"Most multi-user machines have multiple folders called "My Documents", which can be accessed by anyone on the machine. It should be "$username's Documents"."
It does do that, actually. If you use XP in a multi-user environment, other people's documents (If they're set to be shared...) show up as "$Username's Documents".
I half agree with your comment that it should show up that way all the time instead of in that one circumstance. However, one could make a point that it complicates explaining to users how to use that folder. There are people who simply log on as "Owner". Others may not catch the correlation between their login name and the name of that documents folder. If you tell somebody relatively new to computers "Go to $Username Documents", they'll say "whaaa?"
Eh, it's academic anyway. I personally prefer how *nix's home directory works. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be so elegant with Windows. Linux logs you in, and all you can see are the directories you have access to. So the path to 'home' is the exact same path that another user would use.
Err I'm probably not explaining that too clearly. The basic point is "I agree, but I understand why MS did it the way they did."
"A work is technically, and legally, copyright upon creation by the author."
I have a question, but I think it'd help a great deal for you to understand that I do not understand GPL.
Suppose person A writes software and releases it under GPL. Person B then takes the code and publishes changes to it 100% completely within the standards set by GPL.
Who owns the code? Does person A own what person B did? Does person B own what person A did? Is there a 3rd option that I'm not aware of? Does person A have any power to abort or withdraw the license?
Getting a little stickier here: What happens if person C, who's working at a corporation, contributes to the code but he signed an over-reaching agreement with his corp about ownership of his work. (Let's muddy it a little bit more by him actually working on company time to do it.) What happens then?
"It's too easy to jump to the assumption that anyone identifying themselves as "religious" is religious in the style that makes the news, eg fanatical like those nuts in Kansas who don't believe in evolution, but still go out and buy different pesticides for their crops every few years because those dang bugs just keep on evolving a tolerance to the old pesticides."
Hehe. Sad thing is, I'm originally from Kansas. I can't believe the shit they're stirring there. It's embarrasing.
Anyway, I think you touched on the reason why I originally responded. I felt included in the generalization that religious people are small minded. My belief in God has a lot more to do with being a better human being than in answering the question of why this planet exists. For example, I try not to be quick to judge people. ('try' being the operative word...) I like to think that even if God doesn't exist, I'm still better for it. That sort of make sense? My belief in God is a guideline on how to behave, not to answer scientific questions.
Your post was well written, and I appreciate that. I'm sorry if I come off sounding like a loon, but I hope at least that you feel my heart's in the right place.
" If I want a camera, I'll buy a camera, but don't try to pass of this thing that you say is a phone and a camera and this and that and the other thing, when it's just nowhere near as good as the thing that is just a camera, and is designed to be a camera."
Err okay.
You're missing the point of having a camera in your phone. It's not to replace your digital camera. It's so you have something that takes pictures when your digital camera isn't around. The REASON they cram these things into phones is because they travel with people nearly every minute of every day. Few people can say that about their digital cameras, game boys, or ipods. To put it another way: 640 by 480 > 0.
I honestly don't understand why you'd want a phone with less. But, then again, I have a ton of photos (some funny, some shocking) that I couldn't possibly have gotten with my digital camera. Why? Because I don't, for example, take it with me when I take the family out to eat. Damn I've got some funny photos of my 3yo nephew.
I'm shocked at how so many people on this site completely and utterly miss the point of cell phone integration. It really bugs me that I'm one of only a few people (that have spoken, anyway) that actually makes good geeky/nerdy use of these phones. I only have a piddly $130 phone, and because of it I don't even want a PDA. (Mainly because I carry my phone around, but I know I'd never carry the PDA around.)
Oh well, to each is own. I just wish people weren't so frickin negative to the point that they're missing out on something useful.
"That's exactly what they are, extras, no regular, main features."
"Of course they're "My" documents; they're on *my* fscking computer."
That'd be more interesting if not for the fact that one of the BFDs about Windows XP is the user switching. In which case, "My Documents" really means "documents of whoever is logged on." Without 'My' there, it's not as easy to tell that the shortcut is dynamic.
It's funny how an idea can seem stupid when coming from Microsoft. Just a few days ago people were moaning and groaning over the Start menu, blissfully ignoring the fact that KDE and GNome have the same idea. Evidently, "START" isn't as clear as an icon of a K hovering in front of a gear.
Tee hee, giggle, snort. We hate Microsoft and we can come up with allllll sorts of rationalizations of why any move they make is bad. "My Computer is stupid even though it's just the name of an icon.""My Documents is a stupid name for a folder even though it's very clear to the user what that folder is for.""People are confused when I tell them to press Start to log off, or at least it sounds plausible enough that people will believe me!"
Yeah, take THAT Microsoft! Oh, and if you do anything cool, we'll be sure to include it in Linux!
