I have three machines which run Linux (two 24/7, one whenever my wife gets sick of Windows for a while). It's very convenient to throw RH on a box, suck down packages I want from my locally-packaged RPM repository, and have a working system.
Now, I've been using Linux since 1994, had the obligatory completely-replaced Slackware system, rebuilt bootdisks to work on wonky laptops, and was putting together my own distribution at one time. That level of tinkering can be very interesting, but right now I want to spend my time in different ways. That's all.
Is it just me, or has anybody else noticed that the draw for transmeta seems to be variable power draw more than any inherent improvements in speed?
Well, yes. I don't need more speed. Nothing I do is excessively slow right now (and that's on a P200). Sure, I can't run most games, but most laptops can't run most games.
But being able to run for really long times while keeping most (or almost all) the performance of being plugged in is really, really exciting!
There are a few problems with the iBook from my POV. (Of course, YMMV.) Most are from the perspective of replacing my existing one.
The LCD may look nice, but it's still 800x600. That's the size of my current laptop, and it's too small. I'm not going to buy a new laptop that small.
Base RAM and HD space are too low (both below my current laptop. I can expand them, I assume, but that adds to the cost.
Wireless networking is cool... but I don't have a wireless LAN at home or at work, so I'd be paying for something that I'm not using. 8^(
It doesn't have SCSI or PC card slots, so I'd have to buy something else to use my scanner. (Are there SCSI-over-USB things? Me USB-illiterate.)
Finally, it's a PPC, so I'm cut out of CorelDraw. (And WPO2k, but that's a small loss.)
That's giving up a whole lot just for an extra 3 hours of battery life. It's great if it works for you or you need the battery life, but I think I'll wait for a Crusoe-based laptop, since that will fit my needs better.
Incorrect. The GPL is founded in restrictions, and is not meant to eliminate worry about software licensing.
The GPL is a political licence, which restricts the ability to make derivative works non-free. It thus preserves the right of all users to have the same rights as the original user, since intermediate developers can't change the license, as with other (still free software) licenses.
If it just wanted to eliminate having to worry about the license, a programmer could just as well put the code into the public domain, so anyone could do anything with it they want.
You say it is one of the few games that makes you think about what to do next. That's true, and untrue.
If you consider current games, yes, it's one of the few games to do that.
If you consider past games as well, it's merely one of many. And IMHO, many past games integrated puzzles and plot better than Myst. That's why many people bash Myst... I mean, I enjoyed it, but besides the eye-candy, I've seen it done better.
I've got a bridge to sell you
on
Mattel Spyware
·
· Score: 2
Sure, the PR rep _says_ info only goes to your computer. Do you actually believe that?
If all it sent was a registration number, why would it need PGP, and why would it be able to send mail?
Explain to stupid: Why faster?
on
Linux BIOS
·
· Score: 2
Why would LinuxBios be faster than a normal one? It seems that the memory check seems to take most of the time on my machines... I'd assume there's some setup that Windows uses that Linux doesn't that could be scrapped, but I don't know any specifics.
Could someone post some specifics of the kind of things that could go, or that would be faster with LinuxBIOS?
Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not covered by this License; they are outside its scope. The act of running the Program is not restricted, and the output from the Program is covered only if its contents constitute a work based on the Program (independent of having been made by running the Program). Whether that is true depends on what the Program does.
In other words, you do _not_ have to agree to the GPL to run the program. You never have to agree to the GPL. But if you don't, you can't copy, modify or distribute the software, because the only way you'll get the right to do that is through the license.
The GPL is based on copyright, and gives you the ability to do things you'd ordinarily not be able to do, in exchange for certain restrictions. Shrinkwrap licenses remove your ability to do things you'd be able to do, absent the license.
There are still a couple of holes in the support. Number one on my annoyance list is that the agent does not yet support DSA keys, so you have to type in a password whenever you connect to an ssh2 host. (Unless I've missed something somewhere.)
