How about "I hate paying Bob to reinstall my machine every time it gets hosed beyond repair" or "I hate waiting 10 minutes for it to become usable after booting" or "My hard drive failed and my OEM never sent me installation media to install Windows on my new drive" or "I hate Windows"
Depending on who you are, any of those might be compelling reasons to try Linux.
Just because you can't think of any compelling reasons doesn't mean there aren't any. I, for instance, use Linux because I find it much easier to get my work done on it than on Windows or OSX.
one that is reliable, cheap (talking about TCO, not "free"ness[1]).
Check. Maybe your work environment is different, but where I work, I can install a "free" package, learn how to use it, and move on in less time than it takes to do the paperwork and evaluation process required to purchase a commercial solution if the company doesn't already have a site license for it (heck, even if it does, sometimes...depending on the license terms).
With that in mind, it's been my experience that commercial solutions are cheaper only if your time is free. Recurrent paperwork, meetings, and phone calls seem to be the hidden "cost" of commercial solutions...
Has the tools I need to produce high-quality output
Check.
Is integrated - so I can work quickly and efficiently.
Not sure what the connection between integration and efficient work is. My linux environment is not what I'd call integrated (all components are independent or at least loosely coupled) and yet I can work quickly and efficiently. In fact, the "integration" of apps in Windows and OS X is part of my frustration with those environments since a config change in one component can have unexpected effects in what seem like unrelated parts of the system.
Is secure, so I can prevent unauthorised access to my resources.
Check. Even if they have physical access to my machine, the encrypted partitions prevents access to my data and executables.
s stable, so I have the confidence that in 3 or 5 years time, the same applications will work.
Check. I'm completely confident that FVWM, vim, gcc, python, a web browser, and an email client will still work on my machine 3-5 years from now and on any machine I replace the current one with.
Works well with the other systems I interface with. Complies with standards so they will continue to work together in the future.
Check.
I gotta admit, I pretty much use the same checklist you do, but my linux environment scores high against it and windows scores very low. Even OS X scores low.
I was taking exception to your absolute statement that all systems have bugs.
Trivial programs can be bug free. Similarly, non-trivial, but low-complexity programs can be bug free. By extension, it's possible that a program of any arbitrary complexity can be bug free, however unlikely experience suggests that must be.
Also, since "all systems have bugs" is a statement about the present state of systems, not their histories, it doesn't matter if a system has previously had bugs in it as long as they are no longer present.
First off, even if the ticket sales only cover operating costs with no profit, if the existence of the trains causes the local economies to grow faster than the interest on the bonds used to finance the trains, then assuming the cities don't go bankrupt paying for construction, the trains will have been a net positive for the cities over its lifetime.
Second, if the solar panels are installed first, then the proceeds from selling the solar power can start to offset the construction costs long before the first train ever carries passengers, so the final debt incurred during construction may be far less than the total $27B that the construction required.
That's just off the top of my head. There's a reason why evaluating proposals like this costs a lot of money ($35k from the article sounds reasonable to me).
I was told that once they were required to pasteurize their cheeses, that the cheese selection in the EU was basically the same as what we get in the states.
I don't bother to block ads because it turns out that the annoying ads all require javascript and NoScript takes care of that for me. I figure that if non-javascript ads are more successful, maybe we'll see the end of the annoying kind.
Probably wishful thinking, but at least it allows me to support the model that I find acceptable.
I'm seeing lots of comments about how horrible a maintainer he is...but somehow he's still the maintainer. I have to assume that he's actually good at something or else he would have already been replaced.
Can anyone give some insight on what qualities he has that explain how he has managed to keep the position as glibc maintainer?
I'm just trying to see the other side of the picture here.
My only complaint about ADOM is the fact that you're racing against the corruption clock. Not a big deal, I suppose, but annoying. I beat ADOM, but I had to get completely spoiled to do it (excellent online spoilers).
Excellent advice. CFLs work fine in most rooms, but be careful which you buy if you want to use them outside or in the bathroom (high humidity areas).
Replace your shower heads.
Absolutely not! Those low flow showerheads turn a 6 minute shower into a 15 minute shower (maybe you bald folks don't have this problem). It's possible that it still uses less water in 15 minutes than my regular shower head does in 6, but I never get the wasted time back.
