've never had problems running apps such as gnucash, koffice, or kmail while running either or neither desktop system. I don't see why you say these systems are so incompatible. Choice and friendly competition between systems drives the improvements. Choice is good.
People working out at the gym are expending energy in a way that accomplishes nothing directly. But they are conditioning themselves to accomplish beneficial things. If a larger portion of the population would condition their reasoning faculties by such activities as we see here, there would be more people capable of solving the those non-trivial problems. And maybe the processes by which dye adheres to surfactant molecules is the the same as the process, which if understood better, would cure cancer or free the world from dependence on fossil fuel. Progress is made by the type of people who engage in these types of activities.
"Today's CSI: Miami episode will feature a group of kids who are inspired to go on a city-wide crime spree by a game that looks suspiciously like Grand Theft Auto."
I wonder how the producers of CSI would feel if someone wrote a book or movie script about someone inspired to commit crimes they saw on shows like CSI. How would they react if someone in real life was inspired by the show to commit crimes.
That's funny. Of course I'm being sarcastic. The school system is training a docile workforce of fascist collaborators. The History of the American Labor Movement is not covered in history class. If it were I'm sure Walmart would demand equal time. I think it's tragic that if current trends hold, you will one day be in competition for a job with someone from the next generation down who won't resist the employer's insistence on total control of their lives. Try to persuade them to stand up for themselves (so that you won't be sticking your neck out by yourself) and they'll tell you that you're not being a "team player".
"There is a current trend where schools think they have authority outside of school hours/property. As a parent I feel that it is NONE of the schools buisness what my child does outside of school period."
But the school environment should prepare students for their adult life. Will their employer not have rules about what they can do when not on the employer's time? We can't have a generation of children grow up with unrealistic expectations about their rights. In the interests of an efficient national economy, we need the school system to teach students to respect authority at all times for their own good.
Historical Precedent when Xerox was Outlawed
on
Grokster Shutting Down?
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
Back in the mid-twentieth century, a company called Xerox was producing a machine which could be used to illegally copy copyrighted materials in books. The courts ruled that the company had to stop making and selling the illegal technology and pay damages to the publishers. At least that's how I remember it.
I'm still using fvwm with tkdesk. (Old machine). They work just fine for my apps, Thunderbird, Firefox, OpenOffice, xterm with Bitchx, Links or FTP, running in it, and GnuCash. Well I'm off to saddle up my dinosaur.
FTA: "CAGW has issued a statement that said the move to OpenDocument would incur unnecessary costs as the state government would be forced to convert 'more than one million current files to the new [OpenDocument] format.'"
I presume CAGW refers to Citizens Against Government Waste. But their statement on this doesn't jibe with the fact that most past documents in other formats would have to be converted to be compatible with newer proprietary formats as well. Also, it contains no comparison of the unnecessary costs incurred by not converting to an open format of some sort.
Because I run an old machine with a slower processor and less memory, I find the best Linux distributions for me are those that, by default, install as little as possible to get a running system without all the bells and whistles. The only system that works better than Slackware for this is a Linux from Scratch system.
Most of us here know that the choice of desktop systems, KDE, Gnome, other, isn't relevant to what programs we can run. KMail runs fine with GNOME. Gnucash runs in KDE, etc. But users who are considering Linux, and even some developers, don't seem to know this. They seem to equate the choice with choosing a BetaMax or a VHS (I was alive in the 1980's). Each machine couldn't play the other's tapes. Hence, when the general newsmedia reports on the choice of desktops, potential users conclude that the Linux desktop isn't as mature as Microsoft Windows, because it hasn't converged on a consistent way of doing things. Linux advocates should be certain that potential users know that having a choice of desktops doesn't prevent one from running any applications.
If you're trying to persuade a 40 something then tell them that choosing a desktop system is like buying a video recorder that plays both VHS and Beta and doesn't cost any more.
Hi kids. I'm your home room robot. Study hard so that when you grow up you'll be qualified for a good job, which by then will also be performed by robots.
