But, it does still require a willingness to screw around endlessly with absolutely everything, and then screw around with it again when it inexplicably stops working after the first reboot. Aside from, to use your term, "linux-nerds," I don't know anyone who is willing to spend two weeks researching and getting an OS install running just so that they can proudly claim to be Windows free. Yes, yes, I am SURE that 98% of potential Slashdot respondents can complete the whole process in six minutes, but we're talking about how the use of linux doesn't require an interest in linux.
Everyone who is actually, you know, BUSY with things just loads OS X or XP and moves on with life. So, perhaps linux isn't hard to USE anymore (although such a statement is not my opinion), but that only matters after the endless initial "tweaking" is complete.
Maybe, I'm just one of those people, but it seems like a crime to me to not run with a good idea, no matter what kind of position you're in. Perhaps what keeps people like Gates pushing ahead is the idea of being able to lay on his deathbed with the knowledge that he did absolutely everything he could in his lifetime.
Anyone who has ever experienced a long-term romantic relationship knows the misery of laying there once it ends and imagining all the things that could have been said or done but weren't for whatever reason -- it's the regret of paths not explored. He has the resources to investigate virtually any business angle, so I would guess that it's mostly to prevent that same type of analytic unpleasantness once his life reaches its twilight.
I believe that it's only during takeoff and landing that RF can cause grief on a plane. I've seen more than a few occasions where people will be hammering away for the bulk of the flight in plain view, and get no grief from the attendants. Plus, and I'm no pilot, I think that takeoff and landing are the only two parts of a flight where a pilot "steers" the plane, so maybe that's got something to do with it.
Hey man, I agree with you, but look at the rest of the snippet -- if you believe what you read at Slashdot, Dell is ten minutes away from dumping Microsoft products entirely in favour of linux. So is IBM. And HP. And probably Apple.
Reality has no precedent around this place, or in much of the OSS community.
Now please explain to me why we've put all our "eggs into one basket" WRT virtually *all* PC (and PC-server) hardware now solely being manufactured by red china.
Sure, it's because you and everyone you know is unwilling to pay $3000 for a computer, which you would if cheap Asian parts vanished, because North Americans figure that it's a right to earn $15 an hour.
Call it a hunch, but I doubt he meant at the time of the emergency.
"Ma'am? Ma'am! Yes, I know you're shot, but I need you to open a web browser. OK? OK. Now, type this in: aich-tee-tee-pee, colon -- yes, two dots. OK, colon, slash, slash... No, not two colons. Yes, two aiches."
Instead, I suggest that VoIP users could be asked to fill in personal information at the time of sign up or whatever, but who is to blame if they don't, or fuck it up to a degree that only ISP clients can? God knows someone has to get sued (this is, after all, the western world), but whom?
Meh. That type of shit around here turned me off, and I've heard evidence that it's turned off a whole bunch of other people as well. On the other hand, I don't know anyone who's actually been turned ON to Linux by being berated for disagreeing with a collection of people who apparently have no concept of capitalism.
There's a pretty big difference between negative advertising and a bunch of extremely smarmy nerds and their "M$" zingers that are actually less funny than cultural genocide.
Yeah, yeah, I know -- drag out the flamebait, I don't care.
I am starting to wonder how many claims like yours are, to put it delicately, absolute bullshit. If every Slashbot who claimed to be in a position of purchasing authority actually WAS in a position of purchasing authority, you'd think Linux would actually be doing something in the business world.
The Slashdot collective has never been afraid the exaggerate in a whole host of areas, and that's a real shame, because it would be nice to be able to ask questions and formulate arguments based upon some of what shows up around here. As it stands, I would have to be stupider than my couch to base anything meaningful upon the claims of an inexplicably boastful OSS community.
Because business -- REAL western business, and not the ideological extensions that so many around this place confuse for the real thing -- is ugly. Slashdot and those that drink the OSS Kool-Aid are hyper-sensitive to Microsoft's wheelings and dealings because it's something they care about. In reality, everyone who is very successful has pulled bullying tactics, and it usually slips quietly under the radar because it's not actually news.
I find it ironic that the same people who make such a big deal about this generally can't spend money fast enough on the new Playstation, MP3 player, or Hollywood production de jour, since the purveyors of those things are all notoriously quick to crush opponents in the same way Microsoft has done here.
But, honestly, that's the character of Slashdot. Anyone who hangs around this place knows how things work. This is an OSS advocate site -- and fair enough -- but it's pretty ridiculous to shake your fist at the sky and wonder how Microsoft stays in business, since it seems that absolutely everyone already knows.
I don't trust Microsoft as far as I can throw it, but it doesn't do anything to further the OSS perspective by pretending that they're this renegade corporation that refuses to play by the rules. These ARE the rules, and the only reason Microsoft sticks out is because most other areas of business have a few Microsofts all doing the same things, while the computer world doesn't. Yet.
SONY, GM, or any other company that the OSS crowd happily supports are likely as jealous as hell at how successful Microsoft has been at maintaining its spot as the only game in the computer world, and would love to turn back time in order to do things the way Microsoft has.