Number two is that scp2 doesn't quite work, because it uses a proprietary protocol, although you can use scp1 over ssh2 fine.
Otherwise, it works great. There's a tool to convert ssh2 keys into a form ossh understands, and I had no problem using it.
If more projects worked like that, there would also be a lot less software in the world. Say goodbye to whateever you're running to watch slashdot, you couldn't afford it. (You also couldn't afford the hardware to run it on, because faultless software is of little utility without faultless hardware.)
I would suggest that if every software project werre SEI-5, there would be no internet and people would be doing papers on typewriters.
A common refrain in these discussions is that Linux users should buy Linux games that are out so that vendors know there's a market.
I don't really like FPSs. I don't really like sims. What's left?
Should I buy these games anyway, knowing I'm not going to play them? That could get very expensive very quickly, and I have other things to spend my money on.
Now, if Monkey Island or Wing Commander came out for Linux, for instance, I'd buy in a second.
The point is, I can fix problems in free software. (Been there, done that.) I can trace the source to see if it's a bug in the software or caused by a system configuration.
How am I supposed to fix problems in WPO2k? Even _if_ I want to go tracing wine calls, not all problems are in Wine. (Again, been there, done that.)
I'm glad that WPO2k works for you. It doesn't work for a lot of people (who have been returning it, because it's so bad on their systems).
On my systems, besides the broken window manager interaction, PDFs usually don't export. Normally crashes WINE entirely, but sometimes will just output a PDF using the wrong fonts. Importing Word files, for some reason, makes the whole thing unstable: sometimes I can't save the file to WP format before it crashes. Many templates weren't shipped with the product, even though they show up in the list.
Basically, I have come to expect at least a crash an hour when using WP on imported Word documents. (It's much more stable when you create docs yourself.) To cope with bugs in printings and word reexport, I generally delete and recreate various sections (like imported images).
This isn't really acceptable. It's marginally good enough to do docs on my machine rather than using a Windows box with Word, but for anything not work-related, I use TeX.
I've come to the conclusion that WPO2k is only stable for certain users doing certain tasks. It's certainly not stable for other users.
and put together RPMs yourself. (Or debian packages, as is your preference.)
The increased ability to manage software and keep track of what's there will be worth the added hassle of writing or modifying specs.
Really, I don't understand why everyone hates package managers so much, unless it's because they don't have enough machines to administer. With one machine, it's fine to have a huge mess of binaries, no good means of removing all the files associated with a package, etc. You can stumble along fine, with only a little wasted effort. But when you have more than one machine, the hassle of keeping everything up-to-date makes package managers nearly essential.
No, the UI is still bog slow. (And ugly as hell, of course.) Moving the mouse along the menubar, the menu draws can't keep up with my mouse movement. It's as if my computer were in power-save mode... except it's not.
I can't even maximise the window to fit my whole screen.
Sure, it renders HTML fast. Too bad it can't render itself as fast.
This isn't exactly new. You can go to Best Buy and purchase Macrovision scrubbers, and have been able to for some time. These have a number of completely legal uses, not the least of which being using a DVD player with a TV/VCR combo unit. Or wanting to be able to use a DVD player and VCR with a TV with only one set of composite inputs. I got a composite AB-switch, but it still annoys me that I can't switch things with the remote.
Not a moot point. The chargen the give you would probably be limited to Windows. (Most of their stuff these days is.) If you don't run it, you might want to write your own.
You might want to write your own to have it use your house rules for certain aspects.
You might be writing a cool internet-enabled RPG client, to allow the computer to handle the mechanics and have a separate (voice or text) channel for inter-player communication. You'd probably want to be able to generate characters in that.
You might also want your internet-enabled client to be able to advance characters by level, which is also restricted by the D20 license.
Slashdot Mirror
I have three machines which run Linux (two 24/7, one whenever my wife gets sick of Windows for a while). It's very convenient to throw RH on a box, suck down packages I want from my locally-packaged RPM repository, and have a working system.
