I'm happy that as a Free Software user, I don't have to click through EULAs to use software. That, and I don't have to worry about this copy protection mechanism the suit was over
I'm willing to bet that the companies which provide my software won't have to worry about being sued over ths patent, either. That's one less to worry about for them.
Car Phone Warehouse sold an early version of the MS Wind which came with Linux but which didn't have drivers for the wifi or webcam. Wouldn't you return that? Unless you were a Linux geek or installing Windows, I'm sure that you would.
The biggest factor is probably the nebook's move from appliance to mini-notebook. The original netbooks had very limited specs and were sold like any other appliance. The early market was also dominated by techies.
Once 1GB RAM replaced 256-512MB and 160GB hard disks replaced 4GB SSDs as the standard, XP was the obvious choice. Once Win7 comes out, the specs will be high enough to accomodate that and a lot of apps (though you'll likely be limited to three by the OS).
I still have hopes for Androis and ARM, but I expect that Linux will continue to sit at 10%. Only one netbook in Amazon's top 25 runs Linux, and it sits at #19.
The king has no political power to make any laws. He is merely a figurehead. This law was made by politicians during the ratification of the constitution and is included therein. In fact, the king himself has called repeatedly for he law to be repealed and pardons (his only real power) those convicted of it.
Considering this and your other comment, I'd say you don't know much about Thai politics. Is that correct?
Under the infamous PM Thaksin, the "War on Drugs" gave Thai police the authority to execute drug dealers in the north on the spot with no trial. It became simply a way to consolodate the drug business and/or get rid of trouble makers. The police (corrupt and involved in drug trafficking themselves) killed whomever they wished and planted drugs on the body after.
Now that was a war on drugs. This new affair will end similarly.
First of all, this law applies only to the royal family so that Thais are legally allowed to insult the political system, which they do all the time. I realize that this doesn't mitigate the situation that's going on now, but I wanted to point out the difference since your post implies insulting the government is illegal when it's really not.
The king is in fact, seen by many Thais as the reincarnation of Buddha. Others see only what he has done for the country in his time, which includes keeping the country free from the communist wave that swept through most of SE Asia, continuing development (creating a stronger economy than any other country in the area), and helping the people remain proud even when their government has been shown to be corrupt so many times.
Thais are more than willing to insult the royal family once you get to know them. Even so, very few have any bad will toward their king. They generally see him as a hero.
The les majeste laws are unnecessary and just a tool of the jackboot government.
Thailand has effectively had its economy destroyed in the last year. First, a group of people closed down the airport for weeks and caused the tourism industry to lose 50%. Later, the export economy failed because of the economic downturn worldwide. Millions of people have lst their jobs in the last year.
When you add the political unrest happening their now, the high unemployment is sure to cause some real problems in Thailand over the next year or two.
I wouldn't make any Thai travel plans for the foreseeable future.
As much as this news makes me cry for the people of Thailand, your racists insults being modded "5, Informative" is almost equally saddening for Slashdot.
Remember that though the Thai people love their king, this website is neither the king's nor the people's -- it's simply the ultra-conservative loyalists who have political power right now.
Mostly Gamehouse, Sandlot, and Reflexive-type games. These aren't games that your average gamer is interested. In fact, a lot of them have been reviewed by my gal and said to work on Wine 1.0+. Are you sure the "more robust version" is Windows and the games aren't Wined?
Re:Let me be the first critic
on
Linux Needs Critics
·
· Score: 0, Flamebait
In Amazon's top 25 netbooks, only #19 runs Linux. Linux lost the netbook war. It's true. What's not true is that it failed because of developers. It failed because of lazy OEMs and the network effect.
That was exactly my thought. I've read too many critics who didn't know how to make suggestions. "It sucked. I couldn't get it to work" isn't criticism. "You need to make my wireless work or I'm going back to Windows" doesn't cut it, either. Even the much vaunted LinuxHater was mostly trolling most of the time, but most people didn't critically evaluate what he actually wrote so they never noticed.
Linux needs real critics -- the kind that have something helpful and constructive to say. It also need fewer jerks and trolls mindlessly bashing it. We've got too many of the latter and too few of the former, especially in the Ubuntu forums. Oh, yeah, and we need fewer raving lunatic advocates.
Re:Nope, it's the putative new users problem
on
Linux Needs Critics
·
· Score: 0, Redundant
In the early part of the decade, Lexmark gave us a few drivers, and people were happy to have them for a while. Eventually, though, the Free software world moved on to CUPS, and the binary Lexmark drivers got bitrot and stopped working on any new distro.
