This one was at the bottom of the slashdot page, couldn't resist the urge:
Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon. -- Susan Ertz
I thought the same thing, always do a fresh install. Just for grins, I did a fresh install of mdk 9.1, then used urpmi to upgrade to 9.2 and it worked and I played around for a week. Then I decided to roll the dice and try 10.0 community. Due to flaky mirrors that were overloaded, it didn't install a bunch of software, BUT IT STILL WORKED AFTER REBOOT. I was speechless, I thought it was borked for sure. Then I changed my mirrors and gave urpmi another try, and I got 10.0 successfully installed.
So, usually I agree with you & going with fresh installs, but Mandrake's urpmi is a winner and really impressed me.
I think that Linux has improved by leaps & bounds recently, and the 2.6 kernel and KDE 3.2.x are very nice indeed. Some things about Linux drive me crazy and need to be worked on:
1) Documentation. Man pages are chock full o' information, but it's like taking a drink from a fire hydrant. Man pages should have a newbie friendly section so you can see most common usages & command line options. Something to get you going quickly & clearly, not written in a reference book style. Also, I played around with KDevelop 3.0 last night, checked the help/manual and about half of the topics were blank or nearly blank. I know writing docs is boring for programmers that aren't even getting paid, but docs are important. And lastly, too often documentation means a scavenger hunt with google. Something more unified would be nice, either a searchable system on my hard drive, or a nice website. There are several websites that I've come to rely on, but I doubt Joe-Linux-Newbie knows about them.
2) Software Installation/Packages. There are several bascially incompatible systems being used, such as deb, rpm, tar balls, etc. You can't even really use rpm's from different distros, you should always use rpms built for your distro. Well I know that Redhat, Mandrake, Suse do some non-standard stuff & patches, but just think of the advantage if you could just grab a linux package without checking the distro & version numbers. Perhaps this is not possible, but something could be done here. Oh, and automake & autoconf and the like are HORRIBLE. They should be replaced as quickly as possible. It seems like this stuff was designed for gurus in labs & academia, and now we're using it at home. I just don't need the complexity, thank you. Most of us are running x86 systems, maybe some macs. I don't need the flexible command line options for every arch ever made. I looked at the./configure scripts last night, some files needed are 10,000+ lines of script goodness. NO THANKS! If it doesn't work I don't want to troubleshoot that mess. I'm more likely to look for a rpm that will work.
3) More device drivers from manufacturers or at least release specs so the linux community can hack something together...
Here's my experience from a few weeks ago. I tried to do a hd-install with Knoppix, and it worked, but it clearly wasn't pretty & clean, and I had several errors trying to use apt-get under Knoppix. So, I got the Debian net-install CD and installed Debian over the Knoppix. Folks, that installer might work on 11 different platforms, but it sucks the hind-most teet. To be fair, I got through it on my first try, which is more than other people with sys admin skills have been able to do, based on postings on/. and usenet, so I'm ahead of the curve, I guess.
The Debian install did NOT configure my Soundblaster Live soundcard, pissing me off quite a bit. apt-get worked, sort of. I decided if the much heralded dist-upgrade command sequence worked to upgrade to unstable I would become a Debian zealot and forgive the soundcard hassle. It upgraded to KDE 3.2.something, but borked my computer. It was dead slow on top of everything.
So tried Mandrake's urpmi and upgraded 9.1 to 9.2 with no problems & much faster than apt-get. Then the upgrade from 9.2 to 10.0 community release...Didn't quite work at first. Lots of errors with files not downloading (ftp server was clogged). But the damn thing worked after a reboot, it wasn't borked like Debian. And after changing to a better urpmi mirror, I tried the upgrade to 10.0 and it worked. Folks, urpmi is the biggest secret in the Linux world. Some of you Debian zealots should give it a try sometime, it seems to be more reliable in my experience, but YMMV. So I don't really feel like converting to Debian and I'm learning & loving Mandrake's urpmi instead.
I just installed it too, and it failed to set up my Creative Soundblaster Live soundcard, so I'm not very impressed with it. Oh, then I tried the famed dist-upgrade procedure, and it borked my computer. Debian ain't for me...
