This doesn't surprise me. When my roommate had ADSL installed, he was told it was configured specifically for Win95. (It was implied that the hardware was actually configured for a specific OS.) I borrowed his line and was able to setup Linux with it within a couple minutes. Surprise:) This wasn't with BellSouth, though, it was with PacBell.
I read all of the attached links. The most frustrating part of it is that Robert Jones couldn't get through to an actual tech. He was left in customer service limbo. He was given vague responses about DHCP incompatibilities, and left hanging. (All this after he was initially told that a number of users we're already using Bell South ADSL with Linux.)
Why is it always so difficult to get through to qualified tech support? (Not a specific rant against BellSouth)
One more comment to add to the other replies re: usage of tape for backups:
Not only do most companies need backup rotations, they also need a backup for disaster recovery.
Ideally, you have a backup of your data kept offsite, in case of disaster. Tape makes this simple - it's readily portable. Every week night our DBA throws a couple tapes into his bag before heading out. If our building goes down in flames, we still have our data.
Insurance money can help to rebuild, but it won't get back data!
I once thought as you did re: California drivers. I was born in TX, came here as a kid and learned to drive here. I'd heard all the normal bias against California drivers.
THEN I started traveling to other parts of the country. (Particularly the Midwest & New England areas) California drivers are among the best. (And I live in an urban Calif. area)
Now, do I think they could handle skycars?:) There would have to be some serious limits in place. (Beyond the pilots license.) Have an accident, crash land in someone's 4.6 mill. home, oops. I don't think my insurance would cover all that:)
My experience growing up was with public schools, not private ones. I hope the private schools do a much better job than my public ones did.
When I was in junior highschool, we had quite a few Apple IIe's. However, the teacher could barely stay ahead of the students in learning how to use them, etc. I had been programming since I was a small child, and was actually asked to teach the advanced topics of the course. (Though I didn't have any experience on Apples.)
It seems to me that if schools are spending money, its on hardware. They can then bring parents into the school, point at the new computers, and imply that they're keeping up with technology. Unfortunately, the computers count for almost nothing if adequately trained teachers are brought in (and software is normally inadequate as well).
When I moved on to highschool, I didn't even bother with computer courses. I actually spent a few days in a programming class, just to see what level they were at. My experience mirrors that of others here; all of the newest computers were being used for word processing, because they had more natural keyboards than their old Apple IIe's!
Sadly, the "programming class" consisted of less than 10 students and about 6 Apple IIe's, and they were stumbling around in Pascal for the entire semester, I believe.
I had hoped that with time these situations were washed away with the technology boom, but it sounds as though they're still typical.
The only avenue for a public-school student is to take night or weekend courses at a center like Learning Tree University. It isn't cheap, but it will teach you advanced concepts and will not limit you in the way a public school course would.
Are you suggesting that Anakin was still alive as he was being burned in the bonfire at the end of ROTJ? Somehow, I think if he hadn't faded out by then, he wasn't going to fade out period.
Interestingly, I share the same sort of experience you've had - recalling an actual book page that something was on which you're trying to remember. (Pardon, please, the bad grammar!)
If I think of the french language I learned in highschool, I can focus in on a particular verb & its conjugations. At this time, I can remember roughly the layout of the page AND whether it was an odd or even page (left or right side of the book as I looked at it). Odd, no?
From a "programmer's view" it seems a waste that I committed memory to the page layout, in lieu of better memory recall of the specific data on the page. What is a programmer but a very advanced tool user? If only we could get a grip on the tool known as the brain...
Regarding the eval version, I tried it out as well after checking out the page & had somewhat better results than you had - I was actually impressed by the ripping+MP3 encoding.
Of course, it didn't crash and burn here like it did on your system. I also disliked the annoying messages, given that it was crippled elsewhere as well. (Not only does it limit you to one track rip/encoding at a time, but it limits you to a select few tracks of each CD)
As you said, the player was limited. A better eval version, complete with a more functional player & less nags would win over more than a few people.