So... if they decide to make their driver part of the kernel, Xorg, CUPS, or whatever, I'm all for the gift and would be much happier. More likely, though, we'll just see Lexmark Driver, Episode II.
Re:Nope, it's the putative new users problem
on
Linux Needs Critics
·
· Score: 1
Some of it is so damn hard that getting someone capable of doing it is near impossible. Some of it is actually virtually impossible to reverse engineer in any timely fashion. Some would be relatively simple to engineer but legal reasons prohibit that (because of the DMCA, patents, or others).
Look at the Neuveux project. Think there aren't talented people there? By the time they get something usable, the tech will be years old and obsolete.
Just look at the new iPod hash situation. It was a DMCA shutdown, legal or not. It's going nowhere.
Know that CSS DVDs will never play in a mainstream freely distributable distro that ships to the U.S. because the last word has been heard on that one.
Some stuff is -- for all intents and purposes -- just impossible.
Re:Nope, it's the putative new users problem
on
Linux Needs Critics
·
· Score: 1
That's a problem with propaganda in general. Let me pull up some old memories as an illustration. Back in the Win95OSR2 days ('97?), I got really frustrated with a driver and someone on-line told me to try this Red Hat thing that would completely replace Windows and still run all the same programs through Wine.
The guy was completely wrong, the system barely worked on my hardware, I had to buy a new modem to connect to my ISP, and none of my Windows programs worked.
I stayed. Do you know why? It's not a rhetorical question. I really wonder. I can't figure out myself why I stayed, but I did. I've stayed eleven years now. )Well, technically, I switched to Debian in 2004.)
Anyway, my point is that the propaganda hasn't changed a single bit. In some ways, being as good as NT4 and Win95 was a hell of a lot easier than being as good as the eight million projects MS has been pumping billions into for years. In some ways, I'd bet I'm further behind now than I was then in '97.
Some people can deal with this kind of stuff. They could be using Free software. Lots of people can't deal with anything unfamiliar. Other operating systems meet their needs. I'm fine with that.
Re:Nope, it's the putative new users problem
on
Linux Needs Critics
·
· Score: 0, Redundant
They were pre-installed, but the OEMs did such a piss-poor job that it didn't matter. The webcams and wifi still didn't work on many of them. Linux lost the netbook war. Didn't you get the memo?;)
Re:Nope, it's the putative new users problem
on
Linux Needs Critics
·
· Score: 1
XP SP3 is not your XP f 2001. The requirements are significantly higher. While Linux gains some girth (not necessarily bloat), major distros still have minimum memory requirements of 256MB and recommend 512MB... in a world where 1-2GB is now standard on low-end machines. Most machines made in the last five years will run modern distros flawlessly, and lightweight distros run easiely on machines back to ten years ago... an eternity in the tech world. I just don't see the "bloat will render your machine useless" argument.
I'm not trying to have an argument with you. Did you arrive at this theory through your own experiences?
In my years studying Thai, no one ever mentioned this concept, and my gal (a native Thai speaker of Chinese decent) doesn't get it, either. Her nickname is Goy, which she uses exclusively. I've never known a Thai (male or female) to use the given name in normal life. The exception is for identification purposes (e.g. news reports and rosters).
My guess is that we're bound to disagree on this point and should probably drop it. Are you teaching in Thailand? I've been in Korea for far too long and need to get back to the tropics. Now is not a good time to take my money out of Korea, though. Sigh. The won is shit.
Well, even your source points out that the SDK says:
In the event that Apple refunds any such price to an end-user, You shall reimburse, or grant Apple a credit for, an amount equal to the price for that Licensed Application. Apple will have the right to retain its commission on the sale of that Licensed Application, notwithstanding the refund of the price to the end.
So despite what Apple is saying they do, Apple's SDK makes it very obvious what they can and intend to do.
Well, in addition to your post's basic premise being a little over the top, you're completely wrong on your analysis of Thai: one syllable names show nothing. In fact, traditional Thais normally have relatively short names (e.g. Kao Klai, a K-1 fighter), yet they _still_ take nicknames. Thais generally use their nicknames, like "Nok," throughout their adult lives, even if they are movie stars or university professors. The use of the full given name is really rather rare unless it's used for identification purposes (i.e. in a news article).
Thais generally use repetition (lek lek), alliteration (sum sarm), or rhyming (reuay beuay) to create a diminutive, though these can also be used to create flowery language in an article, a song, or a poem.
