This comment makes it sound to me like you never used PCs before the mid-90s. Before PnP, you had to set jumpers on your ISA/EISA cards. Then you had to manually configure all the I/O base addresses, IRQs, DMA channels, etc. for the hardware in your system, based on what each device was capable of using, and you had to make sure devices didn't conflict with each other.
So no, PnP is not a marketing buzzword at all. It was a completely new way of setting up hardware, and having it detected and configured automatically.
Having to install drivers has nothing to do with whether or not something is PnP. All hardware needs drivers, whether they are built into the kernel, shipped with the OS, on a disc, or online. This applies to Windows as well as Linux.
Boot camp is nothing more than a set of Windows drivers. The BIOS emulation layer, which allows other operating systems to boot, is part of a firmware update. Newer machines like the Mac Pro most likely come from the factory with this firmware. So your ability to run Linux or other operating systems will depend on the drivers available for them.
Or better yet, fix the problem that's been around for years, where IE can't even display PNGs with alpha transparancy. I'd love to be able to use them instead of cruddy 256 color GIFs, but I can't because of IE.
And yes, I know about the various bits of Javascript and CSS that allow IE to show them, but it shouldn't have to be done in the first place. And none of them completely work.
I go to school several minutes away from Weaver, Weaver is a school our students can go to for certain classes, like this one. I never thought I'd see a story on Slashdot about my school, and a link to our local newspaper!
I think it's mandatory for Slashdot editors to prefer Konqueror as their primary browser.
But anyway, I'd have to agree. Mozilla is slow, buggy, and big, although it's improving. Netscape is Mozilla + AOL crap. Konqueror seems to be reasonably fast and stable, and doesn't do a bad job of rendering pages.
The Microsoft bashers may hate me saying this, but I'd love to see Internet Explorer available for Linux. Of course, it will never happen, but it would be nice.
Some people may not like Mandrake, for a variety of reasons, but I'm liking it more and more with every release. Many people may not like this, but I like having frequent beta releases to play around with.
Best of all, Mandrake truly does have a great setup procedure. For example, name one other distro in which you can easily setup ReiserFS, JFS, ext3, and ext2 filesystems during the installation. And afterwards, you have such tools as the Software Update utility, which is a decent way to keep up with security updates. And don't forget the custom user, printer, and other management utilities.
I know many people call Mandrake a newbie distro, but who said that having an easy to use distro is a bad thing? Plus, even though it's "easy to use", I can still setup and configure it however I want. Mandrake seems to be getting better and better, and I wouldn't be suprised to see it take over as the Desktop distro for both newbies and experts alike.
I hope the problems you've had with Banjo have been worked out. For example, last time I went to Banjo, my karma was lower than it should be. Good luck!
Who wants to take bets on how long it will take before Slashdot switches back to the old code?
I would recommend Mandrake. Out of all the distro's I've tried, Mandrake is probably the easiest to setup. It comes with quite a bit of software set up "right out of the box".
Mandrake also has good administration-type tools. The software update facility works very well, as do the other things like the user manager. As an added bonus, the KDE Menu is organized more logically than any distro I've seen,
It's definitely a great distro for both newbies and more experienced users alike,
Gosh, this brings back memories. I remember having a 5.25" as my only floppy disk drive, using DOS. Hell, I'd never even heard of a mouse back then. Ah, and good ol' WordStar. That sure as hell didn't have a stupid paperclip.
I see all the people today complaining: "Oh, Windows is too hard. AOL is complicated. I'm confused!". And I think back to when I was 5 years old, using a CLI and installing my first SoundBlaster, configuring IRQs and DMAs. And today, some people need help installing a keyboard.
Well of course he's apologizing now... he was caught! If he hadn't been caught, do you think he'd be apologizing? Hell no. He's not sorry about his actions, he's just sorry he got caught.
I doubt that this weak apology will restore the site's credibility, either.
I didn't say that the PC has lots of hardware for which no equivalent exists on the Macintosh. What I did say, however, is that Macs just don't have the selection of hardware that the PC has. For one, there aren't nearly as many manufacturers of Mac hardware as there are of PC hardware. Macs just don't have the vast hardware selection that PC users enjoy.
Or getting tired of searching for drivers for your 8 bit soundblaster (in)compatible?
I'm sorry? Now, before you mod me as a troll, hear me out. Of course Mac OS X doesn't have driver problems, but it's because the hardware selection in Macland is very poor. Why should they have driver problems? There are so few peripherals out there for Macintosh computers. What good is it having "working drivers" if there is so little hardware available in the first place?
Slashdot Mirror
This comment makes it sound to me like you never used PCs before the mid-90s. Before PnP, you had to set jumpers on your ISA/EISA cards. Then you had to manually configure all the I/O base addresses, IRQs, DMA channels, etc. for the hardware in your system, based on what each device was capable of using, and you had to make sure devices didn't conflict with each other.
