Linux desktop is very much alive...on thinclients:)
However, what is up with the obvious story troll? Are the/. numbers low today?
"...what is up with the obvious story troll?"
This is what the author was referring to when he mentioned "...the fierce ideology of the open-source community...". Dismissing non-believers as heretics/trolls makes you an ideologue and renders the platform unattractive to regular users. Your natural reaction to this will be to dismiss regular users as not worthy of Linux but nobody wants to adopt a platform that gets them trashed by smelly, overbearing, slogan-yelling hippies.
But, but, but....five years ago everyone here was telling me that Google was somehow different and would mod down those who disagreed.
I'm just glad I hung around long enough to see you guys get your education.
A guy is given the power to shoot people, but not to blog or buy a beer (if he's under 21). Seems like a mixed message.
They're only allowed to shoot people on command.
You really have no idea exactly how much the average Marine is trusted with awesome responsibilities do you?
Try going out and finding the truth instead of just spouting what your faggity little friends vapidly repeat at the coffehouse.
I swear to God, if my children are harmed because a terrorist used information gathered from this site I will hurt the people who run the site.
They seem to like accountability, how's that for accountability? I will hold them personally responsible and like them, take the law into my own hands to further an action I believe strongly in.
Sorry my friend but that screed made no sense anywhere....and I even did you the courtesy of reading it twice. Please don't waste any more of your or my time.
Microsoft is actually creating something [...] that has value.
No. Microsoft did create something of value (depending on who you ask:) when they developed Vista.
But when Microsoft sells you a CD/DVD with Vista on it, they're not selling you a valuable good or service. You could easily get an identical disc for almost nothing, so the disc isn't a valuable good, and you don't get any significant support, so you're not buying a service, either.
All they're selling you is protection from the government. If you don't pay this "protection money" to Microsoft, they will use IP law to fuck your shit up. If that's not artificial scarcity, I don't know what is.
And it's probably true that Microsoft would go out of business if they spent millions on developing a new product and then the government didn't force people to collectively pay them back when it was done. But you know what? When the government forces people to pay radically inflated prices for the sake of keeping a massive corporation in business, that's what they call a "centrally planned economy". And I know how y'all feel about those red bastards:)
You might be interested to read the Parable of the Broken Window. It should be clear how it applies and what your fallacy is. If it's not I'll add briefly, the money spent on vista (or fixing a broken window) could otherwise be spent on something more useful providing a greater benefit to the economy. Copyright is entirely based on artificially creating scarcity and inefficiencies in the economy. Not even close to being the same thing. Microsoft is actually creating something (artificial scarcities can be debated) that has value.
I can certainly understand your sentiments but the facts say otherwise- the capitalism system simply works better for everyone than any other economic system.....so far. The research just simply says that it works. Yes, there are those that get obscenely rich, obscenely. But things seem to be working pretty well for me, and I am guessing you too.
If you could post some facts to back up your rhetoric I would be glad to take a look. Serious facts backed up by research that says what you claim is true- no screeds, no mindless attacks on the rich, just facts.
I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position. -Mark Twain
Say what you will about Microsoft and its policies, the rampant piracy in China (and most of Asia) is hurting the American economy in general.
If Microsoft doesn't sell Vista because the Chinese are pirating it instead, MS makes no money. They lay off employees who no longer buy their groceries at the local supermarket. The checkout person loses their job and can no longer afford to buy video games. There goes your job because now your employer isn't making any money.
There is right and there is wrong. Microsoft lawfully owns the rights to their software and the Chinese are stealing. Stealing is wrong (you'd feel that way if someone stole your car) and should not be condoned or laughed at.
This is just wrong.
Is the phone company responsible for verifying the age of people talking so a 19 year old can't lie to a 13 year old and then commit a crime? How about newspaper personal ads, are the newspaper's responsible? What ISPs who provide e-mail accounts? You know those companies that create voice boxes for people with throat cancer? Are they responsible for verifying the age of the person using them so they cannot be misused for this same purpose?
Blaming the medium or the tools is just plain stupid. This was, of course, a correct decision
I thought that the courts had piled up enough decisions thus far to render further decisions unnecessary. At what point do public websites obtain "common carrier" status? Can anyone think of a reason what we wouldn't want this to happen?
Yeah, I know that. I was trying to make a very dry joke about the relative cluelessness of the bureaucrats running the was vis as vis the military.
