I'm very sure that a typical Linux distro would include a free virus scanner as well if there was a larger *user* base.
Linux doesn't need to include a virus scanner by default; Linux doesn't get viruses. But, if you're running a mail server for a LAN that includes Windows machines, there are virusscanners for Linux. But they're just to interface to mail servers because that's all they're needed for.
This is prolly a dumb question, but why can't it run Linux? Can't you buy it and load Linux on it? It *does* hook up to a PC, after all. *shrug* Just my dumb question of the day...
Sorry, but the Windows Media Player patch does not uninstall.
Yes it does-- you can rip out the files by hand, can't you? Well, it's uninstalled, then. You can also get rid of those annoying little 'turds' that all Windows programs leave behind after they're 'officially' uninstalled.
Personally, I've found that's the best thing to do with *all* Windows software-- go into Control Panel and uninstall the software there, then go into My Computer (or whatever it's called-- I always rename it within the first week of having the computer) and clean up after the program.
I agree with you on The Who and maybe the Rolling Stones (depending on my mood).
However, you seem to have forgotten such great bands as:
Yes
ELO (Electric Light Orchestra)
Pink Floyd
The Moody Blues
Rush
Styx
Deep Purple
Led Zepplin (again, depending on my mood)
Boston (kind of banal, I know, but still-- the music itself was *great*. Especially "Third Stage".)
"The admission was important because Mr Gates had previously argued that it was not feasible to create such a version of Windows, while maintaining the performance of the world's dominant PC operating system."
What is the problem here?;)
I, as a (reluctant) user of Windows ME, ask you-- *why* would anyone *want* to maintain the performance of the OS as it is? Heh. Maybe if Windows is stripped down and de-cruftified(?) (there's always hope!), maybe it'll actually run better. There's a thought.
Well, the thing is, at least on Windows ME, you can set the OS to download & install patches/updates automatically whenever M$ releases one. It even has a wizard to set it up the first time (wizards are a Windows luser's best friend). Personally, I have it set to ask my permission to download, but probably the average Win luser would set it to automatically download, no questions asked.
However, there is one problem with the patch downloader-- it doesn't tell you the size of the file it's actually downloading. Granted, you can click on the link at the end of the patch summary to read an in-depth description of the patch and the security problem it's patching, and sometimes the file size of the patch is given, but not always. Personally, I'd feel a little more sure of those patches if the correct file size were listed in the summary, and I could see the file size of the actual file to make sure they match.
But, then again, I could just be overly paranoid. I'm not so much afraid of M$ in this case, but I'm afraid some smart-ass punk will get the bright idea of creating a worm/virus that floats around looking for patches (I don't know how it would identify them, but someone would figure out a way), and when it finds one, attaches to it and piggybacks into someone's (my) computer.
BTW, does anyone know what the difference is between a worm and a virus?
On the topic of bumper stickers, I'd like to say that I've gotten very annoyed by the ones bragging about the driver's kids. It's gotten worse in recent years. On a more serious matter, it might be a good idea for schools to also give out bumper stickers for parents of the gangsta-wanna-bee and crackhead students in high schools.
Actually, when I was in middle school a few (3) years ago, one of the parents who drove their kids to school had a bumper sticker that said "My kid beat up your honor student". Now that really showed what that kid was learning at home...
So, obviously, some of the parents of these degenerate kids know what the kids are like and *don't care*-- in fact, they seem to encourage them!
The best I can figure is, their rationale must be "well, it's better for Junior to be a criminalistic punk than a nerd". [sarcasm] Oh, yeah, *much* better![/sarcasm] One's a dead end, one's not. I don't know what's so bad about being a nerd-- I'm one, always been one, and I'm damn proud of it, too!!
Whew, ok, sorry, just had to get that out of my system... between what I was working on in algebra class today and that comment about the bumperstickers, I was having flashbacks to public school. And the only way to get over it is to rant. I'm ok now.:\
But I still don't know what's so bad about being a nerd-- as I said, I'm one, always been one, and I'm still damn proud of it, too!! *grin*
It only costs a "mere 78 million dollars"! Guess what's going to be on my birthday/christmas list this year? (Right below that Cray supercomputer I've been asking for all these years...)