This is not free (about $25), but it does work with new Canon inkjet printers along with some newer HP & Epson models. Not an employee, just a happy customer...
http://www.turboprint.de/english.html
I worked at the old Microprose office in Hunt Valley, MD and my office was just across the hall from Sid's. He had the biggest office there, IIRC. I actually got to shake his hand and get a good look at his office. He always seemed to be a little removed from the rest of Microprose programmers, not in a bad way, but just in his own league. I use to see him at the local mall with his then young son. He gave the impression of being a content, happy person. People always seemed to say his name in a whisper, even at Microprose, because everyone was very aware of how huge his games had become. And yes, there were employees at Microprose that thought Pirates was pure genius, but I never played the game myself.
If you love memories of disney rides long gone,
check out http://www.yesterland.com/yester.html
absolutely great website if you wondered whatever
happened to your favorite ride!
I remember reading a book about Disneyland, and the favorite joke about the Inner Space ride was this: The disney employees could always spot the horny teenagers hoping for a nice long, dark ride. When asked how long the ride was, they'd intentionally give the teenagers a made-up answer like "Nearly an hour." Then they'd wait for the teenagers to suddenly emerge from the ride and struggle to put all their clothes back on, in full view of the waiting patrons... Good times!
Holy Filing Cabinet, Batman! The link to the "controversial internal memos" was a good thing to do, but by gosh, I tried to find anything worhwhile and came up empty. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF EMAILS, with the only "organization" being that they are grouped by date. Lots of scathing memos about "server maintenance" and other such crap. Thanks for nothing...
Anyone else remember a story on slashdot from a long while ago about MTV-branded computers being sold on college campuses? Lots of messages on slashdot to the effect of: they'll be crap computers, but dummies will buy it anyway. Well, whatever happened to these MTV computers? I've never heard of them being sold anywhere. Is this vapor hardware?
Tell the 5th-9th graders they can have a gold pimped-out Mercedes that they are TOO YOUNG to drive parked in the garage, and see if they feel the same about P2P file swapping. I kid not, Lil' Romeo has this car and a lot more, so maybe I'll spare myself the weeping for millionaires routine.
Um, maybe you don't realize that the whole "overlord" bit is from the Simpsons? This is slashdot, and maybe you are new here, so here's a tip:
1) Always cool to slam Microsoft
2) Simpson references are always good
If Microsoft is now cool, and Simpsons jokes are no longer welcome, I must be living in Soviet Russia...
competition always good
on
Athlon 64 Debuts
·
· Score: -1, Troll
I remember the days of Intel charging huge $$$ for their processors, so I for one welcome our new CPU overlords!!!
Rare to see a single person raise the feathers of so many here, seemingly equal numbers of supporters and detractors. Says a lot about a man that died at 95 that so many people still hold opinions about him, good or bad. So many people die nearly forgotten at such an old age...
The other point that I think is valid is to address people who think he was a monster for creating the H bomb. I want to know, do you really think someone else would not have created the H bomb if Teller had not worked on it? Stop thinking of him as the man who let the genie out of the bottle, and realize the genie was coming out of the bottle anyway, it was just a matter of time.
Checking the comments on the auction page, it clearly states that it will not be "delivered electronically through the Internet". The next comment makes it
clear that eBay's guidelines prohibit the sale of data on recordable media.
How in the world is the current song owner going to deliver the song to the auction winner? Someone suggested floppy disks or on a hard drive, but those are both "sale of data on recordable media" so that's out. Someone else said that he will put the song on a server and send a login name & password, but that's in violation of the "internet download" part.
The only thing I can think of is a letter that gives the auction winner the license rights to download it again from the Apple iTunes website, since the download would not involve the previous owner, who only sent the license via snail mail.
Some of the younger people may not remember anything about it, but Japan had a high profile long-term project to leapfrog current computer technology and give themselves the lead. This was back in the 80's IIRC. A big focus was A.I. and other various tasks. It was VERY ambitious and mostly VAPORware. They didn't leapfrog us and eventually it just went away, never to be heard from again.
