Sorry, I don't know Windows anymore... I haven't used it in years. Would you like me to set up Linux for you? No? Oh, well, let me know if you change your mind. *Click*
vs
Sure, let me ssh in and check that out. Okay fixed, yeah no problem. Love you too, bye.
If you format then they'll just reinstall. Better to wipe out the BIOS if you can. The result will probably be them buying a new computer. But soon that will get too expensive. Money seems to speak to even the dumbest of people in a way more powerful than a well reasoned argument.
Good luck with that. I tried it for multiseat Linux and found that it completely destabilized Xorg.. much better to have a single nvidia card with two outputs...
Yes.. free speech. If what the person is saying is true, then the cop can either stay silent or post why they did it, if they feel like it. If it's false, then the cop sues. If a true statement causes a cop name to be in shreds, then that's a crappy cop.. I feel no sympathy. They are a public servant. So, they can and should be in the public spotlight.
I've been lucky enough to only run into one crappy cop. The others, they've been helpful, courteous.. etc. Even when writing me a ticket, they weren't a jerk about it. If I'd known about the site, I'd recorded their friendly attitude and good deeds.. Yes, I'd also vent when they go off on a power trip and abuse the law they are supposed to uphold.
Free speech. If you don't like it please go kill yourself so the rest of us are better off.
You know.. we don't really care whether you find it useful or not. Others find it useful. So Wikipedia should only be about the things you are interested in? I think you should consider the narrowmindedness of your position here.
Well, I can't have an exact answer for you, because for each executable it's different. But here are the results of the first 10 (alphabetical) programs in/sbin:
The Linux kernel I happen to be using (Ubuntu Edgy 2.6.20-16-generic): [/vmlinuz] 0's: 6945400 (49%), 1's: 7033576 (50%)
Here's the code I wrote if you'd like to experiment further:
#!/usr/bin/env python # Programmed by Jeffry Johnston, 18 Dec 2007 # Released under the GPL import sys ones = [] for i in range(256): j = 128 k = 0 while j > 0: if i >= j: i -= j; k += 1 j/= 2 ones.append(k) for n in sys.argv[1:]: f = open(n, "rb") l = 0 o = 0 while True: c = f.read(1) if len(c) == 0: break o += ones[ord(c)] l += 1 f.close() l *= 8 z = l - o print "[" + n + "] 0's:", z, "(" + str(100 * z / l) + "%), 1's:", o, "(" + str(100 * o / l) + "%)"
Why exactly is it not wise? You cite some examples of including more, then your last sentence restates your opinion. Please support your claim that all knowledge shouldn't be included in Wikipedia, for I believe the exact opposite.
There are some topics which used to be on Wikipedia, but were removed. Why were they removed? "not notable enough". See, that makes no sense to me. I would like to see EVERYTHING (everything that is legal of course) in Wikipedia. Why exclude some bits of human knowledge while including others? Does Wikipedia need more hard drive space or something? I can't imagine that being the reason. Perhaps arcane or highly focused knowledge scares some people. Or, perhaps since they are not intelligent enough to understand it, they decide that it has no value. If there are a bunch of less used articles (since they are unused) it won't be raising bandwidth costs either.
Recently I went to the "quantum gate" article. There are equations and technical language everywhere. I certainly did not understand it.. I'd first need to read more about the underlying concepts. I hope this disproves my "lack of intelligence" point, but I am not convinced. A while back I went to Wikipedia to learn more about Encyclopodia, and it was useful to me. But then I noticed an RfD. I got lucky when I searched, because now I wouldn't be able to learn what I learned then... the article is gone! Why? Because it was highly focused. Not notable enough for some people. Well, you know what? It was useful information to me.. and now that information has been lost. I consider that a step in the wrong direction.
Besides math, there is knowledge out there that, while I may be completely uninterested in it (celebrity trivia, for example), some people find fascinating. How about articles on "everyday" people. Does including it make Wikipedia any less useful for me? Absolutely not! I cannot predict the future.. who knows but I may need to know some weird fact, read some proof or book, find some arcane piece of knowledge, read about my friend from high school who I lost contact with. Why limit it?
