Red Hat gives you the choice to use whatever file system you want. You don't *have* to use ext3 if you upgrade to Red Hat 7.2. It says so in the article, which I'm assuming you have not yet read.
Linux still is about choice. You can choose Red Hat, or Debian, or Suse, or Mandrake, or Progeny, or whatever you want. Inside those choices, you can choose to install whatever packages you like. And you can choose whatever filesystem suits your fancy. Red Hat isn't telling you what works for you, and it isn't telling you that you shouldn't use a certain filesystem. It says that very plainly in the article. Please read them before posting drivel like this.
Tell me again. Why do I need to support a company that doesn't provide anything I need?
Because Loki writes Linux software. The more professional Linux software that exists, the more valid an operating system it becomes. There are many people that boot into Windows just to play games. I'm not one of them (I only play Quake III Arena, and Loki did a hell of a job on that) - but I know a lot of people who are. If all games are available for Linux from the get-go, more people will make the full switch. When this happens, more people grow more knowledgeable about the inner workings of Linux. Then they put these newly found skills on their resume. Managers get the resume and go "you know, with all these people coming in with serious Linux experience, we can probably put Linux to work for us." Then Linux is a valid corporate operating system. Then it grows even more.
We need to support Linux companies because it's good for Linux and, therefore, good for its users. And if you really care about the Linux community, what better way to show support than buying products from Linux companies?
actually, the gpl states that if you derive from gpl'd works, you must make the source code available to anyone, provided they meet two conditions: you've distributed the binary to them, and they request the code. nowhere does it state that the source code must be distributed with the binaries.
the gpl is referred to as "viral" because anything that is derived from a gpl'd product must be gpl'd. it spreads. like a virus. hence the term "viral".
I just turned 20 a month ago. I've been working at Science Applications International Corporation for 6 months now, and was courting them for three months before that. I didn't come to them - they came to me.
The trick isn't to find a small company (we're 41,000+) - it's to have something to offer the company. Even better, be able to offer them something they can't get anywhere else.
Most kids today, even at 16, aren't mature enough to handle a real job. I'm 20, and I have a career job. I couldn't have done it at 16. 18, maybe. 19, I did. You need to be human. Not cocky. You need to understand that you probably don't have all that much to offer that they can't get from someone that's probably more reliable than you are. Why hire a 16 year old to do shell scripting when you can get a 25 year old that has reliable transportation and a few years of work experience?
Younger kids have too much working against them: issues that employers don't want to deal with, lack of experience, lack of a degree (which tells an employer "Hi, I'm tough enough to stick out 4 long years to get this piece of paper" - lucky, I got by without this one), etc.
My advice to the kids: get a job at Pizza Hut or the local grocery store or Wal Mart and start saving your cash. Get your own computer to practice stuff on. Get good with UNIX (a *lot* of companies need people with UNIX experience). Start programming. Send your resume not to 5 companies, but to 500. Develop your own style. Make a good impression in an interview. Ask your dad how to do this. Life's not easy. There aren't career jobs for 16 year olds. Maybe if you're lucky, you'll be ready for one by the time you're 19. Start now.
There is a *huge* HAMfest every year at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium (take the exit for Padonia Road off 695). Basically, three big buildings filled with HAM & old computer stuff, plus the parking lot is *filled* with people selling/trading their old equipment. I am a link to the website. The event is generally in April or May and costs $5 to get in. Check out the site for more info. I've gone a few years and picked up a lot of good equipment.
agreed. i spent a lot of time looking for a chair. i had previously used an aeron when i was running the network at a television station and was stunned by how comfortable it was when i sat in it. i left that job and kept thinking about the chair and how much i'd like to have one. i then recently became interested in correct posture - i spend way too much time at a computer to fuck around here. i've used only split keyboards for a long time, but i've been working toward reducing glare on my monitor, eye stress, etc. i decided that i needed to have a good chair to save my back, legs, arms, etc. after a lot of looking, i found the aeron to be good for me. one of the drawing factors was the mesh seat & back. i live in virginia, and we've been having uncharacteristically hot weather lately. i wanted something that would be comfortable, ergonomically correct, and save me from the irritation i frequently encounter when i sit in the wrong chair for a long time. the aeron happened to be the perfect match. i didn't pay for mine - it's on loan to me from the tv station i used to work at - but i would gladly pay $700 for one. when you consider how much back surgery costs, the quite literal pain in the ass that comes from sitting too long, etc., $700 really isn't all that much. i got mine because i felt it was a wise choice, comfort- and health-wise.