So you see, history doesn't repeat, but it does rhyme...Samuel Clemens
This worm vs. worm stuff definitely reminds me of watching CoreWars running 2 or more "programs" that are trying to clobber each other. For those not in the know, CoreWars started off in Scientific American Mathematical Recreations article and describes a low-level programming language close to assembly language called Redcode. Using Redcode you write mini programs that are supposed to clobber other programs in Core (aka memory). Fun and fascinating to watch. There are versions for Windows & Linux, so no excuse not to try it. They even have an annual contest, IIRC.
Maybe it's time for someone to invent Internet-enabled Corewars so that programs can attack each other via broadband...
I've noticed that just recently the media is reporting more detail about computer viruses. In the past, they would just mention that a virus was spreading, maybe how many computers are affected, and that was about it. Now they often report the afflicted operating system, which we all know is almost always Microsoft's demon seed. Maybe the average computer user will learn that Microsoft is totally insecure and cause them to have second thoughts about upgrading to Microsoft's next great OS. But at least the media is no longer hiding this info from the public, who probably thinks that computer viruses spread to all computers equally on the Internet, and don't understand how specific viruses really are 99% of the time.
Some people have learned that Canon makes great printers that don't rip you off on ink cartridge replacements *cough* HP, Lexmark *cough*. The problem is that my Mandrake 9.1 didn't support the i850, but I found a great solution, Turboprint. Check it out at http://www.turboprint.de/english.html. They support most *NEW* inkjet printers, most of which don't ship with Linux print drivers. It's not free, costs about $20, and worth every penny. Nice friendly support via email, too. (I'm just a satisfied customer)
Now my problem is that the printer won't even be detected under Windows 98, and the damn thing ships with Windows printer drivers on CD. I don't really care since Linux is my main OS, just a strange side effect on my box... Haven't spent much time trying to fix it, I don't really care about Windows except for games:)
ever had, could have had, now has or hereafter can, shall or may have, relating in any way to... any conduct, act or omission that was or could have been
Could have just said: to infinity, forever and ever...
I respect your post, but I couldn't disagree more. I realize this is a personal thing and there is no right or wrong, but I always felt sorry for people that went to much more expensive colleges than I did. The way I saw it, at least some of the books used at both colleges were the same, and most instructors were not that helpful. End result: I got the same education as my peers at a huge discount. On the other hand, if someone is like yourself, books don't count for much and the instructor is key.
I previously worked a job that required a lengthy exam. Most of my co-workers went to a private local college and had huge student loan debts. I went to a different state university that is probably 40% cheaper. I smoked nearly everyone on the test, prompting me to wonder if my co-workers can get a money-back guarantee with their diplomas...
OK, I'll bite: libraries. Shelves loaded with books, magazines and even music CD's. Take it home and enjoy. If this is wrong, then your brain truly has been corrupted by greedy corporations, as I humbly believe that libraries are one of humankind's greatest ideas.
Some other poster mentioned put options on airlines in the wake of the 9-11 terror attacks. But if you saw the S&P 500 futures, you would know that when they reopened for trading after the attacks, the opening gap was tremendous, IIRC about 60 points. That's $3000 profit for a short Emini contract, which is traded electronically and requires less than $4500 margin (varies by broker). The big boy S&P 500 contract is $250 per point, so 60 points = $15,000 profit if you were
short.
The important factor is the SIZE of the S&P futures market. It is huge and could easily absorb any short selling by Osama bin Laden without missing a beat.
The other Mideast futures lesson is what crude oil prices did during the outbreak of war in the first Gulf war. IIRC, the prices had been going steadily higher and when the airstrikes began, prices dropped $10 VERY QUICKLY. Crude oil futures trade 1,000 barrels, so you pocket a nice $10,000 if you were short. I've often thought the thing to do if you were Saddam was to go long on crude futures, do some sabre rattling, and then cash out with a nice profit...
>>I mainly use it to store video sequences
OK, clever wording. I call it "gentlemen's cinema" or
perhaps the alternate spelling "sinema", but I think
we all know your "video sequences" are just pr0n.