It really doesn't matter that the ideas stated in this letter are the opposite of the truth. What matters is, that those who advocate Pendergast's position have boatloads of money to keep saying this more prominently than open source advocates can state their position. If you just keep repeating it loudly and often enough, the public will believe. The public includes elected officials.
But we still have a chance, thanks to the high ethical standards at Fox News. Fox is "fair and balanced", "the no-spin zone". I'm sure they will give the other side of this story equal time.
There is a taboo effect, as you said, but it is overcome when the penalties are large enough. So marijuana has a taboo effect, but the prohibition is likely to result in less use, if you run over the offender with a tank.
"It's also been shown judicially (in Canada anyway) that any restrictions on hate speech is constitutional becuase "freedom of expression" has it's limits. I don't know if the U.S. has the same laws, but I would assume so."
1st Amendment freedom of speech holds more sway in the U.S. There are some limitations, such as it being a crime to urge others to commit a crime imminently. But in the U.S., if you don't think the holocaust ever happened, then you are free to state your opinion. In Canada, that could get you prosecuted.
If you should find anyone, say a member of your family or a neighbor, using these "alternative" web browsers, contact the Department of Homeland Security at once. If you are not breaking the law and you love America, then you have no reason to hide your activities on the internet. Use Microsoft Internet Explorer and defend freedom. God Bless America. Thank You.
"Why is this State wasting so much taxpayers' money by investing in the cost to change systems?"
The articles cited here seem to be confused about what Massachusetts is really requiring. So alook at the state's own website reveals this: http://www.mass.gov/portal/index.jsp?pageID=itdter minal&L=3&L0=Home&L1=Policies%2C+Standards+%26+Leg al&L2=Drafts+for+Review&sid=Aitd&b=terminalcontent &f=policies_standards_ETRM_v3dot5draft_information &csid=Aitd If I read it correctly they are only requiring that state documents be available in standardized open formats, thus avoiding proprietary vendor lock for both offices of the state and for the citizens of the state who desire to view such documents. This is in the long term a money saver for Massachusetts' taxpayers. I would hope that other state and local governments follow suit. Actually, they are following somewhat what you outlined in your post regarding XML and PDF formats. Microsoft Office will still be usable for state employees. But Microsoft will have to compete on a level playing field with other software providers. The move will also assure that state data will not be lost, in the event that proprietary formats change without backward compatibility. The state positioning itself to have vendors compete to provide the software will more than offset the training costs or temporary loss in productivity. These costs are no more when switching from Microsoft Office to Star Office or Open Office, than when upgrading to newer versions of Microsoft Office.
Slashdot Mirror
What are you talking about? The President supports getting warrants.0 040420-2.html
In HIS own words:
"Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so. It's important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution."
G.W.B. April 20, 2004
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/04/2
I don't work in I.S. but somehow, among family and friends, I've become a goto guy for a computer malfunction. (Maybe it's because my machines are running slackware and linux from scratch). Questions I get in response to my attempts to diagnose problems might give some insight.
Problem: Lost my paper, photo, etc.
Me: "What was the name of the file and where were you storing it?"
Them: "I don't know the name. It was stored in my computer"
(note: that wasn't "My Computer").
Me: "OK, Open up a file browser and let's look for it."
Them: "What's a file browser?"
Me after getting them to open windows explorer: "What type of file was it? A jpeg, Gif, bmp, tiff?"
Them: "I don't know. It was a picture."
Problem: Lost email.
Me: "Was the email stored on your computer or on the server."
Them: "I don't know. I opened up my infolder and it's gone. "
Me: "Is the 'infolder' something you click on in a web browser?"
Them: "What's a web browser?"
Attempting to find out what type of hardware they have.
Me: "How much RAM or memory does your computer have."
Them: "20 Gigabytes"
Me: "I think that's probably hard drive space. I mean working memory, RAM."
Them: "I don't know. It's a DELL."
Me: "Do you have any Paperwork that came with the computer?"
Them: "I think it's in the garage in a box behind the water heater."
