Yes, Linux is a great OS, but it simply doesn't have photoshop or anything that compares to it. GIMP is a clumsy hack and is frankly like Paint in comparison.
Compared to Photoshop, Gimp might be like Paint, but compared to Paint, Gimp really is like Photoshop:-)
Gnome, KDE and Explorer have nothing on the frankly revolutionary changes Mac has seamlessly implemented in the last few years. There are a lot of poorly implemented whizbang features like Time Machine's GUI or Safari 4's Top Pages, but there are also features like Spotlight, Expose, the new stacks in the Dock, and Quick Look.
"The idea that bobs_your_uncle_32.exe, installed on a user account, runs as a superuser and can modify important system files is completely idiotic."
This isn't a Windows-only problem any more.
I bought myself a Linux powered Acer Aspire One, which has Linpus installed by default. The default user can sudo anything without having to enter a password, which I think is a serious security risk.
But who is the one that decided a calendar should be part of a mail client? If mail clients have calendars, I do not see why e.g. web browsers do not have calendars.
Microsoft's business model is heavily dependent, not on actually giving customers what they want, but on tricks like "embrace, extend, extinguish". Microsoft will make more money if everyone follows Microsoft's non-standard way of doing things, because then everyone will need Microsoft software to see web sites.
Maybe Microsoft does not fix the CSS bugs in IE for another reason as well. I think a lot of websites perform a browser check, and in case of MSIE, buggy html/css is generated to produce a correct output. (This is at least the case in many of my own websites.) If all CSS-bugs were fixed in IE7, all those websites would render incorrectly in IE7 only, which might make users switch browsers more easily.
it's acceptable because it's a web browser, and not the whole operating system.
My parent's firewall complains when an application that wants to access the internet has changed. If you don't know that Firefox installs its updates automatically (like me;)) this is rather confusing.
The big complaint I had with the math department teachers in my school is that they were a lot more interested in the most exotic proofs of the month than they were in stuff that is actually useful in real life.
Although IANAMT (math teacher;)), I do not think that all math lessons should be useful in real life. I like the idea of picking some axioms, which you declare to be `true'. If your axioms are consistent, you can check out what happens in your newly created `universe'.
If you want math to be useful, it often `degenerates' to just doing boring calculations.
This problem would go away quickly if people signed their E-mail.
I use gpg to sign my e-mails. Sadly enough, most of the people I send mail to use clients like Outlook Express and the Hotmail web interface, which are not able to verify the signature. Outlook express doesn't even manage to display my signed messages, it shows them as.txt attachments.:(
Now that we are talking about/cool/ applications using simple computer hardware...
In our coffee room, the switch of the fridge light is connected to the F11 key of a keyboard. If you open the fridge without entering a correct access code (using the same keyboard), there is an alarm:-)
Too bad that there aren't any photos on-line of this hi-tech fridge intrusion detection system...
Poland just this week removed its support for the EU patent directive which means it no longer has enough support to pass. France and the UK have stated that FOSS is a viable alternative for government deployment and should be considered alongside commerical alternatives, Germany is already using it in Munich of course.
Sadly enough there are rumours that Belgium will vote in favour (see one but last paragraph) of software patents?!
One thing that Abiword has that Open Office doesn't is a Word Perfect Filter.
In my experience, the rtf export filter of Abiword is also better than the one in OOo. If I need to work on a (simple) document together with one of my `Windows friends', I use rtf. With OpenOffice.org, boldface text sometimes disappears or appears where it should not.
I am asking myself what exactly about music file swapping is illegal. Is it downloading the music, posessing the music, listening to the music or sharing the music?
Suppose my computer has a ram-disk, and I download music onto this ram-disk. Suppose also that I don't allow uploading these music files. If I am only downloading and listening to the music (I'm not keeping it on my hard disk), is this illegal?
Lots of people will get to hear 'Lindows' as a result of MS legal action who wouldn't have normally.
Lindows is rather unknown in the Benelux countries, so I'm not sure a lot of people will hear about this. I browsed my newspaper, and I only found a this small article hidden in the financial section.
OTOH, if YOU install it for them, and make it the default, they will happily use it and learn its features.
I tried this installing firebird on my parent's PC. They ended up on some sites which were only accessible to internet explorer, so they concluded that Firebird doesn't work. This was enough for them to switch back.
How does a voting machine proceed to the next voter if the previous one didn't push the "vote" button?
In Zandhoven (Belgium), we have been voting electronically for 8 years now. Before you go to the voting computer, you get a magnetic card. You need to insert this card to activate the computer. When you confirm your vote, you get you card back. And before you leave the voting office, you have to return your magnetic card.
"Computer hacking" is defined as "operating a computer in a manner inconsistent with it's designed intent".