C'mon, fess up...
Slashdot Mirror
This one was at the bottom of the slashdot page, couldn't resist the urge:
Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon. -- Susan Ertz
I thought the same thing, always do a fresh install. Just for grins, I did a fresh install of mdk 9.1, then used urpmi to upgrade to 9.2 and it worked and I played around for a week. Then I decided to roll the dice and try 10.0 community. Due to flaky mirrors that were overloaded, it didn't install a bunch of software, BUT IT STILL WORKED AFTER REBOOT. I was speechless, I thought it was borked for sure. Then I changed my mirrors and gave urpmi another try, and I got 10.0 successfully installed.
So, usually I agree with you & going with fresh installs, but Mandrake's urpmi is a winner and really impressed me.
I think that Linux has improved by leaps & bounds recently, and the 2.6 kernel and KDE 3.2.x are very nice indeed. Some things about Linux drive me crazy and need to be worked on: ./configure scripts last night, some files needed are 10,000+ lines of script goodness. NO THANKS! If it doesn't work I don't want to troubleshoot that mess. I'm more likely to look for a rpm that will work.
1) Documentation. Man pages are chock full o' information, but it's like taking a drink from a fire hydrant. Man pages should have a newbie friendly section so you can see most common usages & command line options. Something to get you going quickly & clearly, not written in a reference book style. Also, I played around with KDevelop 3.0 last night, checked the help/manual and about half of the topics were blank or nearly blank. I know writing docs is boring for programmers that aren't even getting paid, but docs are important. And lastly, too often documentation means a scavenger hunt with google. Something more unified would be nice, either a searchable system on my hard drive, or a nice website. There are several websites that I've come to rely on, but I doubt Joe-Linux-Newbie knows about them.
2) Software Installation/Packages. There are several bascially incompatible systems being used, such as deb, rpm, tar balls, etc. You can't even really use rpm's from different distros, you should always use rpms built for your distro. Well I know that Redhat, Mandrake, Suse do some non-standard stuff & patches, but just think of the advantage if you could just grab a linux package without checking the distro & version numbers. Perhaps this is not possible, but something could be done here.
Oh, and automake & autoconf and the like are HORRIBLE. They should be replaced as quickly as possible. It seems like this stuff was designed for gurus in labs & academia, and now we're using it at home. I just don't need the complexity, thank you. Most of us are running x86 systems, maybe some macs. I don't need the flexible command line options for every arch ever made. I looked at the
3) More device drivers from manufacturers or at least release specs so the linux community can hack something together...
Here's my experience from a few weeks ago. I tried to do a hd-install with Knoppix, and it worked, but it clearly wasn't pretty & clean, and I had several errors trying to use apt-get under Knoppix. So, I got the Debian net-install CD and installed Debian over the Knoppix. Folks, that installer might work on 11 different platforms, but it sucks the hind-most teet. To be fair, I got through it on my first try, which is more than other people with sys admin skills have been able to do, based on postings on /. and usenet, so I'm ahead of the curve, I guess.
The Debian install did NOT configure my Soundblaster Live soundcard, pissing me off quite a bit. apt-get worked, sort of. I decided if the much heralded dist-upgrade command sequence worked to upgrade to unstable I would become a Debian zealot and forgive the soundcard hassle. It upgraded to KDE 3.2.something, but borked my computer. It was dead slow on top of everything.
So tried Mandrake's urpmi and upgraded 9.1 to 9.2 with no problems & much faster than apt-get. Then the upgrade from 9.2 to 10.0 community release...Didn't quite work at first. Lots of errors with files not downloading (ftp server was clogged). But the damn thing worked after a reboot, it wasn't borked like Debian. And after changing to a better urpmi mirror, I tried the upgrade to 10.0 and it worked. Folks, urpmi is the biggest secret in the Linux world. Some of you Debian zealots should give it a try sometime, it seems to be more reliable in my experience, but YMMV. So I don't really feel like converting to Debian and I'm learning & loving Mandrake's urpmi instead.