Not kidding. I can hold hands with the guys that sit next to me.
Ha ha! Awesome visual.
The last IT gig I had was similar -- I had an office made for three all to myself. It actually echoed. The four other techs were in the same scenario -- we'd meet up in my office on Fridays to play Office Chair Nerf Football. Once the company finally noticed that they were paying for way, way, way too much space, they moved us all into the smallest office where things were so tight that my phone cord kept getting tangled with the one from the next desk.
GPL has and always will be about pushing a particular political agenda, not about creating software that anyone can use in any way they wish to use it.
Well, duh. The entire universe of free and open source software is purely political. Ever looked around this place? Linux and open source isn't about good software, it's about putting the screws to Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, etc, etc, etc.
That's where the old saying comes from, young man -- BSD (and its licence) are for those who like UNIX. Linux (and the GPL) are for those who hate Windows.
And, furthermore, most of the "reasons" they use to hate Windows don't even apply anymore (e.g. stability, speed).
Hey. I'm as big a fan of recycled hardware as the next jerk, but this is a bit of a different situation. Noise from a HTPC sucks, and it's no secret that old drives and PSU fans with a million miles on the clock are noisier than new stuff. Older Celerons may actually be better than new CPUs because one could run them without fans (my C433 never had a fan over five years), but CPUs are only a small part of the picture.
I imagine that this is even more noticeable with SCSI drives, which tended to be louder from the start because they're less frequently used in desktop situations. You've got five -- can you hear yourself breathe among those howling sweethearts?
Oh, that's so stupid. There is absolutely no necessary correlation between a desire for something that does not require endless screwing around and mental dullness. In fact, now that I think about it, I tend to view people with a desire for simplicity in a better default light than those who can't have enough complexity swirling about their head and neck, because the simplicity-seekers tend to be the ones who think about their needs instead of immediately grabbing the newest shiniest whatever.
It sounds to me like YOU've been conditioned by Linux's "everything endlessly complicated must be better" mentality.
Imagine doing [high, sustained loads] with Windows (any version of Windows) on that same box.
You mean like countless people have done on countless occasions? Bleh. It's not 1995 anymore, James, and Windows is as stable as anything else, pound for pound. Anyone with an ounce of objectivity left knows it. Don't like Microsoft politics? Fine, you're free to disagree, but the anti-stability "argument" against Windows is as meaningless and weak as incompatibilty claims against 1.x versions of Linux.
Sorry to have introduced logic into your conversation. Back to your zealotry.
This is a fantastic post, and it's the difference between Apple and everyone else. Apple will never, ever make the absolute best of anything, but the mix of technical competence and style is what has more than tripled Apple's stock since the introduction of the iPod.
The overdesigned problem is everywhere. I have a 2004 model Clarion CD player in my car. It works well and sounds great, but it has a whirling animated chaser on the display that doesn't appear to do anything but scream "I am technologically impressive!" It looks like a "CD is playing" icon, but continues to spin as long as a CD is physically loaded, despite the current function of the player. Since most reasonable people have a CD loaded at virtually all times, even when listening to the radio or an auxiliary input, the chaser spins relentlessly, long into the night.
A big deal? No. Gimmicky and pointless? Yes. That LCD space could have been used to allow longer song titles without scrolling or whatever, but, instead, the geek-factor again overwhelmed practicality. If Apple designed automotive products, I guarantee this wouldn't be the case.
Nobody says that visual appeal has to equal brutal simplicity, but I don't need to be reminded that I am living in THE 21ST CENTURY! every time I pick up a technological device.
Slashdot Mirror
Everyone who is actually, you know, BUSY with things just loads OS X or XP and moves on with life. So, perhaps linux isn't hard to USE anymore (although such a statement is not my opinion), but that only matters after the endless initial "tweaking" is complete.
Anyone who has ever experienced a long-term romantic relationship knows the misery of laying there once it ends and imagining all the things that could have been said or done but weren't for whatever reason -- it's the regret of paths not explored. He has the resources to investigate virtually any business angle, so I would guess that it's mostly to prevent that same type of analytic unpleasantness once his life reaches its twilight.
I believe that it's only during takeoff and landing that RF can cause grief on a plane. I've seen more than a few occasions where people will be hammering away for the bulk of the flight in plain view, and get no grief from the attendants. Plus, and I'm no pilot, I think that takeoff and landing are the only two parts of a flight where a pilot "steers" the plane, so maybe that's got something to do with it.
Reality has no precedent around this place, or in much of the OSS community.
Sure, it's because you and everyone you know is unwilling to pay $3000 for a computer, which you would if cheap Asian parts vanished, because North Americans figure that it's a right to earn $15 an hour.
Got any hard questions?
"Ma'am? Ma'am! Yes, I know you're shot, but I need you to open a web browser. OK? OK. Now, type this in: aich-tee-tee-pee, colon -- yes, two dots. OK, colon, slash, slash... No, not two colons. Yes, two aiches."
Instead, I suggest that VoIP users could be asked to fill in personal information at the time of sign up or whatever, but who is to blame if they don't, or fuck it up to a degree that only ISP clients can? God knows someone has to get sued (this is, after all, the western world), but whom?