I don't think that it is on the reading list for college educated bureaucrats.
eh, it's very valid for many things past the battlefield. it's rather common for it to be required reading in business-oriented schooling.
However, let me ask you how many people you think would be willing to take up arms against the government... Would one, say with two kids and a mortgage, a good job and health insurance be willing to actively go up against a police force? I would wager that most Americans are so fat and happy that a vanishingly small percentage of the populace would actually be willing to sacrifice what would be required to truly overthrow a government these days.
I suppose that was a part of my point that I may not have communicated well enough- I believe that fat, dumb and happy can be overcome with either 1- A significant enough transgression of rights or 2- A significant amount of transgressions. The National ID Card plan falling into category #2.
I don't wish to stereotype but I lived in the South for a while and there are some true freedom lovers down there with arsenals. Not that there aren't freedom lovers elsewhere but that was my experience. Also, I think you may be surprised at the number of people in America that are not fat and lazy and certainly not easily placated......or cowed.
The Founding Fathers trusted in the common American to do the right thing, I do as well.
Cheers For more on the topic, see Sun Tzu's "Art of War". It is (or used to be) on the required reading list for Marines. I don't think that it is on the reading list for college educated bureaucrats.
I disagree with you....respectfully of course. I am no historian but I think that one will find that wherever an authority (government, dictator, king, Pope, etc.) has tried to exceed their authority, the people have awoken and mightily rebelled.
Since we in the USA, have the means for a meaningful rebellion (compliments of the 2nd Amendment - thank you George Mason, et. al.) we can change our goverment should it decide to become too onerous. Since most people, rightfully, just want their lives to be peaceful and easy they simply go along with changes like we have seen in the past twenty or thirty years. The Founding Fathers, knowing the inevitability of despotism, built into our guiding principles the means of fighting our 'authority'. All that is needed now is a big enough single reason, or enough small reasons to do so. I believe that the National ID plan is yet another reason that brings us closer to the day when Americans will exercise their right to remove the oppressive authority and replace it with one that does their will.
That is why I think schemes like the National ID card, along with an informed populace (via the Internet) actually bring us closer to the day of reckoning.
Let's hope it leads there instead of a Brave New World.
I'm with ya' man, I come here less and less often as I find that the groupthink has carried the site over to something not even worth reading anymore. The effects of the moderation system mean that the majority has sucessfully silenced the minority and opposing opinions are no longer seriously considered. This comment will probably be modded into oblivion.
Where else are you getting your tech news and *reasonable* discussion? This place has just gotten too rabid.
No prob, the denominations mentioned in the article are the same churches that support abortion, which means that in a generation or two these churches will no longer exist due to non-replacement of members.
Slashdot Mirror
And BTW, Apple started succeeding when it pushed it's fanboi's to the background and thus became mainstream enough to be accepted.
Linux desktop is very much alive...on thinclients :)
However, what is up with the obvious story troll? Are the /. numbers low today?
"...what is up with the obvious story troll?"
This is what the author was referring to when he mentioned "...the fierce ideology of the open-source community...". Dismissing non-believers as heretics/trolls makes you an ideologue and renders the platform unattractive to regular users. Your natural reaction to this will be to dismiss regular users as not worthy of Linux but nobody wants to adopt a platform that gets them trashed by smelly, overbearing, slogan-yelling hippies.
Thanks asshole.
Oh shut up. Seriously, do some research instead of just doing the trendy, Bash Microsoft thing. What a stupid turdball you are.
But, but, but....five years ago everyone here was telling me that Google was somehow different and would mod down those who disagreed. I'm just glad I hung around long enough to see you guys get your education.
I remember when all the Fanboyz here were telling me how evil MS was.
We used to do this with car hoods flipped over.
I would say the opposite. The world would be a far safer place to live if we didn't have guns at all.
Facts are funny things, and they say you are wrong...completely wrong.
They're only allowed to shoot people on command.
You really have no idea exactly how much the average Marine is trusted with awesome responsibilities do you? Try going out and finding the truth instead of just spouting what your faggity little friends vapidly repeat at the coffehouse.
They seem to like accountability, how's that for accountability? I will hold them personally responsible and like them, take the law into my own hands to further an action I believe strongly in.
No. Microsoft did create something of value (depending on who you ask
But when Microsoft sells you a CD/DVD with Vista on it, they're not selling you a valuable good or service. You could easily get an identical disc for almost nothing, so the disc isn't a valuable good, and you don't get any significant support, so you're not buying a service, either.