I co-wrote 'Never Gonna Give You Up', which Rick Astley performed in the eighties, and which must have been played more than 100 million times on YouTube - owner Google. My PRS for Music income in the year ended September 2008 was £11.
-- Pete Waterman, songwriter - 24 March 2009
Why would you admit to writing what has been largely deemed the worst pop song in modern history? If that's the kind of music writers should be paid lots of money for, I'm glad the negotiations broke down.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm happy that as a Free Software user, I don't have to click through EULAs to use software. That, and I don't have to worry about this copy protection mechanism the suit was over
I'm willing to bet that the companies which provide my software won't have to worry about being sued over ths patent, either. That's one less to worry about for them.
Car Phone Warehouse sold an early version of the MS Wind which came with Linux but which didn't have drivers for the wifi or webcam. Wouldn't you return that? Unless you were a Linux geek or installing Windows, I'm sure that you would.
The biggest factor is probably the nebook's move from appliance to mini-notebook. The original netbooks had very limited specs and were sold like any other appliance. The early market was also dominated by techies.
Once 1GB RAM replaced 256-512MB and 160GB hard disks replaced 4GB SSDs as the standard, XP was the obvious choice. Once Win7 comes out, the specs will be high enough to accomodate that and a lot of apps (though you'll likely be limited to three by the OS).
I still have hopes for Androis and ARM, but I expect that Linux will continue to sit at 10%. Only one netbook in Amazon's top 25 runs Linux, and it sits at #19.
If you had followed the news recently, you'd find that's not actually true. A couple of elections have been overturned since the coup.
The king has no political power to make any laws. He is merely a figurehead. This law was made by politicians during the ratification of the constitution and is included therein. In fact, the king himself has called repeatedly for he law to be repealed and pardons (his only real power) those convicted of it.
Considering this and your other comment, I'd say you don't know much about Thai politics. Is that correct?
"These people are ants. That, and their king ..." Insulting Thais as a people is racist.
Under the infamous PM Thaksin, the "War on Drugs" gave Thai police the authority to execute drug dealers in the north on the spot with no trial. It became simply a way to consolodate the drug business and/or get rid of trouble makers. The police (corrupt and involved in drug trafficking themselves) killed whomever they wished and planted drugs on the body after.
Now that was a war on drugs. This new affair will end similarly.
lese majeste
First of all, this law applies only to the royal family so that Thais are legally allowed to insult the political system, which they do all the time. I realize that this doesn't mitigate the situation that's going on now, but I wanted to point out the difference since your post implies insulting the government is illegal when it's really not.
The king is in fact, seen by many Thais as the reincarnation of Buddha. Others see only what he has done for the country in his time, which includes keeping the country free from the communist wave that swept through most of SE Asia, continuing development (creating a stronger economy than any other country in the area), and helping the people remain proud even when their government has been shown to be corrupt so many times.
Thais are more than willing to insult the royal family once you get to know them. Even so, very few have any bad will toward their king. They generally see him as a hero.
The les majeste laws are unnecessary and just a tool of the jackboot government.
Thailand has effectively had its economy destroyed in the last year. First, a group of people closed down the airport for weeks and caused the tourism industry to lose 50%. Later, the export economy failed because of the economic downturn worldwide. Millions of people have lst their jobs in the last year.
When you add the political unrest happening their now, the high unemployment is sure to cause some real problems in Thailand over the next year or two.
I wouldn't make any Thai travel plans for the foreseeable future.
As much as this news makes me cry for the people of Thailand, your racists insults being modded "5, Informative" is almost equally saddening for Slashdot.
Remember that though the Thai people love their king, this website is neither the king's nor the people's -- it's simply the ultra-conservative loyalists who have political power right now.
Mostly Gamehouse, Sandlot, and Reflexive-type games. These aren't games that your average gamer is interested. In fact, a lot of them have been reviewed by my gal and said to work on Wine 1.0+. Are you sure the "more robust version" is Windows and the games aren't Wined?
In Amazon's top 25 netbooks, only #19 runs Linux. Linux lost the netbook war. It's true. What's not true is that it failed because of developers. It failed because of lazy OEMs and the network effect.
I hope that's Iceweasel, you insensitive clod. </sarcasm>
That was exactly my thought. I've read too many critics who didn't know how to make suggestions. "It sucked. I couldn't get it to work" isn't criticism. "You need to make my wireless work or I'm going back to Windows" doesn't cut it, either. Even the much vaunted LinuxHater was mostly trolling most of the time, but most people didn't critically evaluate what he actually wrote so they never noticed.