Slashdot Mirror
This doesn't surprise me. When my roommate had ADSL installed, he was told it was configured specifically for Win95. (It was implied that the hardware was actually configured for a specific OS.) I borrowed his line and was able to setup Linux with it within a couple minutes. Surprise :) This wasn't with BellSouth, though, it was with PacBell.
I read all of the attached links. The most frustrating part of it is that Robert Jones couldn't get through to an actual tech. He was left in customer service limbo. He was given vague responses about DHCP incompatibilities, and left hanging. (All this after he was initially told that a number of users we're already using Bell South ADSL with Linux.)
Why is it always so difficult to get through to qualified tech support? (Not a specific rant against BellSouth)
One more comment to add to the other replies re: usage of tape for backups:
Not only do most companies need backup rotations, they also need a backup for disaster recovery.
Ideally, you have a backup of your data kept offsite, in case of disaster. Tape makes this simple - it's readily portable. Every week night our DBA throws a couple tapes into his bag before heading out. If our building goes down in flames, we still have our data.
Insurance money can help to rebuild, but it won't get back data!
I once thought as you did re: California drivers. I was born in TX, came here as a kid and learned to drive here. I'd heard all the normal bias against California drivers.
:) There would have to be some serious limits in place. (Beyond the pilots license.) Have an accident, crash land in someone's 4.6 mill. home, oops. I don't think my insurance would cover all that :)
THEN I started traveling to other parts of the country. (Particularly the Midwest & New England areas) California drivers are among the best. (And I live in an urban Calif. area)
Now, do I think they could handle skycars?
My experience growing up was with public schools, not private ones. I hope the private schools do a much better job than my public ones did.
When I was in junior highschool, we had quite a few Apple IIe's. However, the teacher could barely stay ahead of the students in learning how to use them, etc. I had been programming since I was a small child, and was actually asked to teach the advanced topics of the course. (Though I didn't have any experience on Apples.)
It seems to me that if schools are spending money, its on hardware. They can then bring parents into the school, point at the new computers, and imply that they're keeping up with technology. Unfortunately, the computers count for almost nothing if adequately trained teachers are brought in (and software is normally inadequate as well).
When I moved on to highschool, I didn't even bother with computer courses. I actually spent a few days in a programming class, just to see what level they were at. My experience mirrors that of others here; all of the newest computers were being used for word processing, because they had more natural keyboards than their old Apple IIe's!
Sadly, the "programming class" consisted of less than 10 students and about 6 Apple IIe's, and they were stumbling around in Pascal for the entire semester, I believe.
I had hoped that with time these situations were washed away with the technology boom, but it sounds as though they're still typical.
The only avenue for a public-school student is to take night or weekend courses at a center like Learning Tree University. It isn't cheap, but it will teach you advanced concepts and will not limit you in the way a public school course would.
Are you suggesting that Anakin was still alive as he was being burned in the bonfire at the end of ROTJ? Somehow, I think if he hadn't faded out by then, he wasn't going to fade out period.
Correction:
Earth has blatant Starwars derivatives.
Interestingly, I share the same sort of experience you've had - recalling an actual book page that something was on which you're trying to remember. (Pardon, please, the bad grammar!)
If I think of the french language I learned in highschool, I can focus in on a particular verb & its conjugations. At this time, I can remember roughly the layout of the page AND whether it was an odd or even page (left or right side of the book as I looked at it). Odd, no?
From a "programmer's view" it seems a waste that I committed memory to the page layout, in lieu of better memory recall of the specific data on the page. What is a programmer but a very advanced tool user? If only we could get a grip on the tool known as the brain...
Regarding the eval version, I tried it out as well after checking out the page & had somewhat better results than you had - I was actually impressed by the ripping+MP3 encoding.
Of course, it didn't crash and burn here like it did on your system. I also disliked the annoying messages, given that it was crippled elsewhere as well. (Not only does it limit you to one track rip/encoding at a time, but it limits you to a select few tracks of each CD)
As you said, the player was limited. A better eval version, complete with a more functional player & less nags would win over more than a few people.