Here's something to chew on: if he's able to just 'click on through' an install of debian, what the hell is he supposed to do with the computer after he gets it installed? He'll be confused and befuddled as to how he's supposed to use it. Why lead him astray to think that the OS will be as 'easy' to use as the installer?
I'm sorry, but when did "I can click on it" equate user-friendlyness?
Debian's current default installer consists of a group of sub-menus with descriptive explainations of what task each menu item would perform.
If this is an arguement of asthetic or practicality, then it should be thrown out. The only way this arguement for a better Debian installer could possibly hold water is if we're talking about the detection of hardware, which is marginally frustrating (I had no problems the first time I installed debian).
I recall when I first came online in (I think) '96 or '97 for the first time. Not only was the Internet new to me, but computers as well were new to me - my family got our first computer in mid-96, which was a 66Mhz Pentium with 8M of RAM, 14.4kbps modem, and Windows 95.
At the time, it took ages for things to load, download, and such. I was inexperienced with computers, as well as the Internet, so I was quite innept with what I was doing. All these things combined to create a longer period of time spent online. (I recall spending 5 hours at a time spent -just- surfing - I recall this, because that's how long I could stay connected to my ISP at a time:) )
Another factor, I think, is that there were a lot more things that I found interesting back then. For instance, my younger brother and I spent a lot of time trying to find cool programs to theme win95 in a more asthetic manner (higher quality icons, for instance, backgrounds,etc), as well as the actual media. These things simply aren't that interesting any more, and my overall online time is spent checking a dozen to two dozen sites a day, quickly (including online comics), and browsing several sites similar to slashdot, occasionally posting, and IM/IRC. I'll occassionally see something interesting on a site I'm looking at, follow the link, and have my mental process trail off and direct me to search for other things for the next hour or two.
I think that the majority of the people now online have already established their browsing habits, and aren't interested in the other information out there. Most people I know don't spend 80 minutes 'surfing' - most of their time online is spent chatting and occasionally looking at a web site, etc.
Unfortunately, nothing will ever 'kill' Office until MS gets in (real) legal trouble, and Office loses support or something like that, Office has a huge, damaging exploit in parallel with another product's release, or other such things.
That, and 100% compatability with current MS Office products. I hear you say, "What about WordPerfect?" This really isn't such a big concern, because most people do, and have used, MS Office for the last 5 or so years.
The main concern with compatability isn't necessarily, "Can I use this flawlessly with the other documents circulating the office?" but, "Can I use this to flawlessly read documents generated in all the various versions of Office?" or, "Will I still be able to retain my original formatting, and can it be saved with that same formatting as well, so people still using Office can read it properly?"
Unfortunately, I suspect that MS Office has some sort of 'failsafe' *cough* mechanism that causes any documents written with another program to be rendered differently each time, etc.
Have you seen Johny Nemonic (whatever it's spelled) one too many times?
The human body is a biological system that responds to the various elements around it; it is an open system - effected by it's surroundings - yet it is still seperate from it's surroundings. Unlike a computer, you can't simply add more memory or storage . The human state doesn't allow for it.
There are instances of people with photographic memory going insane, because they recall every instance of every event perfectly. Their brains are not able to process such a large amount of data, and thus they lose their sanity. People can experience trauma from excessive sound, light, and various other effects. It's called sensory overload.
While having a device attached to you that would allow you to have an extended memory or such would be awesome in theory, think of the implications - i'ts probably not freasable. Were it to happen, the human body wouldn't be able to power the devices efficiently: out bodies produce only enough energy each sleep cycle for the next day, and not enough for electronics. The addition of those electronics would strain and tire the body, to the point where people would start sleeping more and more each night, thus canceling any percieved benefit of the biotech enhancements. That is, of course, unless an alternative power source were created that would work in harmony with the human body. (Deus Ex is coming to mind as an example of this scenario, actually.)
Ok, what about the 33Mhz 486 that I use as a iptables/smb/ftp/http/ipsec system? 12M RAM, and quite responsive throughout (as much as could be expected at 33Mhz Intel, at any point in time).
Not to flame, but how exactly does this post reflect a comparision between 641C and the upcoming release? I must've missed the comparable feature list, or whatever was used.