"The very significance in it has held that persons like Pavlovich in various parts of the country are subject to jurisdiction in a California court if they did what Pavlovich did," said Robert Sugarman, an attorney at Weil, Gotshal & Manges and a legal counsel for the DVD CCA. - from the cnet article.
What this attorney is saying, both here and by representing the DVD CCA in this case, is that it's okay for a man who committed a "crime" outside of California to be tried in California, because it's against California's laws.
I wonder if he'd be singing the same tune if China passed a law carrying the death penalty for being an attorney and started coming after him...
Why is it so difficult to believe that other people's experience is different than your own? - it's not difficult to believe. i never said that *everybody* could sit comfortably in an aeron. i said "i'd guess that the poster doesn't have the chair set up correctly" - not "he obviously doesn't have it set up right like the retard he is." i said "i'd guess".
regardless, the aeron will work for people who are 1) of average size, 2) select the right size of aeron (there are three - maybe you should look into the large version?), 3) want to maintain proper posture while being comfortable and 4) will put the time and effort into adjusting it. i never said it was the end-all be-all of good chairs.
the "sweaty-ass" is a product of sitting in a warmish room in a well cushioned chair for far too long. not sitting on my legs or feet - just sitting. i know people of all different body shapes that experience it. it seems to be a factor of the environment, the chair and the way you sit. obviously, if you're giving your skin some room to breath (like, for example, sitting on the aeron's mesh), you shouldn't have any trouble. if it's parked in a cushion and can't get air too easily, it's more of a problem.
anyway, yes, i know that people are different. that's why the aeron is such a good chair - you can customize it to fit you. yes, it won't work for everybody. but with proper time and effort, it can work for a majority i'm sure. i'd venture to say that more people would find a properly adjusted aeron comfortable than would your standard $70 office chair.
it really doesn't take that long. you need to know what you want going into it. i'd say maybe 25 minutes tops. the problem is, however, most people a) aren't sure of what they need and b) don't want to spend the time to do it. some tips:
chair height - your feet should rest flat on the ground. if your desk is too high to permit this, get a footrest of some type. your legs should not be hanging off the chair. the weight of your legs pulls your knees down against the chair, restricting blood flow.
arm height - your arms should be beside you, hanging naturally, but resting on the arm rests. there also should not be any stress on your shoulders, but they shouldn't be pushed up either. a relaxed position is best. this goes hand in hand with chair height - your arms should be parallel to the desk surface.
lumbar support - this is a bit trickier, but really, you need to find something that makes you feel relaxed in an upright position.
tilt - i prefer none for most tasks, because it means i'm sitting properly and not ruining my back (something i do here at work with the shitty chairs). tilt is *very* easily adjustable on the aeron though, so don't worry about this too much. you can change it in seconds.
anyway, it really isn't as bothersome as i originally made it out to be. it takes a little time, but it's well worth it.
hope this helps, should you ever have the chance to sit in one.
