I am planning to build a homebrew Tivo-like media center for myself some time soon (yes, I know, I'm not gonna be able to beat Tivo's price, but I love the tinkering...). All this talk about "Instant On" technology and Embedded Linux makes me think that Embedded Linux might be the operating system of choice for a PVR system. And "Instant On" is certainly desirable for a media center, unless you want to keep it running 24/7.
If Embedded Linux can run a movie player, there is no reason why it shouldn't be able to run the other components of a media center, methinks. The only problem is, that I know virtually nothing about Embedded Linux. Is there some good documentation available on how to get Embedded Linux running on a generic PC? Please share your experiences!
"In addition, the keyboard comes with a CD including a special edition of SuSE Linux 9.1 from Novell"...
Wrong marketing strategy! People that buy a Linux keyboard are more than likely to already have a Linux system running!!
They should ship their CDs with Windows keyboards!
Linux made huge advances in user-friendliness
on
Linux Desktop Guide
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· Score: 5, Insightful
I'm amazed how many people here like to bash Linux by reviving cliche's that were still true a few years ago, but are all but gone by now. Linux has matured a lot in the last few years, and if you choose the right distro, setting up a basic functional Linux system is even easier than setting up its Windows counterpart.
Since SuSE Linux is the only distro I have extensive experience with, I use it as an example. Installation is as easy as booting off your DVD, selecting your language, accepting a few default options for partitioning and package selection, choosing your username and passwords, and waiting about half an hour for the system to install. And off you go surfing the net and writing letters with OpenOffice! The last time I ran into serious difficulties with a SuSE install was more than a few years ago.
A Windows install? The first few steps are quite similar, but once the system is installed the fun begins: insert manufacturer disk to install custom drivers; insert MS Office CDs to install word processor; hop on the web to download Acrobat Reader; install IM client, jukebox, IE replacement, firewall, and whatnot. With Linux all the stuff a beginner needs is already there; no need to hunt around for programs. And no need to reinstall every few months because a worm messed up the system.
Granted, with Linux you have to pay attention what hardware you choose, especially concerning printers and modems. But the time where you have to touch the command line in order to get Linux to run has passed quite some time ago.
I have to disagree. One accident may be just bad luck, but there are people out there who are accident magnets. While they may not be legally at fault, they repeatedly put themselves in high risk situations where someone else's error can cause an accident. When someone is involved in serious accidents on a regular basis, there is something wrong with the way they drive.
Agreed. But AFAIK, insurance companies already bump your rate after a single no-fault accident. Ideally, I guess, putting yourself in risky situations should give you partial-fault status. But of course the system is not perfect.
I guess the source of the problem is a bunch of messed-up laws and regulations regarding the insurance industry (which doesn't exactly come as a surprise...)
With good antitrust laws and regulations (yes, I am a dreamer), competition should always guarantee that you are paying the expected future claims for your risk group, plus a small premium that goes into your insurance company's pockets. Therefore any measure that allows the insurance company to classify your risk group more accurately should be very beneficial for good drivers. And we all are good drivers, aren't we;-)
But alas, I know, we don't live in a perfect world... all hail government corruption and red tape!
I agree with all you are saying here. However, I think such a system would be better than having to subsidize risky drivers with my current rate.
I also admit that my logic breaks down where people can be forced to pay higher rates after being involved in an accident where there were at no fault (as is the case in the US). This should be illegal, since it punishes the innocent.
I've been accident-free for 15 years, that is, ever since I got my licence. That's enough proof for me, although I can't blame you if it doesn't convince you. If you want more facts I suppose you'd have to talk to a statistician who works for an insurance company.
Okay, now show me those cold, hard facts that prove it's not enough.
Still, it's painfully obvious if you live in America (not commenting on the rest of the Earth) that you must have a car
Yes, it's obvious, and it's painful. I agree wholeheartedly.
Now here's a honest question (not trying to pick another argument here, I really don't know the answer):
If there are so many insurance companies to choose from, and each of these companies tries to attract safe drivers, because they won't cost them much, why does the system not work things out by itself? Competition should drive the rates down naturally!?
I lived in the US myself until four years ago (and will move back soon). Maybe the situation was different then, but I didn't have much to complain about at that time. IIRC, I paid about $550 a year at 20th Century, including Safe Driver bonus.
OTOH, what really sucks is that your rates can skyrocket if you are involved in an accident, even if it wasn't your fault at all. There should be laws to prevent this abuse of innocent accident victims.
Tell you what - I ususally have my own best financial interests in mind. If you want to keep subsidizing bad drivers, that's fine with me. I'd opt for rates based on driving skills and mileage any time.
Luckily there's still a thing called competition in the insurance market. If a company finds a way to offer cheaper rates to safe, infrequent drivers, it will attract customers and the company will succeed. I don't see anything wrong with that.