I've run Enlightenment (16.3, I believe) with X 3.3.6 on a Pentium 133 w/ 48M of RAM w/ a res of 800x600@16bit. (1.2G scsi-1 drive and nitro 3d graphics card w/ 2M RAM for the other system specs)(the Stormix distro w/ the 2.2 kernel - I don't recall what the codename was). It ran quite well(quickly, responsively, whatever you want to call it), was useable, and stable. Please note that this was over a year ago, when E was -the- state of the art in desktops. This same system was unable to run Win98 (or WinNT for that matter) quickly at all, and it was incredibly frustrating to use. It was classically unstable, and had the usual windows symptoms. Please note that the linux software in question was much, much 'newer' than the old, outdated Windows 98 or WinNT (SP4, if I recall correctly).
Given enough RAM (192M, say?), (due to X 4.x's high memory req's) older systems (say, a P2/ppro 200) can run modern desktops without a hitch. Win2k is pretty iffy on even 350's w/ the same RAM configuration, and that's 2 years old!
Don't even get me started on servers - I've got quiet a few 'old' desktop systems serving as office servers for various tasks. (P75's, P200's). Please note they're mostly running Debian Woody, some running potato. This is 'new' software, if you recall. No version of Windows could even begin to perform the job that these servers do. I suspect it would take twice as many, twice as powerful systems to carry the tasks at hand.
Please try and become informed before opinions are formed.
For crying out loud, I'd almost forgotten about DN4R, and I'd originally been anticipating the game with fervor. It better be one hell of a game for all the delay it's seen.
For some reason, though, I'm getting the feeling it's going to be another Dikataina (or whatever that slop was called). Despite the reputation that 3drealms has for producing some pretty kickass games, and the quality of entertainment that DN3D provided, things just look bleak.
At the very least, I'm hoping for decent network play - what's currently out there is fairly stale IMO: a lot of the same old stuff. CS doesn't do it anymore for me, and I was tired of the WWII TF-like game variety a while ago (DoD player) - I look forward to Duke Nukem's pipe bombs and laser trip wires again.:) Still, they'll have to greatly optimize the crappy network code in the UT engine for network play to be less painless.:(
To stay on topic, Neverwinter looks fantastic. For BG or DnD fans, this definately looks like The Title to get.:)
Funny that you should mention that little blurb about GTA3... I have a friend that played GTA3 fairly nonstop over this past Christmas break - for at least 3 days. He told me after coming over to my house that while driving there, he had the strange urge to stop his car, get out, and steal someone else's car, and drive erratically. Now, had he been a weaker-willed individual, or just plain retarded/stupid... it might be possible.
Ever play a game for countless hours (say, a new game, or a new genre or some such thing), and then stop playing, and have what I think might best be called 'residual mental images' of parts of the game? I recall that happening to me after beating Max Payne, and sometime after Counter-Strike beta 6. I kept seeing 'bad guys' and such.
...and more recently, as in, the last 3 days, I've been playing Dynasty Warriors 3... I decided it was best for me to PUT THE CONTROLLER ON THE GROUND AND STEP AWAY FROM THE COUCH(!) when I started to imagine myself attacking the people running in the gym and to classes with a long stick and a sharp metal medalions on its end...
Mobility denial system? Give me a break... if this stuff is as indeed as slick as stated, then it would be quite easy to become mobile over it.
Simply back up and run at it, and jump at the ground over the area of application. You'd slide an idefinate distance, and you'd probably not have to worry about cuts and scrapes - after all, such hurtful items would cause friction, which would provide traction, the very thing this lube cancels out.
I wonder if this stuff will be sold at pharmasuticals near the KY in coming years.
I wonder what the legal implications of this stuff would be - you'd likely get many people sueing the government or police forces for injuries inflicted. It would probably insight the mobs even more, and thus cause the participants to turn upon each other. I'd think something like a spray-on mellowing agent (pot/E in a can? [sic]) would be much more effective... you'd have people making love in the streets... imagine the publicity... "LA Riot turns into hot kinky orgy"... then again, this could probably happen with the lube.