Oh yeah, and anyone who spends 700 fucking dollars on a chair deserves to go broke. IMHFO. For that price it had better massage my back, do my taxes, and wipe my ass automatically.:-) - it does do all that - and it sucks on your toes too! if you're into that kinda thing, anyway...
i use and aeron at home. when i first got it, i spend a considerable amount of time getting it adjusted to suit me perfectly. that means setting the height so your feet rest on the ground, setting up the lumbar support properly, getting the correct tilt both forward and backward, getting the armrest height set properly, etc. it can be a chore, but if you take the time to do it, it truly is one of the most comfortable chairs.
one thing i've always hated about being a computer geek was what we here at work refer to as sweaty-ass . you know - you've been sitting in the same chair for 6 hours coding or browsing or quaking or whatever and the heat and humidity make for a relatively uncomfortable rear. the aerson's mesh works wonders for this - i can sit in that chair for an hour or two or ten and not have any trouble whatsoever. and i've never had any problem with it wearing out my clothes or anything. i'd guess that the poster doesn't have the chair set up correctly and therefore fidgets quite a bit, meaning extra wear on the clothes.
anyway, if you can invest the time and money, you can have a comfortable and healthy chair with the aeron.
hey hey hey... they only cut you off if you're downloading copyrighted material and get a complaint filed against you - which isn't likely to happen if all you download is pr0n, like me:) --
Hey, buddy, it wasn't so loud. I wasn't clear in this - allow me to explain.
Sitting at 2-lane red light in DC. We're in the right lane. I'm in passenger side and Brian is driving. Geo Metro. White. Listening to "Fuck Tha Police" with the window half down. They pulled up on our left. Their window was partially open as well. The music was not loud. It wasn't quiet, either. But Brian and I could hear each other talking.
cranked so loud that it can be heard in the next county -- Yes. I'm sure many persons in Fairfax, Montgomery and Prince George's counties were enjoying our music that night. Sure am glad we got those 160,000 watt 74,000 dB amps and speakers installed.
They were probably trying to teach you some manners. -- Yes, you're right. They probably go around showing off their "piece" to all sorts of rude folks, hoping to instill in their minds some manners. How silly of me for overlooking such a blatant attempt, on their part, to make the world a better place. Don't I feel silly.
Your one of the *causes* of the "fuck you" society we're living in, buddy. -- We all are. You're no better, with your assuming nature and condescending attitude.
Oh, and it's You're, not Your. Just trying to help. Though maybe it would be more effective if I pulled a gun on you? After all, that's such a wonderful teaching instrument when it comes to educating persons on the finer and more proper ways of life, like manners and spelling. --
I'm only 20. I don't have my PhD in psychology (yet). I haven't even studied. I have only life experiences. What follows is my take on the situation.
You can't possibly help someone unless they want you to. The problem is that these people do not want help from you - remember, they're superior - why do they need your help? So we're always going to have a bunch of geeks that need to put others down to feel good about themselves. They will not go away.
What we actually *can* do is take a polite approach to whatever we are attempting to accomplish. Linux Help? Okay. Then don't ever utter "RTFM." Start polite help channels - humans helping humans. Understand that you got to where you are today by riding the work of thousands of other people. "If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants." Know that you are helping someone, just as you were helped. Be appreciative of the fact that they are there, willing to learn. That you can make a difference in their life. Advertise your new solution, so that it gains a following. Eventually it will become well known, and the default of anyone seeking help./// Linux Advocacy? Okay. Tell people why Linux is superior for certain tasks/needs, not that "Linux owns, Windows eats the big one." Be polite in advocating it. Tell other people to be polite in advocating it. Unfortunately, there will always be those with the inferiority complex that need to make themselves feel better by looking down on others. Unfortunately, they scream louder than most of us.
Also, I wasn't writing here to say what we should do. I was responding to someone who had difficulty in finding help with Linux/computers. I offered my home email address so they could ask me anything they wanted to know. I happened to offer my opinions on Why Things Are The Way They Are along the way, so that hopefully that person seeking help could find comfort in the knowledge that, while yes, there are a lot of jerks in the Linux community, not all of us are like that, and it is possible to find decent help if you know where to look.
I have to leave now, which means that what I just wrote was a quick response to your question. You, too, can email me if you would like to discuss this further/more in depth/share your opinions with what we can do/hear my entire thoughts in a better-versed writeup.
this particular one was a 15(ish) year old girl at tyson's corner in mclean, va, bitching at a sales girl in a bead store. the girl couldn't have looked any more american, and couldn't have sounded any more american either. i'm american, i love america, but goddamn do i sometimes hate americans. --
I think driving is the worst. A guy died near where I live the other day because some guy, pissed at the first, cut him off and then slammed on his brakes. The first guy swerved to avoid him, got hit, flipped and crushed. The asshole drove off. I'm sure doesn't care that someone died.
