KDE: An unholy marriage of Windowws 98 and AmigaOS 2.0
GNOME: An unholy marriage of Windows 98 and MacOS 9
Personally, I prefer GNOME. The interface feels more polished (reminds me of MacOS 9). KDE does everything, and has more features, but it all feels like it's been slapped together. Plus, it just *looks* clunky (reminds me of AmigaOS). I could never get over the "button-overload" of KDE.
"Still, programmers are privileging speed and efficiency over security..."
Speed and efficiency of *development*, maybe.
Which is the problem. Modern software is so dependent on toolkits and compiler optimizations and various other "pre-made" pieces, that any program of even moderate complexity is doing things that the programmer isn't really aware of.
Windows 2000 was *perfect* for corporate environments.
XP Pro is/was fine, too, but it really didn't offer much over Win2K for corporate users. I suppose the firewall is nice, sort of.
That's why Vista is gonna be a tough sell to corporate customers for a while. In properly configured corporate networks, the client machine is so locked down, that the OS almost doesn't matter.
Basically what I'm saying is, businesses run applications, not operating systems. If their apps all work, and their network is locked down like it should be, then why would they upgrade *anything*?
However, if you re-formatted a drive, and re-installed Windows and all your apps, pretty much the whole drive is going to get "overwritten" with the data from the new install. I know that in some cases the "pre-formatting" data is STILL readable, but I believe it requires some extremely expensive and specialized equipment.
The PDF from the "expert" doesn't mention anything about "data recovery", specifically. It sounds like he looked at the drive, didn't see any evidence, and called it a day. I don't get the impression that he actually used any data-recovery software of any kind.
Seems that he's saying that the hard drive he examined contained NO TRACE of Kazaa ever being installed, and no trace of any "shared files". He goes on to say that the hard drive appeared to be hardly used, since there were very few user-created files. The implication is that the hard drive he examined is not the hard drive that was used to share music, or that it had been completely erased at some point.
I would ask him about the possibility that the hard drive was reformatted in the process of re-installing Windows, via an normal Windows CD or especially a "restore CD". And I would also ask him if it is possible that Ms. Lindor re-installed Windows because she was having other problems with the computer, and a re-install was the simplest way to fix those problems. I would also ask him if formatting the drive and re-installing Windows is a common way to repair computers that have become unusable due to viruses and spyware. I would also ask him how common spyware and viruses are, and how a user such as Ms. Lindor would be able to fix a machine infected with spyware and/or viruses without resorting to formatting her hard drive and re-installing Windows.
Basically, reformatting the drive is a perfectly legitimate thing to do when Windows, or any operating system, becomes "unusable" due to corruption of system files by malicious software. Just because her drive is "empty" doesn't mean she is trying to hide evidence. She may have done it simply to get her computer working again.
Yeah, but they're getting "good" reviews simply because there isn't much else out there. That happens with EVERY system's launch titles. A few of the games get good reviews, and everyone buys them. But then, a year or so later when the TRULY good games come out, everyone realizes how boring those games were.
Don't get me wrong. The Wii's launch line-up is actually pretty good, for a launch line-up. But that isn't saying much.
The trick with new consoles is to resist the temptation to buy it at launch. Wait at least 6 months. A year is even better. Then you get to play the good games. Though, that said, we've had the 360 for a year, and there are still only a few good games.
Wii Sports is fun, for little while. Probably a great "party game".
Zelda never interested me, but it seems like it's well-done.
Basically every other game currently available is just not worth mentioning. There are some *decent* games, but nothing particularly exciting (again, assuming you aren't a big Zelda fan). It's the standard "launch games are kinda lame" syndrome. Personally, I'm holding out for the WarioWare game. That will rock.
Still, the Wiimote works very well, and is fun to use. Nintendo might have a big hit on their hands.