The goal of these lawyers seems to be protect Kazaa/Napster-type networks, not destroy them. I suspect that the blame is being shifted to the ISPs instead of the users for a reason of twofold:
First, because they want to shift the blame from the p2p client software makers.
Second, so as to place the blame on an unprosecutable entity. While individuals can be prosecuted one by one, it's not financially viable or realistic - there'd be an unheard number of cases. However, if companies were to be brought to court, there would be a lot of pushing and shoving, and a lot of other such nonsense. It would be a much more evenly matched conflict, as opposed to the corporate lord picking on the civilian cerfs. If this were the case, it's unlikely the MPAA would take action. (I don't imagine that Time Warner will be making moves against AOL at any point soon, do you?)
All of this copyright garbage is a bunch of nonsense - they make enough money on each CD or DVD sold to pay for the production of 4+ such items, possibly including the price of production. It is simply a grab for more money (read: power and control). I wonder what it would take to form a nonprofit organization to combat such claims as the MPAA,RIAA, etc. in a more broad front, where people can donate money to support their rights of freedom? If people, Americans, can't even fight oppression of freedom with their money, where will you support it?
It would be interesting to see a film or music studio open up that was supportive of artist rights, and the right of people to do freely with what they purchase freely. I think it likely that such a music studio would have a lot of bands change labels, for philosophical reasons alone. Everyone knows that artists (of any type) are more likely to be motivated by philosophical reasons than other folks (for example, Britney Spears or Metallica).
Exsqueeze me? Make money "again"? Sorry buddy, but the movie and music industries are about one thing: exploitation. There's a reason why Hollywood is known for celebrity and fancy living instead of scurvey and food stamps. (We're talking about the non-ghetto part of Hollywood:) )
These people are simply and purely greedy. I'm mostly talking about media monguls here, too - not the arti sts, actors, or directors. The artists make a small fraction of the amount gros sed on media items, compared to what the company does. Consider all of the excellent bands out there that you like that don't even produce their albums year round (as in, they practice and go on a tour, but other than that, they hold down an 'normal person' job as well). If anything, these people should get more. They've worked hard, and likely gone through a lot of poverty to get where they are. (Granted, you could say 'fame should be enough' - but fame is nothing if at 50 your stomach is empty (or you can't send you children to college) because nobody will hire you becuase you have little/no previous work experience.)
I'd say the same of actors and those associated with films, but I think it's less the case in taht scenario; however, those at the top (producers, production companies) do make the majority of the money.
This post had me really excited for a moment, right after I saw the topic. Unfortunately, my lysdexia was harassing me, and my hopes of a Clitoris Linux have yet again become a dream.
Wow, we've lost a lot of great cartoonists in the last couple years. I hope that Bill Waterson relapses and decides to start doing Calvin and Hobbes again - I really miss his cartoons. I would get up every morning while still in school, just to read his comics. My first audible sound of the day would always be laughter.
I suspect that the majority of Slashdot's readers have never even seen the original (read: uncut) Merry Melodies or Loony Tunes - here's why: at some point since their invention and first airing, people (well, I'm sure they roughly resemble people, at least) decided that these shows were too violent and too crude for children. Thus, the majority of the coolness that made these shows what they were, was cut. I personally have only seen a single 'real' Loony Tunes short - it was by far superior to the cut version, which I have also seen, in terms of humorous skill and wit.
As far as I can recall, there have only been two series that come close to the skill of the original, uncut LT and MM - The Animaniacs and Ren and Stimpy (first two seasons).
Does anyone know if there's a way to get ahold of the 'uncut' versions of Loony Tunes and Merry Melodies shorts? Most of the cut ones aren't even entertaining without the violent goodness that was in the originals (Roadrunner and Coyote shorts come to mind).
This is a fairly common grammar mistake. Being that Sun is a singluar entity - a single company - the sentence should read, "Sun has been rubbing people up". Granted, this is given provided we don't take issue with the actual context of his, er, wild claims.:) Imagine the negative press that Sun would get for that!
Slashdot Mirror
Which then, subsequently, hoses their 33G of NTFS/FAT32 pron, divx, and MP3s.
