--- I will continue to assume that the target-practice is to make one a better shot, when the time comes to shoot a person. ---
Is it a good deduction, then, that someone who pitches in a softball team is simply improving his/her ability to throw grenades at people?
Or one who plays Quake is learning to take potshots at intruding marauders?
Or one who buys a nice fast car so that they may outrun the police on a given day?
Or one who is involved in track & field is learning to chuck spears at innocent people and leap over their bloody corpses?
Sounds like one hell of a slippery slope your on. I haven't fired a gun in years, but most of the people I've known were either into sport shooting (cardboard targets, for fun) or kept a dust-laden gun around in the unlikely event that someone might break into their home and possibly try to kill them.
You can argue about the fun or lack thereof in sport shooting, or even the sanity of keeping a pistol around for personal protection. But it's a bit overboard to assume these people are just in it so they can shoot someone.
--- So the creators of the constitution has so little faith in their own document that they needed to provide a means within that very document to invalidate it? ---
Where are they invalidating it? In theory, if those guns would need to be used, the Constitution would have already been thrown out the door. The guns are to reinstate it (in theory at least).
--- Then by definition it would not be respecting the constitution, including the second amendment. So whatever rights you had would be moot in just the case where you would need them! ---
You've got it backwards. If a tyrannical government took over, in theory all of the normal people would have guns at their disposal in order to overthrow that government and defend/reinstate the Constitution. The moment that they become moot is when you need them (if you never had the right to bear arms to begin with, that would put all of the other amendments at greater risk).
Also, those who make the point that 10-20 million people with firearms aren't a match against our current military have a point: it's hard to match a bunch of tanks, F-18s, or nuclear arms. On the other hand, this is made under the assumption that those in the military wouldn't defect if their government started attacking its own people. The military isn't terribly useful without soldiers, after all. If the Air Force/Navy/Army/Marines/etc. all turned in their guns, do you think the White House/Congress would be hard to overtake?
[yes, I can hear the whirring of the great Echelon listening machine right now - oh well]
Of course, this is all theory. It doesn't matter how many guns are out there if everyone would rather just get fat watching TV, or if they're only used to pop a cap in the ass of a rival drug dealer. It's a tough line we walk when these necessary tools are being used for very bad purposes...
--- Perhaps, and it didnt bother me that he posted that information, but HOW did he post it. ---
What's wrong with how he posted it? Considering that Gnome and KDE have more than a few similarities, it seems relatively on-topic (at least in the respect that people interested in a new release for one will likely be interested in the other).
What he asked was that people refrain from flaming, as he was providing information only. What do you do? Flame.
--- FYI, marketshare is not the defining factor in a monopoly. A monopoly is made when a company has a command over the market, no substitutes exist, and entry by other firms is barred. --- No substitutes exist... Isn't that when marketshare is very very high, causing that company to have an unnaturally strong command over the market?
Apple has no more than 10% of the market. Many people are daily faced with the prospect of buying either a Mac or a PC, both of which perform more or less the same functionality. When the competition receives 90% of the business, you can't be a monopoly.
Really, all you've done is defined monopoly. It's still the same thing.
That's because a statistically insignificant number of people are blocking ads. If enough people do it, Slashdot could move to subscription fees or some other manner to get money and be done with it. I'd be 100% fine with that - if a site is good enough to read daily, it's worth a little cash to me.
Really, it's much nicer than pimping out one's eyeballs, don't you think?:>
--- With any junk busting feature (either mozilla or external) you are actually not downloading them. ---
Actually, you are. The file is downloaded to your computer, and a piece of software on the client end edits the file before it is displayed onscreen. The page is literally resident inside your computer (well, at least with the blocking software I've used - some may use a proxy of some sort, but then it's on someone else's computer who has consented).
When the data is on my computer, I can view it as I wish. That's the nature of the web - there is no guarantee how something will be rendered.
