"Comparing a TiVo to a VCR is like comparing a automobile to a tricycle. Yes they're both methods of transportation but one is dramatically more convenient."
Can't argue with that; the tricycle is infinitely more convenient to a 7-year-old.
I don't know about Star, but OOo is certainly not as good as Excel. Shortly after I switched to OOo (uninstalled Corel WP Office 2000, but left MS Office XP), I had to start making graphs for a class - I was let down at every turn. OOo simply can't do what I need it to, but Excel can. Once OOo can match up, I'll be more than happy to ditch Office XP.
StarOffice is Sun's product, designed for businesses; OpenOffice is what individuals use at home (why pay when there's no real difference?). Sun wants people to be comfortable with StarOffice and perhaps suggest/demand/support its use in offices, so what they're doing is supporting the home users of the almost identical home counterpart.
Basically, they're encouraging people to use a free product at home so that they can charge for it in the office. It's a very smart move.
"So what happens when someone who has lost one or both eyes tries to withdraw money from their bank account?"
Well, that gives the mob/bookies/dealers/etc a real way to get you back. "Pay up or we'll take your eyes/fingers." Not only do you experience major pain/permanent disability, but you lose your identity and they can clean out your bank account.
I don't think wireless is cost effective either. Towers/antennae have limited ranges. Think about cell phones - coverage is minimal in rural areas because there isn't enough money to be made there. Unless a company knows it will have thousands of customers using the service daily/monthly, they don't put up a tower. If you're 14 miles from anything else, then there's probably no chance of a tower to serve you - it's the same issue as cable lines. The tower itself has to be wired to something, and I don't think it's going to stand 14 miles away (nor is it worthwhile to build such a tower when 99% of the customers live within 5 miles).
You answered your own question: "I can move 14 miles to town, and have access to DSL, Cable, and WiFi"
The concept of rural is that which is distinguished from the city. While cities are havens for technology, the countryside is for nature. If you want tech, go where tech is, don't get angry because tech won't come to you. It's not cost effective to wire rural areas - isolated household require up to several miles of dedicated lines serving only one customer, which is not cost effective. It would require decades of subscription from you to pay for the lines to your house. This isn't the case in urban/suburban areas where individual houses only require a few dozen feet of cable.
Oh, and you wouldn't have the internet at all if not for the academics you're trying to fight. If you want a better connection, support the people trying to invent the technology to make it feasible.
I have a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz DSP, and since I'm using a 4.1 surround sound speaker system, it's not simple to set up (I've tried help boards, but the answers are all Greek to me).
Switching away from m3u is simply not feasable for me at this point. I've got over 350 albums on my computer (370 m3us in all) - there's no way I'm redoing all of that now.
Linux has some great GUIs, sure. However, some is not enough. The lack of decent installation/setup (GUI) for drivers that do exist is a huge problem. I might be using Linux now if I could figure out how to get my sound card working on it (apparently nerds spend most of their time coding for other nerds, not normal people or even advanced users).
Exactly what is wrong with WinAmp2's GUI? You don't give any reason for why you dislike it. Why would I use iTunes for Windows? I play m3us of oggs of my CDs, and like the smallest footprint with a decent GUI I can get. That's not what iTunes was intended for.
1. There is no decent playlist editor, just a terrible "My Music" window. WinAmp2 has a bad playlist (can't customize at all), but its accessibility and integration are flawless. 2. The footprint on Zinf in its smallest view is about three times that of WinAmp2 in WindowShade mode.
Conclusion: Needs a lot of work.
Any more suggestions? There has to be something better than WA2 out there.
I was making a general statement that apparently went way over your head. Foobar suffers from the same problem that Linux does - bad GUI, which is why neither is in any way "ready for the desktop".
Linux isn't ready for the desktop for the same reason foobar2000 will never have more than a handful of geeks using it; the OS it runs on is irrelevant. My point is that the lack of GUI on this independent nerd project is the same as most others.
I like to see what song I have playing, how far into I am, and I like quick access to a simple, small playlist, etc. Being able to bind hotkeys isn't a substitute for a decent GUI. This is why Linux isn't ready for the desktop.
Disclaimer: This is not a troll. It's an honest review.
I just downloaded foobar2000, and I've got to say, I'm let down. Not only is the footprint virtually identical (playing music in... foobar2000, normal install, with no optional components = 2,536 vs WinAmp2 in WindowShade mode = 2,660// fb minimized = 2,060 vs WA2 minimized = 2,160), but it looks TERRIBLE. WinAmp2's WindowShade is excellent - allowing instant access no matter what app is running without interfering with the screen. Foobar2000 is a big black-and-white window. I don't see what you gain by using foobar - it's got a terrible interface and the footprint isn't significantly different. I'm all for independent projects (I'm using ogg files, after all), but I don't get this one. Can someone please tell me what the benefit of foobar is (or if there is a decent replacement for WinAmp2)?
