My laptop has a broadcom chipset for the internal wireless. There's no Linux driver, but it usually works if I use ndiswrapper (sometimes it locks hard when I load the module...don't know why, happens to infrequently to debug easily).
The value of getting a computer (laptop or not) preinstalled with Linux isn't that you don't have to install Linux on it, it's that you can be resonalbly certain that when you wipe the disk and install whatever version of Linux you want, all the hardware will be supported.
Note: I know the reason there aren't many pieces of malware for UNIX-like systems has more to do with market share than practicality. Please don't point that out to me. I'm just saying the router idea won't solve the problem.
I use Opera as my main browser, but resort to Firefox a couple of times a day when Opera can't handle something (it's either java or java-script...haven't figured out which, but Opera can't handle it as well as Firefox).
The reason I use Opera is because I prefer the way Opera handles tabs and mouse gestures (especially in combination). I've futzed around with Firefox several times, but never got it to feel as comfortable as Opera does by default.
In summary, I'm content to use a less technically capable browser because the UI provides a better experience to me.
I agree completely. I've got a P4 2.4GHz machine sitting in the cube next to me. I almost never touch it because the dual P3 700MHz machine I use as my desktop is so comfortable to use, that it's not worth the effort right now to migrate to the new machine.
I don't believe this to be true in all cases. There are lots of arcane topics that have excellent articles in Wikipedia becuase someone who was knowledgable and an excellent writer decided to provide one.
Wikipedia is an excellent place to look for leads on a topic you're not well enough versed in to know how to start doing real research. If you're unlucky and get a sabotaged article, you're no worse off than before. If you get a good article, it jumpstarts your searching abilities.
Even if it's not 100% reliable, there is still value in Wikipedia.
As interest in Apple products increase (thanks in large part to people's positive impressions of the iPod and encouragement of windows users to migrate to OSX by their technical friends), support for new games will become more common.
Also, since porting games to OSX is not significantly different from porting to Linux, the increased popularity of Linux should help Macs get new games too.
According to every serious definition of science that I've ever seen, mathematics does not qualify as a science. So, if you would, please provide a definition of science such that mathematics qualifies.
It's true that there isn't much to learn if you're copying commands verbatim from the install instructions. However, gentoo makes it very easy to learn what your system is doing by reading the scripts. There aren't layers and layers of abstraction and indirection like with RedHat and, while emerge makes package installation very simple, it doesn't hide anything from you and you can manually do exactly what it does with ebuild (the man pages give excellent explanations of what's going on).
Gentoo, last I used it, had goddamned typos in the fsck invocations in/etc/rc.d/... That basically was enough to scare me away from using it for a year or two.
Perhaps it's time you tried it again. I've been using it about 2 years now and find it to be of excellent quality as long as you don't attempt to use masked packages.
There are actaully 3 different desktop markets to consider: the home user, the gamer, and the corporate user.
Linux is already ready for the typical home user assuming the home user has supported hardware and can get past the install. As Linux gets increased support from device manufacturers, we will get ever closer to being able to buy something at BestBuy and just haveing it work when it's plugged in. (I had the good fortune this Christmas of receiving some USB toys that did happen to work with no fussing).
Linux still has some work to be ready for the desktop gamer. High performance hardware support is a problem and will probably continue to be a problem in the near future, but the real problem is that most publishers don't bother to port software to Linux. As consoles eat into the PC gaming market, there will be pressure to write games that reach the widest possible market, so it will happen. That, or emulation will get so good that ports won't be necessary.
The business desktop is hard to predict. Businesses stand to gain by switching to Linux where it reduces their costs, but at the same time, businesses (especially large ones) suffer from inertia far more than the gamers or home users. We'll probably see it quickly take over POS and call center (and similar) desktops, but it may take a decade to find its way onto the executive desktops (and the people who directly communicate with executives).
For those of us who can't make the connection for ourselves, can you please explain how Linux dominance in the embedded world will lead to Linux dominance in the desktop world?
As far as Linux is concerned, it is doing very well on the server but is pretty insignificant on the desktop and will probably remain so for the furseeable future.
Interesting you should say that. All the people I know who want new computers are migrating from Windows machines to Macs based on the advice of their more technically minded friends (who, by the way, run linux or plan 9 on their own desktops).
The business desktop seems to be the last refuge of Windows. I expect this to change in the near future.
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Are you implying that Bush won because he bribed the voters?
My laptop has a broadcom chipset for the internal wireless. There's no
Linux driver, but it usually works if I use ndiswrapper (sometimes it
locks hard when I load the module...don't know why, happens to infrequently
to debug easily).
The value of getting a computer (laptop or not) preinstalled with Linux isn't
that you don't have to install Linux on it, it's that you can be resonalbly
certain that when you wipe the disk and install whatever version of Linux you
want, all the hardware will be supported.
Also note that the Minis' power supply is external
Oh crap, does it have one of those horribly ineffiencent bricks on the
power cord like laptops do?
I hate those. Give me a switching power supply any day.