Now please don't misunderstand what I'm trying to say. I am not saying that factually incorrect information be included in Wikipedia as if it were fact... or sarcasm, etc. We're talking about knowledge here, not fantasy.
There are already user pages for personal information as well, in case people are concerned with Wikipedia turning into MySpace or something.
People are always looking to the government to protect them. Who protects you from the government? My biggest fear in my home isn't some criminal breaking in, it's a stupid government raid that possibly gets me or one of my family members killed, or all the programs I've written in my entire life being confiscated. Perhaps some would say I shouldn't be afraid because I'm not hacking or doing anything (that I know of) that's illegal, but I am a programmer, so nevertheless it hangs over my head. I hate those who favor strong and intrusive government and want to "send a message"; it is you who should die, all of you! I won't miss you.
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."o7
Well I see your point in one sense. I was constantly annoyed while in school because I could see the lies and everyone else had blinders on.. to the point of teachers and classmates mocking me. But, about not having kids.. I dunno if I agree with you there. I mean, those stupid kids have stupid parents, on up the line. Why not breed some non-stupid kids that believe in the constitution, etc? At the same time, convince stupid people not to have kids. Sure your kids will have to deal with idiots, but that's nothing new.
Also, go out and vote to try to maintain what liberties we have left. Almost everybody I see at the polls is OLD. According to this poll 70% of them are idiots. If I don't vote, I am essentially agreeing with what the old idiots want.
I have absolutely no desire to watch porn, etc. But if somebody wants to put something online, they'd better be allowed to. Why do people think the government should be there to protect them and make them feel "safe"? The government should be there to make it possible for us to protect ourselves (bill of rights... what's that?)
While this might work for some spam operations, those using Windows zombies to send spam wouldn't be slowed down much. Also, what about gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc? These free services would no longer be able to exist in their current form.
I currently live in an apartment, and cannot install an external TV antenna. Rabbit ears barely work here (I've tried all sorts of antennas, boosting, no boosting, etc.. none seemed to be any improvement), and the picture is staticy. From what I understand, with my poor signal I may not be able to get a digital picture at all. Of course I could switch to basic cable, but I'll wait for those vouchers (2008 I think?) and see how well the digital works.
My first thought was that Windows Update should detect/remove these botnet trojans.. but then I realized that those infected probably don't keep their computer updated, use antivirus software, firewalls, etc.
So, the same people seem to be messing things up for everyone, over and over again. Perhaps eventually someone will introduce a new trojan (or heck, even a variation on this Storm "worm", since it seems to work just fine), that spreads around and infects like this for a while. Then after infections slow (or the news starts picking up on it and it makes Slashdot, etc), the owner tells all the infected computers to die. If the drive was just wiped, then it would be too easy just to reinstall Windows. I wonder if there is a collection of routines to corrupt BIOSes (preferrably with a message explaining what happened to their computer). This should harder (but not impossible) to fix, and perhaps these people can be properly educated.
Of course, maybe they are too stupid to be properly educated. Then what?
When I was young, my father would take both his rooks off the board when we would play. That way he could play as hard as he could, rather than trying to "play easy". Perhaps a similar approach would work here. Besides removing pieces, other options would be weakening certain pieces or replacing pieces.
I recommend the Xgl method for the following reasons: * free (GPL) * lets you use both heads of dual-head cards (that's what I'm doing.. I have just one video card) * allows you to use graphics acceleration (I've played opengl games on one screen while my wife was surfing on the other) * seems stable * works with your existing xorg / xgl binaries and kernel (no recompiling of these apps)
The instructions on the page are pretty good, but if you need help setting it up, I'd be happy to assist. See my website for my e-mail address.
It works good for us. I'm running Kubuntu AMD64. Good luck.
Perhaps this just applies to plasma TV's, but the manual actually advised against using the 4:3 mode (it puts grey bars on the left and right.. I don't understand the reason. My best guesses are that it is merely costmetic (eew black bars) or that it is supposed to prevent the edge of the screen from eventually looking different that the middle)). Either way, apparently having it set to 4:3 mode isn't always the best solution.