All they're selling you is protection from the government. If you don't pay this "protection money" to Microsoft, they will use IP law to fuck your shit up. If that's not artificial scarcity, I don't know what is.
And it's probably true that Microsoft would go out of business if they spent millions on developing a new product and then the government didn't force people to collectively pay them back when it was done. But you know what? When the government forces people to pay radically inflated prices for the sake of keeping a massive corporation in business, that's what they call a "centrally planned economy". And I know how y'all feel about those red bastards
Interesting story though.
I can certainly understand your sentiments but the facts say otherwise- the capitalism system simply works better for everyone than any other economic system.....so far. The research just simply says that it works. Yes, there are those that get obscenely rich, obscenely. But things seem to be working pretty well for me, and I am guessing you too.
If you could post some facts to back up your rhetoric I would be glad to take a look. Serious facts backed up by research that says what you claim is true- no screeds, no mindless attacks on the rich, just facts.
I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position. -Mark Twain
Say what you will about Microsoft and its policies, the rampant piracy in China (and most of Asia) is hurting the American economy in general. If Microsoft doesn't sell Vista because the Chinese are pirating it instead, MS makes no money. They lay off employees who no longer buy their groceries at the local supermarket. The checkout person loses their job and can no longer afford to buy video games. There goes your job because now your employer isn't making any money. There is right and there is wrong. Microsoft lawfully owns the rights to their software and the Chinese are stealing. Stealing is wrong (you'd feel that way if someone stole your car) and should not be condoned or laughed at. This is just wrong.
Nietzsche is dead! - God
What do you think? Good call?
Is the phone company responsible for verifying the age of people talking so a 19 year old can't lie to a 13 year old and then commit a crime? How about newspaper personal ads, are the newspaper's responsible? What ISPs who provide e-mail accounts? You know those companies that create voice boxes for people with throat cancer? Are they responsible for verifying the age of the person using them so they cannot be misused for this same purpose?
Blaming the medium or the tools is just plain stupid. This was, of course, a correct decision
I thought that the courts had piled up enough decisions thus far to render further decisions unnecessary. At what point do public websites obtain "common carrier" status? Can anyone think of a reason what we wouldn't want this to happen?--
http://www.thestevensons.org/
eh, it's very valid for many things past the battlefield. it's rather common for it to be required reading in business-oriented schooling.
I suppose that was a part of my point that I may not have communicated well enough- I believe that fat, dumb and happy can be overcome with either 1- A significant enough transgression of rights or 2- A significant amount of transgressions. The National ID Card plan falling into category #2.
I don't wish to stereotype but I lived in the South for a while and there are some true freedom lovers down there with arsenals. Not that there aren't freedom lovers elsewhere but that was my experience. Also, I think you may be surprised at the number of people in America that are not fat and lazy and certainly not easily placated......or cowed.
The Founding Fathers trusted in the common American to do the right thing, I do as well.
It's a higly effective set of tactics.
Cheers
For more on the topic, see Sun Tzu's "Art of War". It is (or used to be) on the required reading list for Marines. I don't think that it is on the reading list for college educated bureaucrats.
I disagree with you....respectfully of course. I am no historian but I think that one will find that wherever an authority (government, dictator, king, Pope, etc.) has tried to exceed their authority, the people have awoken and mightily rebelled.
Since we in the USA, have the means for a meaningful rebellion (compliments of the 2nd Amendment - thank you George Mason, et. al.) we can change our goverment should it decide to become too onerous. Since most people, rightfully, just want their lives to be peaceful and easy they simply go along with changes like we have seen in the past twenty or thirty years. The Founding Fathers, knowing the inevitability of despotism, built into our guiding principles the means of fighting our 'authority'. All that is needed now is a big enough single reason, or enough small reasons to do so. I believe that the National ID plan is yet another reason that brings us closer to the day when Americans will exercise their right to remove the oppressive authority and replace it with one that does their will.
That is why I think schemes like the National ID card, along with an informed populace (via the Internet) actually bring us closer to the day of reckoning.
Let's hope it leads there instead of a Brave New World.
How cute is this? Could Google get any more useful?
Point proven. Thanks.
The Law of Group Polarization
CASS R. SUNSTEIN
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id =199668
Where else are you getting your tech news and *reasonable* discussion? This place has just gotten too rabid.
Never thought about that...
How Darwinian, huh?
Mod however your anger moves you to...