Because outsourcing is a big evil word. Problem is, nobody here hates Sony. So imagine if Microsoft were doing it. Then we could all regail each other with tales about how Microsoft is destroying America!
"I wouldn't exactly call it "hacking," but I've been modding juiceboxes for years. All it involves is a straw..."
I hacked a bag of chips once. This freshman came and sat at our table. I pointed at his bag of chips and asked if he wanted more. He nodded his head. I made a fist and *SMASH*. Suddenly, he had more chips.
Heh. You have the same age diff between your sis as I do with my sis.
When my sis was a baby, I was playing with her in the living room. She was sitting up, kinda wobbly as youngins do. Playfully, I snuck up behind her and went *boo!*. Surprised, she jolted, wobbled, then fell backwards. *WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!* My mom turned around and says "Brian, you're bigger than her!"
I want to know where moms learn how to say that one thing that makes you feel like utter shit.
"Am I totally misinterpreting this comment, or is he really giving the PS2 credit for the dominance of DVDs? Does he just mean DVD as a software medium, or all DVDs?"
I think he means that it was tough to use DVD format for the PS2 (software, not movies) at first, but then in the end it worked out. The context is Sony's decision to use the higher density discs.
"NG, you're somewhat misleading there. Hopefully just mistaken."
I'm not always right, no. And you're right, I didn't pick good examples. I was trying to point out that even scientific progress has relied on faith. (General faith, not necessarily religious faith.) I didn't mean that in an insulting way. It's part of human nature. When we feel strongly about something, we see it through. I haven't been able to come up with the best example of this. I have, however, seen it in otherwise scientifically minded people. We are not Vulcans.
"Religious belief, on the other hand, goes "someone told me" --> "belief"."
There are people in this world that behave like that. However, this is not true for everybody. I, for example, don't qualify for this. I don't believe in God because somebody told me he exists. (Through all this argument, not one person has asked me WHY I believe in God. I don't appreciate the assumptions made about me.) Surprisingly, I don't believe the world is 6,000 years old, either. On top of that, my beliefs have changed over the years as new evidence has come my way. Additionally, a lot of what I take is "most likely", as opposed to "this is what I firmly believe no matter what."
"PS. I'm an atheist, but I can't see a problem with people believing in a religion. "
I appreciate that. For the record, I have no problem with you being atheist. There's been an implication that I'd want to burn you as a heretic or something like that. No dude, not at all. I respect ya. I don't think you're doomed to hell, nor do I think you're wrong or anything like that. I'm not sure how to explain what I'm thinking, but my beliefs are my own and I have no way of knowing mine is right and yours isn't. Hopefully I'm making a little sense here.
"Veering off into the "you know what you did" tactic was an evasion to avoid showing any evidence for your second claim (of which you have none, of course), ergo: you lose."
Hehe. Still trying to claim victory here. I find that very interesting. Perhaps when you've cooled off, you'll sit down and work out why this is really so important to you.
"(Don't you just long for the days when people like you could simply have non-believers tortured or murdered if they refused to at least pretend to support your flights of fancy?)"
Nope. Yet another incorrect assumption about me. Hehe.
"That said, VII in many ways nailed the coffin shut. First off, it was so popular that Square followed a formula and all the rest have been pretty much the same. Am I the only person annoyed by the general hero, now little more than a thin, androgenous anime figure?"
Heh. Actually, no, that didn't bug me. I bought a PS for FFVII. I was so in love with FFIII (US Version) that I thought I'd be in for more. Sadly, it just didn't do it for me. I discovered that walking around randomly fighting monsters was really getting in the way of the story I was eager to participate in.
I don't know if my tastes grew or if FFVII's story just wasn't what FFIII's was, but I have to agree with your statement. It really soured me on FF.
Slashdot Mirror
"Most multi-user machines have multiple folders called "My Documents", which can be accessed by anyone on the machine. It should be "$username's Documents"."
It does do that, actually. If you use XP in a multi-user environment, other people's documents (If they're set to be shared...) show up as "$Username's Documents".
I half agree with your comment that it should show up that way all the time instead of in that one circumstance. However, one could make a point that it complicates explaining to users how to use that folder. There are people who simply log on as "Owner". Others may not catch the correlation between their login name and the name of that documents folder. If you tell somebody relatively new to computers "Go to $Username Documents", they'll say "whaaa?"
Eh, it's academic anyway. I personally prefer how *nix's home directory works. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be so elegant with Windows. Linux logs you in, and all you can see are the directories you have access to. So the path to 'home' is the exact same path that another user would use.
Err I'm probably not explaining that too clearly. The basic point is "I agree, but I understand why MS did it the way they did."
"A work is technically, and legally, copyright upon creation by the author."
I have a question, but I think it'd help a great deal for you to understand that I do not understand GPL.