Before I knew of the GPL: I released my programs as freeware, but I did not usually release the source code. The idea was that for me, payment was in people using my programs and appreciating them, rather than monetary. The GPL was a reminder to me that maybe they could find the source code useful too... and as a bonus, the software would always be freely available.
It is a basic reality today, most consumers DON'T NEED Vista or new hardware to run a web browser, email and office apps.
Additionally, you don't really need Windows. My grandma is sick of her computer being screwed up with spyware and viruses, it is hardly usable (even after being "fixed"). When I told her I could put Linux on it and she wouldn't have to worry about all that junk she was really excited. All she uses the computer for is to check the occasional e-mail and view websites. For basic computing, we've been there for quite some time. Even Windows 95 is fine for the apps you mentioned (and to stretch that to the limit there are many MS-DOS word processors, spreadsheets, etc, and with WATTCP and packet drivers you can even get online! I actually use this configuration to ssh my ancient laptop to my main system or shell.. much faster than booting Linux and I can switch off the power at any time.)
Having my grandma try Ubuntu will be a neat test too, because some have claimed that it is as easy for a clueless person to screw up Linux as Windows. Well, I guess I'll find out:)
Well, I don't know every reason, but I do know one. I told my mother-in-law about a $6.95/month ISP (flxtek.net) that gave me good service. I told her I'd set it up for her, show her how to use it, she would still be able to surf, send/receive, e-mail, etc. And, this is AFTER they had cancelled her account for supposed non-payment and she lost her original screen name. So, she wasn't worried about holding on to that. Then, they raised the price. I figured they'd go for it. And, they almost did...
Her reason for staying? She has a bunch of old e-mails saved up, and doesn't want to lose them. Apparently there is no working export option. Her only option is to print them out, or forward each one to the new address (I wouldn't want to do that either!). I messed around with it for a while, but I really know nothing about AOL (I think I used up to DOS version 1.2 or such) and couldn't figure out how to rescue her old mails. IIRC one of the problems was that they upgraded and the mails were saved in an older version that the newer version couldn't understand (so she couldn't even access them without having two copies of AOL on her computer at the same time!). But it wouldn't export (I don't recall, is that even an option?). And, we hadn't even looked at her address book. They probably have that locked down too.
She continues to use AOL. The other day when I was over, they got knocked offline and it was reconnecting for over 15 minutes before they got back on.
Ubuntu got me excited because all my hardware worked, especially sound (which never worked in any Linux distro I had tried before), they were offering free CD's on their webpage (a refreshing difference to the Mandrake installer donation guilt trips), and people want to help. Although I can't always get an answer, people are not rude to me in the Ubuntu help areas, unlike Debian, for example. Thanks to community help and documentation I have completely replaced/removed any past reason I once used Windows. Other reasons are the choice of Gnome (which has problems, but I prefer to KDE) and Synaptic. Of course any distro have have this stuff.. distros aren't really special, but they have put together something for free that works, has a nice feel and lets me enjoy myself while learning how to use it.
Slashdot Mirror
Sorry, I don't know Windows anymore... I haven't used it in years. Would you like me to set up Linux for you? No? Oh, well, let me know if you change your mind. *Click*
vs
Sure, let me ssh in and check that out. Okay fixed, yeah no problem. Love you too, bye.
If you format then they'll just reinstall. Better to wipe out the BIOS if you can. The result will probably be them buying a new computer. But soon that will get too expensive. Money seems to speak to even the dumbest of people in a way more powerful than a well reasoned argument.
Good luck with that. I tried it for multiseat Linux and found that it completely destabilized Xorg.. much better to have a single nvidia card with two outputs...
Yes.. free speech. If what the person is saying is true, then the cop can either stay silent or post why they did it, if they feel like it. If it's false, then the cop sues. If a true statement causes a cop name to be in shreds, then that's a crappy cop.. I feel no sympathy. They are a public servant. So, they can and should be in the public spotlight.