Linux needs real critics -- the kind that have something helpful and constructive to say. It also need fewer jerks and trolls mindlessly bashing it. We've got too many of the latter and too few of the former, especially in the Ubuntu forums. Oh, yeah, and we need fewer raving lunatic advocates.
In the early part of the decade, Lexmark gave us a few drivers, and people were happy to have them for a while. Eventually, though, the Free software world moved on to CUPS, and the binary Lexmark drivers got bitrot and stopped working on any new distro.
So ... if they decide to make their driver part of the kernel, Xorg, CUPS, or whatever, I'm all for the gift and would be much happier. More likely, though, we'll just see Lexmark Driver, Episode II.
Some of it is so damn hard that getting someone capable of doing it is near impossible. Some of it is actually virtually impossible to reverse engineer in any timely fashion. Some would be relatively simple to engineer but legal reasons prohibit that (because of the DMCA, patents, or others).
Some stuff is -- for all intents and purposes -- just impossible.
That's a problem with propaganda in general. Let me pull up some old memories as an illustration. Back in the Win95OSR2 days ('97?), I got really frustrated with a driver and someone on-line told me to try this Red Hat thing that would completely replace Windows and still run all the same programs through Wine.
The guy was completely wrong, the system barely worked on my hardware, I had to buy a new modem to connect to my ISP, and none of my Windows programs worked.
I stayed. Do you know why? It's not a rhetorical question. I really wonder. I can't figure out myself why I stayed, but I did. I've stayed eleven years now. )Well, technically, I switched to Debian in 2004.)
Anyway, my point is that the propaganda hasn't changed a single bit. In some ways, being as good as NT4 and Win95 was a hell of a lot easier than being as good as the eight million projects MS has been pumping billions into for years. In some ways, I'd bet I'm further behind now than I was then in '97.
Some people can deal with this kind of stuff. They could be using Free software. Lots of people can't deal with anything unfamiliar. Other operating systems meet their needs. I'm fine with that.
They were pre-installed, but the OEMs did such a piss-poor job that it didn't matter. The webcams and wifi still didn't work on many of them. Linux lost the netbook war. Didn't you get the memo? ;)
XP SP3 is not your XP f 2001. The requirements are significantly higher. While Linux gains some girth (not necessarily bloat), major distros still have minimum memory requirements of 256MB and recommend 512MB ... in a world where 1-2GB is now standard on low-end machines. Most machines made in the last five years will run modern distros flawlessly, and lightweight distros run easiely on machines back to ten years ago ... an eternity in the tech world. I just don't see the "bloat will render your machine useless" argument.
I'm not trying to have an argument with you. Did you arrive at this theory through your own experiences?
In my years studying Thai, no one ever mentioned this concept, and my gal (a native Thai speaker of Chinese decent) doesn't get it, either. Her nickname is Goy, which she uses exclusively. I've never known a Thai (male or female) to use the given name in normal life. The exception is for identification purposes (e.g. news reports and rosters).
My guess is that we're bound to disagree on this point and should probably drop it. Are you teaching in Thailand? I've been in Korea for far too long and need to get back to the tropics. Now is not a good time to take my money out of Korea, though. Sigh. The won is shit.
Well, even your source points out that the SDK says:
In the event that Apple refunds any such price to an end-user, You shall reimburse, or grant Apple a credit for, an amount equal to the price for that Licensed Application. Apple will have the right to retain its commission on the sale of that Licensed Application, notwithstanding the refund of the price to the end.
So despite what Apple is saying they do, Apple's SDK makes it very obvious what they can and intend to do.
Not at all.
Well, in addition to your post's basic premise being a little over the top, you're completely wrong on your analysis of Thai: one syllable names show nothing. In fact, traditional Thais normally have relatively short names (e.g. Kao Klai, a K-1 fighter), yet they _still_ take nicknames. Thais generally use their nicknames, like "Nok," throughout their adult lives, even if they are movie stars or university professors. The use of the full given name is really rather rare unless it's used for identification purposes (i.e. in a news article).
Thais generally use repetition (lek lek), alliteration (sum sarm), or rhyming (reuay beuay) to create a diminutive, though these can also be used to create flowery language in an article, a song, or a poem.
I co-wrote 'Never Gonna Give You Up', which Rick Astley performed in the eighties, and which must have been played more than 100 million times on YouTube - owner Google. My PRS for Music income in the year ended September 2008 was £11.
-- Pete Waterman, songwriter - 24 March 2009
Why would you admit to writing what has been largely deemed the worst pop song in modern history? If that's the kind of music writers should be paid lots of money for, I'm glad the negotiations broke down.