I always hold the door, although it doesn't irritate me when people don't. It's not considerate, but it's not *rude* either. It just is.
The problem, though, with confronting people when they do something asshole-ish (like cut you off, or take 30 items through the 10 item checkout, or sit there and bitch at the girl running the register because they were charged tax and they don't think they should be) is that, by nature, they're assholes, and you can't predict what they're going to do.
True story: A friend of mine and I were sitting at a red light in DC when a car full of gangstas pulled up beside us. We happened to be listening to NWA's "Fuck Tha Police". For some reason, these gangstas were offended that two white boys were listening to rap, and one of them pulled a gun and held it up to the window. I ducked down, not wanting to die that night. Luckily, Brian, for some reason not sensing the fact that these weren't people he shouldn't be fucking with, opened the glove box and pulled out an ice scraper and held it up to the window. The gangstas starting laughing (thank god) and drove off (running the red light, of course). Another example of how our society is going to hell in a handbasket. --
The problem with the "geek" community basically boils down to psychology - inferiority complexes. And they need to feel superior in one way or another (god I'm going to get marked as a troll for this). I'm a geek. I'm an operating systems enthusiast. I use Linux almost exclusively (although I just bought a new iBook that runs MacOS X). And I like to share my knowledge, because I share your point - the more you can teach, the better. There's a saying - "He who dies with the most toys wins." This seems to be the mentality of the "geek" crowd - "I know more, so I am superior." What none of them realize is that, in the end, it doesn't matter what you know - it matters what you give the world. "He who dies with the most toys... still dies." And only the memory lives on. The world isn't bettered by people that keep their knowledge to themselves (*cough*microsoft*cough*) - it's bettered by people who give it away (Linus, etc). This is their hypocrisy.
Anyway... you can find the help if you need it. I've been using Linux since 1996, and if help is hard to find now, it was harder to find then. I recommend reading books, although I could never get into it myself. No book will ever tell you to "RTFM" - you're already doing that.
To you and the AC that replied - if you need to be pointed in the right direction, or have a question that you'd like answered, I'm open to email. fscked@leg.md.prestige.net - remove the leg. (protection against spam bots). --
Sending an email to Loki is great and all, and it probably will do *some* good, but they are not the people that make these decisions.
Whoever wrote the game decides if Loki gets to port it. Period.
Now, Loki could approach MumboJumbo and say "hey, look, we've got 80,000 rabid linux fans that want to buy your software - we'll port it for $XXXXX" and then they'd either enter negotiations and start or they wouldn't. Loki doesn't consider ports - they take what work they can get.
Please folks, do me a favor - Along with emailing Loki, get in touch with MumboJumbo or GodGames and tell them how much you want the port to Linux. That's the only way to be sure they get the message.
Hi. I work at SAIC, a *major* contractor for DISA, the company that is doing the 25,000 copies of StarOffice.
As you may or may not know, StarOffice will need to be segmented for the DII COE. Segmentation is the process of putting the program into a particular format so that it can be installed with no worries. As one of the lead segmenters in my division, I can tell you that we only develop segments for four platforms: Windows 2000, Windows NT, HP-UX (10.20 and 11.00) and Solaris (2.51, 7 & 8). It will *not* be installed on Linux machines. I know that they mention it in the article, but that's not the way it is. DISA has, as far as I am aware, no Linux machines in production environments, because they don't consider them to be as reliable as Solaris. HP-UX is being phased out, but they still have a lot of HP machines, so it's going slowly. I'm sure they would use Linux, but where do you get support? They can't get the support Sun offers. When a Sun box breaks at my office, Sun has a guy there to fix it within an hour of our call. Linux just can't offer that yet.