That's because there's no good way to "monetize" physics. If the particle-accelerator crowd wants funding they need to find a way to:
1. Allow teenagers to upload videos to the accelerator
2. Allow teenagers to download ringtones from the accelerator
3. Allow teenagers to instant-message entangled particles on the other side of the universe
I'm just wondering if there are any provisions in the DMCA or Patriot Act that would allow us to legally kick the stupid right out of Morris' stupid head. Or, failing that, is there any way I can give him cancer via e-mail?
There would have to be enough cash-up-front pre-orders for the Mac and Linux version to completely cover the cost of development. Plus %10 profit.
No one cares about the Mac and Linux game markets. They're too small. Hell, a lot of developers don't even care about the *Windows* game market, because it's too small compared to the the console market.
There a reason so many MMORPGs are being made for the PC. It's the only "genre" that can't be done well on consoles (no keyboard), and it's the only genre that makes piracy impossible.
Oh, I agree. That's another problem with custom software development. Management knows nothing about software development, and hires whichever developer had the best sales pitch.
Of course, the developer's goal is to make the system as complicated and proprietary as possible, because, again, they want to keep that support/update money coming for as long as possible.
The dirty secret of the software industry is that if you need a complicated piece of custom software, you're going to pay *huge* amounts of cash to have it developed, and it's never going to work right.
Anyone who has worked in the IT industry for a while knows the sheer HORROR of most the "niche" software products that big businesses need. They're universally terrible. The people that make that stuff have no incentive to make their product GOOD. They only care about making it marginally functional, so they can make sure their customers have to pay them support fees for eternity.
YouTube and Google Video *are* full of copyrighted material. They *should* have some liability.
Don't get me wrong. I think that the so-called "content-providers" should be HAPPY about the free advertising they get when clips of their stuff are posted on those sites. But we all know that they can't stand it, and that it is illegal. It probably shouldn't be, but it is.
And you know what? It doesn't seem fair that in a world where the RIAA is forcing grandmothers to cough up thousands and thousands of dollars for unknowingly sharing Britney Spears tunes from their PC, that big corporations like Google get a free ride.
But why DOESN'T Apple include an FM tuner? It would cost next to nothing, it wouldn't increase the size of the iPod, and it wouldn't drain battery life if it wasn't being used.
It's just a simple, easy, CHEAP thing that Apple could add to the iPod, but for some reason doesn't. Why would they not include a feature that that adds almost zero cost, and is damn handy?
The Mighty Mouse is "sort-of" a two-button mouse, I guess. I've used one, I think the pressure-sensitive buttons are a pain in the ass. Also, it doesn't change the fact that MacOS doesn't really do as much as it should with the extra-button. Context-menus aren't very pervasive/functional in the MacOS. Which is, after all, the major reason to have 2-button mice in the first place
Don't get me wrong, I like Apple products well-enough, but they do weird things that seem kind of petty.
Everyone knows that Apple always does one stupid thing with every piece of hardware they sell. Something that isn't a deal breaker, but is annoying, and makes no real sense. With the Macs, it's their refusal to ship the things with 2-button mice. Withe the iPod, it's their refusal to include an FM tuner.
And yet, for all these "barriers" to creating an efficient, profitable healthcare industry, they make BILLIONS of dollars every year. The healthcare industry is the MOST profitable industry in the United States.
Tell me again how the healthcare industry is screwed by regulations?
Re:This is cronyism at its finest
on
More A's, More Pay
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
"If a school took advantage of the poor, another school who cares for the income would step up".
I didn't say that a privately-run school would "take advantage" of the poor. I said that they would spend as little as possible, since they would know that their customers couldn't pay very much.
Let's say you had a privately-run school in a poor area. They offer the absolute bare-minimum education, and their margins are very, very low. Eventually, they decide that they aren't making enough money, or possibly are even LOSING money, so they sell the school to a different company. What is that company going to do first? Cut costs in every way. They'd have to. Hire cheaper teachers, buy cheaper equipment, cut every corner. Eventually THAT company will probably give up.
