Actually, Milliways rates down some. The number one was the decades-long floating party from the same saga. Number two was a house party in Eau Claire, WI.
This always happens when a community starts to embrace its own unique stories. I mean, do you *really* think that Odysseus was really out adventuring that whole decade? (I have it on good authority that he actually spent the better part of those ten years recovering from the party they had after sacking Troy, which rates as one of the top three parties of all time).
We need to find a way to re-term "old technology". That term brings to mind all those old 486-33's that every corporation on earth has sitting in a basement storeroom someplace, waiting to get thrown out. Old technology is Windows 3.11, or a MacSE...
Maybe "Polymorphic Software" is the way to go -- just as all science today is built on the shoulders of the giants who came before, so shall all software be built upon a sturdy foundation. We use basic tools to build better tools, which in turn we use to develop better tools. Where else is this concept better illustrated than in the history of Linux (remember what Linux looked like in 1994? I still have nightmares... =) ).
UNIX has a solid, expandible base. Windows does not, unless you think that the autoexec.bat file is a really keen way to get things done.
Yeah, but upgrades are expensive, and I'm not willing to pay the extra costs. Never forget that any upgrades get passed directly on to the subscribers.
Of course, it comes with phone support. But never mind that, right? You just wanted to rip on Redhat 'cause you hear that's the cool thing to do these days.
Besides, if you're paying $40 or $20, you're still getting ripped off if you don't need tech support. Cheapbytes loves you.
This about it; can you see Linus flaming the hell out of someone for forgetting to mention that Linux runs on SPARC? No way! So, the next time you're tempted to mail out some giant foul-mouthed tirade against someone who has issues with the OSS movement, ask yourself: WWLD?
Man, I should have some wrist bands made up; I'd make a mint.
Oh, I don't know. My dear mother always suggested that it I ignore people who intentially try to start trouble, they'll go away. It's worked for me in real life; it's worth a shot here.
We just need to communicate that some people aren't welcome in our community until they're ready to act like adults. I know people will say I'm stomping on free speech and ask who I am to judge, but we must to something before this brand of fanaticism damages Linux's and OSS's credibility any further.
Your Boston Tea Party analogy is really flawed. We're not trying to drive people who use Windows (or in any way criticize Linux) back to England; we're trying to get them over to our way of thinking by demonstrating that our way of doing things is neat and effective and overall better.
Look at the OSS movement more as a guerrilla war; we have to develop a superior product against the onslaught of an overwhelming foe who can change standards as fast as Bill changes his shorts. We need to win people over to our way of thinking, not run in and burn their villages and shoot their grandmothers.
This sort of sh*t alienates potential users, backers, business allies and developers. Call it a war if you insist, but this isn't the way to win. Instead, we should politely provide information, demonstrate that we can connect with people (a collective sense of humor would be a good place to start) and respect other peoples' opinions, even if they don't agree with us.
I agree 100%; this seems to be the latest in a emerging trend. This sort of rabid fanaticism has its place (professional sports is the only example that comes to mind), but in a software revolution like this one it really hurts.
I don't want my boss to think I like Linux because I'm just another "Anything But Microsoft" whiner. That's the increasing impression among the uninitiated, however, because of some of these flamers and wannabes.
PS: I just got a Linux box into our NT-only shop. Off topic, but I'm so happy that I won't be getting 3AM pages to restart IIS anymore that I just had to tell somebody....
The classy way this guy handled this whole situation only makes me feel more embarrassed about how he was treated.
One of the major bogus sides of the expansion of Linux is that it's not really a community anymore. We've gone from a small town feeling to a large city, complete with all the nuts, gomers and unsupervised 10 year-olds that come with it.
Personally, I think something needs to be done to curb this sort of ridiculous behaviour before any sense of community is lost and we start to really alienate the people that we're trying to attract -- businesses, media and developers.