Not true. Using your car once or twice per week is plenty to keep your skills honed. On the contrary, people who drive a lot tend to get careless because they get a false feeling of safety.
Ins companies make their money by having those who drive little....or even more so dont have accidents subsidize those that do. This will never, ever work...except to raise rates to unreasonable levels.
So you're saying that the system works because people that drive little pay for those that drive a lot. You're right, this is how the system works now.
But why do you say that changing this fundamentally unjust system would raise rates to an unreasonable level? What would happen is that those people that drive a lot would have to bear the true cost of their mileage-burning, instead of being subsidized by low-mileage people. Everybody pays for their own risks and potential accident costs. What's unreasonable about that?
Honestly....You may drive half the time than I, but I have never ever been an accident while you have been in one or two. Accidents are just as much about defensive driving as they are chance and risk.
I drive very little, plus I haven't been in any accident ever since I got my license 15 years ago. But I agree that premiums should be based on both mileage and risky driving, not just on one of these alone.
Are people really prepared to let insurance companies track their every move to save money on car insurance?
Why not? It makes perfect sense for people who use their car only every once-in-a-while. Why should they pay as much as someone who is commuting from LA to SF twice a week?
I think many people feel they've nothing to hide and would opt for this payment plan if it can save them significant amounts of money. And as long as it is voluntary (i.e. you can always go with a flat rate), I don't see a problem with it.
You can stiill use your system while it compiles, you know.
I don't know... so far, everytime I compiled KDE in the background, weird things started to happen: Some applications would not start, in others I could not access the "settings" menu anymore, the control panel started misbehaving...
As soon as the new KDE was completely installed, and I had logged out and in again, everything worked fine again.
That emerging stuff in the background doesn't affect your system, is a myth.
I've been to some mosques that were converted from churches after wars. I even have pictures. This happened. I could understand how some Christians could get a little miffed. Could someone explain how it is offensive to Muslims?
In large parts of the western world Islam is portrayed as a rather violent religion, with all that talk about Jihad that originates from a vocal minority of extremists. The fear of the moderate majority is that the game will serve to reinforce this image. So it's understandable that sensitive muslims may get offended. I wouldn't feel comfortable if a game that reenacts the Christian atrocities of the crusades were distributed widely in the Arab world.
Would I expect some developer in China to know about the controverial border between Michigan and Ohio that led to the Toldeo (Ohio) War?
The conflicts over Taiwan and Kashmir are present-day issues that receive a lot of coverage in all kinds of media. So it's reasonable to think that every properly educated person is aware of those issues. I have never heard about the Toledo War, but I assume it was a while back, that it was not widely covered in international news media, and that it had only a minor impact on world politics. Bad example.
So in the same vein, if you vote for Kerry, you're supporting all the wacko Greenpeace, tree-huggin, anti-capitalist, anti-trade communists, whether or not you agree with them.:)
The point is that Bush and his administration have proven themselves to be neocon/theocons. On the other side, Kerry hasn't done anything that justifies putting him in the wacko tree-hugger camp.
No matter what side of the political spectrum you're leaning towards - to reelect a proven failure won't make things better.
Hmmm... if we accidentially create a black hole, I don't think we'd want to shove it into the sun. After all, that would mean we'd have to go looking for a new one pretty quickly. Our best option would be to either shoot it into outer space, or (the better alternative) to put it into a safe orbit around the sun, where it can't grow, but where it can be studied.
Yes, I have to take everything seriously. Can't help it.
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If Embedded Linux can run a movie player, there is no reason why it shouldn't be able to run the other components of a media center, methinks. The only problem is, that I know virtually nothing about Embedded Linux. Is there some good documentation available on how to get Embedded Linux running on a generic PC? Please share your experiences!
Wrong marketing strategy! People that buy a Linux keyboard are more than likely to already have a Linux system running!!
They should ship their CDs with Windows keyboards!
Since SuSE Linux is the only distro I have extensive experience with, I use it as an example. Installation is as easy as booting off your DVD, selecting your language, accepting a few default options for partitioning and package selection, choosing your username and passwords, and waiting about half an hour for the system to install. And off you go surfing the net and writing letters with OpenOffice! The last time I ran into serious difficulties with a SuSE install was more than a few years ago.
A Windows install? The first few steps are quite similar, but once the system is installed the fun begins: insert manufacturer disk to install custom drivers; insert MS Office CDs to install word processor; hop on the web to download Acrobat Reader; install IM client, jukebox, IE replacement, firewall, and whatnot. With Linux all the stuff a beginner needs is already there; no need to hunt around for programs. And no need to reinstall every few months because a worm messed up the system.
Granted, with Linux you have to pay attention what hardware you choose, especially concerning printers and modems. But the time where you have to touch the command line in order to get Linux to run has passed quite some time ago.
Guess wall was a bad choice of words. But what do you expect on /.?