I've been lucky enough to only run into one crappy cop. The others, they've been helpful, courteous.. etc. Even when writing me a ticket, they weren't a jerk about it. If I'd known about the site, I'd recorded their friendly attitude and good deeds.. Yes, I'd also vent when they go off on a power trip and abuse the law they are supposed to uphold.
Free speech. If you don't like it please go kill yourself so the rest of us are better off.
You know.. we don't really care whether you find it useful or not. Others find it useful. So Wikipedia should only be about the things you are interested in? I think you should consider the narrowmindedness of your position here.
If the drives are broken, take the platters out and sell them to a local scrap place. They are aluminum. Sometimes the cases are aluminum too.
Ugh! Sorry... That Linux kernel result wasn't very helpful because it is compressed.. that's why it's basically 50/50 :)
Well, I can't have an exact answer for you, because for each executable it's different. But here are the results of the first 10 (alphabetical) programs in /sbin:
/= 2
[/sbin/acpi_available] 0's: 19383 (79%), 1's: 5065 (20%)
[/sbin/alsactl] 0's: 215570 (62%), 1's: 130062 (37%)
[/sbin/apm_available] 0's: 20900 (77%), 1's: 5948 (22%)
[/sbin/badblocks] 0's: 95703 (65%), 1's: 49577 (34%)
[/sbin/blkid] 0's: 42547 (68%), 1's: 19245 (31%)
[/sbin/blockdev] 0's: 47630 (68%), 1's: 22226 (31%)
[/sbin/cfdisk] 0's: 245415 (62%), 1's: 144633 (37%)
[/sbin/debugfs] 0's: 323766 (62%), 1's: 197706 (37%)
[/sbin/debugreiserfs] 0's: 918511 (57%), 1's: 674801 (42%)
[/sbin/depmod] 0's: 184260 (61%), 1's: 116988 (38%)
The Linux kernel I happen to be using (Ubuntu Edgy 2.6.20-16-generic):
[/vmlinuz] 0's: 6945400 (49%), 1's: 7033576 (50%)
Here's the code I wrote if you'd like to experiment further:
#!/usr/bin/env python
# Programmed by Jeffry Johnston, 18 Dec 2007
# Released under the GPL
import sys
ones = []
for i in range(256):
j = 128
k = 0
while j > 0:
if i >= j:
i -= j;
k += 1
j
ones.append(k)
for n in sys.argv[1:]:
f = open(n, "rb")
l = 0
o = 0
while True:
c = f.read(1)
if len(c) == 0:
break
o += ones[ord(c)]
l += 1
f.close()
l *= 8
z = l - o
print "[" + n + "] 0's:", z, "(" + str(100 * z / l) + "%), 1's:", o, "(" + str(100 * o / l) + "%)"
Have fun!
Why exactly is it not wise? You cite some examples of including more, then your last sentence restates your opinion. Please support your claim that all knowledge shouldn't be included in Wikipedia, for I believe the exact opposite.
There are some topics which used to be on Wikipedia, but were removed. Why were they removed? "not notable enough". See, that makes no sense to me. I would like to see EVERYTHING (everything that is legal of course) in Wikipedia. Why exclude some bits of human knowledge while including others? Does Wikipedia need more hard drive space or something? I can't imagine that being the reason. Perhaps arcane or highly focused knowledge scares some people. Or, perhaps since they are not intelligent enough to understand it, they decide that it has no value. If there are a bunch of less used articles (since they are unused) it won't be raising bandwidth costs either.
Recently I went to the "quantum gate" article. There are equations and technical language everywhere. I certainly did not understand it.. I'd first need to read more about the underlying concepts. I hope this disproves my "lack of intelligence" point, but I am not convinced. A while back I went to Wikipedia to learn more about Encyclopodia, and it was useful to me. But then I noticed an RfD. I got lucky when I searched, because now I wouldn't be able to learn what I learned then... the article is gone! Why? Because it was highly focused. Not notable enough for some people. Well, you know what? It was useful information to me.. and now that information has been lost. I consider that a step in the wrong direction.