There's a pretty big difference between negative advertising and a bunch of extremely smarmy nerds and their "M$" zingers that are actually less funny than cultural genocide.
Yeah, yeah, I know -- drag out the flamebait, I don't care.
The Slashdot collective has never been afraid the exaggerate in a whole host of areas, and that's a real shame, because it would be nice to be able to ask questions and formulate arguments based upon some of what shows up around here. As it stands, I would have to be stupider than my couch to base anything meaningful upon the claims of an inexplicably boastful OSS community.
Are you serious? THAT's what you think Slashdot does? Wow, I guess a person really can convince himself (just guessing) of anything.
Because business -- REAL western business, and not the ideological extensions that so many around this place confuse for the real thing -- is ugly. Slashdot and those that drink the OSS Kool-Aid are hyper-sensitive to Microsoft's wheelings and dealings because it's something they care about. In reality, everyone who is very successful has pulled bullying tactics, and it usually slips quietly under the radar because it's not actually news.
I find it ironic that the same people who make such a big deal about this generally can't spend money fast enough on the new Playstation, MP3 player, or Hollywood production de jour, since the purveyors of those things are all notoriously quick to crush opponents in the same way Microsoft has done here.
But, honestly, that's the character of Slashdot. Anyone who hangs around this place knows how things work. This is an OSS advocate site -- and fair enough -- but it's pretty ridiculous to shake your fist at the sky and wonder how Microsoft stays in business, since it seems that absolutely everyone already knows.
I don't trust Microsoft as far as I can throw it, but it doesn't do anything to further the OSS perspective by pretending that they're this renegade corporation that refuses to play by the rules. These ARE the rules, and the only reason Microsoft sticks out is because most other areas of business have a few Microsofts all doing the same things, while the computer world doesn't. Yet.
SONY, GM, or any other company that the OSS crowd happily supports are likely as jealous as hell at how successful Microsoft has been at maintaining its spot as the only game in the computer world, and would love to turn back time in order to do things the way Microsoft has.
How about -- starting in less than 30 seconds.
Ha ha! Awesome visual.
The last IT gig I had was similar -- I had an office made for three all to myself. It actually echoed. The four other techs were in the same scenario -- we'd meet up in my office on Fridays to play Office Chair Nerf Football. Once the company finally noticed that they were paying for way, way, way too much space, they moved us all into the smallest office where things were so tight that my phone cord kept getting tangled with the one from the next desk.
I hear that company is out of business now.
Well, duh. The entire universe of free and open source software is purely political. Ever looked around this place? Linux and open source isn't about good software, it's about putting the screws to Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, etc, etc, etc.
That's where the old saying comes from, young man -- BSD (and its licence) are for those who like UNIX. Linux (and the GPL) are for those who hate Windows.
And, furthermore, most of the "reasons" they use to hate Windows don't even apply anymore (e.g. stability, speed).
Pure politics, pal.
In the world of materialism, the best things in life aren't free (or cheap).
"... their ongoing commitment to Linux and other open-source projects."
Boy, now THERE are two clauses I never thought I'd see together.
The Larger Telescope.
"Whatever you've got, it's smaller than this"
Man, if I had a nickle for every time I've heard that.
I imagine that this is even more noticeable with SCSI drives, which tended to be louder from the start because they're less frequently used in desktop situations. You've got five -- can you hear yourself breathe among those howling sweethearts?
It sounds to me like YOU've been conditioned by Linux's "everything endlessly complicated must be better" mentality.
Speaking of being fifteen, nice "street" lingo. Does your crooked hat get in the way of your mad coding, yo?
You mean like countless people have done on countless occasions? Bleh. It's not 1995 anymore, James, and Windows is as stable as anything else, pound for pound. Anyone with an ounce of objectivity left knows it. Don't like Microsoft politics? Fine, you're free to disagree, but the anti-stability "argument" against Windows is as meaningless and weak as incompatibilty claims against 1.x versions of Linux.
Sorry to have introduced logic into your conversation. Back to your zealotry.
If it's the same kind of moderation employed here at Slashdot, then I can't imagine anything less appealing.
The overdesigned problem is everywhere. I have a 2004 model Clarion CD player in my car. It works well and sounds great, but it has a whirling animated chaser on the display that doesn't appear to do anything but scream "I am technologically impressive!" It looks like a "CD is playing" icon, but continues to spin as long as a CD is physically loaded, despite the current function of the player. Since most reasonable people have a CD loaded at virtually all times, even when listening to the radio or an auxiliary input, the chaser spins relentlessly, long into the night.
A big deal? No. Gimmicky and pointless? Yes. That LCD space could have been used to allow longer song titles without scrolling or whatever, but, instead, the geek-factor again overwhelmed practicality. If Apple designed automotive products, I guarantee this wouldn't be the case.
Nobody says that visual appeal has to equal brutal simplicity, but I don't need to be reminded that I am living in THE 21ST CENTURY! every time I pick up a technological device.
Who cares? That has NOTHING to do with this conversation, but please, don't let logic stand in the way of your sad politicking.
Would you say so even if you did find a difference?