Suppose person A writes software and releases it under GPL. Person B then takes the code and publishes changes to it 100% completely within the standards set by GPL.
Who owns the code? Does person A own what person B did? Does person B own what person A did? Is there a 3rd option that I'm not aware of? Does person A have any power to abort or withdraw the license?
Getting a little stickier here: What happens if person C, who's working at a corporation, contributes to the code but he signed an over-reaching agreement with his corp about ownership of his work. (Let's muddy it a little bit more by him actually working on company time to do it.) What happens then?
I apologize for the naievity of my questions.
"While all these powers are good, if one cannot successfully reproduce offsprings, any geeky genes are likely to disappear."
Slashdot: The Last Generation. *whoosh* *trumpets*
"Does this mean I get to wear a cool fedora and carry my distro CDs in a violin case?"
I guess, but I'd recommend replacing that condom in your wallet once a year.
"It's too easy to jump to the assumption that anyone identifying themselves as "religious" is religious in the style that makes the news, eg fanatical like those nuts in Kansas who don't believe in evolution, but still go out and buy different pesticides for their crops every few years because those dang bugs just keep on evolving a tolerance to the old pesticides."
Hehe. Sad thing is, I'm originally from Kansas. I can't believe the shit they're stirring there. It's embarrasing.
Anyway, I think you touched on the reason why I originally responded. I felt included in the generalization that religious people are small minded. My belief in God has a lot more to do with being a better human being than in answering the question of why this planet exists. For example, I try not to be quick to judge people. ('try' being the operative word...) I like to think that even if God doesn't exist, I'm still better for it. That sort of make sense? My belief in God is a guideline on how to behave, not to answer scientific questions.
Your post was well written, and I appreciate that. I'm sorry if I come off sounding like a loon, but I hope at least that you feel my heart's in the right place.
" If I want a camera, I'll buy a camera, but don't try to pass of this thing that you say is a phone and a camera and this and that and the other thing, when it's just nowhere near as good as the thing that is just a camera, and is designed to be a camera."
Err okay.
You're missing the point of having a camera in your phone. It's not to replace your digital camera. It's so you have something that takes pictures when your digital camera isn't around. The REASON they cram these things into phones is because they travel with people nearly every minute of every day. Few people can say that about their digital cameras, game boys, or ipods.
To put it another way: 640 by 480 > 0.
I honestly don't understand why you'd want a phone with less. But, then again, I have a ton of photos (some funny, some shocking) that I couldn't possibly have gotten with my digital camera. Why? Because I don't, for example, take it with me when I take the family out to eat. Damn I've got some funny photos of my 3yo nephew.
I'm shocked at how so many people on this site completely and utterly miss the point of cell phone integration. It really bugs me that I'm one of only a few people (that have spoken, anyway) that actually makes good geeky/nerdy use of these phones. I only have a piddly $130 phone, and because of it I don't even want a PDA. (Mainly because I carry my phone around, but I know I'd never carry the PDA around.)
Oh well, to each is own. I just wish people weren't so frickin negative to the point that they're missing out on something useful.
"That's exactly what they are, extras, no regular, main features."
So? Extra means +, not 0.
" I'll bet if they took all the extra crap out they could make the standard size of a cell phone that of the Moto Razr..."
So... what you really want is a Moto Razr without any interesting features.
Ermm... okay.
"Of course they're "My" documents; they're on *my* fscking computer."
That'd be more interesting if not for the fact that one of the BFDs about Windows XP is the user switching. In which case, "My Documents" really means "documents of whoever is logged on." Without 'My' there, it's not as easy to tell that the shortcut is dynamic.
It's funny how an idea can seem stupid when coming from Microsoft. Just a few days ago people were moaning and groaning over the Start menu, blissfully ignoring the fact that KDE and GNome have the same idea. Evidently, "START" isn't as clear as an icon of a K hovering in front of a gear.
Tee hee, giggle, snort. We hate Microsoft and we can come up with allllll sorts of rationalizations of why any move they make is bad. "My Computer is stupid even though it's just the name of an icon." "My Documents is a stupid name for a folder even though it's very clear to the user what that folder is for." "People are confused when I tell them to press Start to log off, or at least it sounds plausible enough that people will believe me!"
Yeah, take THAT Microsoft! Oh, and if you do anything cool, we'll be sure to include it in Linux!
Bullshit.
"I kind of agree...why should we care?"
Because outsourcing is a big evil word. Problem is, nobody here hates Sony. So imagine if Microsoft were doing it. Then we could all regail each other with tales about how Microsoft is destroying America!
Only on Slashdot would you find 300 comments examining the big picture significance of 'My' Computer.
"I wouldn't exactly call it "hacking," but I've been modding juiceboxes for years. All it involves is a straw..."