Besides math, there is knowledge out there that, while I may be completely uninterested in it (celebrity trivia, for example), some people find fascinating. How about articles on "everyday" people. Does including it make Wikipedia any less useful for me? Absolutely not! I cannot predict the future.. who knows but I may need to know some weird fact, read some proof or book, find some arcane piece of knowledge, read about my friend from high school who I lost contact with. Why limit it?
Now please don't misunderstand what I'm trying to say. I am not saying that factually incorrect information be included in Wikipedia as if it were fact... or sarcasm, etc. We're talking about knowledge here, not fantasy.
There are already user pages for personal information as well, in case people are concerned with Wikipedia turning into MySpace or something.
So I ask again.. why not include everything?
People are always looking to the government to protect them. Who protects you from the government? My biggest fear in my home isn't some criminal breaking in, it's a stupid government raid that possibly gets me or one of my family members killed, or all the programs I've written in my entire life being confiscated. Perhaps some would say I shouldn't be afraid because I'm not hacking or doing anything (that I know of) that's illegal, but I am a programmer, so nevertheless it hangs over my head. I hate those who favor strong and intrusive government and want to "send a message"; it is you who should die, all of you! I won't miss you.
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."o7
Well I see your point in one sense. I was constantly annoyed while in school because I could see the lies and everyone else had blinders on.. to the point of teachers and classmates mocking me. But, about not having kids.. I dunno if I agree with you there. I mean, those stupid kids have stupid parents, on up the line. Why not breed some non-stupid kids that believe in the constitution, etc? At the same time, convince stupid people not to have kids. Sure your kids will have to deal with idiots, but that's nothing new.
Also, go out and vote to try to maintain what liberties we have left. Almost everybody I see at the polls is OLD. According to this poll 70% of them are idiots. If I don't vote, I am essentially agreeing with what the old idiots want.
I have absolutely no desire to watch porn, etc. But if somebody wants to put something online, they'd better be allowed to. Why do people think the government should be there to protect them and make them feel "safe"? The government should be there to make it possible for us to protect ourselves (bill of rights... what's that?)
Vote for liberty,
Pray for safety.
While this might work for some spam operations, those using Windows zombies to send spam wouldn't be slowed down much. Also, what about gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc? These free services would no longer be able to exist in their current form.
I currently live in an apartment, and cannot install an external TV antenna. Rabbit ears barely work here (I've tried all sorts of antennas, boosting, no boosting, etc.. none seemed to be any improvement), and the picture is staticy. From what I understand, with my poor signal I may not be able to get a digital picture at all. Of course I could switch to basic cable, but I'll wait for those vouchers (2008 I think?) and see how well the digital works.
Several antivirus programs (including some free antivirus programs) detect Storm. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_Worm#Feedback
My first thought was that Windows Update should detect/remove these botnet trojans.. but then I realized that those infected probably don't keep their computer updated, use antivirus software, firewalls, etc.
So, the same people seem to be messing things up for everyone, over and over again. Perhaps eventually someone will introduce a new trojan (or heck, even a variation on this Storm "worm", since it seems to work just fine), that spreads around and infects like this for a while. Then after infections slow (or the news starts picking up on it and it makes Slashdot, etc), the owner tells all the infected computers to die. If the drive was just wiped, then it would be too easy just to reinstall Windows. I wonder if there is a collection of routines to corrupt BIOSes (preferrably with a message explaining what happened to their computer). This should harder (but not impossible) to fix, and perhaps these people can be properly educated.
Of course, maybe they are too stupid to be properly educated. Then what?
When I was young, my father would take both his rooks off the board when we would play. That way he could play as hard as he could, rather than trying to "play easy". Perhaps a similar approach would work here. Besides removing pieces, other options would be weakening certain pieces or replacing pieces.
Here is the link you need:
p hp?n=Misc.DualSeatX
http://research.edm.uhasselt.be/~jori/page/index.