Don't get me started on trying to find out if they have the necessary drivers.
What this is telling me is that, somehow, people are using computers without understanding basics like file types, and file systems, or whether the information they are viewing resides on their own hard drive or on the internet. It amazes me that they manage to get as much from their computers and the internet as they do without comprehending these basics. I think the mistake is allowing them to use the computer at all without having just a few of these ideas under their belt. You don't allow someone to drive without knowing that they might have to put gas and oil into the vehicle or that they must stop at red lights.
You don't even have to know the coordinates. Just type in "Area 51" on the Google Earth Search tool.
I did this before but now, I think, the images are even more Hi Res than they were a few months ago.
I remember it well, it was only 7 years ago, but somehow it seems more like 30.
Wow, Microsoft is so innovative.
"Why the need for so many incompatible systems like KDE, gnome, Enlightenment, fvwm, etc?"
Copy and Paste, Highlight and press the middle mouse button, works in all X, KDE, gnome, etc. I've never had problems running apps such as gnucash, koffice, or kmail while running either or neither desktop system. I don't see why you say these systems are so incompatible. Choice and friendly competition between systems drives the improvements. Choice is good.
People working out at the gym are expending energy in a way that accomplishes nothing directly. But they are conditioning themselves to accomplish beneficial things. If a larger portion of the population would condition their reasoning faculties by such activities as we see here, there would be more people capable of solving the those non-trivial problems. And maybe the processes by which dye adheres to surfactant molecules is the the same as the process, which if understood better, would cure cancer or free the world from dependence on fossil fuel. Progress is made by the type of people who engage in these types of activities.
"Today's CSI: Miami episode will feature a group of kids who are inspired to go on a city-wide crime spree by a game that looks suspiciously like Grand Theft Auto."
I wonder how the producers of CSI would feel if someone wrote a book or movie script about someone inspired to commit crimes they saw on shows like CSI. How would they react if someone in real life was inspired by the show to commit crimes.
That's funny. Of course I'm being sarcastic. The school system is training a docile workforce of fascist collaborators. The History of the American Labor Movement is not covered in history class. If it were I'm sure Walmart would demand equal time. I think it's tragic that if current trends hold, you will one day be in competition for a job with someone from the next generation down who won't resist the employer's insistence on total control of their lives. Try to persuade them to stand up for themselves (so that you won't be sticking your neck out by yourself) and they'll tell you that you're not being a "team player".
"There is a current trend where schools think they have authority outside of school hours/property. As a parent I feel that it is NONE of the schools buisness what my child does outside of school period."
But the school environment should prepare students for their adult life. Will their employer not have rules about what they can do when not on the employer's time? We can't have a generation of children grow up with unrealistic expectations about their rights. In the interests of an efficient national economy, we need the school system to teach students to respect authority at all times for their own good.
Back in the mid-twentieth century, a company called Xerox was producing a machine which could be used to illegally copy copyrighted materials in books. The courts ruled that the company had to stop making and selling the illegal technology and pay damages to the publishers. At least that's how I remember it.
I'm still using fvwm with tkdesk. (Old machine). They work just fine for my apps, Thunderbird, Firefox, OpenOffice, xterm with Bitchx, Links or FTP, running in it, and GnuCash.
Well I'm off to saddle up my dinosaur.
FTA: "CAGW has issued a statement that said the move to OpenDocument would incur unnecessary costs as the state government would be forced to convert 'more than one million current files to the new [OpenDocument] format.'"
I presume CAGW refers to Citizens Against Government Waste. But their statement on this doesn't jibe with the fact that most past documents in other formats would have to be converted to be compatible with newer proprietary formats as well. Also, it contains no comparison of the unnecessary costs incurred by not converting to an open format of some sort.
Because I run an old machine with a slower processor and less memory, I find the best Linux distributions for me are those that, by default, install as little as possible to get a running system without all the bells and whistles. The only system that works better than Slackware for this is a Linux from Scratch system.
"Rev. Kieran McHugh, the school's principal, said that he was trying to protect students from online predators."