I hacked a bag of chips once. This freshman came and sat at our table. I pointed at his bag of chips and asked if he wanted more. He nodded his head. I made a fist and *SMASH*. Suddenly, he had more chips.
Heh. You have the same age diff between your sis as I do with my sis.
When my sis was a baby, I was playing with her in the living room. She was sitting up, kinda wobbly as youngins do. Playfully, I snuck up behind her and went *boo!*. Surprised, she jolted, wobbled, then fell backwards. *WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!* My mom turned around and says "Brian, you're bigger than her!"
I want to know where moms learn how to say that one thing that makes you feel like utter shit.
"Next time I'll keep you in mind and use my tag."
Well, if have to explain your sarcasm...
Oh well, I can't say I'm not guilt-free here.
"Am I totally misinterpreting this comment, or is he really giving the PS2 credit for the dominance of DVDs? Does he just mean DVD as a software medium, or all DVDs?"
I think he means that it was tough to use DVD format for the PS2 (software, not movies) at first, but then in the end it worked out. The context is Sony's decision to use the higher density discs.
"Yeah, Robbie...I remember when it was difficult for Bill Gates to imagine a computer program that required more than 640K of memory..."
I don't get it, are you ignorant or are you saying Robbie Bach is right?
" Seriously though, do many people actually get lung cancer without any exposure to cigarette smoke?"
Yes, that's why I brought it up.
"NG, you're somewhat misleading there. Hopefully just mistaken."
I'm not always right, no. And you're right, I didn't pick good examples. I was trying to point out that even scientific progress has relied on faith. (General faith, not necessarily religious faith.) I didn't mean that in an insulting way. It's part of human nature. When we feel strongly about something, we see it through. I haven't been able to come up with the best example of this. I have, however, seen it in otherwise scientifically minded people. We are not Vulcans.
"Religious belief, on the other hand, goes "someone told me" --> "belief"."
There are people in this world that behave like that. However, this is not true for everybody. I, for example, don't qualify for this. I don't believe in God because somebody told me he exists. (Through all this argument, not one person has asked me WHY I believe in God. I don't appreciate the assumptions made about me.) Surprisingly, I don't believe the world is 6,000 years old, either. On top of that, my beliefs have changed over the years as new evidence has come my way. Additionally, a lot of what I take is "most likely", as opposed to "this is what I firmly believe no matter what."
"PS. I'm an atheist, but I can't see a problem with people believing in a religion. "
I appreciate that. For the record, I have no problem with you being atheist. There's been an implication that I'd want to burn you as a heretic or something like that. No dude, not at all. I respect ya. I don't think you're doomed to hell, nor do I think you're wrong or anything like that. I'm not sure how to explain what I'm thinking, but my beliefs are my own and I have no way of knowing mine is right and yours isn't. Hopefully I'm making a little sense here.
" Why ever even buying anything (portable) other than a PSP after that?"
Oh, I dunno, maybe because most of the games wouldn't be worthwhile since the PSP has no touch screen?
"Think about it"
I have, and I get hung up on the D-pad for input.
"They'll all think you're rearranging your calendar or taking notes while you merrily bounce your way from koopa to koopa."
You'll never bounce from koopa to koopa on the PSP. The DS, however, would make you happy in both cases.
"Veering off into the "you know what you did" tactic was an evasion to avoid showing any evidence for your second claim (of which you have none, of course), ergo: you lose."
Hehe. Still trying to claim victory here. I find that very interesting. Perhaps when you've cooled off, you'll sit down and work out why this is really so important to you.
"(Don't you just long for the days when people like you could simply have non-believers tortured or murdered if they refused to at least pretend to support your flights of fancy?)"
Nope. Yet another incorrect assumption about me. Hehe.
So, what's the answer when a non-smoker gets lung cancer?
"Throwing around pointless doom-and-gloom predictions when the next sequel to the franchise is still highly anticipated deserves an anti-award."
I nominate your sig!
"That said, VII in many ways nailed the coffin shut. First off, it was so popular that Square followed a formula and all the rest have been pretty much the same. Am I the only person annoyed by the general hero, now little more than a thin, androgenous anime figure?"
Heh. Actually, no, that didn't bug me. I bought a PS for FFVII. I was so in love with FFIII (US Version) that I thought I'd be in for more. Sadly, it just didn't do it for me. I discovered that walking around randomly fighting monsters was really getting in the way of the story I was eager to participate in.
I don't know if my tastes grew or if FFVII's story just wasn't what FFIII's was, but I have to agree with your statement. It really soured me on FF.
"You have declined to cite an example of this, so you lose, QED."
(Earlier) "Nonsense. As I said, there's nothing to win:"
To quote the immortal Homer: "D'Oh!!!"
"Does this tactic work with your girlfriend?"
Hehe. Yeah, no emotional attachments to be had here. None at all, no siree.