tell everyone they need to buy hardware that's way beyond what they really need
And isn't that exactly what the entire history of a personal computer is all about?
We really didn't need all that hardware for anything even when ZX-80 or C64 were the hot thing. Yet, the need for speed brought us computing power that today overshadows the capabilities of the supercomputers of the past.
Anything that maintains this trend can only be a good thing.
So the alternatives are: a) Be a corporate whore and b) Spout idealistic and uncompromising stuff, which may get you points amongst the believers, but that will only hurt your efforts of getting the message across to the people who really matter.
As in any political endeavour, the solution is to learn the language and how to compromise and make mutually beneficial deals.
"Intelligent people"? What else did you expect when you're dealing with people whose stated goal is defending against a blatant case of copyright infringement in court.
Where can I find these intelligent people? I have a bridge to sell to them...
Huh? I recently bought a Shuttle for our lab and I can't hear any noise unless I hold my ear against the case.
The only time the fan makes a lot of noise is when I switch on the computer. After a few seconds it goes completely silent as the fan speed is set to minimum rpms by the on-board thermal sensor.
Software Engineering Institute (remember the CMM), National Research Council of Canada and the European Software Institute
Uh... so, at least for us who are not in the software business but are interested in OSS anyway, it would be nice to know how much influence these institutes actually wield. Are they really "the business" as the subject let's us to believe or something else?
Not until such punitive action has a basis in the law which, in turn, are set by your national, democratically elected body.
What you're referring to is the tyranny of the majority. In a representative democracy even the majority can't dictate all the rules - and that's a very good thing.
Windows at home: games.
Linux at home: media server.
Mac at work: X for using Matlab remotely on more serious *nix hardware while being able to run MS Office (I've never had any problems with MS Office for Mac). I like the GUI too.
Yes, if you mean that they're (most of the time) played from the perspective of the game character.
No, if you mean that they're like Doom/Quake/Halo where you run alone through a hail of bullets mostly unscathed (and then go looking for a "health package").
There's plenty of tactical thinking involved since in all three games control several other characters (up to 12 persons in Operation Flashpoint) at the same time. Setting your troops up for an attack or at defensive positions is great fun AND you get participate in the shoot-out as well (if you like). You can also create your own campaigns and scenarios and trade them with other players.
I was a text game addict back in the C64 days, I still am a turn-based strategy game buff and now I thoroughly enjoy tactical shooters, too. Don't just a game simply because it looks like a routine 3rd person shooter.
As far as console versions of these games go, they are invariably watered down: less tactics, more action and usually graphics suffer too.
OpenGL, OSS and X is about all you need to make game [well timers and IP networking]...
Well, actually it would also be nice to have graphic artists, animators, musicians, writers, professional voice-actors, people who understand how to create an immersive game experience and so on...
Hey, I submitted the above story. How come mine didn't get posted?
As everybody here knows, Slashdot adheres to a strict peer review standard for each and every one of the submitted stories. It is just impossible that your story would be rejected unfairly.
It's the little guy standing up to the corporate behemoths that run rough-shod over our daily lives by virtue of their influence, legal and otherwise, on government. For another, it's virtuous.'
So, this was our daily dose of political indoctrination today? Hmm... let's see who was the Zampolit in charge... oh well, it figures.
If they chose to release a new Windows and make something you use in windows incompatible with the old version
Yes, but that would be rather a lousy way to run a business, now wouldn't it? Maybe, if there weren't any competition, Microsoft could break compatibility every few months but that's theoretical.
I haven't had any Windows compatibility problems in the past and if I ever do I'm perfectly willing to upgrade. I don't understand why paying for a version upgrade is such an anathema. After all, Microsoft is not billing you for the service packs and patches you can download.
To me dropping Windows completely is not an option even if I wanted to do so. At home I want to be able to play games and at work I work I have to deal with MS Office documents. No, OpenOffice does not import/export documents properly.
Now, don't make a mistake. I am running Linux on my home "media server" and I've been running Linux and BSD variants since 1992. I am just pissed off at the kind of self-righteous false dichotomies offered by some people like the parent poster. The world is not black and white. It is not "you're either for free software or you're against it". His reasons - like those of RMS - for pushing free software are political, not practical, and I will not have any part in such shenanigans.
Of course not. That's why governments or companies who do not air-gap their sensitive computer systems (regardless of the OS) from the public net have only themselves to blame. Not Microsoft or any other entity.
A government that uses closed-source, proprietary software is not an independent government. A company that uses closed-source, proprietary software is not an independent company.
Sigh. And since I use Windows at home and at work, I am not a free man? Even if I chose to use Windows.