Agreed. But AFAIK, insurance companies already bump your rate after a single no-fault accident. Ideally, I guess, putting yourself in risky situations should give you partial-fault status. But of course the system is not perfect.
With good antitrust laws and regulations (yes, I am a dreamer), competition should always guarantee that you are paying the expected future claims for your risk group, plus a small premium that goes into your insurance company's pockets. Therefore any measure that allows the insurance company to classify your risk group more accurately should be very beneficial for good drivers. And we all are good drivers, aren't we ;-)
But alas, I know, we don't live in a perfect world... all hail government corruption and red tape!
I also admit that my logic breaks down where people can be forced to pay higher rates after being involved in an accident where there were at no fault (as is the case in the US). This should be illegal, since it punishes the innocent.
Okay, now show me those cold, hard facts that prove it's not enough.
Yes, it's obvious, and it's painful. I agree wholeheartedly.
Now here's a honest question (not trying to pick another argument here, I really don't know the answer):
If there are so many insurance companies to choose from, and each of these companies tries to attract safe drivers, because they won't cost them much, why does the system not work things out by itself? Competition should drive the rates down naturally!?
I lived in the US myself until four years ago (and will move back soon). Maybe the situation was different then, but I didn't have much to complain about at that time. IIRC, I paid about $550 a year at 20th Century, including Safe Driver bonus.
OTOH, what really sucks is that your rates can skyrocket if you are involved in an accident, even if it wasn't your fault at all. There should be laws to prevent this abuse of innocent accident victims.
Luckily there's still a thing called competition in the insurance market. If a company finds a way to offer cheaper rates to safe, infrequent drivers, it will attract customers and the company will succeed. I don't see anything wrong with that.
Not true. Using your car once or twice per week is plenty to keep your skills honed. On the contrary, people who drive a lot tend to get careless because they get a false feeling of safety.
And how does that help me getting my money back?
So you're saying that the system works because people that drive little pay for those that drive a lot. You're right, this is how the system works now.
But why do you say that changing this fundamentally unjust system would raise rates to an unreasonable level? What would happen is that those people that drive a lot would have to bear the true cost of their mileage-burning, instead of being subsidized by low-mileage people. Everybody pays for their own risks and potential accident costs. What's unreasonable about that?
Honestly....You may drive half the time than I, but I have never ever been an accident while you have been in one or two. Accidents are just as much about defensive driving as they are chance and risk.
I drive very little, plus I haven't been in any accident ever since I got my license 15 years ago. But I agree that premiums should be based on both mileage and risky driving, not just on one of these alone.
People don't have a problem with their credit card companies tracking every cent they are spending, so why should they have problems with this?
And what if they hold a minimum-wage job at McDonald's? You'd probably be waiting 500 years to get your money.
Why not? It makes perfect sense for people who use their car only every once-in-a-while. Why should they pay as much as someone who is commuting from LA to SF twice a week?
I think many people feel they've nothing to hide and would opt for this payment plan if it can save them significant amounts of money. And as long as it is voluntary (i.e. you can always go with a flat rate), I don't see a problem with it.
I don't know... so far, everytime I compiled KDE in the background, weird things started to happen: Some applications would not start, in others I could not access the "settings" menu anymore, the control panel started misbehaving...
As soon as the new KDE was completely installed, and I had logged out and in again, everything worked fine again.
That emerging stuff in the background doesn't affect your system, is a myth.
Michigan, Ohio: not so much
Exactly my point.
In large parts of the western world Islam is portrayed as a rather violent religion, with all that talk about Jihad that originates from a vocal minority of extremists. The fear of the moderate majority is that the game will serve to reinforce this image. So it's understandable that sensitive muslims may get offended. I wouldn't feel comfortable if a game that reenacts the Christian atrocities of the crusades were distributed widely in the Arab world.
Would I expect some developer in China to know about the controverial border between Michigan and Ohio that led to the Toldeo (Ohio) War?
The conflicts over Taiwan and Kashmir are present-day issues that receive a lot of coverage in all kinds of media. So it's reasonable to think that every properly educated person is aware of those issues. I have never heard about the Toledo War, but I assume it was a while back, that it was not widely covered in international news media, and that it had only a minor impact on world politics. Bad example.
The point is that Bush and his administration have proven themselves to be neocon/theocons. On the other side, Kerry hasn't done anything that justifies putting him in the wacko tree-hugger camp.
No matter what side of the political spectrum you're leaning towards - to reelect a proven failure won't make things better.
Yes, I have to take everything seriously. Can't help it.
actually the movie experience was significantly eased by the fact that you could ogle Lucy Liu throughout the movie.
If this treatment ever becomes mainstream for human beings, Slashdot can close up shop.
Does this mean we're soon going to have a law that makes it illegal to sell PC's without Windows preinstalled?
A classic fallacy.