The important word here is that they are a cartell. In a monopoly, you have no choice. With a cartell, you have very very little choice. Boycotts do not work against monopolys, cartells, utilities and commodities. Sadly, it may be time for regulation - the ultimate vengence. However, after having read about their accounting practices, I don't see why they couldn't be taken down through the RICO laws.:)
It's interesting that you mention that. At one point the European Union was investigating price-fixing by both record companies (also BBC), and DVD studios. I'm not sure what the findings are though...
That might be so, but most first time computer users [b]think[/b] that they need MS Word to type up letters or CVs. My seventy-year, who has copies of Word and Works, didn't understand why I wanted to take Office off her computer and replace it with her licensed copy of Works...
Actually, in Woody the Debian project has fixed this problem./dev/input/mice is now set up by default and the administrator simply has to modprobe the appropriate usb related kernel modules.
Of course, the admin needs to know what modules to pick...:)
The reason why they aren't going to take their toys and go home is because they can't...
If they spent less time moaning about people writing "Linux" instead of "GNU/Linux", maybe the FSF would have a working kernel of their own to evangelise.
Personally, I find that l33t sp33k annoys the crap out of me.It's marginally acceptable in SMS messages, but really doesn't belong anywhere else imo.I don't even use it myself in SMS' because my phone as T9 input and I can type messages in pretty damn quickly.
Meanwhile, you write "imo"...
An interesting meme I wanted to throw down is that language is more than just communication, it's a formal way of constructing ideas not only for communication to others, but also in our own minds; Much in the way that mathematics has it's own language for the formulation and transmission of concepts.
it's = it is
its = a reference to the possession of "it"
If you're going to criticise somebody for using incorrect grammar, the least you should do is use correct grammar yourself.:)
Spot on. The same applies to European countries too, but the USA is definitely the worst in this regard. Just take a look at the Kyoto Protocol - although there is a valid argument that Kyoto would only postpone rather than reduce global warming, most other developed countries have agreed to it. Bush doesn't want to take responsibility for his country's pollution if it means that each of his electorate has to forgo a Big Mac per day.
If you want money for free, you can just print some up on a color copier. It isn't immoral, because you haven't deprived anyone else of their money.
Wrong. By putting more money into circulation you are decreasing the value of money (inflation), and so everybody else can buy less goods with the money that have. To put it simply, if everybody suddenly had £100 more, then the price of goods would rise (if only slightly) to reflect that.
When I was at school we needed to use the proxy to be able to gain access to external networks, but I still managed to browse naughty websites by just using Altavista's Translator, and translating pages from Korean (or some other language) to English.
The translator couldn't find any Korean words, so the web page was just served in unspoilt English.:)
TIP: This works well on RM networks in the UK, if anyone is using one.:)
If mozilla is open source then why doesnt someone extend it to support these new types of tags, or better still come up with better, groovier mozilla html tags to fight back?
Well duh - if the vast majority of users browse using MS IE, then why would web designers purposely alienate most of their visitors?
Trillian has already been mentioned for win32, but there's also gaim for Linux/GTK - it supports almost every instant messaging protocol under the sun, and doesn't feature the same bloat as the likes of ICQ.
Gabber's also pretty good, but since no-one uses the Jabber protocol, it seems pointless to register...
I don't mind so much if there are a few bugs on a website because the designer hasn't tested it in Netscape/Mozilla/Opera etc - what annoys me is when a website will probably work fine but just blocks you out anyway.
Argos is a case in point. If you fake the UserAgent string, you can access the website fine. But why should I have do do that?! They're just losing customers...
Re:WineX Transgaming Work around!
on
Debian And WineX
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· Score: 1
I tried Half Life, it died.
That's funny, because Half-Life works in both the vanilla Wine and proprietary WineX.
Microsoft is capitalism. In it purest.
No, capitalism in its purest is producing a good or service demanded by another individual and being recompensated for your work. To use Adam Smith's centuries old example, a baker doesn't bake ten loaves of bread a day because it does him any good, he bakes it to trade with a third party and acquire a different good which he demands.
Microsoft on the other hand seem intent on first producing the good and using anti-competitive tactics to persuade someone to buy their product rather than producing a good because someone demands it.
Capitalism doesn't work for the best of majority. Blaming communism for everything bad is just stupid.
Capitalism may not work for the best of the majority if left unfettered, but it is the capitalist market system which has led to a huge advance of standard of living in the Western world. To use a simple example, the very computer you used to type that splurge was produced by capitalists, so you have benefited.