BTW: Yes, I run a site that is advertising supported (velocinews.com). Yes, I have no problem if you use ad blocking software. It is your right to do so.
--- Why should they? They are a monopoly in every sense of the word except marketshare. ---
Am I the only one who sees the inherant discord in this statement?
The independant bookstore on the corner is a monopoly in every sense of the word except marketshare as well. Somehow I don't think Amazon or Barnes & Noble care very much.
Marketshare is the single defining factor of a monopoly. By definition a company cannot be a monopoly if they have low marketshare.
--- I've always hated Apples, and when they cut out the clones why that just justified my hatred of them. ---
By chance did you own a clone? So did I (PowerTower Pro 225 - a kick ass machine for its time). I was pissed too, but at the time their company was leaking 700+ million a quarter with no end in sight. In the end, it's hard to argue against Jobs' turnaround.
I too feel that clones are essential to the growth of the Mac platform. But, Apple should make sure they've taken up as far as they can before they open the floodgates again, and next time be more careful about it. If you haven't noticed, recent technological changes in the OS and hardware have made it much easier for cloners to exist.
Legitimate technical problems? Not really - although I don't do tech support anymore (I've moved to development - yay!). Supposedly they're fairly solid.
However, they're a little anemic for my tastes. If you don't mind sacrificing the ability to run an external monitor off of it and don't care about the lower-res screen, then it's not so bad.
Of course, there's the color issue. If you don't like the color scheme, you won't like it. The new graphite models look okay though.
Plus, you also have form-factor. They are BIG. I don't mind that really (I am a happy user of a PB G3 Bronze, which is pretty large), but some do.
I'd personally go for a used Powerbook G3, but your mileage may vary.
"You must accept the enclosed License Agreement before you can use this product"
...which would seem to me to mean that you can open the box, just not use it. In cases like this, usually the software itself is enclosed in a little pouch with the licensing terms on it. You read the license, then open the pouch if you don't have an objections. That way you can prove that you didn't run the software.
--- According to all the case law out there dealing with shrinkwraps, Sears could get away with this, and would have the right to sue you if you misused "their" hammer. ---
Right. At which point, you walk out the door and buy a hammer elsewhere.
As consumers we vote with our pocketbooks. If an item - even software - doesn't have the license you want, don't buy it. It's 100% the consumer's fault if they purchase something with full knowledge of its license terms and decide that they didn't care for the terms they agreed to. It's not Company XYZ's fault if I'm too stupid to complain and demand something better.
I have personally services the infamous 'Hindenbook' a number of times. While I've never seen one spontaneously combust, it was rare that I'd find one whose hinging wasn't cracked up with parts hanging out.
They made an awful 'crreeaaaak!!' sound whenever you'd open one. Not one of Apple's best machines.
The 3400, released later, was pretty nice though - as have been all Powerbooks since ('cept the iBook, which is okay for what it is, but I don't really want one).
1. Not all Apple systems are multi-colored. If you feel the need for monochromatic goodness, then get yourself a graphite colored machine. It's a color, I suppose, but it's not pastel.
2. Buy a 2/3+ button mouse. Yeah, it sucks. But mice are cheap.
3. Don't like the GUI? I guess I can't really help you there. That's a preference. The other stuff can be changed.
Umm, I think I can speak for a large chunk of the Mac using population when I say most of us hate Microsoft as well - and we're hardly the CLI-using people you allude to (well, I am, but most of us aren't).
Both - Apple has targetted their PR on mass media stuff (mostly movies and TV), with fairly good results. I believe they have given iMacs and other machines to studios for free in exchange for a few seconds of exposure. In some cases, an Apple product has played a very prominent role in various films (Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible, etc).
I'm still trying to figure out how Apple got Open Transport - their networking architecture - to interface with the alien mothership in Independence Day. At the time, OT truly sucked, and it was hard enough to get it to work on terrestrial networks. All this, and they chose to spotlight the Powerbook 5300, possibly the worst laptop Apple has ever made.