Just think, I'll finally be able to do something about those obnoxious, irritating jetskiers... "jetskiing tourist at one o'clock! Battle stations! Man the torpedoes! Fire!... Yay, another one bites the dust!" You don't know what hell is until you've been woken up at 8:00 AM (after being up till 2 AM with insomnia) by some stupid tourist on a jetski buzzing up and down the Intercoastal Waterway. *And* those jetskiers also like riding in the surf; so when I'd walk across the street to the beach to go swimming, I had to be careful I didn't get my head chopped off.
I love it. My favourite popup is after you install a program, and you get the little box: "Windows will now reboot. OK"
Yeah, really. I get that screen every time MS springs a patch on me. (Anyone else ever notice how M$ tends to decide at *9:30 PM* to download a patch? Or, if they actually get a clue/watch and download the patch at 7:00, it still takes till 11:00 to finish downloading and installing. Then again, that may be because I'm in the Eastern timezone and they're in the Pacific timezone, but *still*! They also (purposely, it seems) hide the area with the options to ask if it's a decent time to download. After 4 mos. I finally found that option. Anyway...)
Fortunately, as long as you don't click anywhere on the dialog box, you can keep it waiting in the background until *you* decide it's time to shut down. I know because I've been busy (reading/.) when a patch has finished downloading and installing itself, and I haven't been ready to shut the computer off for a few hours, so when the dialog box comes up, I just click on the browser window behind it which moves it to the background, and keep on reading.:)
Basically, my point is, those boxen are annoying, but there *is* a way to kind of 'put off the inevitable', so to speak. Er, now I lost the rest of my train of thought... crap...
As this article [theonion.com] points out, we have a lot more to worry about than the English language.
(The link points to an article entitled "Microsoft Patents Ones, Zeros")
This article gives new meaning to the phrase 'All your base are belong to us'. The scary part is, this is almost believable.
Wait a minute... how do we know that this hasn't actually happened? OMG, that would why software, and even hardware, is so expensive! They have to pay for all those 1's & 0's!
It's not like XP is so fucking stupid it's going to actually format someone's C: drive.
Actually, all versions of Windows are (apparently, AFAIK) incapable of formatting the hard drive. Believe me, I've tried before. Pretty stupid way of crippling the system if you ask me. It's not surprising, considering how it's crippled in other ways; just stupid and irritating.
However, that scenario *would* be funny if it were possible.
Re:What Slashdot should do
on
Slashdot IRC Forum
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
Slashdot should make comments subscription only.
I assume that you can pay for a subscription? Unfortunately, some of us can't afford the subscription (honestly) and/or have no way to pay-- no credit cards. Believe me, if I had the $$, I'd subscribe, if only to support/.; as it is, I like some of the ads, ignore the others, and pray my dad finds a job.
Though, I think you're right about comment-subscriptions doing away with the need for moderation. But there are some of us who don't troll, but can't subscribe, either.
What the hell do the volunteer colonists (and their descendants) do for the hundreds of years it would take to get anywhere?
I know what they could do! They could sing Styx "Come Sail Away" all the way to Alpha Centauri! C'mon, everybody: "...I thought that they were angels, but to my surprise/ I climbed aboard their starship/ we're headed for the skies!
[Chorus:]"Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me, lad..."
It's far more important for kids to learn to color outside the lines.
We have too many drones already. Kids should spend time questioning authority, breaking conventions, thinking outside the box, drawing outside the lines, and enjoying themselves. Most of them will be assimilated by The System by the time they're 10 anyway, but the few that can be reached make up for it.
Oops. You're right. Jeez, that's what I've been saying for years, now, and usually no-one pays attention. The one time I slip (I think they're finally wearing me down...), someone corrects me. *Sigh* Anyway, you're right, thanks for picking that up;).
"Programming" here is not necessarily C++ or Perl.
I didn't mean any languages like that. Heck, I'm not that advanced yet, and I'm in 11th grade. I just know HTML, a little bit of Python, and a bit of Java. I'm lucky I can identify C++ by looking at it; I can't read or code it. But what I meant was Basic or LOGO or HTML; common beginning languages.