Here's something to chew on: if he's able to just 'click on through' an install of debian, what the hell is he supposed to do with the computer after he gets it installed? He'll be confused and befuddled as to how he's supposed to use it. Why lead him astray to think that the OS will be as 'easy' to use as the installer?
I'm sorry, but when did "I can click on it" equate user-friendlyness?
Debian's current default installer consists of a group of sub-menus with descriptive explainations of what task each menu item would perform.
If this is an arguement of asthetic or practicality, then it should be thrown out. The only way this arguement for a better Debian installer could possibly hold water is if we're talking about the detection of hardware, which is marginally frustrating (I had no problems the first time I installed debian).
I recall when I first came online in (I think) '96 or '97 for the first time. Not only was the Internet new to me, but computers as well were new to me - my family got our first computer in mid-96, which was a 66Mhz Pentium with 8M of RAM, 14.4kbps modem, and Windows 95.
:) )
At the time, it took ages for things to load, download, and such. I was inexperienced with computers, as well as the Internet, so I was quite innept with what I was doing. All these things combined to create a longer period of time spent online. (I recall spending 5 hours at a time spent -just- surfing - I recall this, because that's how long I could stay connected to my ISP at a time
Another factor, I think, is that there were a lot more things that I found interesting back then. For instance, my younger brother and I spent a lot of time trying to find cool programs to theme win95 in a more asthetic manner (higher quality icons, for instance, backgrounds,etc), as well as the actual media. These things simply aren't that interesting any more, and my overall online time is spent checking a dozen to two dozen sites a day, quickly (including online comics), and browsing several sites similar to slashdot, occasionally posting, and IM/IRC. I'll occassionally see something interesting on a site I'm looking at, follow the link, and have my mental process trail off and direct me to search for other things for the next hour or two.
I think that the majority of the people now online have already established their browsing habits, and aren't interested in the other information out there. Most people I know don't spend 80 minutes 'surfing' - most of their time online is spent chatting and occasionally looking at a web site, etc.
Unfortunately, nothing will ever 'kill' Office until MS gets in (real) legal trouble, and Office loses support or something like that, Office has a huge, damaging exploit in parallel with another product's release, or other such things.
That, and 100% compatability with current MS Office products. I hear you say, "What about WordPerfect?" This really isn't such a big concern, because most people do, and have used, MS Office for the last 5 or so years.
The main concern with compatability isn't necessarily, "Can I use this flawlessly with the other documents circulating the office?" but, "Can I use this to flawlessly read documents generated in all the various versions of Office?" or, "Will I still be able to retain my original formatting, and can it be saved with that same formatting as well, so people still using Office can read it properly?"
Unfortunately, I suspect that MS Office has some sort of 'failsafe' *cough* mechanism that causes any documents written with another program to be rendered differently each time, etc.
I, too, would wish if this comment could be explained. If not able to explain, please mod it up so that it can be explained.
What happened on that date? I don't recall.
Have you seen Johny Nemonic (whatever it's spelled) one too many times?
The human body is a biological system that responds to the various elements around it; it is an open system - effected by it's surroundings - yet it is still seperate from it's surroundings. Unlike a computer, you can't simply add more memory or storage . The human state doesn't allow for it.
There are instances of people with photographic memory going insane, because they recall every instance of every event perfectly. Their brains are not able to process such a large amount of data, and thus they lose their sanity. People can experience trauma from excessive sound, light, and various other effects. It's called sensory overload.
While having a device attached to you that would allow you to have an extended memory or such would be awesome in theory, think of the implications - i'ts probably not freasable. Were it to happen, the human body wouldn't be able to power the devices efficiently: out bodies produce only enough energy each sleep cycle for the next day, and not enough for electronics. The addition of those electronics would strain and tire the body, to the point where people would start sleeping more and more each night, thus canceling any percieved benefit of the biotech enhancements. That is, of course, unless an alternative power source were created that would work in harmony with the human body. (Deus Ex is coming to mind as an example of this scenario, actually.)
Look at the Star Wars movies again.
You'll note that George Lucas failed to conceptualize anything closely resembling steps (at least that droids are shown transversing).