It is stupid to blame communism for everything bad, but it is even more stupid to blame capitalism.
Reading this was like a breath of fresh air. At last a government has stood up to the bully-boy tactics of Microsoft and have gone with the sensible option in the economic climate within which they are.
Surely this has to be a major focus area of GNU and OSS - getting the governments of democratic developing countries on board, saving them shed loads of dollars and hopefully promoting the use of free software in schools etc.
If only OSS could make inroads into China - but I fear this is impossible with 95% (official stats from The Economist) of Chinese Windows users running pirate software - like it or not, the price difference has got to be a major factor in average users and governmental departments switching to OSS.
Besides, Walmart probably realised that 90% of Windows users will just "borrow" a copy from a friend of their PC doesn't come pre-installed. They're not responsable for the piracy, yet they can take advantage of the lower price achieved through not including an OS.
Everyone wins (except Microsoft).:)
Re:Cheaper to build it yourself? Not here :-(
on
PC Prices to Rise?
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· Score: 0
I bouht an Athlon XP system from MeshDabs Direct would cost me almost exactly the same price.
Yes, I couldn't choose exactly what components I wanted but the spec was near enough what I would have chosen. Add to the price the value of decreased liability with a 3 year warranty, and a bundled copy of Windows XP (which I'm not actually using much at all). It clearly <b>is cheaper</b> to buy a system than build one, in the UK at least.
DanielS is spot on again - a stable release should be about being able to get things done with no crashes, no segfaults and no bugs whatsoever. In terms of productivity, KDE3 doesn't offer *that much* over KDE 2.2.2, and so there isn't any point in rushing it.
I would rather have KDE 2.2.2 packages that work than broken KDE 3 packages. People moan about KDE 3 debs not being available yet, but then you just have to look at the problems Mandrake users are having with their 8.2 RPMs which screw up their existing installation...
Installing kernel 2.2 as the default isn't a big issue. People didn't complain when Slackware 8 was released running 2.2. You still had the choice to use 2.4 if you wanted to.
Slashdot Mirror
The important word here is that they are a cartell. In a monopoly, you have no choice. With a cartell, you have very very little choice. Boycotts do not work against monopolys, cartells, utilities and commodities. Sadly, it may be time for regulation - the ultimate vengence. However, after having read about their accounting practices, I don't see why they couldn't be taken down through the RICO laws. :)
It's interesting that you mention that. At one point the European Union was investigating price-fixing by both record companies (also BBC), and DVD studios. I'm not sure what the findings are though...
I think you're confusing it with the Basilicon[1]. :)
. [1]Basil Fawlty that is.
That might be so, but most first time computer users [b]think[/b] that they need MS Word to type up letters or CVs. My seventy-year, who has copies of Word and Works, didn't understand why I wanted to take Office off her computer and replace it with her licensed copy of Works...
Actually, in Woody the Debian project has fixed this problem. /dev/input/mice is now set up by default and the administrator simply has to modprobe the appropriate usb related kernel modules.
Of course, the admin needs to know what modules to pick... :)
One word: TAB. :p
On a related note, Hilary Rosen (chief executive of the RIAA) is debating in proposition at the Oxford Union tomorrow evening, with the motion 'This House believes that "the free music mentality is a hreat to the future of music.'.
Get there early to get a chance to speak from the floor!
The reason why they aren't going to take their toys and go home is because they can't... If they spent less time moaning about people writing "Linux" instead of "GNU/Linux", maybe the FSF would have a working kernel of their own to evangelise.
Personally, I find that l33t sp33k annoys the crap out of me.It's marginally acceptable in SMS messages, but really doesn't belong anywhere else imo.I don't even use it myself in SMS' because my phone as T9 input and I can type messages in pretty damn quickly.
:)
Meanwhile, you write "imo"...
An interesting meme I wanted to throw down is that language is more than just communication, it's a formal way of constructing ideas not only for communication to others, but also in our own minds; Much in the way that mathematics has it's own language for the formulation and transmission of concepts.
it's = it is
its = a reference to the possession of "it"
If you're going to criticise somebody for using incorrect grammar, the least you should do is use correct grammar yourself.
Spot on. The same applies to European countries too, but the USA is definitely the worst in this regard. Just take a look at the Kyoto Protocol - although there is a valid argument that Kyoto would only postpone rather than reduce global warming, most other developed countries have agreed to it. Bush doesn't want to take responsibility for his country's pollution if it means that each of his electorate has to forgo a Big Mac per day.
If you want money for free, you can just print some up on a color copier. It isn't immoral, because you haven't deprived anyone else of their money.