What happens when no company wants to serve a given area with schools, because they can't really make a decent profit on it? Remember, a given corporation/investment group doesn't HAVE to start a school with their money. They can do whatever they want. Why would they invest millions into a school in a poor area if they could invest that same money in to some more profitable venture?
And you want me to show you one competitive market that is bad to the poor? You've never found any, you say? How about health insurance, or healthcare in general. There's a couple of free-markets that have screwed the poor. You really didn't think of those?
Re:This is cronyism at its finest
on
More A's, More Pay
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
The public education system in this country is pretty broken, I'll give you that.
But letting the "free market" handle it is suicide. You'd end up with multiple "tiers" of schools. Good schools for rich people, bad schools for poor people. Which is exactly how it is now, except that the poor people would be even WORSE off, because they'd be paying more, and wouldn't get any funding from the state to fix things, or any hope of changing the situation through elections.
Or are you one of those idealists that thinks that companies in the "education business" would actually give a shit about the schools in poor areas? Because they wouldn't. They'd run them as cheaply as possible, and simply raise the rates at the schools for rich people. Much better margins on the rich kids, you see. The schools for poor kids aren't where the money is at.
The "free market" isn't good at providing services for the public good, because what is good for the public is rarely good for the bottom-line.
We'll get an EVE tabletop RPG, and CCG. They'll be supported for a couple of years, and then abandoned due to poor sales.
In a few months, we'll get an announcement *with screenshots* about a "World of Darkness" online MMORPG game. They'll never specify a release date, and over the next couple of years, we'll hear less and less about it, until it is finally quietly cancelled. At that point, the companies will split up again.
Honestly, I don't expect either company to be around much longer no matter WHAT happens. EVE Online is getting long-in-the-tooth, and really doesn't have mass-market appeal. And White Wolf is just screwed in general, because pen-and-paper RPGs that aren't Dungeons & Dragons are almost completely dead.
Slashdot Mirror
KDE: An unholy marriage of Windowws 98 and AmigaOS 2.0
GNOME: An unholy marriage of Windows 98 and MacOS 9
Personally, I prefer GNOME. The interface feels more polished (reminds me of MacOS 9). KDE does everything, and has more features, but it all feels like it's been slapped together. Plus, it just *looks* clunky (reminds me of AmigaOS). I could never get over the "button-overload" of KDE.
"Communitarian"? "Idea agora"? "Collaborative happenings"?
You need to cancel your subscription to "Wired" magazine, my friend. And then kill yourself.
"Still, programmers are privileging speed and efficiency over security..."
Speed and efficiency of *development*, maybe.
Which is the problem. Modern software is so dependent on toolkits and compiler optimizations and various other "pre-made" pieces, that any program of even moderate complexity is doing things that the programmer isn't really aware of.
Windows 2000 was *perfect* for corporate environments.
XP Pro is/was fine, too, but it really didn't offer much over Win2K for corporate users. I suppose the firewall is nice, sort of.
That's why Vista is gonna be a tough sell to corporate customers for a while. In properly configured corporate networks, the client machine is so locked down, that the OS almost doesn't matter.
Basically what I'm saying is, businesses run applications, not operating systems. If their apps all work, and their network is locked down like it should be, then why would they upgrade *anything*?
Everything you said is true.
However, if you re-formatted a drive, and re-installed Windows and all your apps, pretty much the whole drive is going to get "overwritten" with the data from the new install. I know that in some cases the "pre-formatting" data is STILL readable, but I believe it requires some extremely expensive and specialized equipment.
The PDF from the "expert" doesn't mention anything about "data recovery", specifically. It sounds like he looked at the drive, didn't see any evidence, and called it a day. I don't get the impression that he actually used any data-recovery software of any kind.
I read the PDF report from the RIAA's expert.
Seems that he's saying that the hard drive he examined contained NO TRACE of Kazaa ever being installed, and no trace of any "shared files". He goes on to say that the hard drive appeared to be hardly used, since there were very few user-created files. The implication is that the hard drive he examined is not the hard drive that was used to share music, or that it had been completely erased at some point.