My point is this: Solaris is the platform of choice at DISA. It doesn't give us an opening - it gives Sun an opening, allowing them to say "hey, look, you can write Word files on Solaris! Don't buy Windows!" Linux isn't in use at DISA. The only group this is good for is Sun.
i used to think like this, but you need to consider something:
AOL is not gaining the users they want. They want users who can view their adds in the AIM windows. Us Gaim users don't view adds. Period. And we never will. So AOL doesn't want our business. We tax their servers and show no gratitude. I hate to be so harsh, but that's their view - we do nothing for them, yet use what they give away.
If Gaim stops work, the software just gets worse. AOL wins because people stop using it. It's that simple.
The best thing for Eric and Rob and everyone else involved is to keep working on it to make it the best AIM client there is (i've used it every day for 2 years now and i do think that it's the best) and fight this as far as they can. The key there is as far as they can. I, for one, don't much care what the product is called. But as a matter of principle, they should fight it, because they're in the right.
by that rationale, windows is the greatest operating system ever, because you can do most everything on it. linux sucks, because it's hard to get a cd-r working. mac sucks, because it's easy to get it working, but it's just now coming out.
the fact of the matter is, apple is turning out extremely high quality stuff. mac os x is a 1.0. actually, right now, it's a 1.0.4. it's not as if they've been building this for 15 years like windows. it's brand new. pardon if it takes 3 months for them to get cd burning fully implemented. compare to the 10 years after i began really using computers that i was able to burn cds in windows (1997). i still haven't been able to get an ide cd writer working in linux.
apple is at a better position now than they've ever been. not only does their hardware not suck, but their software is getting better and better too. they'll never be the dominant operating system, but they'll certainly provide a more humanesque operating environment than any other pc manufacturer/operating system will.
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Linux still is about choice. You can choose Red Hat, or Debian, or Suse, or Mandrake, or Progeny, or whatever you want. Inside those choices, you can choose to install whatever packages you like. And you can choose whatever filesystem suits your fancy. Red Hat isn't telling you what works for you, and it isn't telling you that you shouldn't use a certain filesystem. It says that very plainly in the article. Please read them before posting drivel like this.
Will they call their joint venture Noki or will they call it Lokia.
Because Loki writes Linux software. The more professional Linux software that exists, the more valid an operating system it becomes. There are many people that boot into Windows just to play games. I'm not one of them (I only play Quake III Arena, and Loki did a hell of a job on that) - but I know a lot of people who are. If all games are available for Linux from the get-go, more people will make the full switch. When this happens, more people grow more knowledgeable about the inner workings of Linux. Then they put these newly found skills on their resume. Managers get the resume and go "you know, with all these people coming in with serious Linux experience, we can probably put Linux to work for us." Then Linux is a valid corporate operating system. Then it grows even more.
We need to support Linux companies because it's good for Linux and, therefore, good for its users. And if you really care about the Linux community, what better way to show support than buying products from Linux companies?
the gpl is referred to as "viral" because anything that is derived from a gpl'd product must be gpl'd. it spreads. like a virus. hence the term "viral".
The trick isn't to find a small company (we're 41,000+) - it's to have something to offer the company. Even better, be able to offer them something they can't get anywhere else.
Most kids today, even at 16, aren't mature enough to handle a real job. I'm 20, and I have a career job. I couldn't have done it at 16. 18, maybe. 19, I did. You need to be human. Not cocky. You need to understand that you probably don't have all that much to offer that they can't get from someone that's probably more reliable than you are. Why hire a 16 year old to do shell scripting when you can get a 25 year old that has reliable transportation and a few years of work experience?
Younger kids have too much working against them: issues that employers don't want to deal with, lack of experience, lack of a degree (which tells an employer "Hi, I'm tough enough to stick out 4 long years to get this piece of paper" - lucky, I got by without this one), etc.
My advice to the kids: get a job at Pizza Hut or the local grocery store or Wal Mart and start saving your cash. Get your own computer to practice stuff on. Get good with UNIX (a *lot* of companies need people with UNIX experience). Start programming. Send your resume not to 5 companies, but to 500. Develop your own style. Make a good impression in an interview. Ask your dad how to do this. Life's not easy. There aren't career jobs for 16 year olds. Maybe if you're lucky, you'll be ready for one by the time you're 19. Start now.