I recommend the Xgl method for the following reasons:
* free (GPL)
* lets you use both heads of dual-head cards (that's what I'm doing.. I have just one video card)
* allows you to use graphics acceleration (I've played opengl games on one screen while my wife was surfing on the other)
* seems stable
* works with your existing xorg / xgl binaries and kernel (no recompiling of these apps)
The instructions on the page are pretty good, but if you need help setting it up, I'd be happy to assist. See my website for my e-mail address.
It works good for us. I'm running Kubuntu AMD64.
Good luck.
Perhaps this just applies to plasma TV's, but the manual actually advised against using the 4:3 mode (it puts grey bars on the left and right.. I don't understand the reason. My best guesses are that it is merely costmetic (eew black bars) or that it is supposed to prevent the edge of the screen from eventually looking different that the middle)). Either way, apparently having it set to 4:3 mode isn't always the best solution.
wheresthebeef
Before I knew of the GPL: I released my programs as freeware, but I did not usually release the source code. The idea was that for me, payment was in people using my programs and appreciating them, rather than monetary. The GPL was a reminder to me that maybe they could find the source code useful too... and as a bonus, the software would always be freely available.
Yes, #ubuntu on irc.freenode.net. Usually 800+ people and nobody that can help you, unless it's a FAQ.
I'm curious, what is the increased security benefit of "LoginGraceTime 2m"?
It is a basic reality today, most consumers DON'T NEED Vista or new hardware to run a web browser, email and office apps.
:)
Additionally, you don't really need Windows. My grandma is sick of her computer being screwed up with spyware and viruses, it is hardly usable (even after being "fixed"). When I told her I could put Linux on it and she wouldn't have to worry about all that junk she was really excited. All she uses the computer for is to check the occasional e-mail and view websites. For basic computing, we've been there for quite some time. Even Windows 95 is fine for the apps you mentioned (and to stretch that to the limit there are many MS-DOS word processors, spreadsheets, etc, and with WATTCP and packet drivers you can even get online! I actually use this configuration to ssh my ancient laptop to my main system or shell.. much faster than booting Linux and I can switch off the power at any time.)
Having my grandma try Ubuntu will be a neat test too, because some have claimed that it is as easy for a clueless person to screw up Linux as Windows. Well, I guess I'll find out
I don't even see the code anymore.. I just see blonde, brunette, redhead...
Hey! Don't stand in front of the screen!
Well, I don't know every reason, but I do know one. I told my mother-in-law about a $6.95/month ISP (flxtek.net) that gave me good service. I told her I'd set it up for her, show her how to use it, she would still be able to surf, send/receive, e-mail, etc. And, this is AFTER they had cancelled her account for supposed non-payment and she lost her original screen name. So, she wasn't worried about holding on to that. Then, they raised the price. I figured they'd go for it. And, they almost did...
Her reason for staying? She has a bunch of old e-mails saved up, and doesn't want to lose them. Apparently there is no working export option. Her only option is to print them out, or forward each one to the new address (I wouldn't want to do that either!). I messed around with it for a while, but I really know nothing about AOL (I think I used up to DOS version 1.2 or such) and couldn't figure out how to rescue her old mails. IIRC one of the problems was that they upgraded and the mails were saved in an older version that the newer version couldn't understand (so she couldn't even access them without having two copies of AOL on her computer at the same time!). But it wouldn't export (I don't recall, is that even an option?). And, we hadn't even looked at her address book. They probably have that locked down too.
She continues to use AOL. The other day when I was over, they got knocked offline and it was reconnecting for over 15 minutes before they got back on.
Ubuntu got me excited because all my hardware worked, especially sound (which never worked in any Linux distro I had tried before), they were offering free CD's on their webpage (a refreshing difference to the Mandrake installer donation guilt trips), and people want to help. Although I can't always get an answer, people are not rude to me in the Ubuntu help areas, unlike Debian, for example. Thanks to community help and documentation I have completely replaced/removed any past reason I once used Windows. Other reasons are the choice of Gnome (which has problems, but I prefer to KDE) and Synaptic. Of course any distro have have this stuff.. distros aren't really special, but they have put together something for free that works, has a nice feel and lets me enjoy myself while learning how to use it.