There are two types of liberals, the ones who genuinely see the world through certain, familiar lens, and the ones who just follow the first type. The major impact of the Bush Administration on the Left seems to have been to bring out the latter type more than the former. The Left in America needs to do a better job of analyzing the situation critically and spend less time figuring out ways to attack the Right.
Of course, an even better alternative would be to abandon the whole two-party duopoly in the first place, but I wish for too much.
I know what you mean! I'm a dude, but I remember when I was an anti-social teenager hopelessly lost in the ways of women. I always got the same piece of advice...basically, it's OK to hit on chicks, if they don't like it, find another; be a bit of a bastard, they'll like you for it, etc., but acting like a jerk just to 'impress' women with a false sense of confidence never seemed to sit right with me. But, I was tired of being alone, so I started approaching women more and more, but aimed to be friendly, fun, and approachable.
I had no idea how much women appreciated the fact that I didn't take every moment to compliment them on their looks, and that I really tried to get to know them as friends before "making a move!" I can't say my love life has been successful...I've got a lot of depressed journal entries to prove otherwise, but I do get compliments from women that they appreciate my sincere and kind disposition.
Women may want jerks when they're very young, but they eventually respect humility and courtesy much more. So don't hit on them constantly, or treat them as mere physical objects. You may not realize you do it, but it's very common!
He must have forgotten to accept the common anti-theistic dogma one is supposed to adorn while posting on Slashdot. How terribly un-critical of his thinking.
Good point...I was mostly thinking of components like digital ICs which add programmable delay in the combining stage of patch elements in order to account for different look angles.
The components required for phased array antennas are very expensive and all but require military contracts to obtain. When said components open up for the civilian sector, perhaps some commercial uses can be developed.
Developer A releases software under GPL. Developer B modifies software. Developer C can use developer B's modifications.
Developer X releases software under BSD license. Developer Y modifies software under a proprietary license. Developer Z can not use developer Y's modifications.
Developer Y was able to do something with developer X's code that B was not able to do with A's code. In a sense, Y has a freedom that B does not have. However, because of the freedom B lost, developer C has the freedom to use and benefit from B's work. Developer Z does not have that freedom.
I agree that freedoms have been taken from one group and given to another, but I hope my example shows that the line isn't between users and developers. In reality, it's between someone (B or Y) who modifies free software, and the rest of the world that may or may not have the freedom to benefit from said modifications.
I'd say the GPL takes a freedom away from one group and grants an important freedom to the rest of the world (a much larger group).
Maybe it's because I"m used to a language without training wheels or something (C), but I find when I read clean, well written code written by others, it is not a big deal to figure out the type and scope of any variable. Couple that with the fact that I would never trust that a variable once called lpstrSomething is, still, a local pointer to a string called Something, I'm going to figure out the type/scope of the variable on my own anyways.
As someone who still believes that Microsoft should not be trusted, I still appreciate your desire to rise above petty egos and bickering and move people towards solving actual problems. I wish the rest of the Free Software community could say the same.
I'm pretty sure that the parent post you replied was an old-fashioned troll...I found myself agreeing with him right up until that last line. A good troll will always make sure that 95% of his post is totally reasonable. You mentioned other religions as being "cults" under his definition, but actually even the first century Christian church would be considered a cult by that definition as well.
I do see a lot of people claiming that Scientology is no "worse" than any of the other religions, and I think the troll did a good job of explaining why that is not the case.
Actually, there were quite a few Republicans calling for a Gonzalez resignation as well--which means he screwed up so bad that even his own party won't go to bat for him.
What is also ironic is that a lot of conservative groups never wanted him to become AG in the first place because of some rather liberal leanings he had on abortion.
I've mucked around with a lot of stuff and have been developing software for a couple of decades now, but the Linux kernel STILL scares me.
You are clearly a much more experienced software developer than I am (I'm only 22 after all), but honestly I found getting into the kernel and hacking it to sit on a very reasonable learning curve. It started for me with a basic character driver I had to develop for work, and grew from there. Maybe what would help you is a reasonably simple task to start with.
The evidence of Linux's failure to penetrate the mass market speaks for itself.
Who set this goal? Who said, by Month X, Day Y, of year 200 and Z, Linux must have some percentage of market share, or else it has 'failed'?
Take a look at Ubuntu's mission statement. They want to create a distribution of Linux that is usable by the masses. My brother just installed Ubuntu and he's been on Windows for years. He's slowly but surely ramping up to the proficiency he had in Windows.
The community makes Linux what it is. If you really had a problem with figuring out how to dual boot, then you can always file a bug report, and if enough people have a similar difficulty, it will change. If you don't, then nobody can really help you, and you're just armchair-whining. Ubuntu is provided free of charge, backed by a company but largely developed by a community. There are forums where you can post your problems and get help without being mocked for your ignorance--free support!