Ok, what about the 33Mhz 486 that I use as a iptables/smb/ftp/http/ipsec system? 12M RAM, and quite responsive throughout (as much as could be expected at 33Mhz Intel, at any point in time).
Not to flame, but how exactly does this post reflect a comparision between 641C and the upcoming release? I must've missed the comparable feature list, or whatever was used.
I've run Enlightenment (16.3, I believe) with X 3.3.6 on a Pentium 133 w/ 48M of RAM w/ a res of 800x600@16bit. (1.2G scsi-1 drive and nitro 3d graphics card w/ 2M RAM for the other system specs)(the Stormix distro w/ the 2.2 kernel - I don't recall what the codename was). It ran quite well(quickly, responsively, whatever you want to call it), was useable, and stable. Please note that this was over a year ago, when E was -the- state of the art in desktops. This same system was unable to run Win98 (or WinNT for that matter) quickly at all, and it was incredibly frustrating to use. It was classically unstable, and had the usual windows symptoms. Please note that the linux software in question was much, much 'newer' than the old, outdated Windows 98 or WinNT (SP4, if I recall correctly).
Given enough RAM (192M, say?), (due to X 4.x's high memory req's) older systems (say, a P2/ppro 200) can run modern desktops without a hitch. Win2k is pretty iffy on even 350's w/ the same RAM configuration, and that's 2 years old!
Don't even get me started on servers - I've got quiet a few 'old' desktop systems serving as office servers for various tasks. (P75's, P200's). Please note they're mostly running Debian Woody, some running potato. This is 'new' software, if you recall. No version of Windows could even begin to perform the job that these servers do. I suspect it would take twice as many, twice as powerful systems to carry the tasks at hand.
Please try and become informed before opinions are formed.
For crying out loud, I'd almost forgotten about DN4R, and I'd originally been anticipating the game with fervor. It better be one hell of a game for all the delay it's seen.
:) Still, they'll have to greatly optimize the crappy network code in the UT engine for network play to be less painless. :(
:)
For some reason, though, I'm getting the feeling it's going to be another Dikataina (or whatever that slop was called). Despite the reputation that 3drealms has for producing some pretty kickass games, and the quality of entertainment that DN3D provided, things just look bleak.
At the very least, I'm hoping for decent network play - what's currently out there is fairly stale IMO: a lot of the same old stuff. CS doesn't do it anymore for me, and I was tired of the WWII TF-like game variety a while ago (DoD player) - I look forward to Duke Nukem's pipe bombs and laser trip wires again.
To stay on topic, Neverwinter looks fantastic. For BG or DnD fans, this definately looks like The Title to get.
I am both a sysadmin and a Jedi Master! HAH! BEAT THAT!
Huh?
At least they -still- didn't look correct to you, even after being pointed out. Eesh. Count your blessings.
or shall we say, Ice Age?
Ever play a game for countless hours (say, a new game, or a new genre or some such thing), and then stop playing, and have what I think might best be called 'residual mental images' of parts of the game? I recall that happening to me after beating Max Payne, and sometime after Counter-Strike beta 6. I kept seeing 'bad guys' and such.
...and more recently, as in, the last 3 days, I've been playing Dynasty Warriors 3... I decided it was best for me to PUT THE CONTROLLER ON THE GROUND AND STEP AWAY FROM THE COUCH(!) when I started to imagine myself attacking the people running in the gym and to classes with a long stick and a sharp metal medalions on its end...
In the words of logic:
It's impossible to say what, if anything, is or could be better than the GPL, if we do not first determine what, if anything, is wrong with the GPL.
Mobility denial system? Give me a break... if this stuff is as indeed as slick as stated, then it would be quite easy to become mobile over it.
Simply back up and run at it, and jump at the ground over the area of application. You'd slide an idefinate distance, and you'd probably not have to worry about cuts and scrapes - after all, such hurtful items would cause friction, which would provide traction, the very thing this lube cancels out.
I wonder if this stuff will be sold at pharmasuticals near the KY in coming years.
I wonder what the legal implications of this stuff would be - you'd likely get many people sueing the government or police forces for injuries inflicted. It would probably insight the mobs even more, and thus cause the participants to turn upon each other. I'd think something like a spray-on mellowing agent (pot/E in a can? [sic]) would be much more effective... you'd have people making love in the streets... imagine the publicity... "LA Riot turns into hot kinky orgy"... then again, this could probably happen with the lube.