I also didn't say programming wasn't creative or an art form. That's exactly what I like about it-- the creativity. I'm just saying that in school kids in elementary school have more important things to learn than programming. Like learning to read on grade-level. Or learn basic math. Or, especially, learn basic science. Look at the statistics of any testing done in these 3 areas, and you'll see the scores are atrocious! But, on their own free time after school, if they want to program, go ahead! Wonderful! They just have better things to do *in school*.
Coding lets you do nearly anything, and you could do graphic design or play imaginative games.
Yeah, but how many K-6 or -8 grade kids do you know who can program? Granted, playing on the computer is better than laying around watching TV-- it's more interactive, and most of the time you have to have some sort of reading ability to use the computer properly. I think what the parents are concerned about is that other, more important, areas of the kids' education may be neglected in favour of computers. It's far more important for the kids to learn to count, add fractions, write letters, and colour by hand in the lines than it is for them to learn about right-click menus and mail-to links at this point. Later, after they master basic skills, then is the time to teach them about the wonderful world of computers.
I don't know how many of your parents were like this, but my parents have a rule about the calculator for both me and my younger brother. Before we're allowed to use a calculator for a certain type of math problem, we have to be able to do the work by hand, or in our heads, proficiently before they let us use a calculator. Now this rule doesn't apply to me so much, but when I was in elementary and middle school, it did. And since my parents have & enforce that rule, I know (past experience) that I can, if need be, solve almost any geometry and most algebra problems in my head. Because I learned the math myself before I was even allowed to touch a calculator. Compare that to most of the kids in my class in school-- they struggled with a calculator, forget mental math. They weren't stupid; they just never learned to function without a calculator.
So hold off on the computers till about 4th or 5th grade. And even then keep the computer time within limits. Let the kids learn to read dead-tree books first; let them learn to use their imagination, rather than use the computer to provide one for them; let them learn to do math by themselves, so that the computer/calculator only becomes an easier way to do the math, not the only way. The kids will be much better for it in the long run.
That is what the parents were getting at.
(Sorry this post was so long, but I had to say all that.)
Instead of adapting systems to meet the state's rules, they are warning that Vermont residents may be excluded en masse from the kinds of offers and information that data sharing allows.
Oh man! You know, if I lived in VT, I'd really miss all that wonderful junk (snail) mail, those fun calls from telemarketers in the middle of meals (or especially when they call right when I'm expecting an important call, and they won't shut up and get off the line), and especially that really interesting spam from people I don't know about stuff I really don't care about! *sniff* I feel so sorry for those people up there. Life will become so boring for them.
*Sigh* Ghad, I wish I lived in VT!! Why can't we have good laws like that down here? All we get are anti-drinking laws. Jeez.
If you can sell *virtual* (fake) gold pieces, why not start selling Monopoly money, "get out of jail free" cards (these might come in handy if BSI loses...), or the tokens ($50 for the dog!!)?
And what about other games? Can you buy a vowel in Scrabble?
I find it sad that in this day and age people cannot separate reality from *virtual* reality, and would waste real money on something that's really imaginary. Do they also believe that fairy tales are true life and that the Budweiser lizards really talk?
Slashdot Mirror
Linux doesn't need to include a virus scanner by default; Linux doesn't get viruses. But, if you're running a mail server for a LAN that includes Windows machines, there are virus scanners for Linux. But they're just to interface to mail servers because that's all they're needed for.
Not likely, IMHO. They seem to be *really* into Linux, from what I've heard.
This is prolly a dumb question, but why can't it run Linux? Can't you buy it and load Linux on it? It *does* hook up to a PC, after all. *shrug* Just my dumb question of the day...
GOAL!
Oh, you mean something like this, perhaps? :P
Yes it does-- you can rip out the files by hand, can't you? Well, it's uninstalled, then. You can also get rid of those annoying little 'turds' that all Windows programs leave behind after they're 'officially' uninstalled.
Personally, I've found that's the best thing to do with *all* Windows software-- go into Control Panel and uninstall the software there, then go into My Computer (or whatever it's called-- I always rename it within the first week of having the computer) and clean up after the program.
Works for me :)
However, you seem to have forgotten such great bands as:
Yes
ELO (Electric Light Orchestra)
Pink Floyd
The Moody Blues
Rush
Styx
Deep Purple
Led Zepplin (again, depending on my mood)
Boston (kind of banal, I know, but still-- the music itself was *great*. Especially "Third Stage".)