Thank God we have Catholic authorities to protect the children from all of the perverts out there in the world.
Most of us here know that the choice of desktop systems, KDE, Gnome, other, isn't relevant to what programs we can run. KMail runs fine with GNOME. Gnucash runs in KDE, etc. But users who are considering Linux, and even some developers, don't seem to know this. They seem to equate the choice with choosing a BetaMax or a VHS (I was alive in the 1980's). Each machine couldn't play the other's tapes. Hence, when the general newsmedia reports on the choice of desktops, potential users conclude that the Linux desktop isn't as mature as Microsoft Windows, because it hasn't converged on a consistent way of doing things. Linux advocates should be certain that potential users know that having a choice of desktops doesn't prevent one from running any applications.
If you're trying to persuade a 40 something then tell them that choosing a desktop system is like buying a video recorder that plays both VHS and Beta and doesn't cost any more.
There was an old saying among Communists: "You can always count on a capitalist to sell you the rope that hangs him."
Hi kids. I'm your home room robot. Study hard so that when you grow up you'll be qualified for a good job, which by then will also be performed by robots.
He's got a two page letter to legislators here.
http://www.techleadership.org/news/atl_ma.pdf
It really doesn't matter that the ideas stated in this letter are the opposite of the truth. What matters is, that those who advocate Pendergast's position have boatloads of money to keep saying this more prominently than open source advocates can state their position. If you just keep repeating it loudly and often enough, the public will believe. The public includes elected officials.
But we still have a chance, thanks to the high ethical standards at Fox News. Fox is "fair and balanced", "the no-spin zone". I'm sure they will give the other side of this story equal time.
There is a taboo effect, as you said, but it is overcome when the penalties are large enough. So marijuana has a taboo effect, but the prohibition is likely to result in less use, if you run over the offender with a tank.
FTA "..it uses fancy machine learning methods to recover the sequence of characters typed.."
Is that like that Fancy Book Learnin'?
Seriously, this makes me think twice about typing my password in the presence of a blind person.
"It's also been shown judicially (in Canada anyway) that any restrictions on hate speech is constitutional becuase "freedom of expression" has it's limits. I don't know if the U.S. has the same laws, but I would assume so."
1st Amendment freedom of speech holds more sway in the U.S. There are some limitations, such as it being a crime to urge others to commit a crime imminently. But in the U.S., if you don't think the holocaust ever happened, then you are free to state your opinion. In Canada, that could get you prosecuted.
Apparently not.
If you should find anyone, say a member of your family or a neighbor, using these "alternative" web browsers, contact the Department of Homeland Security at once. If you are not breaking the law and you love America, then you have no reason to hide your activities on the internet. Use Microsoft Internet Explorer and defend freedom. God Bless America. Thank You.
"Why is this State wasting so much taxpayers' money by investing in the cost to change systems?"
r minal&L=3&L0=Home&L1=Policies%2C+Standards+%26+Leg al&L2=Drafts+for+Review&sid=Aitd&b=terminalcontent &f=policies_standards_ETRM_v3dot5draft_information &csid=Aitd
The articles cited here seem to be confused about what Massachusetts is really requiring. So alook at the state's own website reveals this:
http://www.mass.gov/portal/index.jsp?pageID=itdte
If I read it correctly they are only requiring that state documents be available in standardized open formats, thus avoiding proprietary vendor lock for both offices of the state and for the citizens of the state who desire to view such documents. This is in the long term a money saver for Massachusetts' taxpayers. I would hope that other state and local governments follow suit. Actually, they are following somewhat what you outlined in your post regarding XML and PDF formats. Microsoft Office will still be usable for state employees. But Microsoft will have to compete on a level playing field with other software providers. The move will also assure that state data will not be lost, in the event that proprietary formats change without backward compatibility.
The state positioning itself to have vendors compete to provide the software will more than offset the training costs or temporary loss in productivity. These costs are no more when switching from Microsoft Office to Star Office or Open Office, than when upgrading to newer versions of Microsoft Office.