There is a *huge* HAMfest every year at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium (take the exit for Padonia Road off 695). Basically, three big buildings filled with HAM & old computer stuff, plus the parking lot is *filled* with people selling/trading their old equipment. I am a link to the website. The event is generally in April or May and costs $5 to get in. Check out the site for more info. I've gone a few years and picked up a lot of good equipment.
agreed. i spent a lot of time looking for a chair. i had previously used an aeron when i was running the network at a television station and was stunned by how comfortable it was when i sat in it. i left that job and kept thinking about the chair and how much i'd like to have one. i then recently became interested in correct posture - i spend way too much time at a computer to fuck around here. i've used only split keyboards for a long time, but i've been working toward reducing glare on my monitor, eye stress, etc. i decided that i needed to have a good chair to save my back, legs, arms, etc. after a lot of looking, i found the aeron to be good for me. one of the drawing factors was the mesh seat & back. i live in virginia, and we've been having uncharacteristically hot weather lately. i wanted something that would be comfortable, ergonomically correct, and save me from the irritation i frequently encounter when i sit in the wrong chair for a long time. the aeron happened to be the perfect match. i didn't pay for mine - it's on loan to me from the tv station i used to work at - but i would gladly pay $700 for one. when you consider how much back surgery costs, the quite literal pain in the ass that comes from sitting too long, etc., $700 really isn't all that much. i got mine because i felt it was a wise choice, comfort- and health-wise.
What this attorney is saying, both here and by representing the DVD CCA in this case, is that it's okay for a man who committed a "crime" outside of California to be tried in California, because it's against California's laws.
I wonder if he'd be singing the same tune if China passed a law carrying the death penalty for being an attorney and started coming after him...
regardless, the aeron will work for people who are 1) of average size, 2) select the right size of aeron (there are three - maybe you should look into the large version?), 3) want to maintain proper posture while being comfortable and 4) will put the time and effort into adjusting it. i never said it was the end-all be-all of good chairs.
the "sweaty-ass" is a product of sitting in a warmish room in a well cushioned chair for far too long. not sitting on my legs or feet - just sitting. i know people of all different body shapes that experience it. it seems to be a factor of the environment, the chair and the way you sit. obviously, if you're giving your skin some room to breath (like, for example, sitting on the aeron's mesh), you shouldn't have any trouble. if it's parked in a cushion and can't get air too easily, it's more of a problem.
anyway, yes, i know that people are different. that's why the aeron is such a good chair - you can customize it to fit you. yes, it won't work for everybody. but with proper time and effort, it can work for a majority i'm sure. i'd venture to say that more people would find a properly adjusted aeron comfortable than would your standard $70 office chair.
anyway, it really isn't as bothersome as i originally made it out to be. it takes a little time, but it's well worth it.
hope this helps, should you ever have the chance to sit in one.
Oh yeah, and anyone who spends 700 fucking dollars on a chair deserves to go broke. IMHFO. For that price it had better massage my back, do my taxes, and wipe my ass automatically. :-) - it does do all that - and it sucks on your toes too! if you're into that kinda thing, anyway...
i use and aeron at home. when i first got it, i spend a considerable amount of time getting it adjusted to suit me perfectly. that means setting the height so your feet rest on the ground, setting up the lumbar support properly, getting the correct tilt both forward and backward, getting the armrest height set properly, etc. it can be a chore, but if you take the time to do it, it truly is one of the most comfortable chairs.
one thing i've always hated about being a computer geek was what we here at work refer to as sweaty-ass . you know - you've been sitting in the same chair for 6 hours coding or browsing or quaking or whatever and the heat and humidity make for a relatively uncomfortable rear. the aerson's mesh works wonders for this - i can sit in that chair for an hour or two or ten and not have any trouble whatsoever. and i've never had any problem with it wearing out my clothes or anything. i'd guess that the poster doesn't have the chair set up correctly and therefore fidgets quite a bit, meaning extra wear on the clothes.
