No, it isn't. Dialogs should be used very sparingly, and only on critical errors. Often stderr or a log file is a better choice. Regardless, it's entirely the perogative of the developer to decide what is intended functionality and what isn't.
Yep, there are certainly lots of projects out there that couldn't care less about usability. That's fine, and it's their perogative. All their code is available, though, so you can certainly build a more mouse friendly trap (or pay someone to do so.).
True enough. People in the non developer community contribute with $. They're probably best going with a Redhat or Novell solution that will have those things.
I recall someone in Britain using a cell phone to collect data from a stratosphere balloon, so that certainly seems plausible. But that doesn't particularily endanger the plane.
Not necessarily, no. "You're shit won't build with GCC 4.1.1" is certainly a bug, but it isn't necessarily a show stopping bug for the developer. "It works with gcc 4.1.0" is certainly a valid response.
In Gentoo's case, most of these are issues in portage, either that that particular version should be hard masked, or that gcc 4.1.1 should still be in ~arch (or hard masked). That particular package may be low on the priority list, or have no one, or an overworked someone maintaining it. If you aren't rolling up your sleeves to help out, you really don't have any basis to complain.
I've used Gentoo for years, and it meets my needs far better than any other distribution, but I'm also well aware of it's drawbacks. It really isn't the distro for someone who isn't willing to know what's going on under the hood, and get a little oil splattered in their face from time to time. It will likely never pass the "Mom test".
Sure it is. The fact that people gave you a bunch of free shit doesn't give you the right to demand they give you more free shit, or different free shit. Do I have the right to demand that you add feature x to your projects, or that you fix bug y right now and before bug z?
It works, more or less, between large corporations. Patents are used essentially as nukes, with the politics of MoD. Odds are they'll each have patents they could use against each other, but there's a tacit agreement that you won't use yours and I won't use mine. (Destructively, at least). That all falls apart when a large company feels threatened by a small one, without a stash of patents to threaten with.
I'm not exactly sure what you're asking me. The value of having most of x now and all of x later rather than none of x now and all of x later seems obvious.
Brace yourself, your sense of entitlement may make this difficult for you to accept.
You are not Gentoo's customer. You did not give them any money. They do not owe you a damned thing. Calling the developers "lazy" is absurd, given that you seem to have contributed absolutely nothing. If Gentoo isn't working out for you, you are perfectly free to not use it, fix it, or hire someone to fix it. You have absolutely no basis to complain that the gift horse has ugly teeth.
I live in Academia, so it's something I do quite often, either at conferences, seminars, or lectures.
So do I, and I've never seen an installed projector with DVI connection at all, let alone one without a VGA connector. Mac users are few and far between in the circles I travel, as is the case for the vast majority, so you're very lucky to have been around someone else who had one. Most high end commodity laptops which have DVI connections are full DVI, and also have VGA ports, so I can't see many people carrying mini DVI adaptors.
Yes, but adaptors get loose at the slightest bump, and send the display into funky-colours-land. They're fine for stationary, desktop systems, but are not in any way functional for laptops.
I need to plug my laptop into projectors. I don't particularily need to plug it into the few LCDs that do not have VGA connections.
There is indeed a lot more choice on the PC side. Of course most of it is poorly designed junk, since the focus of the PC world is how cheaply you can make things, not how enjoyable you can make the ownership experience. And that's why you can buy PCs for so much less than Macs. It's not that Apple's ripping you off, it's that Steve quite laudably refuses to make junk.
Or, you're just being gullible. Apple is not a charity, it is a for profit corporation, just like PC vendors. Apple's quality will be better than some, and worse than others. There's no magic pixie dust here. Recent history would suggest that Apple's current products are worse than most for quality. ie, massive battery recall, overheating, discolouration...
Oh, and my Acer laptop looks much, much nicer than those white plastic MacBooks.
However, one of your statements is simply not true. I hooked up my PowerBook G4 to a VGA projector with the adapter Apple provided in the box, for free. So compatibility with projection LCDs is no reason to stick with Windows.
You don't use projectors very often, do you? They're generally built into the room, with a VGA cable running through the wall to a jack, with another VGA cable running up to a podium. Adding another connection point to that mess is simply not acceptable. Futhermore, you're absolutely fucked if you forget the adaptor. No one else in the room will have one, because they sensibly bought laptops with standard VGA ports. Even if they *do* happen to have one lying around, it will be a standard DVI adaptor, not the mini DVI on MacBooks.
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It may conserve energy, but as described, it does not conserve momentum. There is a force acting in one direction, but not the other.
How about we ban and shoot all the marketers first? They certainly cause a lot more trouble than these people.
No, it isn't. Dialogs should be used very sparingly, and only on critical errors. Often stderr or a log file is a better choice. Regardless, it's entirely the perogative of the developer to decide what is intended functionality and what isn't.
Yep, there are certainly lots of projects out there that couldn't care less about usability. That's fine, and it's their perogative. All their code is available, though, so you can certainly build a more mouse friendly trap (or pay someone to do so.).