The goal of these lawyers seems to be protect Kazaa/Napster-type networks, not destroy them. I suspect that the blame is being shifted to the ISPs instead of the users for a reason of twofold:
First, because they want to shift the blame from the p2p client software makers.
Second, so as to place the blame on an unprosecutable entity. While individuals can be prosecuted one by one, it's not financially viable or realistic - there'd be an unheard number of cases. However, if companies were to be brought to court, there would be a lot of pushing and shoving, and a lot of other such nonsense. It would be a much more evenly matched conflict, as opposed to the corporate lord picking on the civilian cerfs. If this were the case, it's unlikely the MPAA would take action. (I don't imagine that Time Warner will be making moves against AOL at any point soon, do you?)
All of this copyright garbage is a bunch of nonsense - they make enough money on each CD or DVD sold to pay for the production of 4+ such items, possibly including the price of production. It is simply a grab for more money (read: power and control). I wonder what it would take to form a nonprofit organization to combat such claims as the MPAA,RIAA, etc. in a more broad front, where people can donate money to support their rights of freedom? If people, Americans, can't even fight oppression of freedom with their money, where will you support it?
It would be interesting to see a film or music studio open up that was supportive of artist rights, and the right of people to do freely with what they purchase freely. I think it likely that such a music studio would have a lot of bands change labels, for philosophical reasons alone. Everyone knows that artists (of any type) are more likely to be motivated by philosophical reasons than other folks (for example, Britney Spears or Metallica).
Exsqueeze me? Make money "again"? Sorry buddy, but the movie and music industries are about one thing: exploitation. There's a reason why Hollywood is known for celebrity and fancy living instead of scurvey and food stamps. (We're talking about the non-ghetto part of Hollywood :) )
These people are simply and purely greedy. I'm mostly talking about media monguls here, too - not the arti sts, actors, or directors. The artists make a small fraction of the amount gros
sed on media items, compared to what the company does. Consider all of the excellent bands out there that you like that don't even produce their albums year round (as in, they practice and go on a tour, but other than that, they hold down an 'normal person' job as well). If anything, these people should get more. They've worked hard, and likely gone through a lot of poverty to get where they are. (Granted, you could say 'fame should be enough' - but fame is nothing if at 50 your stomach is empty (or you can't send you children to college) because nobody will hire you becuase you have little/no previous work experience.)
I'd say the same of actors and those associated with films, but I think it's less the case in taht scenario; however, those at the top (producers, production companies) do make the majority of the money.
This post had me really excited for a moment, right after I saw the topic. Unfortunately, my lysdexia was harassing me, and my hopes of a Clitoris Linux have yet again become a dream.
Wow, we've lost a lot of great cartoonists in the last couple years. I hope that Bill Waterson relapses and decides to start doing Calvin and Hobbes again - I really miss his cartoons. I would get up every morning while still in school, just to read his comics. My first audible sound of the day would always be laughter.
I suspect that the majority of Slashdot's readers have never even seen the original (read: uncut) Merry Melodies or Loony Tunes - here's why: at some point since their invention and first airing, people (well, I'm sure they roughly resemble people, at least) decided that these shows were too violent and too crude for children. Thus, the majority of the coolness that made these shows what they were, was cut. I personally have only seen a single 'real' Loony Tunes short - it was by far superior to the cut version, which I have also seen, in terms of humorous skill and wit.
As far as I can recall, there have only been two series that come close to the skill of the original, uncut LT and MM - The Animaniacs and Ren and Stimpy (first two seasons).
Does anyone know if there's a way to get ahold of the 'uncut' versions of Loony Tunes and Merry Melodies shorts? Most of the cut ones aren't even entertaining without the violent goodness that was in the originals (Roadrunner and Coyote shorts come to mind).
This is a fairly common grammar mistake. Being that Sun is a singluar entity - a single company - the sentence should read, "Sun has been rubbing people up". Granted, this is given provided we don't take issue with the actual context of his, er, wild claims.