Now, I've been using Linux since 1994, had the obligatory completely-replaced Slackware system, rebuilt bootdisks to work on wonky laptops, and was putting together my own distribution at one time. That level of tinkering can be very interesting, but right now I want to spend my time in different ways. That's all.
Well, yes. I don't need more speed. Nothing I do is excessively slow right now (and that's on a P200). Sure, I can't run most games, but most laptops can't run most games.
But being able to run for really long times while keeping most (or almost all) the performance of being plugged in is really, really exciting!
There are a few problems with the iBook from my POV. (Of course, YMMV.) Most are from the perspective of replacing my existing one.
The LCD may look nice, but it's still 800x600. That's the size of my current laptop, and it's too small. I'm not going to buy a new laptop that small.
Base RAM and HD space are too low (both below my current laptop. I can expand them, I assume, but that adds to the cost.
Wireless networking is cool... but I don't have a wireless LAN at home or at work, so I'd be paying for something that I'm not using. 8^(
It doesn't have SCSI or PC card slots, so I'd have to buy something else to use my scanner. (Are there SCSI-over-USB things? Me USB-illiterate.)
Finally, it's a PPC, so I'm cut out of CorelDraw. (And WPO2k, but that's a small loss.)
That's giving up a whole lot just for an extra 3 hours of battery life. It's great if it works for you or you need the battery life, but I think I'll wait for a Crusoe-based laptop, since that will fit my needs better.
Did I miss the part of the article where they list price point? I'm seriously lusting after one of these toys, but will I be able to afford it?
Incorrect. The GPL is founded in restrictions, and is not meant to eliminate worry about software licensing.
The GPL is a political licence, which restricts the ability to make derivative works non-free. It thus preserves the right of all users to have the same rights as the original user, since intermediate developers can't change the license, as with other (still free software) licenses.
If it just wanted to eliminate having to worry about the license, a programmer could just as well put the code into the public domain, so anyone could do anything with it they want.
Why bash Myst?
You say it is one of the few games that makes you think about what to do next. That's true, and untrue.
If you consider current games, yes, it's one of the few games to do that.
If you consider past games as well, it's merely one of many. And IMHO, many past games integrated puzzles and plot better than Myst. That's why many people bash Myst... I mean, I enjoyed it, but besides the eye-candy, I've seen it done better.
Sure, the PR rep _says_ info only goes to your computer. Do you actually believe that?
If all it sent was a registration number, why would it need PGP, and why would it be able to send mail?
Why would LinuxBios be faster than a normal one? It seems that the memory check seems to take most of the time on my machines... I'd assume there's some setup that Windows uses that Linux doesn't that could be scrapped, but I don't know any specifics.
Could someone post some specifics of the kind of things that could go, or that would be faster with LinuxBIOS?
From the GPL:
Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not
covered by this License; they are outside its scope. The act of
running the Program is not restricted, and the output from the Program
is covered only if its contents constitute a work based on the
Program (independent of having been made by running the Program).
Whether that is true depends on what the Program does.
In other words, you do _not_ have to agree to the GPL to run the program. You never have to agree to the GPL. But if you don't, you can't copy, modify or distribute the software, because the only way you'll get the right to do that is through the license.
The GPL is based on copyright, and gives you the ability to do things you'd ordinarily not be able to do, in exchange for certain restrictions. Shrinkwrap licenses remove your ability to do things you'd be able to do, absent the license.
Well, it might be more secure, but openssh has the ssh-agent for RSA keys, so it seems that it just hasn't gotten DSA keys yet.
That's what I meant. Basically, I meant you can't scp to a server which is only running an ssh2 server. (Because scp2 uses sftp.)
There are still a couple of holes in the support. Number one on my annoyance list is that the agent does not yet support DSA keys, so you have to type in a password whenever you connect to an ssh2 host. (Unless I've missed something somewhere.)
Number two is that scp2 doesn't quite work, because it uses a proprietary protocol, although you can use scp1 over ssh2 fine.
Otherwise, it works great. There's a tool to convert ssh2 keys into a form ossh understands, and I had no problem using it.