Have you used PostgreSQL recently?
Performance hasn't been an issue since at least version 7.
Note: I know the reason there aren't many pieces of malware for UNIX-like systems has more to do with market share than practicality. Please don't point that out to me. I'm just saying the router idea won't solve the problem.
Do you really believe this? Why?
Has Apple given any statistics on how many have sold since they were
announced?
Sure, a big ugly tower. Try finding a similar speced PC in a similar form
factor for $499. You won't find any.
The form factor is part of the value. Same reason you pay more for the ultra
portable laptops.
Is 256M not enough RAM to run OSX comfortably?
I use Opera as my main browser, but resort to Firefox a couple of times a
day when Opera can't handle something (it's either java or java-script...haven't
figured out which, but Opera can't handle it as well as Firefox).
The reason I use Opera is because I prefer the way Opera handles tabs and
mouse gestures (especially in combination). I've futzed around with Firefox
several times, but never got it to feel as comfortable as Opera does by
default.
In summary, I'm content to use a less technically capable browser because
the UI provides a better experience to me.
I agree completely. I've got a P4 2.4GHz machine sitting in the cube next to
me. I almost never touch it because the dual P3 700MHz machine I use as my
desktop is so comfortable to use, that it's not worth the effort right now
to migrate to the new machine.
but fails miserably in cases where there's not
I don't believe this to be true in all cases. There are lots of arcane topics
that have excellent articles in Wikipedia becuase someone who was knowledgable
and an excellent writer decided to provide one.
Wikipedia is an excellent place to look for leads on a topic you're not well
enough versed in to know how to start doing real research. If you're unlucky
and get a sabotaged article, you're no worse off than before. If you get a
good article, it jumpstarts your searching abilities.
Even if it's not 100% reliable, there is still value in Wikipedia.
How does that compare to other kernels (solaris, *bsd, etc)?
If you don't count device drivers and other modules, how big is the kernel
now days?
It's my understanding that Doom 3 uses OpenGL.
It's also my understanding that OSX uses OpenGL.
What am I missing?
As interest in Apple products increase (thanks in large part to people's
positive impressions of the iPod and encouragement of windows users to
migrate to OSX by their technical friends), support for new games will
become more common.
Also, since porting games to OSX is not significantly different from porting
to Linux, the increased popularity of Linux should help Macs get new games
too.
Anyway, that's my theory.
According to every serious definition of science that I've ever seen,
mathematics does not qualify as a science. So, if you would,
please provide a definition of science such that mathematics qualifies.
It's true that there isn't much to learn if you're copying commands verbatim
from the install instructions. However, gentoo makes it very easy to learn
what your system is doing by reading the scripts. There aren't layers and
layers of abstraction and indirection like with RedHat and, while emerge
makes package installation very simple, it doesn't hide anything from you and
you can manually do exactly what it does with ebuild (the man pages give
excellent explanations of what's going on).
Gentoo, last I used it, had goddamned typos in the fsck invocations in /etc/rc.d/... That basically was enough to scare me away from using it for a year or two.
Perhaps it's time you tried it again. I've been using it about 2 years now
and find it to be of excellent quality as long as you don't attempt to use
masked packages.
If I could run it on hardware I own, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
However...
There are actaully 3 different desktop markets to consider: the home user,
the gamer, and the corporate user.
Linux is already ready for the typical home user assuming the home user has
supported hardware and can get past the install. As Linux gets increased
support from device manufacturers, we will get ever closer to being able to
buy something at BestBuy and just haveing it work when it's plugged in.
(I had the good fortune this Christmas of receiving some USB toys that did
happen to work with no fussing).
Linux still has some work to be ready for the desktop gamer. High performance
hardware support is a problem and will probably continue to be a problem in the near
future, but the real problem is that most publishers don't bother to port
software to Linux. As consoles eat into the PC gaming market, there will
be pressure to write games that reach the widest possible market, so it will happen.
That, or emulation will get so good that ports won't be necessary.
The business desktop is hard to predict. Businesses stand to gain by switching
to Linux where it reduces their costs, but at the same time, businesses
(especially large ones) suffer from inertia far more than the gamers or home
users. We'll probably see it quickly take over POS and call center (and
similar) desktops, but it may take a decade to find its way onto the executive
desktops (and the people who directly communicate with executives).
It'll be interesting.
For those of us who can't make the connection for ourselves, can you please
explain how Linux dominance in the embedded world will lead to Linux
dominance in the desktop world?
I just don't see how the two worlds are related.
I know some who've migrated to Plan 9 and Inferno because Linux is too
boring.
As far as Linux is concerned, it is doing very well on the server but is pretty insignificant on the desktop and will probably remain so for the furseeable future.
Interesting you should say that. All the people I know who want new computers
are migrating from Windows machines to Macs based on the advice of their more
technically minded friends (who, by the way, run linux or plan 9 on their own
desktops).
The business desktop seems to be the last refuge of Windows. I expect this
to change in the near future.