Wrong. By putting more money into circulation you are decreasing the value of money (inflation), and so everybody else can buy less goods with the money that have. To put it simply, if everybody suddenly had £100 more, then the price of goods would rise (if only slightly) to reflect that.
A slightly darker version I did before seeing your post.
When I was at school we needed to use the proxy to be able to gain access to external networks, but I still managed to browse naughty websites by just using Altavista's Translator, and translating pages from Korean (or some other language) to English.
:)
:)
The translator couldn't find any Korean words, so the web page was just served in unspoilt English.
TIP: This works well on RM networks in the UK, if anyone is using one.
KDE is a slug.
Slugs can be killed with coffee
Therefore KDE can be killed with coffee. Funny, it's never worked for me...
If mozilla is open source then why doesnt someone extend it to support these new types of tags, or better still come up with better, groovier mozilla html tags to fight back?
Well duh - if the vast majority of users browse using MS IE, then why would web designers purposely alienate most of their visitors?
Trillian has already been mentioned for win32, but there's also gaim for Linux/GTK - it supports almost every instant messaging protocol under the sun, and doesn't feature the same bloat as the likes of ICQ.
Gabber's also pretty good, but since no-one uses the Jabber protocol, it seems pointless to register...
I don't mind so much if there are a few bugs on a website because the designer hasn't tested it in Netscape/Mozilla/Opera etc - what annoys me is when a website will probably work fine but just blocks you out anyway.
Argos is a case in point. If you fake the UserAgent string, you can access the website fine. But why should I have do do that?! They're just losing customers...
I tried Half Life, it died.
That's funny, because Half-Life works in both the vanilla Wine and proprietary WineX.
Maybe you should read a few FAQs...
Microsoft is capitalism. In it purest. No, capitalism in its purest is producing a good or service demanded by another individual and being recompensated for your work. To use Adam Smith's centuries old example, a baker doesn't bake ten loaves of bread a day because it does him any good, he bakes it to trade with a third party and acquire a different good which he demands. Microsoft on the other hand seem intent on first producing the good and using anti-competitive tactics to persuade someone to buy their product rather than producing a good because someone demands it. Capitalism doesn't work for the best of majority. Blaming communism for everything bad is just stupid. Capitalism may not work for the best of the majority if left unfettered, but it is the capitalist market system which has led to a huge advance of standard of living in the Western world. To use a simple example, the very computer you used to type that splurge was produced by capitalists, so you have benefited. It is stupid to blame communism for everything bad, but it is even more stupid to blame capitalism.
Reading this was like a breath of fresh air. At last a government has stood up to the bully-boy tactics of Microsoft and have gone with the sensible option in the economic climate within which they are.
Surely this has to be a major focus area of GNU and OSS - getting the governments of democratic developing countries on board, saving them shed loads of dollars and hopefully promoting the use of free software in schools etc.
If only OSS could make inroads into China - but I fear this is impossible with 95% (official stats from The Economist) of Chinese Windows users running pirate software - like it or not, the price difference has got to be a major factor in average users and governmental departments switching to OSS.
Besides, Walmart probably realised that 90% of Windows users will just "borrow" a copy from a friend of their PC doesn't come pre-installed. They're not responsable for the piracy, yet they can take advantage of the lower price achieved through not including an OS.
:)
Everyone wins (except Microsoft).
I bouht an Athlon XP system from MeshDabs Direct would cost me almost exactly the same price.
Yes, I couldn't choose exactly what components I wanted but the spec was near enough what I would have chosen. Add to the price the value of decreased liability with a 3 year warranty, and a bundled copy of Windows XP (which I'm not actually using much at all). It clearly <b>is cheaper</b> to buy a system than build one, in the UK at least.
Of course you're going to have clean code if you use a SOAP interface...
DanielS is spot on again - a stable release should be about being able to get things done with no crashes, no segfaults and no bugs whatsoever. In terms of productivity, KDE3 doesn't offer *that much* over KDE 2.2.2, and so there isn't any point in rushing it. I would rather have KDE 2.2.2 packages that work than broken KDE 3 packages. People moan about KDE 3 debs not being available yet, but then you just have to look at the problems Mandrake users are having with their 8.2 RPMs which screw up their existing installation...
Well, considering most optimisation takes place in the kernel, it seems like a waste of time for me.
;)
How is compiling GNOME from source going to make it efficient?
Installing kernel 2.2 as the default isn't a big issue. People didn't complain when Slackware 8 was released running 2.2. You still had the choice to use 2.4 if you wanted to.