The problem is, what can be done? Well, I believe it's time to start shutting out the troublemakers. Everyone can still have free speech, but we're not obligated to listen to them or provide them with a forum or encouragement. As much as I'd hate to say it,/. is going to have to be the first place to change (it's the most popular Linux-related website, and therefore attracts the most goons; you don't see this sort of thing at Linux Today).
Does this mean more moderation? Probably; maybe even banning the IPs of some of the worse offenders, or some other form of punishment. We need to tell the trolls and the flamers that we don't want them because they're effectively ruining it for everyone.
In an ideal world, everyone would be mature, rational and adhere to the Advocacy FAQ. But its not going to happen. I guess my main concern is that in a year I will switch jobs and suggest Linux to my boss, who will answer back, "No, we don't want to get involved with those kind of people."
Given the picture, I don't see a major market for these things. I mean, having something make repairs is cool, but imagine having something the size of a breadbox swimming around in ya...
[IMPORTANT: This is humor. I was not born in West Virgina.]
Just in case, maybe I'll put off getting that new computer I was planning on to kick off the final release of Quake III.
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Linux: The Ultimate Appliance OS
on
Digital VCRs
·
· Score: 2
So, who here really thinks that Windows CE has a prayer in the appliance market?
Simply put, Linux provides a solid foundation without having all the restrictive licensing funkiness from Microsoft. Besides, why pay Redmond a fee per box when you could be using that money to undersell your competition (or, better yet, lining your pockets with it)?
The Cobalt Cube and these set-top boxes are only the beginning. It may not always be superficially recognizable as such, but pretty soon Linux will be living in the homes of everyone in the world who has electricity. Global domination, indeed.
Well I'll be damned, it is June already. You can always tell because it gets too hot and humid here in the midwest, and rumors that Apple's going to be purchased by Disney start making their rounds.
I've heard this rumor at least once a year since I was in high school (remember? Before there was a Windows NT? Ahh....). You can almost set your watch by it. Personally, I'll start believing that Apple's going to be bought out when I see some hard information about it, rumors be damned.
I'm going to go with Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
I'm going to take a lot of heat from people who think Wrath of Kahn was better. While I agree that Kahn is the best bad guy in Trekdom, I think that the rest of the qualities of VI overcome this.
The quality of ST6 has to be the highest of any of the films. The directing was fantastic, the score was great and the effects were finally good enough not to be hokey.
More than that, I find the story to be the most engaging. It provided a really good ending to the series (I consider VI to be the last original series film; Generations just had a couple of guest appearances). It acknowlaged the aging characters while still keeping up the "adventure" feel, it was a look back without being sappy, and it was overall exciting.
Besides, the battle with the warbird at the end was a blast, especially the way they managed to stay focused on the characters rather than on the effects (Spock and McCoy rigging the torpeado, Sulu showing up with Excelsior to take some of the heat off, etc). Even though you knew what was going to happen ('cause no Klingon ever beats Kirk), it was tense and exciting.
First, everyone notice number 3? "Classified" location, owned by the "Government". I bet my left nut that it's sitting in a bunker at Fort Mead working on a way to violate our privacy.
Secondly; is Blue Mountain completely up to speed yet? I seem to remember reading that it was going to be the fastest (albiet not by much) when all the processors were finally added. I dunno, maybe I was just smoking something or reading SGI press releases....
Man, when I die, I hope that people are able to still poke fun at me (God knows I give them enough ammunition).
Look, what we do after someone dies isn't for the dead person - what do they care? It's for the rest of us. So, here we are. We didn't know him as a person, so this is what's natural to say goodbye to someone a lot of us grew up watching on a (forgive me) fairly campy TV show that enthralled so many people.
For a detached sense of loss like this, humor is a lot more healthy than mourning. We're not using it to hide or supress feelings, but instead to remember old friends. What's wrong with that?
Okay, I've got a mini-poll to send off with Doc McCoy:
Which of the original series movies (aka 1-6) was the best and why?
Now, no wussing out and choosing two; you have to choose one and back it up. Bonus points are awarded if you can sucessfully defend an odd-numbered movie (good luck).