anyway, if you can invest the time and money, you can have a comfortable and healthy chair with the aeron.
whereas real life multitasking is where i brushed my teeth this morning while peeing. twice the productivity, twice the results, same amount of time!
hey hey hey... they only cut you off if you're downloading copyrighted material and get a complaint filed against you - which isn't likely to happen if all you download is pr0n, like me :)
--
Sitting at 2-lane red light in DC. We're in the right lane. I'm in passenger side and Brian is driving. Geo Metro. White. Listening to "Fuck Tha Police" with the window half down. They pulled up on our left. Their window was partially open as well. The music was not loud. It wasn't quiet, either. But Brian and I could hear each other talking.
cranked so loud that it can be heard in the next county -- Yes. I'm sure many persons in Fairfax, Montgomery and Prince George's counties were enjoying our music that night. Sure am glad we got those 160,000 watt 74,000 dB amps and speakers installed.
They were probably trying to teach you some manners. -- Yes, you're right. They probably go around showing off their "piece" to all sorts of rude folks, hoping to instill in their minds some manners. How silly of me for overlooking such a blatant attempt, on their part, to make the world a better place. Don't I feel silly.
Your one of the *causes* of the "fuck you" society we're living in, buddy. -- We all are. You're no better, with your assuming nature and condescending attitude.
Oh, and it's You're, not Your. Just trying to help. Though maybe it would be more effective if I pulled a gun on you? After all, that's such a wonderful teaching instrument when it comes to educating persons on the finer and more proper ways of life, like manners and spelling.
--
I'm only 20. I don't have my PhD in psychology (yet). I haven't even studied. I have only life experiences. What follows is my take on the situation.
You can't possibly help someone unless they want you to. The problem is that these people do not want help from you - remember, they're superior - why do they need your help? So we're always going to have a bunch of geeks that need to put others down to feel good about themselves. They will not go away.
What we actually *can* do is take a polite approach to whatever we are attempting to accomplish. Linux Help? Okay. Then don't ever utter "RTFM." Start polite help channels - humans helping humans. Understand that you got to where you are today by riding the work of thousands of other people. "If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants." Know that you are helping someone, just as you were helped. Be appreciative of the fact that they are there, willing to learn. That you can make a difference in their life. Advertise your new solution, so that it gains a following. Eventually it will become well known, and the default of anyone seeking help. /// Linux Advocacy? Okay. Tell people why Linux is superior for certain tasks/needs, not that "Linux owns, Windows eats the big one." Be polite in advocating it. Tell other people to be polite in advocating it. Unfortunately, there will always be those with the inferiority complex that need to make themselves feel better by looking down on others. Unfortunately, they scream louder than most of us.
Also, I wasn't writing here to say what we should do. I was responding to someone who had difficulty in finding help with Linux/computers. I offered my home email address so they could ask me anything they wanted to know. I happened to offer my opinions on Why Things Are The Way They Are along the way, so that hopefully that person seeking help could find comfort in the knowledge that, while yes, there are a lot of jerks in the Linux community, not all of us are like that, and it is possible to find decent help if you know where to look.
I have to leave now, which means that what I just wrote was a quick response to your question. You, too, can email me if you would like to discuss this further/more in depth/share your opinions with what we can do/hear my entire thoughts in a better-versed writeup.
fscked@arm.prestige.net - amputate to email me.
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which, to microsoft, is like me giving you back a penny and a nickel for the $0.03 you lent me 5 years ago.
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this particular one was a 15(ish) year old girl at tyson's corner in mclean, va, bitching at a sales girl in a bead store. the girl couldn't have looked any more american, and couldn't have sounded any more american either. i'm american, i love america, but goddamn do i sometimes hate americans.
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I always hold the door, although it doesn't irritate me when people don't. It's not considerate, but it's not *rude* either. It just is.