You don't need an IDE for that. ctags and etags have been around for years.
If more projects worked like that, there would also be a lot less software in the world. Say goodbye to whateever you're running to watch slashdot, you couldn't afford it. (You also couldn't afford the hardware to run it on, because faultless software is of little utility without faultless hardware.)
I would suggest that if every software project werre SEI-5, there would be no internet and people would be doing papers on typewriters.
A common refrain in these discussions is that Linux users should buy Linux games that are out so that vendors know there's a market.
I don't really like FPSs. I don't really like sims. What's left?
Should I buy these games anyway, knowing I'm not going to play them? That could get very expensive very quickly, and I have other things to spend my money on.
Now, if Monkey Island or Wing Commander came out for Linux, for instance, I'd buy in a second.
Could we get him to install Linux? Visit slashdot, and clippy automatically starts an FTP install? This could be fun!
WPO2k/Linux doesn't use Winelib. It uses WINE. The exe's aren't quite the same as the Windows ones (Corel did make some source changes to their apps).
The point is, I can fix problems in free software. (Been there, done that.) I can trace the source to see if it's a bug in the software or caused by a system configuration.
How am I supposed to fix problems in WPO2k? Even _if_ I want to go tracing wine calls, not all problems are in Wine. (Again, been there, done that.)
Is it too much to ask that if a program says it supports a distribution, that it actually _does_ so?
I'm glad that WPO2k works for you. It doesn't work for a lot of people (who have been returning it, because it's so bad on their systems).
On my systems, besides the broken window manager interaction, PDFs usually don't export. Normally crashes WINE entirely, but sometimes will just output a PDF using the wrong fonts. Importing Word files, for some reason, makes the whole thing unstable: sometimes I can't save the file to WP format before it crashes. Many templates weren't shipped with the product, even though they show up in the list.
Basically, I have come to expect at least a crash an hour when using WP on imported Word documents. (It's much more stable when you create docs yourself.) To cope with bugs in printings and word reexport, I generally delete and recreate various sections (like imported images).
This isn't really acceptable. It's marginally good enough to do docs on my machine rather than using a Windows box with Word, but for anything not work-related, I use TeX.
I've come to the conclusion that WPO2k is only stable for certain users doing certain tasks. It's certainly not stable for other users.
and put together RPMs yourself. (Or debian packages, as is your preference.)
The increased ability to manage software and keep track of what's there will be worth the added hassle of writing or modifying specs.
Really, I don't understand why everyone hates package managers so much, unless it's because they don't have enough machines to administer. With one machine, it's fine to have a huge mess of binaries, no good means of removing all the files associated with a package, etc. You can stumble along fine, with only a little wasted effort. But when you have more than one machine, the hassle of keeping everything up-to-date makes package managers nearly essential.
What does the "M" stand for?
No, the UI is still bog slow. (And ugly as hell, of course.) Moving the mouse along the menubar, the menu draws can't keep up with my mouse movement. It's as if my computer were in power-save mode... except it's not.
I can't even maximise the window to fit my whole screen.
Sure, it renders HTML fast. Too bad it can't render itself as fast.
This isn't exactly new. You can go to Best Buy and purchase Macrovision scrubbers, and have been able to for some time. These have a number of completely legal uses, not the least of which being using a DVD player with a TV/VCR combo unit.
Or wanting to be able to use a DVD player and VCR with a TV with only one set of composite inputs. I got a composite AB-switch, but it still annoys me that I can't switch things with the remote.
Not a moot point. The chargen the give you would probably be limited to Windows. (Most of their stuff these days is.) If you don't run it, you might want to write your own.
You might want to write your own to have it use your house rules for certain aspects.
You might be writing a cool internet-enabled RPG client, to allow the computer to handle the mechanics and have a separate (voice or text) channel for inter-player communication. You'd probably want to be able to generate characters in that.
You might also want your internet-enabled client to be able to advance characters by level, which is also restricted by the D20 license.