I think that about covers it... :)
Now, the next question is, what's to be done about it? I'm not exactly sure how receptive the congress-critters would be to an idea this radical.
Any ideas?
True. But maybe that's why it only has "Score: 3, Funny" instead of score 4 or 5.
But, then again, humour is subjective.
That's just my $.02 USD. *shrug*
Duh. I think that's why they were joking. (The word "seriously" was a major tipoff...)
What is the problem here? ;)
I, as a (reluctant) user of Windows ME, ask you-- *why* would anyone *want* to maintain the performance of the OS as it is? Heh. Maybe if Windows is stripped down and de-cruftified(?) (there's always hope!), maybe it'll actually run better. There's a thought.
However, there is one problem with the patch downloader-- it doesn't tell you the size of the file it's actually downloading. Granted, you can click on the link at the end of the patch summary to read an in-depth description of the patch and the security problem it's patching, and sometimes the file size of the patch is given, but not always. Personally, I'd feel a little more sure of those patches if the correct file size were listed in the summary, and I could see the file size of the actual file to make sure they match.
But, then again, I could just be overly paranoid. I'm not so much afraid of M$ in this case, but I'm afraid some smart-ass punk will get the bright idea of creating a worm/virus that floats around looking for patches (I don't know how it would identify them, but someone would figure out a way), and when it finds one, attaches to it and piggybacks into someone's (my) computer.
BTW, does anyone know what the difference is between a worm and a virus?
Do you mean support contract, or life insurance policy? In the submarine business, I don't think there's much difference between the two. ;)
Actually, when I was in middle school a few (3) years ago, one of the parents who drove their kids to school had a bumper sticker that said "My kid beat up your honor student". Now that really showed what that kid was learning at home...
So, obviously, some of the parents of these degenerate kids know what the kids are like and *don't care*-- in fact, they seem to encourage them!
The best I can figure is, their rationale must be "well, it's better for Junior to be a criminalistic punk than a nerd". [sarcasm] Oh, yeah, *much* better![/sarcasm] One's a dead end, one's not. I don't know what's so bad about being a nerd-- I'm one, always been one, and I'm damn proud of it, too!!
Whew, ok, sorry, just had to get that out of my system... between what I was working on in algebra class today and that comment about the bumperstickers, I was having flashbacks to public school. And the only way to get over it is to rant. I'm ok now. :\
But I still don't know what's so bad about being a nerd-- as I said, I'm one, always been one, and I'm still damn proud of it, too!! *grin*
Just think, I'll finally be able to do something about those obnoxious, irritating jetskiers... "jetskiing tourist at one o'clock! Battle stations! Man the torpedoes! Fire!... Yay, another one bites the dust!" You don't know what hell is until you've been woken up at 8:00 AM (after being up till 2 AM with insomnia) by some stupid tourist on a jetski buzzing up and down the Intercoastal Waterway. *And* those jetskiers also like riding in the surf; so when I'd walk across the street to the beach to go swimming, I had to be careful I didn't get my head chopped off.
So this is the perfect gift! I want one.
Yeah, really. I get that screen every time MS springs a patch on me. (Anyone else ever notice how M$ tends to decide at *9:30 PM* to download a patch? Or, if they actually get a clue/watch and download the patch at 7:00, it still takes till 11:00 to finish downloading and installing. Then again, that may be because I'm in the Eastern timezone and they're in the Pacific timezone, but *still*! They also (purposely, it seems) hide the area with the options to ask if it's a decent time to download. After 4 mos. I finally found that option. Anyway...)
Fortunately, as long as you don't click anywhere on the dialog box, you can keep it waiting in the background until *you* decide it's time to shut down. I know because I've been busy (reading /.) when a patch has finished downloading and installing itself, and I haven't been ready to shut the computer off for a few hours, so when the dialog box comes up, I just click on the browser window behind it which moves it to the background, and keep on reading. :)
Basically, my point is, those boxen are annoying, but there *is* a way to kind of 'put off the inevitable', so to speak. Er, now I lost the rest of my train of thought... crap...
This article gives new meaning to the phrase 'All your base are belong to us'. The scary part is, this is almost believable.
Wait a minute... how do we know that this hasn't actually happened? OMG, that would why software, and even hardware, is so expensive! They have to pay for all those 1's & 0's!