I'm still using WinAmp 2 (I'm running XP, not Linux). How is foobar2000 (or any other replacement)? I haven't tried any yet, so I'd appreciate feedback on players with a small footprint that play m3u playlists of ogg files.
Ah, Optimum Online. I remember when my family got it, (5-10 years ago) - the price (30 if you had cable, I think) seemed high, but it stayed stable for a long time. Additional computers were discounted at $20, too. I came back from a year or two at University (3-5 years after first getting OOL), and found out it had shot up 10 bucks, despite their business massively increasing. A year later, it's up another 5 or 10. Not only that, but they took away the discount on extra computers. It went from $50 from two computers, to $50 for each. Last summer, we had 3 computers on which we wanted 'net access, so we had to shell out a major cash investment on a wireless hub and two wireless cards. Considering that it would have cost 300 dollars to have the extra 2 computers on for just the summer alone, it had to be done.
I don't get it - aren't monopolies/price fixing illegal?
Why would IBM "settle very quickly for an agreement by SCO not to challenge its rights to UNIX/LINUX in the future"?
They don't get anything out of the "deal" (especially considering that SCO's challenges will be reduced to yelling at the sky once this goes down. I'd say IBM is going to want cash to pay for legal fees, or more likely offer to buy SCO. That may be exactly what SCO has been after, not just pump-and-dump.
I'd be concerned about sacntions, to be honest. Could they take North Korea offline to force compliance with nuclear treaties? What if they UN makes a rule that if they send "peace-keeping forces" (or whatever nice name they choose to give their people with big guns) to an area, they will also impose "digital sanctions" and block the nation from accessing the internet, etc.?
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"Comparing a TiVo to a VCR is like comparing a automobile to a tricycle. Yes they're both methods of transportation but one is dramatically more convenient."
Can't argue with that; the tricycle is infinitely more convenient to a 7-year-old.
"Star or OOo are every bit as good as Excel"
I don't know about Star, but OOo is certainly not as good as Excel. Shortly after I switched to OOo (uninstalled Corel WP Office 2000, but left MS Office XP), I had to start making graphs for a class - I was let down at every turn. OOo simply can't do what I need it to, but Excel can. Once OOo can match up, I'll be more than happy to ditch Office XP.
Quite right.
I think I speak for 99% of the population when I say...
"Oh."
StarOffice is Sun's product, designed for businesses; OpenOffice is what individuals use at home (why pay when there's no real difference?). Sun wants people to be comfortable with StarOffice and perhaps suggest/demand/support its use in offices, so what they're doing is supporting the home users of the almost identical home counterpart.
Basically, they're encouraging people to use a free product at home so that they can charge for it in the office. It's a very smart move.
"So what happens when someone who has lost one or both eyes tries to withdraw money from their bank account?"
Well, that gives the mob/bookies/dealers/etc a real way to get you back. "Pay up or we'll take your eyes/fingers." Not only do you experience major pain/permanent disability, but you lose your identity and they can clean out your bank account.
That would only work if it were an iris scanner, not a retinal scanner.
I'm not a programmer.
I don't think wireless is cost effective either. Towers/antennae have limited ranges. Think about cell phones - coverage is minimal in rural areas because there isn't enough money to be made there. Unless a company knows it will have thousands of customers using the service daily/monthly, they don't put up a tower. If you're 14 miles from anything else, then there's probably no chance of a tower to serve you - it's the same issue as cable lines. The tower itself has to be wired to something, and I don't think it's going to stand 14 miles away (nor is it worthwhile to build such a tower when 99% of the customers live within 5 miles).
"spread across the country in literally no time at all" (emphasis added)
Since when can Linux distros violate the laws of physics?
You answered your own question: "I can move 14 miles to town, and have access to DSL, Cable, and WiFi"
The concept of rural is that which is distinguished from the city. While cities are havens for technology, the countryside is for nature. If you want tech, go where tech is, don't get angry because tech won't come to you. It's not cost effective to wire rural areas - isolated household require up to several miles of dedicated lines serving only one customer, which is not cost effective. It would require decades of subscription from you to pay for the lines to your house. This isn't the case in urban/suburban areas where individual houses only require a few dozen feet of cable.
Oh, and you wouldn't have the internet at all if not for the academics you're trying to fight. If you want a better connection, support the people trying to invent the technology to make it feasible.