Bike to work.
Not worth the risk. If I'm going to share the roads with sleep deprived, distracted drivers, I want the protection offered by my car. Also, bikes aren't really an option for those of use to have to drop our children off at daycare/school.
Open windows rather than hit the thermostat
That works great the two weeks each year that the humidity and temperature actually make that possible...
I think I've made my point. It's great that some of you can do these things, but don't think less of the rest of us just because our circumstances don't allow us to participate.
It's my understanding that a conscious decision was made by the designers to leave spreadsheet formula details out of version 1.1 of the ODF standard so that they could publish the rest of the standard without having to include a portion that was broken by design. This was their compromise to be able to eventually get it right without holding back the rest of the standard.
In the long run, this is a good thing. The next version of ODF will have a properly designed standard for spreadsheet formulas and, since there is no v1.1 specification to remain backwards compatible with, it will be cleaner than it would have otherwise been.
The thing that is most telling is that all the other ODF supporting spreadsheet applications can inter-operate, but not Microsoft's. Ponder that for a moment before you decide that the fault is with the ODF specification.
Linux has already reached critical mass in server hardware. It's been a long time since you ran the risk of unsupported hardware when buying rack mounted servers from HP or Dell.
Slashdot Mirror
Businesses are leery about open source
Yes, that explains why Linux is running rampant through the data center. Businesses are obviously afraid to use open source software.
Granted, they're still buying support/indemnification from RedHat/HP/IBM...
How about "I hate paying Bob to reinstall my machine every time it gets hosed beyond repair"
or
"I hate waiting 10 minutes for it to become usable after booting"
or
"My hard drive failed and my OEM never sent me installation media to install Windows on my new drive"
or
"I hate Windows"
Depending on who you are, any of those might be compelling reasons to try Linux.
Just because you can't think of any compelling reasons doesn't mean there aren't any. I, for instance, use Linux because I find it much easier to get my work done on it than on Windows or OSX.
one that is reliable, cheap (talking about TCO, not "free"ness[1]).
Check. Maybe your work environment is different, but where I work, I can install a "free" package, learn how to use it, and move on in less time than it takes to do the paperwork and evaluation process required to purchase a commercial solution if the company doesn't already have a site license for it (heck, even if it does, sometimes...depending on the license terms).
With that in mind, it's been my experience that commercial solutions are cheaper only if your time is free. Recurrent paperwork, meetings, and phone calls seem to be the hidden "cost" of commercial solutions...
Has the tools I need to produce high-quality output
Check.
Is integrated - so I can work quickly and efficiently.
Not sure what the connection between integration and efficient work is. My linux environment is not what I'd call integrated (all components are independent or at least loosely coupled) and yet I can work quickly and efficiently. In fact, the "integration" of apps in Windows and OS X is part of my frustration with those environments since a config change in one component can have unexpected effects in what seem like unrelated parts of the system.
Is secure, so I can prevent unauthorised access to my resources.
Check. Even if they have physical access to my machine, the encrypted partitions prevents access to my data and executables.
s stable, so I have the confidence that in 3 or 5 years time, the same applications will work.
Check. I'm completely confident that FVWM, vim, gcc, python, a web browser, and an email client will still work on my machine 3-5 years from now and on any machine I replace the current one with.
Works well with the other systems I interface with. Complies with standards so they will continue to work together in the future.
Check.
I gotta admit, I pretty much use the same checklist you do, but my linux environment scores high against it and windows scores very low. Even OS X scores low.
I am a programmer.
I was taking exception to your absolute statement that all systems have bugs.
Trivial programs can be bug free. Similarly, non-trivial, but low-complexity programs can be bug free. By extension, it's possible that a program of any arbitrary complexity can be bug free, however unlikely experience suggests that must be.
Also, since "all systems have bugs" is a statement about the present state of systems, not their histories, it doesn't matter if a system has previously had bugs in it as long as they are no longer present.
for sure there were bugs in their system
This appears to be true
all systems have bugs
This is certainly not true (or at least not necessarily true).
So if you refuse to take it at the station, do they physically force you to take it somehow or is the refusal treated as a confession?
When is USB 3 expected to become widely available?