Hmmm. I guess it depends on the one creating these definitions. According to Google,
`hacker' is a slang term for a computer enthusiast. Among professional programmers, the term hacker implies an amateur or a programmer who lacks formal training. Depending on how it used, the term can be either complimentary or derogatory, although it is developing an increasingly derogatory connotation. The pejorative sense of hacker is becoming more prominent largely because the popular press has co-opted the term to refer to individuals who gain unauthorised access to computer systems for the purpose of stealing and corrupting data. Hackers, themselves, maintain that the proper term for such individuals is cracker.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't find it on Codeplex. Maybe it's on Sourceforge ;-)
Yes, Linux is a great OS, but it simply doesn't have photoshop or anything that compares to it. GIMP is a clumsy hack and is frankly like Paint in comparison.
Compared to Photoshop, Gimp might be like Paint, but compared to Paint, Gimp really is like Photoshop :-)
Gnome, KDE and Explorer have nothing on the frankly revolutionary changes Mac has seamlessly implemented in the last few years. There are a lot of poorly implemented whizbang features like Time Machine's GUI or Safari 4's Top Pages, but there are also features like Spotlight, Expose, the new stacks in the Dock, and Quick Look.
Maybe you can check out
Call me back when Linux works with my hardware out of the box
Call me back when you buy hardware that works with Linux. :-)
"The idea that bobs_your_uncle_32.exe, installed on a user account, runs as a superuser and can modify important system files is completely idiotic."
This isn't a Windows-only problem any more.
I bought myself a Linux powered Acer Aspire One, which has Linpus installed by default. The default user can sudo anything without having to enter a password, which I think is a serious security risk.
You certainly don't live in Belgium.
But who is the one that decided a calendar should be part of a mail client? If mail clients have calendars, I do not see why e.g. web browsers do not have calendars.
I don't know about patches, but the first vulnerability has been announced :)
Maybe Microsoft does not fix the CSS bugs in IE for another reason as well. I think a lot of websites perform a browser check, and in case of MSIE, buggy html/css is generated to produce a correct output. (This is at least the case in many of my own websites.) If all CSS-bugs were fixed in IE7, all those websites would render incorrectly in IE7 only, which might make users switch browsers more easily.
My parent's firewall complains when an application that wants to access the internet has changed. If you don't know that Firefox installs its updates automatically (like me ;)) this is rather confusing.
I first thought this was a sarcastic joke, but after some Googling I discovered that ‘Minefield’ is the trunk build of Firefox.
Although IANAMT (math teacher ;)), I do not think that all math lessons should be useful in real life. I like the idea of picking some axioms, which you declare to be `true'. If your axioms are consistent, you can check out what happens in your newly created `universe'.
If you want math to be useful, it often `degenerates' to just doing boring calculations.
I use gpg to sign my e-mails. Sadly enough, most of the people I send mail to use clients like Outlook Express and the Hotmail web interface, which are not able to verify the signature. Outlook express doesn't even manage to display my signed messages, it shows them as .txt attachments. :(
Now that we are talking about /cool/ applications using simple computer hardware...
In our coffee room, the switch of the fridge light is connected to the F11 key of a keyboard. If you open the fridge without entering a correct access code (using the same keyboard), there is an alarm :-)
Too bad that there aren't any photos on-line of this hi-tech fridge intrusion detection system...
I found this onethis one using "cross-platform virus site:slashdot.org".
Sadly enough there are rumours that Belgium will vote in favour (see one but last paragraph) of software patents?!
In my experience, the rtf export filter of Abiword is also better than the one in OOo. If I need to work on a (simple) document together with one of my `Windows friends', I use rtf. With OpenOffice.org, boldface text sometimes disappears or appears where it should not.
Clicking on the link to the competitive guide shows a page not found
Maybe the slashdot crowd wasn't meant to know about this site...
I am asking myself what exactly about music file swapping is illegal. Is it downloading the music, posessing the music, listening to the music or sharing the music?
Suppose my computer has a ram-disk, and I download music onto this ram-disk. Suppose also that I don't allow uploading these music files. If I am only downloading and listening to the music (I'm not keeping it on my hard disk), is this illegal?
Lindows is rather unknown in the Benelux countries, so I'm not sure a lot of people will hear about this. I browsed my newspaper, and I only found a this small article hidden in the financial section.
I tried this installing firebird on my parent's PC. They ended up on some sites which were only accessible to internet explorer, so they concluded that Firebird doesn't work. This was enough for them to switch back.
At least 547 have.
In Zandhoven (Belgium), we have been voting electronically for 8 years now. Before you go to the voting computer, you get a magnetic card. You need to insert this card to activate the computer. When you confirm your vote, you get you card back. And before you leave the voting office, you have to return your magnetic card.
Shouldn't that be Microsoft?
It can be found here.
Here is an example how a video store web page violates 19 patents.
Hmmm. I guess it depends on the one creating these definitions. According to Google, `hacker' is a slang term for a computer enthusiast. Among professional programmers, the term hacker implies an amateur or a programmer who lacks formal training. Depending on how it used, the term can be either complimentary or derogatory, although it is developing an increasingly derogatory connotation. The pejorative sense of hacker is becoming more prominent largely because the popular press has co-opted the term to refer to individuals who gain unauthorised access to computer systems for the purpose of stealing and corrupting data. Hackers, themselves, maintain that the proper term for such individuals is cracker.