Anyhow, there is also a pretty strong contingent of Mac people in the graphic arts field, as well as Hollywood in general. Script writers, directors, actors, etc. I'm not sure what the percentage is, but it's probably a lot higher than the rest of the world at large. I imagine that they have so many Macs laying around, they make good props.
This proposed breakup isn't because XXXX piece of Microsoft software sucks.
This breakup is because XXXX competitor's software died in a larval stage because Microsoft smashed it to pieces.
I can't say for certain whether or not a breakup will be a good thing, or how it will turn out. But in theory, this should benefit not only Mac or Linux users, but those who like to run Office on Windows as well.
If you like Microsoft software, just imagine how much better it'd be if they actually had serious competition to worry about. Office would be 30% faster and leaner, Windows could run on multiple platforms, and you could substitute the IE web browsing widget with another if you so choose.
Perhaps there never even would have been a Microsoft Bob...
Slashdot Mirror
---
I will continue to assume that the target-practice is to make one a better shot, when the time comes to shoot a person.
---
Is it a good deduction, then, that someone who pitches in a softball team is simply improving his/her ability to throw grenades at people?
Or one who plays Quake is learning to take potshots at intruding marauders?
Or one who buys a nice fast car so that they may outrun the police on a given day?
Or one who is involved in track & field is learning to chuck spears at innocent people and leap over their bloody corpses?
Sounds like one hell of a slippery slope your on. I haven't fired a gun in years, but most of the people I've known were either into sport shooting (cardboard targets, for fun) or kept a dust-laden gun around in the unlikely event that someone might break into their home and possibly try to kill them.
You can argue about the fun or lack thereof in sport shooting, or even the sanity of keeping a pistol around for personal protection. But it's a bit overboard to assume these people are just in it so they can shoot someone.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
Many illicit drugs are harvested/produced overseas (ie. South America). Give me 2 hours and I could probably find some for you.
The United States does not exist in a vacuum, after all.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
---
And when was the last time we had a totalitarian government we had to defend ourselves from in either Canada or the US?
---
It doesn't happen out of the blue. It happens in steps.
The USA and Canada are young - don't think it can't happen here.
And no, I'm not a right-wing gun nut or anything. I've read plenty of history on how complacency leads to bad things, though...
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
---
So the creators of the constitution has so little faith in their own document that they needed to provide a means within that very document to invalidate it?
---
Where are they invalidating it? In theory, if those guns would need to be used, the Constitution would have already been thrown out the door. The guns are to reinstate it (in theory at least).
---
Then by definition it would not be respecting the constitution, including the second amendment. So whatever rights you had would be moot in just the case where you would need them!
---
You've got it backwards. If a tyrannical government took over, in theory all of the normal people would have guns at their disposal in order to overthrow that government and defend/reinstate the Constitution. The moment that they become moot is when you need them (if you never had the right to bear arms to begin with, that would put all of the other amendments at greater risk).
Also, those who make the point that 10-20 million people with firearms aren't a match against our current military have a point: it's hard to match a bunch of tanks, F-18s, or nuclear arms. On the other hand, this is made under the assumption that those in the military wouldn't defect if their government started attacking its own people. The military isn't terribly useful without soldiers, after all. If the Air Force/Navy/Army/Marines/etc. all turned in their guns, do you think the White House/Congress would be hard to overtake?
[yes, I can hear the whirring of the great Echelon listening machine right now - oh well]
Of course, this is all theory. It doesn't matter how many guns are out there if everyone would rather just get fat watching TV, or if they're only used to pop a cap in the ass of a rival drug dealer. It's a tough line we walk when these necessary tools are being used for very bad purposes...
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
...but I will not allow my users...
[snip]
...any software which everyone can't get at free
Am I the only one who finds this incredibly humorous?
I guess one man's freedom is another's control.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
---
Perhaps, and it didnt bother me that he posted that information, but HOW did he post it.