I think a taser might be a more interesting solution.
;)
They have a stand-off distance of 15 feet, so you should have no problem creating a nice quiet area around you.
Happy hunting
I have a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz DSP, and since I'm using a 4.1 surround sound speaker system, it's not simple to set up (I've tried help boards, but the answers are all Greek to me).
Switching away from m3u is simply not feasable for me at this point. I've got over 350 albums on my computer (370 m3us in all) - there's no way I'm redoing all of that now.
Cheers
Linux has some great GUIs, sure. However, some is not enough. The lack of decent installation/setup (GUI) for drivers that do exist is a huge problem. I might be using Linux now if I could figure out how to get my sound card working on it (apparently nerds spend most of their time coding for other nerds, not normal people or even advanced users).
Exactly what is wrong with WinAmp2's GUI? You don't give any reason for why you dislike it. Why would I use iTunes for Windows? I play m3us of oggs of my CDs, and like the smallest footprint with a decent GUI I can get. That's not what iTunes was intended for.
Just tried Zinf on Windows XP.
1. There is no decent playlist editor, just a terrible "My Music" window. WinAmp2 has a bad playlist (can't customize at all), but its accessibility and integration are flawless.
2. The footprint on Zinf in its smallest view is about three times that of WinAmp2 in WindowShade mode.
Conclusion: Needs a lot of work.
Any more suggestions? There has to be something better than WA2 out there.
I NEVER SAID FOOBAR WAS FOR LINUX!
I was making a general statement that apparently went way over your head. Foobar suffers from the same problem that Linux does - bad GUI, which is why neither is in any way "ready for the desktop".
Linux isn't ready for the desktop for the same reason foobar2000 will never have more than a handful of geeks using it; the OS it runs on is irrelevant. My point is that the lack of GUI on this independent nerd project is the same as most others.
I like to see what song I have playing, how far into I am, and I like quick access to a simple, small playlist, etc. Being able to bind hotkeys isn't a substitute for a decent GUI. This is why Linux isn't ready for the desktop.
Disclaimer: This is not a troll. It's an honest review.
// fb minimized = 2,060 vs WA2 minimized = 2,160), but it looks TERRIBLE. WinAmp2's WindowShade is excellent - allowing instant access no matter what app is running without interfering with the screen. Foobar2000 is a big black-and-white window. I don't see what you gain by using foobar - it's got a terrible interface and the footprint isn't significantly different. I'm all for independent projects (I'm using ogg files, after all), but I don't get this one. Can someone please tell me what the benefit of foobar is (or if there is a decent replacement for WinAmp2)?
I just downloaded foobar2000, and I've got to say, I'm let down. Not only is the footprint virtually identical (playing music in... foobar2000, normal install, with no optional components = 2,536 vs WinAmp2 in WindowShade mode = 2,660
I'm still using WinAmp 2 (I'm running XP, not Linux). How is foobar2000 (or any other replacement)? I haven't tried any yet, so I'd appreciate feedback on players with a small footprint that play m3u playlists of ogg files.
Ah, Optimum Online. I remember when my family got it, (5-10 years ago) - the price (30 if you had cable, I think) seemed high, but it stayed stable for a long time. Additional computers were discounted at $20, too. I came back from a year or two at University (3-5 years after first getting OOL), and found out it had shot up 10 bucks, despite their business massively increasing. A year later, it's up another 5 or 10. Not only that, but they took away the discount on extra computers. It went from $50 from two computers, to $50 for each. Last summer, we had 3 computers on which we wanted 'net access, so we had to shell out a major cash investment on a wireless hub and two wireless cards. Considering that it would have cost 300 dollars to have the extra 2 computers on for just the summer alone, it had to be done.
I don't get it - aren't monopolies/price fixing illegal?
Ah, but you forget - pointless acquisitions are a staple of big business.
Unless SCO has some real evidence somewhere, Darl will probably be in prison for the next decade, and his millions will leave his possession.
Why would IBM "settle very quickly for an agreement by SCO not to challenge its rights to UNIX/LINUX in the future"?
They don't get anything out of the "deal" (especially considering that SCO's challenges will be reduced to yelling at the sky once this goes down. I'd say IBM is going to want cash to pay for legal fees, or more likely offer to buy SCO. That may be exactly what SCO has been after, not just pump-and-dump.
I'd be concerned about sacntions, to be honest. Could they take North Korea offline to force compliance with nuclear treaties? What if they UN makes a rule that if they send "peace-keeping forces" (or whatever nice name they choose to give their people with big guns) to an area, they will also impose "digital sanctions" and block the nation from accessing the internet, etc.?