I wonder if this will end up hurting Raster's career over the long-term. I mean, what company would want to hire a guy who might quit and publish a bitch page like this (especially one that gets posted to slashdot)?
Look at it from the company's point of view. Foremost, it's bad press right before their IPO. Second, it hurts their recruiting efforts by saying that living in NC sucks...
I dunno, maybe even a vague loyalty isn't something that HR people look for anymore, but it's something I still value in people who work for me.
What ever happened to the old days when someone could just quit from an organization or effort and just be gracefull about it? I mean, it seems sort of tacky to air out all the dirty laundry from where you work (So and so is a moron, someone else didn't agree with me and thus sux, etc.).
JWZ was one thing -- his complaints at least were about the project. He was expecting to "ship product" in a year, and was entitled to gripe about how slow things were going when it didn't (although personally I can't imagine how Mozilla could have turned around that fast given how broken the original code was).
JWZ's gripes were over the lack of progress in a public effort. Raster's bitching about how he couldn't get along with someone else at the office is something else entirely.
Slashdot Mirror
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This always happens when a community starts to embrace its own unique stories. I mean, do you *really* think that Odysseus was really out adventuring that whole decade? (I have it on good authority that he actually spent the better part of those ten years recovering from the party they had after sacking Troy, which rates as one of the top three parties of all time).
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Maybe "Polymorphic Software" is the way to go -- just as all science today is built on the shoulders of the giants who came before, so shall all software be built upon a sturdy foundation. We use basic tools to build better tools, which in turn we use to develop better tools. Where else is this concept better illustrated than in the history of Linux (remember what Linux looked like in 1994? I still have nightmares... =) ).
UNIX has a solid, expandible base. Windows does not, unless you think that the autoexec.bat file is a really keen way to get things done.
----
----
Besides, if you're paying $40 or $20, you're still getting ripped off if you don't need tech support. Cheapbytes loves you.
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This about it; can you see Linus flaming the hell out of someone for forgetting to mention that Linux runs on SPARC? No way! So, the next time you're tempted to mail out some giant foul-mouthed tirade against someone who has issues with the OSS movement, ask yourself: WWLD?
Man, I should have some wrist bands made up; I'd make a mint.
----
We just need to communicate that some people aren't welcome in our community until they're ready to act like adults. I know people will say I'm stomping on free speech and ask who I am to judge, but we must to something before this brand of fanaticism damages Linux's and OSS's credibility any further.
----
----
Look at the OSS movement more as a guerrilla war; we have to develop a superior product against the onslaught of an overwhelming foe who can change standards as fast as Bill changes his shorts. We need to win people over to our way of thinking, not run in and burn their villages and shoot their grandmothers.
This sort of sh*t alienates potential users, backers, business allies and developers. Call it a war if you insist, but this isn't the way to win. Instead, we should politely provide information, demonstrate that we can connect with people (a collective sense of humor would be a good place to start) and respect other peoples' opinions, even if they don't agree with us.
----
I don't want my boss to think I like Linux because I'm just another "Anything But Microsoft" whiner. That's the increasing impression among the uninitiated, however, because of some of these flamers and wannabes.
PS: I just got a Linux box into our NT-only shop. Off topic, but I'm so happy that I won't be getting 3AM pages to restart IIS anymore that I just had to tell somebody....
----
One of the major bogus sides of the expansion of Linux is that it's not really a community anymore. We've gone from a small town feeling to a large city, complete with all the nuts, gomers and unsupervised 10 year-olds that come with it.
Personally, I think something needs to be done to curb this sort of ridiculous behaviour before any sense of community is lost and we start to really alienate the people that we're trying to attract -- businesses, media and developers.
The problem is, what can be done? Well, I believe it's time to start shutting out the troublemakers. Everyone can still have free speech, but we're not obligated to listen to them or provide them with a forum or encouragement. As much as I'd hate to say it, /. is going to have to be the first place to change (it's the most popular Linux-related website, and therefore attracts the most goons; you don't see this sort of thing at Linux Today).
