this is not really true. they are a vary large collection of techie geeks, yes, but remember that reigning over them are managers, and an entire governmental hierarchy of institutional paranoia and administrivia.
I've always found KDE for 'weenies', those that really do not want to interface with UNIX the way it was meant: through a command-line interface or via a windowmanager like twm, fvwm or a light modern one like afterstep
and what exactly is a "weenie"? I'd say KDE creates a far more cohesive, interoperative desktop. and, unless you're arguing an abstract case for UNIX or CLI "purity", there is the console (xterm, konsole, whatever) app for you
KDE with it's Windows look-alikeness is therefore the solution for those who do not want to bother with 'arcane' CLI's and windowmanagers.
personally, I haven't seen a popular desktop environment that didn't look like windows (gnome, kde, fvwm95, etc.) I'm not sure whether this means windows has it right, or most people are just grasping at a familiar look.
But then, when I was at the OSDEM in Bruxelles quite a lot of 'smart' developers were using KDE, to my surprise. This made me think about it again and I'm now considering installing 2.x just to try it.
I recommend it. I don't usually advocate projects all that much, but the 2.x series really impressed me. just wait until you fire up konqueror.
it sounds similar, but microsoft has two important things going for them. first, they are essentially starting with an installed base of tens of millions of machines (over 90% of PCs last I checked)..NET doesn't have to be "accepted" by any user or developer communities, it can be shoved down their collective throats (see also: MS marketing).
second, though this only applies to internet users, the gradual proliferation of broadband is making schemes like this more feasible. as an end user, just switching from a 56k modem to DSL totally changed the way I used my computer. broadband really blurs the line between your computer and local resources, another machine on your "local" network, and some box running accross the ocean. though this kind of blurring is one of Java and.NET's common goals, Java may have come too early.
and, the fact is, even if.NET is really awful and should, by rights, fail, MS has the leverage to make it happen anyway (see also: ActiveX)
actually, I read about a group who was doing just that (in some old issue of wired, I think). they used a bank of video cameras set up in front of lava lamps (good for random input) then hashed the video feeds into a string of nice random noise.
it's actually a clever way to get a reasonable level of randomness (cheaper than renting atmospheric noise collectors, another method I've heard of).
officially? I'm not sure, but it worked fine for me. I was using two 30GB IDE disks and software RAID0 with the 2.4test (it was test9, I believe) series. on my root partition, no less:) altogether, very fast and stable.
on the other hand, I haven't read about it anywhere, so I wouldn't try on, say, my mission critical corporate server.
Legitimacy? The system doesn't need legitimacy, it already exists, and is actively riding roughshod over the rights of its "members," whether they "legitimize" it or not. By not voting, you don't "say" anything, you keep silent, which perpetuates the status quo.
In the words of Rage Against the Machine, we've got to take the power back, and we can't do that by keeping silent.
I disagree with those who demand "no learning curve" or a system that works with "no training required." I think that, computers being complex machines, the UI by definition inherits a certain amount of complexity.
You couldn't, for instance, sit down at a large bench saw with no training or experince and reasonably expect to operate it (more likely you'd cut your arm off). Moreover, the saw shouldn't be designed FOR the inexperienced at the expense of the experts.
A computer is ridiculously more complex than a saw.
The UI should present a clean, consistent, pleasant(!) method of control, but the user must sit down with a clear goal in mind, and at least a modicum of basic training. Given experience, they will benefit from consistencyt expecally (newbies often ask me how I knew how to use Windows a program I'd never seen before. The answer is that I can click my way around ANY app with File, Edit, View menus, toolbars, etc.)
Embrace a common ground, but don't design for the ignorant.
As I see it, just the fact that this is being discussed is a good thing, more so that we can all read the discussion. Open debate is the opposite of FUD, because FUD requires ignorance to be effective.
Furthermore, discussing the merits of the GPL is definitely a good thing, because it may one day have to stand up in court.