---
What's wrong with how he posted it? Considering that Gnome and KDE have more than a few similarities, it seems relatively on-topic (at least in the respect that people interested in a new release for one will likely be interested in the other).
What he asked was that people refrain from flaming, as he was providing information only. What do you do? Flame.
The irony is, erm, ironic.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
--- ... Isn't that when marketshare is very very high, causing that company to have an unnaturally strong command over the market?
FYI, marketshare is not the defining factor in a monopoly. A monopoly is made when a company has a command over the market, no substitutes exist, and entry by other firms is barred.
---
No substitutes exist
Apple has no more than 10% of the market. Many people are daily faced with the prospect of buying either a Mac or a PC, both of which perform more or less the same functionality. When the competition receives 90% of the business, you can't be a monopoly.
Really, all you've done is defined monopoly. It's still the same thing.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
---
:>
How do you think Slashdot makes money?
---
Advertising revenue.
That's because a statistically insignificant number of people are blocking ads. If enough people do it, Slashdot could move to subscription fees or some other manner to get money and be done with it. I'd be 100% fine with that - if a site is good enough to read daily, it's worth a little cash to me.
Really, it's much nicer than pimping out one's eyeballs, don't you think?
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
---
With any junk busting feature (either mozilla or external) you are actually not downloading them.
---
Actually, you are. The file is downloaded to your computer, and a piece of software on the client end edits the file before it is displayed onscreen. The page is literally resident inside your computer (well, at least with the blocking software I've used - some may use a proxy of some sort, but then it's on someone else's computer who has consented).
When the data is on my computer, I can view it as I wish. That's the nature of the web - there is no guarantee how something will be rendered.
BTW: Yes, I run a site that is advertising supported (velocinews.com). Yes, I have no problem if you use ad blocking software. It is your right to do so.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
---
Why should they? They are a monopoly in every sense of the word except marketshare.
---
Am I the only one who sees the inherant discord in this statement?
The independant bookstore on the corner is a monopoly in every sense of the word except marketshare as well. Somehow I don't think Amazon or Barnes & Noble care very much.
Marketshare is the single defining factor of a monopoly. By definition a company cannot be a monopoly if they have low marketshare.
---
I've always hated Apples, and when they cut out the clones why that just justified my hatred of them.
---
By chance did you own a clone? So did I (PowerTower Pro 225 - a kick ass machine for its time). I was pissed too, but at the time their company was leaking 700+ million a quarter with no end in sight. In the end, it's hard to argue against Jobs' turnaround.
I too feel that clones are essential to the growth of the Mac platform. But, Apple should make sure they've taken up as far as they can before they open the floodgates again, and next time be more careful about it. If you haven't noticed, recent technological changes in the OS and hardware have made it much easier for cloners to exist.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
Legitimate technical problems? Not really - although I don't do tech support anymore (I've moved to development - yay!). Supposedly they're fairly solid.
However, they're a little anemic for my tastes. If you don't mind sacrificing the ability to run an external monitor off of it and don't care about the lower-res screen, then it's not so bad.
Of course, there's the color issue. If you don't like the color scheme, you won't like it. The new graphite models look okay though.
Plus, you also have form-factor. They are BIG. I don't mind that really (I am a happy user of a PB G3 Bronze, which is pretty large), but some do.
I'd personally go for a used Powerbook G3, but your mileage may vary.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
---
Sometimes I'm surprised that we haven't been accused of having a role in the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens!
---
Don't you dare try to deny it, either.
(I live down-wind from St. Helens)
:>
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
Well, it says:
"You must accept the enclosed License Agreement before you can use this product"
...which would seem to me to mean that you can open the box, just not use it. In cases like this, usually the software itself is enclosed in a little pouch with the licensing terms on it. You read the license, then open the pouch if you don't have an objections. That way you can prove that you didn't run the software.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
---
According to all the case law out there dealing with shrinkwraps, Sears could get away with this, and would have the right to sue you if you misused "their" hammer.