Linux does not have to actively capture market share. It is not automatically superior to Windows. I like it because I can solve problems by understanding their causes, as opposed to sifting through dialog boxes to find the magic check box that will make the problems go away. You don't have to use it. And if all you're going to do is complain that Linux hasn't made itself easy enough for you, and you're not going to file bug reports or do anything about it, then by all means, enjoy your Windows.
You seem to argue that Linux users should care more about adoption rate than whether or not those users care about their freedoms. Maybe you don't get it. Maybe DRM, RIAA, software patents, Microsoft, etc., should matter to people. Maybe a free software desktop should be about giving people freedom from those "evils."
You may not agree with those values...I'm not sure I do. But to accuse people who do care about those values of somehow "not getting it" is pretty immature.
With current foreign policies on immigration as well as IP laws, the United States is running a real risk of losing its technical workforce. What would happen if more European countries started hiring Americans to come work for them?
I'm not the only engineer I know who would jump at the opportunity to work in a European country, which seem to have way more agreeable stances on a) environmentalism, b) foreign policy, c) patent/copyright laws, d) labour laws, etc.
The only thing stopping me is the fact that European technology companies don't seem very accessible to me.
I suppose if I learned a few languages I might become valuable.
The new stack doesn't *replace* the old one, it sits alongside it. Soon, the existing stack (actually, I believe there are two) will be marked as 'deprecated.' Eventually, probably years from now, when all the drivers have moved to the new stack(s), the old one(s) will be removed.
Software design principles 101 tells us that you don't remove code unless no other components rely on it, and you don't replace existing code that sucks, you reproduce its functionality with better code that can coexist with the old.
Efforts to reduce battery size and weight will no doubt help electric vehicles.
I recently purchased an electric scooter (evt 4000e) and the range is limited to about 30 miles..if the thing could carry more batteries, I bet the range could be dramatically increased.
Slashdot Mirror
There are two types of liberals, the ones who genuinely see the world through certain, familiar lens, and the ones who just follow the first type. The major impact of the Bush Administration on the Left seems to have been to bring out the latter type more than the former. The Left in America needs to do a better job of analyzing the situation critically and spend less time figuring out ways to attack the Right.
Of course, an even better alternative would be to abandon the whole two-party duopoly in the first place, but I wish for too much.
I know what you mean! I'm a dude, but I remember when I was an anti-social teenager hopelessly lost in the ways of women. I always got the same piece of advice...basically, it's OK to hit on chicks, if they don't like it, find another; be a bit of a bastard, they'll like you for it, etc., but acting like a jerk just to 'impress' women with a false sense of confidence never seemed to sit right with me. But, I was tired of being alone, so I started approaching women more and more, but aimed to be friendly, fun, and approachable.
I had no idea how much women appreciated the fact that I didn't take every moment to compliment them on their looks, and that I really tried to get to know them as friends before "making a move!" I can't say my love life has been successful...I've got a lot of depressed journal entries to prove otherwise, but I do get compliments from women that they appreciate my sincere and kind disposition.
Women may want jerks when they're very young, but they eventually respect humility and courtesy much more. So don't hit on them constantly, or treat them as mere physical objects. You may not realize you do it, but it's very common!
VHDL? Ugh....no wonder it took two months. Try a Real HDL (*cough* Verilog *cough*)
He must have forgotten to accept the common anti-theistic dogma one is supposed to adorn while posting on Slashdot. How terribly un-critical of his thinking.
You reject our generous offer? Very well, we shall mobilize our armies for WAR!! You will pay for your foolish pride!
Good point...I was mostly thinking of components like digital ICs which add programmable delay in the combining stage of patch elements in order to account for different look angles.
The components required for phased array antennas are very expensive and all but require military contracts to obtain. When said components open up for the civilian sector, perhaps some commercial uses can be developed.
Developer A releases software under GPL. Developer B modifies software. Developer C can use developer B's modifications.
Developer X releases software under BSD license. Developer Y modifies software under a proprietary license. Developer Z can not use developer Y's modifications.
Developer Y was able to do something with developer X's code that B was not able to do with A's code. In a sense, Y has a freedom that B does not have. However, because of the freedom B lost, developer C has the freedom to use and benefit from B's work. Developer Z does not have that freedom.
I agree that freedoms have been taken from one group and given to another, but I hope my example shows that the line isn't between users and developers. In reality, it's between someone (B or Y) who modifies free software, and the rest of the world that may or may not have the freedom to benefit from said modifications.
I'd say the GPL takes a freedom away from one group and grants an important freedom to the rest of the world (a much larger group).