Does this mean more moderation? Probably; maybe even banning the IPs of some of the worse offenders, or some other form of punishment. We need to tell the trolls and the flamers that we don't want them because they're effectively ruining it for everyone.
In an ideal world, everyone would be mature, rational and adhere to the Advocacy FAQ. But its not going to happen. I guess my main concern is that in a year I will switch jobs and suggest Linux to my boss, who will answer back, "No, we don't want to get involved with those kind of people."
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really embaressing if it blew up with all the
rippin' on Microsoft we've been doing lately =)
Seriously, though; I think it speaks to the power
of open source software that this was caught
before it spread to badly...
----
I mean, having something make repairs is cool, but imagine
having something the size of a breadbox swimming around in ya...
[IMPORTANT: This is humor. I was not born in West Virgina.]
----
----
Simply put, Linux provides a solid foundation without having all the restrictive licensing funkiness from Microsoft. Besides, why pay Redmond a fee per box when you could be using that money to undersell your competition (or, better yet, lining your pockets with it)?
The Cobalt Cube and these set-top boxes are only the beginning. It may not always be superficially recognizable as such, but pretty soon Linux will be living in the homes of everyone in the world who has electricity. Global domination, indeed.
----
I've heard this rumor at least once a year since I was in high school (remember? Before there was a Windows NT? Ahh....). You can almost set your watch by it. Personally, I'll start believing that Apple's going to be bought out when I see some hard information about it, rumors be damned.
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The most useful computer in the world is the one you use.
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I'm going to take a lot of heat from people who think Wrath of Kahn was better. While I agree that Kahn is the best bad guy in Trekdom, I think that the rest of the qualities of VI overcome this.
The quality of ST6 has to be the highest of any of the films. The directing was fantastic, the score was great and the effects were finally good enough not to be hokey.
More than that, I find the story to be the most engaging. It provided a really good ending to the series (I consider VI to be the last original series film; Generations just had a couple of guest appearances). It acknowlaged the aging characters while still keeping up the "adventure" feel, it was a look back without being sappy, and it was overall exciting.
Besides, the battle with the warbird at the end was a blast, especially the way they managed to stay focused on the characters rather than on the effects (Spock and McCoy rigging the torpeado, Sulu showing up with Excelsior to take some of the heat off, etc). Even though you knew what was going to happen ('cause no Klingon ever beats Kirk), it was tense and exciting.
So, overall, Star Trek 6 was (and is) the best.
----
Secondly; is Blue Mountain completely up to speed yet? I seem to remember reading that it was going to be the fastest (albiet not by much) when all the processors were finally added. I dunno, maybe I was just smoking something or reading SGI press releases....
----
Look, what we do after someone dies isn't for the dead person - what do they care? It's for the rest of us. So, here we are. We didn't know him as a person, so this is what's natural to say goodbye to someone a lot of us grew up watching on a (forgive me) fairly campy TV show that enthralled so many people.
For a detached sense of loss like this, humor is a lot more healthy than mourning. We're not using it to hide or supress feelings, but instead to remember old friends. What's wrong with that?
----
Now, no wussing out and choosing two; you have to choose one and back it up. Bonus points are awarded if you can sucessfully defend an odd-numbered movie (good luck).
----
Look at it from the company's point of view. Foremost, it's bad press right before their IPO. Second, it hurts their recruiting efforts by saying that living in NC sucks...
I dunno, maybe even a vague loyalty isn't something that HR people look for anymore, but it's something I still value in people who work for me.
----
JWZ was one thing -- his complaints at least were about the project. He was expecting to "ship product" in a year, and was entitled to gripe about how slow things were going when it didn't (although personally I can't imagine how Mozilla could have turned around that fast given how broken the original code was).
JWZ's gripes were over the lack of progress in a public effort. Raster's bitching about how he couldn't get along with someone else at the office is something else entirely.
----