---
Right. At which point, you walk out the door and buy a hammer elsewhere.
As consumers we vote with our pocketbooks. If an item - even software - doesn't have the license you want, don't buy it. It's 100% the consumer's fault if they purchase something with full knowledge of its license terms and decide that they didn't care for the terms they agreed to. It's not Company XYZ's fault if I'm too stupid to complain and demand something better.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
I have personally services the infamous 'Hindenbook' a number of times. While I've never seen one spontaneously combust, it was rare that I'd find one whose hinging wasn't cracked up with parts hanging out.
They made an awful 'crreeaaaak!!' sound whenever you'd open one. Not one of Apple's best machines.
The 3400, released later, was pretty nice though - as have been all Powerbooks since ('cept the iBook, which is okay for what it is, but I don't really want one).
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
Erm, the first Mac (the 128k) was released Jan. 24th, 1984.
Its precursor, the Lisa, I believe was introduced the year earlier to little fanfair.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
I'm not sure if you're trolling or not, but:
1. Not all Apple systems are multi-colored. If you feel the need for monochromatic goodness, then get yourself a graphite colored machine. It's a color, I suppose, but it's not pastel.
2. Buy a 2/3+ button mouse. Yeah, it sucks. But mice are cheap.
3. Don't like the GUI? I guess I can't really help you there. That's a preference. The other stuff can be changed.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
Right. And Apple has been shipping Sherlock and the System Profiler with their OS for about 2-3 years. An OS != the stuff that comes with it.
...Unless of course you want GNU/Linux/X/Gnome/WINE/blah/blah/blah...
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
Umm, I think I can speak for a large chunk of the Mac using population when I say most of us hate Microsoft as well - and we're hardly the CLI-using people you allude to (well, I am, but most of us aren't).
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
Actually, I did vote for McCain.
Didn't work. Was worth a shot, though.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
30 years?
That's pretty impressive for an OS that has only been in development for less than a decade.
About the same amount of time that Be has been around, actually.
Perhaps you meant Unix instead?
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
---
:>
What do you call kids that grow up surrounded by a family that hunts?
---
Rednecklets?
(yes, I'm kidding)
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
Both - Apple has targetted their PR on mass media stuff (mostly movies and TV), with fairly good results. I believe they have given iMacs and other machines to studios for free in exchange for a few seconds of exposure. In some cases, an Apple product has played a very prominent role in various films (Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible, etc).
I'm still trying to figure out how Apple got Open Transport - their networking architecture - to interface with the alien mothership in Independence Day. At the time, OT truly sucked, and it was hard enough to get it to work on terrestrial networks. All this, and they chose to spotlight the Powerbook 5300, possibly the worst laptop Apple has ever made.
Anyhow, there is also a pretty strong contingent of Mac people in the graphic arts field, as well as Hollywood in general. Script writers, directors, actors, etc. I'm not sure what the percentage is, but it's probably a lot higher than the rest of the world at large. I imagine that they have so many Macs laying around, they make good props.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
This proposed breakup isn't because XXXX piece of Microsoft software sucks.
This breakup is because XXXX competitor's software died in a larval stage because Microsoft smashed it to pieces.
I can't say for certain whether or not a breakup will be a good thing, or how it will turn out. But in theory, this should benefit not only Mac or Linux users, but those who like to run Office on Windows as well.
If you like Microsoft software, just imagine how much better it'd be if they actually had serious competition to worry about. Office would be 30% faster and leaner, Windows could run on multiple platforms, and you could substitute the IE web browsing widget with another if you so choose.
Perhaps there never even would have been a Microsoft Bob...
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
Hey, watch it! I live near Hanford (Tri-Cities).
:>
It's bad enough that I glow in dim light.
That said, it would be nice to see if we can make the MS campus have the same properties as a lump of charcoal.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)