True enough. People in the non developer community contribute with $. They're probably best going with a Redhat or Novell solution that will have those things.
Bumping a key every time you advance a slide...
I recall someone in Britain using a cell phone to collect data from a stratosphere balloon, so that certainly seems plausible. But that doesn't particularily endanger the plane.
Yes, thank you Pedantic Boy. Captain Obvious went that way.
It looks like they may be doing just that.
I bet $20 that you'll be using your phone just as much as the next guy or gal.
/. are antisocial nerds with no one to call.
Don't be silly. Everyone knows that people on
Um, no.
The "danger" cell phones pose to airplanes is that you might get a signal, and not pay $10 a minute for the in flight phone system.
Not necessarily, no. "You're shit won't build with GCC 4.1.1" is certainly a bug, but it isn't necessarily a show stopping bug for the developer. "It works with gcc 4.1.0" is certainly a valid response.
In Gentoo's case, most of these are issues in portage, either that that particular version should be hard masked, or that gcc 4.1.1 should still be in ~arch (or hard masked). That particular package may be low on the priority list, or have no one, or an overworked someone maintaining it. If you aren't rolling up your sleeves to help out, you really don't have any basis to complain.
I've used Gentoo for years, and it meets my needs far better than any other distribution, but I'm also well aware of it's drawbacks. It really isn't the distro for someone who isn't willing to know what's going on under the hood, and get a little oil splattered in their face from time to time. It will likely never pass the "Mom test".
Sure it is. The fact that people gave you a bunch of free shit doesn't give you the right to demand they give you more free shit, or different free shit. Do I have the right to demand that you add feature x to your projects, or that you fix bug y right now and before bug z?
It works, more or less, between large corporations. Patents are used essentially as nukes, with the politics of MoD. Odds are they'll each have patents they could use against each other, but there's a tacit agreement that you won't use yours and I won't use mine. (Destructively, at least). That all falls apart when a large company feels threatened by a small one, without a stash of patents to threaten with.
I'm not exactly sure what you're asking me. The value of having most of x now and all of x later rather than none of x now and all of x later seems obvious.
Brace yourself, your sense of entitlement may make this difficult for you to accept.
You are not Gentoo's customer. You did not give them any money. They do not owe you a damned thing. Calling the developers "lazy" is absurd, given that you seem to have contributed absolutely nothing. If Gentoo isn't working out for you, you are perfectly free to not use it, fix it, or hire someone to fix it. You have absolutely no basis to complain that the gift horse has ugly teeth.
Extensions are nice and all, but OpenOffice needs to be removing java dependancies, not adding them.
There's value in having a system that works now, which can then recompile itself to your specifics in the background.
Really, I find that most people would rather complain about what they don't like than actually do anything to help fix it.
I live in Academia, so it's something I do quite often, either at conferences, seminars, or lectures.
So do I, and I've never seen an installed projector with DVI connection at all, let alone one without a VGA connector. Mac users are few and far between in the circles I travel, as is the case for the vast majority, so you're very lucky to have been around someone else who had one. Most high end commodity laptops which have DVI connections are full DVI, and also have VGA ports, so I can't see many people carrying mini DVI adaptors.
Wow, several? Well, that's conclusive then...
What, praytell, do you intend to do on the inevitable day you forget to bring that adaptor?
Well, that's just fine if you want your presentation to randomly shift colours. Adaptors are shit.
Ah. As I've said elsewhere, an adaptor just won't do, because every little bump will loosen it, and send the presentation into funky-colour mode.
Yes, but adaptors get loose at the slightest bump, and send the display into funky-colours-land. They're fine for stationary, desktop systems, but are not in any way functional for laptops.
I need to plug my laptop into projectors. I don't particularily need to plug it into the few LCDs that do not have VGA connections.
There is indeed a lot more choice on the PC side. Of course most of it is poorly designed junk, since the focus of the PC world is how cheaply you can make things, not how enjoyable you can make the ownership experience. And that's why you can buy PCs for so much less than Macs. It's not that Apple's ripping you off, it's that Steve quite laudably refuses to make junk.
Or, you're just being gullible. Apple is not a charity, it is a for profit corporation, just like PC vendors. Apple's quality will be better than some, and worse than others. There's no magic pixie dust here. Recent history would suggest that Apple's current products are worse than most for quality. ie, massive battery recall, overheating, discolouration...
Oh, and my Acer laptop looks much, much nicer than those white plastic MacBooks.
However, one of your statements is simply not true. I hooked up my PowerBook G4 to a VGA projector with the adapter Apple provided in the box, for free. So compatibility with projection LCDs is no reason to stick with Windows.
You don't use projectors very often, do you? They're generally built into the room, with a VGA cable running through the wall to a jack, with another VGA cable running up to a podium. Adding another connection point to that mess is simply not acceptable. Futhermore, you're absolutely fucked if you forget the adaptor. No one else in the room will have one, because they sensibly bought laptops with standard VGA ports. Even if they *do* happen to have one lying around, it will be a standard DVI adaptor, not the mini DVI on MacBooks.