I just installed it too, and it failed to set up my Creative Soundblaster Live soundcard, so I'm not very impressed with it. Oh, then I tried the famed dist-upgrade procedure, and it borked my computer. Debian ain't for me...
This is not free (about $25), but it does work with new Canon inkjet printers along with some newer HP & Epson models. Not an employee, just a happy customer... http://www.turboprint.de/english.html
I worked at the old Microprose office in Hunt Valley, MD and my office was just across the hall from Sid's. He had the biggest office there, IIRC. I actually got to shake his hand and get a good look at his office. He always seemed to be a little removed from the rest of Microprose programmers, not in a bad way, but just in his own league. I use to see him at the local mall with his then young son. He gave the impression of being a content, happy person. People always seemed to say his name in a whisper, even at Microprose, because everyone was very aware of how huge his games had become. And yes, there were employees at Microprose that thought Pirates was pure genius, but I never played the game myself.
If you love memories of disney rides long gone, check out http://www.yesterland.com/yester.html
absolutely great website if you wondered whatever happened to your favorite ride!
I remember reading a book about Disneyland, and the favorite joke about the Inner Space ride was this: The disney employees could always spot the horny teenagers hoping for a nice long, dark ride. When asked how long the ride was, they'd intentionally give the teenagers a made-up answer like "Nearly an hour." Then they'd wait for the teenagers to suddenly emerge from the ride and struggle to put all their clothes back on, in full view of the waiting patrons... Good times!
Holy Filing Cabinet, Batman! The link to the "controversial internal memos" was a good thing to do, but by gosh, I tried to find anything worhwhile and came up empty. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF EMAILS, with the only "organization" being that they are grouped by date. Lots of scathing memos about "server maintenance" and other such crap. Thanks for nothing...
Anyone else remember a story on slashdot from a long while ago about MTV-branded computers being sold on college campuses? Lots of messages on slashdot to the effect of: they'll be crap computers, but dummies will buy it anyway. Well, whatever happened to these MTV computers? I've never heard of them being sold anywhere. Is this vapor hardware?
Tell the 5th-9th graders they can have a gold pimped-out Mercedes that they are TOO YOUNG to drive parked in the garage, and see if they feel the same about P2P file swapping. I kid not, Lil' Romeo has this car and a lot more, so maybe I'll spare myself the weeping for millionaires routine.
Um, maybe you don't realize that the whole "overlord" bit is from the Simpsons? This is slashdot, and maybe you are new here, so here's a tip:
1) Always cool to slam Microsoft
2) Simpson references are always good
If Microsoft is now cool, and Simpsons jokes are no longer welcome, I must be living in Soviet Russia...
I remember the days of Intel charging huge $$$ for their processors, so I for one welcome our new CPU overlords!!!
Rare to see a single person raise the feathers of so many here, seemingly equal numbers of supporters and detractors. Says a lot about a man that died at 95 that so many people still hold opinions about him, good or bad. So many people die nearly forgotten at such an old age...
The other point that I think is valid is to address people who think he was a monster for creating the H bomb. I want to know, do you really think someone else would not have created the H bomb if Teller had not worked on it? Stop thinking of him as the man who let the genie out of the bottle, and realize the genie was coming out of the bottle anyway, it was just a matter of time.
Checking the comments on the auction page, it clearly states that it will not be "delivered electronically through the Internet". The next comment makes it clear that eBay's guidelines prohibit the sale of data on recordable media.
How in the world is the current song owner going to deliver the song to the auction winner? Someone suggested floppy disks or on a hard drive, but those are both "sale of data on recordable media" so that's out. Someone else said that he will put the song on a server and send a login name & password, but that's in violation of the "internet download" part.
The only thing I can think of is a letter that gives the auction winner the license rights to download it again from the Apple iTunes website, since the download would not involve the previous owner, who only sent the license via snail mail.
Some of the younger people may not remember anything about it, but Japan had a high profile long-term project to leapfrog current computer technology and give themselves the lead. This was back in the 80's IIRC. A big focus was A.I. and other various tasks. It was VERY ambitious and mostly VAPORware. They didn't leapfrog us and eventually it just went away, never to be heard from again.