And I always thought it was just simple greed...
Actually, all versions of Windows are (apparently, AFAIK) incapable of formatting the hard drive. Believe me, I've tried before. Pretty stupid way of crippling the system if you ask me. It's not surprising, considering how it's crippled in other ways; just stupid and irritating.
However, that scenario *would* be funny if it were possible.
I assume that you can pay for a subscription? Unfortunately, some of us can't afford the subscription (honestly) and/or have no way to pay-- no credit cards. Believe me, if I had the $$, I'd subscribe, if only to support /.; as it is, I like some of the ads, ignore the others, and pray my dad finds a job.
Though, I think you're right about comment-subscriptions doing away with the need for moderation. But there are some of us who don't troll, but can't subscribe, either.
I know what they could do! They could sing Styx "Come Sail Away" all the way to Alpha Centauri! C'mon, everybody: "...I thought that they were angels, but to my surprise/ I climbed aboard their starship/ we're headed for the skies!
[Chorus:]"Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me, lad..."
:p
Oops. You're right. Jeez, that's what I've been saying for years, now, and usually no-one pays attention. The one time I slip (I think they're finally wearing me down...), someone corrects me. *Sigh* Anyway, you're right, thanks for picking that up ;).
I didn't mean any languages like that. Heck, I'm not that advanced yet, and I'm in 11th grade. I just know HTML, a little bit of Python, and a bit of Java. I'm lucky I can identify C++ by looking at it; I can't read or code it. But what I meant was Basic or LOGO or HTML; common beginning languages.
I also didn't say programming wasn't creative or an art form. That's exactly what I like about it-- the creativity. I'm just saying that in school kids in elementary school have more important things to learn than programming. Like learning to read on grade-level. Or learn basic math. Or, especially, learn basic science. Look at the statistics of any testing done in these 3 areas, and you'll see the scores are atrocious! But, on their own free time after school, if they want to program, go ahead! Wonderful! They just have better things to do *in school*.
Yeah, but how many K-6 or -8 grade kids do you know who can program? Granted, playing on the computer is better than laying around watching TV-- it's more interactive, and most of the time you have to have some sort of reading ability to use the computer properly. I think what the parents are concerned about is that other, more important, areas of the kids' education may be neglected in favour of computers. It's far more important for the kids to learn to count, add fractions, write letters, and colour by hand in the lines than it is for them to learn about right-click menus and mail-to links at this point . Later, after they master basic skills, then is the time to teach them about the wonderful world of computers.
I don't know how many of your parents were like this, but my parents have a rule about the calculator for both me and my younger brother. Before we're allowed to use a calculator for a certain type of math problem, we have to be able to do the work by hand, or in our heads, proficiently before they let us use a calculator. Now this rule doesn't apply to me so much, but when I was in elementary and middle school, it did. And since my parents have & enforce that rule, I know (past experience) that I can, if need be, solve almost any geometry and most algebra problems in my head. Because I learned the math myself before I was even allowed to touch a calculator. Compare that to most of the kids in my class in school-- they struggled with a calculator, forget mental math. They weren't stupid; they just never learned to function without a calculator.
So hold off on the computers till about 4th or 5th grade. And even then keep the computer time within limits. Let the kids learn to read dead-tree books first; let them learn to use their imagination, rather than use the computer to provide one for them; let them learn to do math by themselves, so that the computer/calculator only becomes an easier way to do the math, not the only way. The kids will be much better for it in the long run.
That is what the parents were getting at.
(Sorry this post was so long, but I had to say all that.)
Oh man! You know, if I lived in VT, I'd really miss all that wonderful junk (snail) mail, those fun calls from telemarketers in the middle of meals (or especially when they call right when I'm expecting an important call, and they won't shut up and get off the line), and especially that really interesting spam from people I don't know about stuff I really don't care about! *sniff* I feel so sorry for those people up there. Life will become so boring for them.
*Sigh* Ghad, I wish I lived in VT!! Why can't we have good laws like that down here? All we get are anti-drinking laws. Jeez.
And what about other games? Can you buy a vowel in Scrabble?
I find it sad that in this day and age people cannot separate reality from *virtual* reality, and would waste real money on something that's really imaginary. Do they also believe that fairy tales are true life and that the Budweiser lizards really talk?