So no, PnP is not a marketing buzzword at all. It was a completely new way of setting up hardware, and having it detected and configured automatically.
Having to install drivers has nothing to do with whether or not something is PnP. All hardware needs drivers, whether they are built into the kernel, shipped with the OS, on a disc, or online. This applies to Windows as well as Linux.
Uh, Windows 2000 definitely had plug-and-play.
Boot camp is nothing more than a set of Windows drivers. The BIOS emulation layer, which allows other operating systems to boot, is part of a firmware update. Newer machines like the Mac Pro most likely come from the factory with this firmware. So your ability to run Linux or other operating systems will depend on the drivers available for them.
It's a real pity he's on the /. editorial team - the other editors at least attempt to write from a neutral viewpoint.
You're new here, aren't you?
Or better yet, fix the problem that's been around for years, where IE can't even display PNGs with alpha transparancy. I'd love to be able to use them instead of cruddy 256 color GIFs, but I can't because of IE.
And yes, I know about the various bits of Javascript and CSS that allow IE to show them, but it shouldn't have to be done in the first place. And none of them completely work.
Last time I checked, Internet Explorer crashing doesn't cause a system reboot either.
That's really not a bad idea.
I'm about to see if what it says in your sig really is true. :)
What does this mean for Linux sales? Will they stop selling it at Office Depot?
Why back in my day, all you needed were some LED's.
And why use a hard drive when you have perfectly good cassette tapes laying around?
Better send it to the Publisher then.
How are they going to get the spammers in other countries? Doesn't a lot of it come from Asian countries?
I go to school several minutes away from Weaver, Weaver is a school our students can go to for certain classes, like this one. I never thought I'd see a story on Slashdot about my school, and a link to our local newspaper!
;)
My life is now complete.
Since when has that stopped anyone?
Microsoft has released a secure version of IIS to its beta testers. I cannot give you any details, except that it has codename "Apache".
I think it's mandatory for Slashdot editors to prefer Konqueror as their primary browser.
But anyway, I'd have to agree. Mozilla is slow, buggy, and big, although it's improving. Netscape is Mozilla + AOL crap. Konqueror seems to be reasonably fast and stable, and doesn't do a bad job of rendering pages.
The Microsoft bashers may hate me saying this, but I'd love to see Internet Explorer available for Linux. Of course, it will never happen, but it would be nice.
Best of all, Mandrake truly does have a great setup procedure. For example, name one other distro in which you can easily setup ReiserFS, JFS, ext3, and ext2 filesystems during the installation. And afterwards, you have such tools as the Software Update utility, which is a decent way to keep up with security updates. And don't forget the custom user, printer, and other management utilities.
I know many people call Mandrake a newbie distro, but who said that having an easy to use distro is a bad thing? Plus, even though it's "easy to use", I can still setup and configure it however I want. Mandrake seems to be getting better and better, and I wouldn't be suprised to see it take over as the Desktop distro for both newbies and experts alike.
Who wants to take bets on how long it will take before Slashdot switches back to the old code?
Well, it looks like we've already slashdotted Banjo. Didn't take very long. Maybe you shouldn't switch yet.
What? Do you remember how much the GF3 cost when it debuted? Hint: it was a lot more expensive than the Radeon 8500 will be.
Mandrake also has good administration-type tools. The software update facility works very well, as do the other things like the user manager. As an added bonus, the KDE Menu is organized more logically than any distro I've seen,
It's definitely a great distro for both newbies and more experienced users alike,
Gosh, this brings back memories. I remember having a 5.25" as my only floppy disk drive, using DOS. Hell, I'd never even heard of a mouse back then. Ah, and good ol' WordStar. That sure as hell didn't have a stupid paperclip.
I see all the people today complaining: "Oh, Windows is too hard. AOL is complicated. I'm confused!". And I think back to when I was 5 years old, using a CLI and installing my first SoundBlaster, configuring IRQs and DMAs. And today, some people need help installing a keyboard.
I doubt that this weak apology will restore the site's credibility, either.
I didn't say that the PC has lots of hardware for which no equivalent exists on the Macintosh. What I did say, however, is that Macs just don't have the selection of hardware that the PC has. For one, there aren't nearly as many manufacturers of Mac hardware as there are of PC hardware. Macs just don't have the vast hardware selection that PC users enjoy.
I'm sorry? Now, before you mod me as a troll, hear me out. Of course Mac OS X doesn't have driver problems, but it's because the hardware selection in Macland is very poor. Why should they have driver problems? There are so few peripherals out there for Macintosh computers. What good is it having "working drivers" if there is so little hardware available in the first place?