So you see, history doesn't repeat, but it does rhyme...Samuel Clemens
This worm vs. worm stuff definitely reminds me of watching CoreWars running 2 or more "programs" that are trying to clobber each other. For those not in the know, CoreWars started off in Scientific American Mathematical Recreations article and describes a low-level programming language close to assembly language called Redcode. Using Redcode you write mini programs that are supposed to clobber other programs in Core (aka memory). Fun and fascinating to watch. There are versions for Windows & Linux, so no excuse not to try it. They even have an annual contest, IIRC.
Maybe it's time for someone to invent Internet-enabled Corewars so that programs can attack each other via broadband...
I've noticed that just recently the media is reporting more detail about computer viruses. In the past, they would just mention that a virus was spreading, maybe how many computers are affected, and that was about it. Now they often report the afflicted operating system, which we all know is almost always Microsoft's demon seed. Maybe the average computer user will learn that Microsoft is totally insecure and cause them to have second thoughts about upgrading to Microsoft's next great OS. But at least the media is no longer hiding this info from the public, who probably thinks that computer viruses spread to all computers equally on the Internet, and don't understand how specific viruses really are 99% of the time.
Some people have learned that Canon makes great printers that don't rip you off on ink cartridge replacements *cough* HP, Lexmark *cough*. The problem is that my Mandrake 9.1 didn't support the i850, but I found a great solution, Turboprint. Check it out at http://www.turboprint.de/english.html. They support most *NEW* inkjet printers, most of which don't ship with Linux print drivers. It's not free, costs about $20, and worth every penny. Nice friendly support via email, too. (I'm just a satisfied customer)
:)
Now my problem is that the printer won't even be detected under Windows 98, and the damn thing ships with Windows printer drivers on CD. I don't really care since Linux is my main OS, just a strange side effect on my box... Haven't spent much time trying to fix it, I don't really care about Windows except for games
ever had, could have had, now has or hereafter can, shall or may have, relating in any way to ... any conduct, act or omission that was or could have been
Could have just said: to infinity, forever and ever...
I respect your post, but I couldn't disagree more. I realize this is a personal thing and there is no right or wrong, but I always felt sorry for people that went to much more expensive colleges than I did. The way I saw it, at least some of the books used at both colleges were the same, and most instructors were not that helpful. End result: I got the same education as my peers at a huge discount. On the other hand, if someone is like yourself, books don't count for much and the instructor is key.
I previously worked a job that required a lengthy exam. Most of my co-workers went to a private local college and had huge student loan debts. I went to a different state university that is probably 40% cheaper. I smoked nearly everyone on the test, prompting me to wonder if my co-workers can get a money-back guarantee with their diplomas...
OK, I'll bite: libraries. Shelves loaded with books, magazines and even music CD's. Take it home and enjoy. If this is wrong, then your brain truly has been corrupted by greedy corporations, as I humbly believe that libraries are one of humankind's greatest ideas.
Some other poster mentioned put options on airlines in the wake of the 9-11 terror attacks. But if you saw the S&P 500 futures, you would know that when they reopened for trading after the attacks, the opening gap was tremendous, IIRC about 60 points. That's $3000 profit for a short Emini contract, which is traded electronically and requires less than $4500 margin (varies by broker). The big boy S&P 500 contract is $250 per point, so 60 points = $15,000 profit if you were short.
The important factor is the SIZE of the S&P futures market. It is huge and could easily absorb any short selling by Osama bin Laden without missing a beat.
The other Mideast futures lesson is what crude oil prices did during the outbreak of war in the first Gulf war. IIRC, the prices had been going steadily higher and when the airstrikes began, prices dropped $10 VERY QUICKLY. Crude oil futures trade 1,000 barrels, so you pocket a nice $10,000 if you were short. I've often thought the thing to do if you were Saddam was to go long on crude futures, do some sabre rattling, and then cash out with a nice profit...
>>I mainly use it to store video sequences
OK, clever wording. I call it "gentlemen's cinema" or perhaps the alternate spelling "sinema",
but I think we all know your "video sequences" are just pr0n. C'mon, fess up...