Slashdot Mirror
sick and twisted? I think it's funny. although I actually checked a couple times to make sure this wasn't posted on April 1, just in case
sean
so they invent a new supercomputer that's so smart it can reconfigure itself, and what do they name it? HAL.
they just never learn.
sean
a sharp needle and a strong stomach, I would think
you know, if I could, I'd mod you up. meta-posts like this really save a lot of reading.
sean
this is not really true. they are a vary large collection of techie geeks, yes, but remember that reigning over them are managers, and an entire governmental hierarchy of institutional paranoia and administrivia.
and, to anyone who says that it's only giving lip service to the court ruling, and it's meant to be broken, I say that's even sadder
either they have a really brilliant idea, or this is as silly as it seems. kinda sad, really.
I've always found KDE for 'weenies', those that really do not want to interface with UNIX the way it was meant: through a command-line interface or via a windowmanager like twm, fvwm or a light modern one like afterstep
and what exactly is a "weenie"? I'd say KDE creates a far more cohesive, interoperative desktop. and, unless you're arguing an abstract case for UNIX or CLI "purity", there is the console (xterm, konsole, whatever) app for you
KDE with it's Windows look-alikeness is therefore the solution for those who do not want to bother with 'arcane' CLI's and windowmanagers.
personally, I haven't seen a popular desktop environment that didn't look like windows (gnome, kde, fvwm95, etc.) I'm not sure whether this means windows has it right, or most people are just grasping at a familiar look.
But then, when I was at the OSDEM in Bruxelles quite a lot of 'smart' developers were using KDE, to my surprise. This made me think about it again and I'm now considering installing 2.x just to try it.
I recommend it. I don't usually advocate projects all that much, but the 2.x series really impressed me. just wait until you fire up konqueror.
sean
it sounds similar, but microsoft has two important things going for them. first, they are essentially starting with an installed base of tens of millions of machines (over 90% of PCs last I checked).
second, though this only applies to internet users, the gradual proliferation of broadband is making schemes like this more feasible. as an end user, just switching from a 56k modem to DSL totally changed the way I used my computer. broadband really blurs the line between your computer and local resources, another machine on your "local" network, and some box running accross the ocean. though this kind of blurring is one of Java and
and, the fact is, even if
sean
actually, I read about a group who was doing just that (in some old issue of wired, I think). they used a bank of video cameras set up in front of lava lamps (good for random input) then hashed the video feeds into a string of nice random noise.
it's actually a clever way to get a reasonable level of randomness (cheaper than renting atmospheric noise collectors, another method I've heard of).
sean
officially? I'm not sure, but it worked fine for me. I was using two 30GB IDE disks and software RAID0 with the 2.4test (it was test9, I believe) series. on my root partition, no less :) altogether, very fast and stable.
on the other hand, I haven't read about it anywhere, so I wouldn't try on, say, my mission critical corporate server.
You cry "We have a right to know everything!" and "They redacted lines!"
A government without secrets cannot function
-sean
umm, why is everyone so concerned about bogomips?
doesn't that just mean it can do nothing really really really really fast?
how about some actual benchmarks?
-sean
Every revolutionary has his (or her) skeptic.
No, that's backwards.
Legitimacy? The system doesn't need legitimacy, it already exists, and is actively riding roughshod over the rights of its "members," whether they "legitimize" it or not. By not voting, you don't "say" anything, you keep silent, which perpetuates the status quo.
In the words of Rage Against the Machine, we've got to take the power back, and we can't do that by keeping silent.
I disagree with those who demand "no learning curve" or a system that works with "no training required." I think that, computers being complex machines, the UI by definition inherits a certain amount of complexity.
You couldn't, for instance, sit down at a large bench saw with no training or experince and reasonably expect to operate it (more likely you'd cut your arm off). Moreover, the saw shouldn't be designed FOR the inexperienced at the expense of the experts.
A computer is ridiculously more complex than a saw.
The UI should present a clean, consistent, pleasant(!) method of control, but the user must sit down with a clear goal in mind, and at least a modicum of basic training. Given experience, they will benefit from consistencyt expecally (newbies often ask me how I knew how to use Windows a program I'd never seen before. The answer is that I can click my way around ANY app with File, Edit, View menus, toolbars, etc.)
Embrace a common ground, but don't design for the ignorant.
As I see it, just the fact that this is being discussed is a good thing, more so that we can all read the discussion. Open debate is the opposite of FUD, because FUD requires ignorance to be effective.
Furthermore, discussing the merits of the GPL is definitely a good thing, because it may one day have to stand up in court.