Maybe it's because I"m used to a language without training wheels or something (C), but I find when I read clean, well written code written by others, it is not a big deal to figure out the type and scope of any variable. Couple that with the fact that I would never trust that a variable once called lpstrSomething is, still, a local pointer to a string called Something, I'm going to figure out the type/scope of the variable on my own anyways.
If you find a piece of free software you like, you can always donate to the developers.
It's also important to consider how much payload the boat can carry at that efficiency.
As someone who still believes that Microsoft should not be trusted, I still appreciate your desire to rise above petty egos and bickering and move people towards solving actual problems. I wish the rest of the Free Software community could say the same.
I'm pretty sure that the parent post you replied was an old-fashioned troll...I found myself agreeing with him right up until that last line. A good troll will always make sure that 95% of his post is totally reasonable. You mentioned other religions as being "cults" under his definition, but actually even the first century Christian church would be considered a cult by that definition as well.
I do see a lot of people claiming that Scientology is no "worse" than any of the other religions, and I think the troll did a good job of explaining why that is not the case.
I gotta say, when I read reports like this, it's not 'capitalism' or 'socialism' that I end up blaming...
Actually, there were quite a few Republicans calling for a Gonzalez resignation as well--which means he screwed up so bad that even his own party won't go to bat for him.
What is also ironic is that a lot of conservative groups never wanted him to become AG in the first place because of some rather liberal leanings he had on abortion.
I've mucked around with a lot of stuff and have been developing software for a couple of decades now, but the Linux kernel STILL scares me.
You are clearly a much more experienced software developer than I am (I'm only 22 after all), but honestly I found getting into the kernel and hacking it to sit on a very reasonable learning curve. It started for me with a basic character driver I had to develop for work, and grew from there. Maybe what would help you is a reasonably simple task to start with.
I'm saying that Steve Jobs....co-founder and CEO of Apple, Inc., is a changeling.
The evidence of Linux's failure to penetrate the mass market speaks for itself.
Who set this goal? Who said, by Month X, Day Y, of year 200 and Z, Linux must have some percentage of market share, or else it has 'failed'?
Take a look at Ubuntu's mission statement. They want to create a distribution of Linux that is usable by the masses. My brother just installed Ubuntu and he's been on Windows for years. He's slowly but surely ramping up to the proficiency he had in Windows.
The community makes Linux what it is. If you really had a problem with figuring out how to dual boot, then you can always file a bug report, and if enough people have a similar difficulty, it will change. If you don't, then nobody can really help you, and you're just armchair-whining. Ubuntu is provided free of charge, backed by a company but largely developed by a community. There are forums where you can post your problems and get help without being mocked for your ignorance--free support!
Linux does not have to actively capture market share. It is not automatically superior to Windows. I like it because I can solve problems by understanding their causes, as opposed to sifting through dialog boxes to find the magic check box that will make the problems go away. You don't have to use it. And if all you're going to do is complain that Linux hasn't made itself easy enough for you, and you're not going to file bug reports or do anything about it, then by all means, enjoy your Windows.
Good point...but I believe that, over time, the one that most users choose will end up being the most actively maintained.
The more people who use both solution, the quicker the kernel team can figure out which one works better, and go with that.
You seem to argue that Linux users should care more about adoption rate than whether or not those users care about their freedoms. Maybe you don't get it. Maybe DRM, RIAA, software patents, Microsoft, etc., should matter to people. Maybe a free software desktop should be about giving people freedom from those "evils."
You may not agree with those values...I'm not sure I do. But to accuse people who do care about those values of somehow "not getting it" is pretty immature.
As a US citizen, I say +1 to that.
With current foreign policies on immigration as well as IP laws, the United States is running a real risk of losing its technical workforce. What would happen if more European countries started hiring Americans to come work for them?
I'm not the only engineer I know who would jump at the opportunity to work in a European country, which seem to have way more agreeable stances on a) environmentalism, b) foreign policy, c) patent/copyright laws, d) labour laws, etc.
The only thing stopping me is the fact that European technology companies don't seem very accessible to me.
I suppose if I learned a few languages I might become valuable.
The new stack doesn't *replace* the old one, it sits alongside it. Soon, the existing stack (actually, I believe there are two) will be marked as 'deprecated.' Eventually, probably years from now, when all the drivers have moved to the new stack(s), the old one(s) will be removed.
Software design principles 101 tells us that you don't remove code unless no other components rely on it, and you don't replace existing code that sucks, you reproduce its functionality with better code that can coexist with the old.
Efforts to reduce battery size and weight will no doubt help electric vehicles.
I recently purchased an electric scooter (evt 4000e) and the range is limited to about 30 miles..if the thing could carry more batteries, I bet the range could be dramatically increased.
Right...not impossible, but very difficult/time consuming.