Slashdot Mirror
And isn't that exactly what the entire history of a personal computer is all about?
We really didn't need all that hardware for anything even when ZX-80 or C64 were the hot thing. Yet, the need for speed brought us computing power that today overshadows the capabilities of the supercomputers of the past.
Anything that maintains this trend can only be a good thing.
Ubiquitous software that requires enormous storage and ever increasing CPU/memory-bandwidth? That's a good thing!
c) Hungover
Why is that?
The first shuttle was built in the 70s using decades old know-how. Why has it taken so long to produce its successor?
Is it the technological challenge, or is it just politics that keeps the manned space exploration down?
As in any political endeavour, the solution is to learn the language and how to compromise and make mutually beneficial deals.
With unhinged comments like that he's never going end up anywhere else than in the populist fringe.
Where can I find these intelligent people? I have a bridge to sell to them...
The only time the fan makes a lot of noise is when I switch on the computer. After a few seconds it goes completely silent as the fan speed is set to minimum rpms by the on-board thermal sensor.
Uh... so, at least for us who are not in the software business but are interested in OSS anyway, it would be nice to know how much influence these institutes actually wield. Are they really "the business" as the subject let's us to believe or something else?
Indeed. I am not aware the DDOSing has been made legal, recently. Even for "good" purposes.
What's the exact difference from Democracy (not representative democracy) and "Tyranny of the Majority" ?
There is none. That's another argument for the representative democracy.
What you're referring to is the tyranny of the majority. In a representative democracy even the majority can't dictate all the rules - and that's a very good thing.
And will probably work just as well... vigilante justice never works and should not be tolerated.
Windows at home: games.
Linux at home: media server.
Mac at work: X for using Matlab remotely on more serious *nix hardware while being able to run MS Office (I've never had any problems with MS Office for Mac). I like the GUI too.
Interesting. Thanks for the hint. I'll give it a try.
Yep. My bad.
Yes and no.
Yes, if you mean that they're (most of the time) played from the perspective of the game character.
No, if you mean that they're like Doom/Quake/Halo where you run alone through a hail of bullets mostly unscathed (and then go looking for a "health package").
There's plenty of tactical thinking involved since in all three games control several other characters (up to 12 persons in Operation Flashpoint) at the same time. Setting your troops up for an attack or at defensive positions is great fun AND you get participate in the shoot-out as well (if you like). You can also create your own campaigns and scenarios and trade them with other players.
I was a text game addict back in the C64 days, I still am a turn-based strategy game buff and now I thoroughly enjoy tactical shooters, too. Don't just a game simply because it looks like a routine 3rd person shooter.
As far as console versions of these games go, they are invariably watered down: less tactics, more action and usually graphics suffer too.
Well, actually it would also be nice to have graphic artists, animators, musicians, writers, professional voice-actors, people who understand how to create an immersive game experience and so on...
Give me tactical shooters like Operation Flashpoint, Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six and I'll get rid of Windows on my home computer.
As everybody here knows, Slashdot adheres to a strict peer review standard for each and every one of the submitted stories. It is just impossible that your story would be rejected unfairly.
Ok. Maybe that was just a dream I had last night.
So, this was our daily dose of political indoctrination today? Hmm... let's see who was the Zampolit in charge... oh well, it figures.
Fair and balanced reading, I suppose. ;)
Yes, but that would be rather a lousy way to run a business, now wouldn't it? Maybe, if there weren't any competition, Microsoft could break compatibility every few months but that's theoretical.
I haven't had any Windows compatibility problems in the past and if I ever do I'm perfectly willing to upgrade. I don't understand why paying for a version upgrade is such an anathema. After all, Microsoft is not billing you for the service packs and patches you can download.
To me dropping Windows completely is not an option even if I wanted to do so. At home I want to be able to play games and at work I work I have to deal with MS Office documents. No, OpenOffice does not import/export documents properly.
Now, don't make a mistake. I am running Linux on my home "media server" and I've been running Linux and BSD variants since 1992. I am just pissed off at the kind of self-righteous false dichotomies offered by some people like the parent poster. The world is not black and white. It is not "you're either for free software or you're against it". His reasons - like those of RMS - for pushing free software are political, not practical, and I will not have any part in such shenanigans.
Of course not. That's why governments or companies who do not air-gap their sensitive computer systems (regardless of the OS) from the public net have only themselves to blame. Not Microsoft or any other entity.
Ahahaha! Are you seriously comparing Microsoft to an evil totalitarian state? Talk about delusions...
Sigh. And since I use Windows at home and at work, I am not a free man? Even if I chose to use Windows.