The problem, though, with confronting people when they do something asshole-ish (like cut you off, or take 30 items through the 10 item checkout, or sit there and bitch at the girl running the register because they were charged tax and they don't think they should be) is that, by nature, they're assholes, and you can't predict what they're going to do.
True story: A friend of mine and I were sitting at a red light in DC when a car full of gangstas pulled up beside us. We happened to be listening to NWA's "Fuck Tha Police". For some reason, these gangstas were offended that two white boys were listening to rap, and one of them pulled a gun and held it up to the window. I ducked down, not wanting to die that night. Luckily, Brian, for some reason not sensing the fact that these weren't people he shouldn't be fucking with, opened the glove box and pulled out an ice scraper and held it up to the window. The gangstas starting laughing (thank god) and drove off (running the red light, of course). Another example of how our society is going to hell in a handbasket.
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Anyway... you can find the help if you need it. I've been using Linux since 1996, and if help is hard to find now, it was harder to find then. I recommend reading books, although I could never get into it myself. No book will ever tell you to "RTFM" - you're already doing that.
To you and the AC that replied - if you need to be pointed in the right direction, or have a question that you'd like answered, I'm open to email. fscked@leg.md.prestige.net - remove the leg. (protection against spam bots).
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Whoever wrote the game decides if Loki gets to port it. Period.
Now, Loki could approach MumboJumbo and say "hey, look, we've got 80,000 rabid linux fans that want to buy your software - we'll port it for $XXXXX" and then they'd either enter negotiations and start or they wouldn't. Loki doesn't consider ports - they take what work they can get.
Please folks, do me a favor - Along with emailing Loki, get in touch with MumboJumbo or GodGames and tell them how much you want the port to Linux. That's the only way to be sure they get the message.
As you may or may not know, StarOffice will need to be segmented for the DII COE. Segmentation is the process of putting the program into a particular format so that it can be installed with no worries. As one of the lead segmenters in my division, I can tell you that we only develop segments for four platforms: Windows 2000, Windows NT, HP-UX (10.20 and 11.00) and Solaris (2.51, 7 & 8). It will *not* be installed on Linux machines. I know that they mention it in the article, but that's not the way it is. DISA has, as far as I am aware, no Linux machines in production environments, because they don't consider them to be as reliable as Solaris. HP-UX is being phased out, but they still have a lot of HP machines, so it's going slowly. I'm sure they would use Linux, but where do you get support? They can't get the support Sun offers. When a Sun box breaks at my office, Sun has a guy there to fix it within an hour of our call. Linux just can't offer that yet.
My point is this: Solaris is the platform of choice at DISA. It doesn't give us an opening - it gives Sun an opening, allowing them to say "hey, look, you can write Word files on Solaris! Don't buy Windows!" Linux isn't in use at DISA. The only group this is good for is Sun.
good man.
AOL is not gaining the users they want. They want users who can view their adds in the AIM windows. Us Gaim users don't view adds. Period. And we never will. So AOL doesn't want our business. We tax their servers and show no gratitude. I hate to be so harsh, but that's their view - we do nothing for them, yet use what they give away.
If Gaim stops work, the software just gets worse. AOL wins because people stop using it. It's that simple.
The best thing for Eric and Rob and everyone else involved is to keep working on it to make it the best AIM client there is (i've used it every day for 2 years now and i do think that it's the best) and fight this as far as they can. The key there is as far as they can. I, for one, don't much care what the product is called. But as a matter of principle, they should fight it, because they're in the right.
Anyway, just my 2 cents.
the fact of the matter is, apple is turning out extremely high quality stuff. mac os x is a 1.0. actually, right now, it's a 1.0.4. it's not as if they've been building this for 15 years like windows. it's brand new. pardon if it takes 3 months for them to get cd burning fully implemented. compare to the 10 years after i began really using computers that i was able to burn cds in windows (1997). i still haven't been able to get an ide cd writer working in linux.
apple is at a better position now than they've ever been. not only does their hardware not suck, but their software is getting better and better too. they'll never be the dominant operating system, but they'll certainly provide a more humanesque operating environment than any other pc manufacturer/operating system will.