Well, it's a little more complicated than that.
First off, even if the ticket sales only cover operating costs with no profit, if the existence of the trains causes the local economies to grow faster than the interest on the bonds used to finance the trains, then assuming the cities don't go bankrupt paying for construction, the trains will have been a net positive for the cities over its lifetime.
Second, if the solar panels are installed first, then the proceeds from selling the solar power can start to offset the construction costs long before the first train ever carries passengers, so the final debt incurred during construction may be far less than the total $27B that the construction required.
That's just off the top of my head. There's a reason why evaluating proposals like this costs a lot of money ($35k from the article sounds reasonable to me).
How realistic is it to build desalination plants on the coast and pipe the resulting water to the desert communities?
How did you get used to the tiny keyboard?
I was told that once they were required to pasteurize their cheeses, that the cheese selection in the EU was basically the same as what we get in the states.
Anyone with personal knowledge care to comment?
Sure, but is the inefficiency significant? Does it slow things down enough for a human to actually notice?
I don't bother to block ads because it turns out that the annoying ads all require javascript and NoScript takes care of that for me. I figure that if non-javascript ads are more successful, maybe we'll see the end of the annoying kind.
Probably wishful thinking, but at least it allows me to support the model that I find acceptable.
I'm seeing lots of comments about how horrible a maintainer he is...but somehow he's still the maintainer. I have to assume that he's actually good at something or else he would have already been replaced.
Can anyone give some insight on what qualities he has that explain how he has managed to keep the position as glibc maintainer?
I'm just trying to see the other side of the picture here.
My only complaint about ADOM is the fact that you're racing against the corruption clock. Not a big deal, I suppose, but annoying. I beat ADOM, but I had to get completely spoiled to do it (excellent online spoilers).
Escape Velocity (plus all the mods available) is awesome...but i had to quit playing because stearing with the arrow keys made my wrist hurt.
Of course, that was 10 years ago...
Use CFLs.
Excellent advice. CFLs work fine in most rooms, but be careful which you buy if you want to use them outside or in the bathroom (high humidity areas).
Replace your shower heads.
Absolutely not! Those low flow showerheads turn a 6 minute shower into a 15 minute shower (maybe you bald folks don't have this problem). It's possible that it still uses less water in 15 minutes than my regular shower head does in 6, but I never get the wasted time back.
Bike to work.
Not worth the risk. If I'm going to share the roads with sleep deprived, distracted drivers, I want the protection offered by my car. Also, bikes aren't really an option for those of use to have to drop our children off at daycare/school.
Open windows rather than hit the thermostat
That works great the two weeks each year that the humidity and temperature actually make that possible...
I think I've made my point. It's great that some of you can do these things, but don't think less of the rest of us just because our circumstances don't allow us to participate.
It's my understanding that a conscious decision was made by the designers to leave spreadsheet formula details out of version 1.1 of the ODF standard so that they could publish the rest of the standard without having to include a portion that was broken by design. This was their compromise to be able to eventually get it right without holding back the rest of the standard.
In the long run, this is a good thing. The next version of ODF will have a properly designed standard for spreadsheet formulas and, since there is no v1.1 specification to remain backwards compatible with, it will be cleaner than it would have otherwise been.
The thing that is most telling is that all the other ODF supporting spreadsheet applications can inter-operate, but not Microsoft's. Ponder that for a moment before you decide that the fault is with the ODF specification.
Not necessarily broken, but certainly incomplete.
Linux has already reached critical mass in server hardware. It's been a long time since you ran the risk of unsupported hardware when buying rack mounted servers from HP or Dell.
It's not the pirated versions of XP that you should care about, it's the machines all running corporate images of XP that matter.
You're saying that we've reached a steady-state where new IPV4 allocations are balanced by deallocations? That's hard to believe.
I would bet that what's really happening is that the rate of allocations is decreasing so the existing supply will last longer.
I believe that it's already a part of Plan 9. Perhaps they already have a word for it.
Another thing would be Truecrypt's refusal to overwrite certain parts of that "random" data inside the not-hidden container.
Actually, according to several other posts on the subject, Truecrypt will happily overwrite the hidden container if you're not careful.
What's the advantage of XFS over ext3?