I would ask him about the possibility that the hard drive was reformatted in the process of re-installing Windows, via an normal Windows CD or especially a "restore CD". And I would also ask him if it is possible that Ms. Lindor re-installed Windows because she was having other problems with the computer, and a re-install was the simplest way to fix those problems. I would also ask him if formatting the drive and re-installing Windows is a common way to repair computers that have become unusable due to viruses and spyware. I would also ask him how common spyware and viruses are, and how a user such as Ms. Lindor would be able to fix a machine infected with spyware and/or viruses without resorting to formatting her hard drive and re-installing Windows.
Basically, reformatting the drive is a perfectly legitimate thing to do when Windows, or any operating system, becomes "unusable" due to corruption of system files by malicious software. Just because her drive is "empty" doesn't mean she is trying to hide evidence. She may have done it simply to get her computer working again.
So, it takes them how long to finally "finish" AmigaOS 4.0? And now that it's finished, the hardware it runs on is unavailable?
Just when you think the Amiga saga can't get any more absurd...
I fully expect them to announce that they're starting an x86 port, and it'll be ready in January of 2008. Or January of 2018, whichever comes later.
I had an Amiga back in the day. Loved it. Have no desire to use on ever again, though.
Yeah, but they're getting "good" reviews simply because there isn't much else out there. That happens with EVERY system's launch titles. A few of the games get good reviews, and everyone buys them. But then, a year or so later when the TRULY good games come out, everyone realizes how boring those games were.
Don't get me wrong. The Wii's launch line-up is actually pretty good, for a launch line-up. But that isn't saying much.
The trick with new consoles is to resist the temptation to buy it at launch. Wait at least 6 months. A year is even better. Then you get to play the good games. Though, that said, we've had the 360 for a year, and there are still only a few good games.
Wii Sports is fun, for little while. Probably a great "party game".
Zelda never interested me, but it seems like it's well-done.
Basically every other game currently available is just not worth mentioning. There are some *decent* games, but nothing particularly exciting (again, assuming you aren't a big Zelda fan). It's the standard "launch games are kinda lame" syndrome. Personally, I'm holding out for the WarioWare game. That will rock.
Still, the Wiimote works very well, and is fun to use. Nintendo might have a big hit on their hands.
That's because there's no good way to "monetize" physics. If the particle-accelerator crowd wants funding they need to find a way to:
1. Allow teenagers to upload videos to the accelerator 2. Allow teenagers to download ringtones from the accelerator 3. Allow teenagers to instant-message entangled particles on the other side of the universe
I'm just wondering if there are any provisions in the DMCA or Patriot Act that would allow us to legally kick the stupid right out of Morris' stupid head. Or, failing that, is there any way I can give him cancer via e-mail?
What has to happen?
There would have to be enough cash-up-front pre-orders for the Mac and Linux version to completely cover the cost of development. Plus %10 profit.
No one cares about the Mac and Linux game markets. They're too small. Hell, a lot of developers don't even care about the *Windows* game market, because it's too small compared to the the console market.
There a reason so many MMORPGs are being made for the PC. It's the only "genre" that can't be done well on consoles (no keyboard), and it's the only genre that makes piracy impossible.
Huh? What the fuck are you talking about?
Xbox 360 games run on any Xbox 360. I mean, duh.
All that the producers of nanomaterials need to do is put a cartoon Camel on the box, and all the cool kids will be breathing nanonmaterials.
They're perfectly safe, and prevent acne.
Oh, I agree. That's another problem with custom software development. Management knows nothing about software development, and hires whichever developer had the best sales pitch.
Of course, the developer's goal is to make the system as complicated and proprietary as possible, because, again, they want to keep that support/update money coming for as long as possible.
*Most* people are terrible at critical reading. Just terrible.
For that matter, most people don't really like to read at all.
The dirty secret of the software industry is that if you need a complicated piece of custom software, you're going to pay *huge* amounts of cash to have it developed, and it's never going to work right.
Anyone who has worked in the IT industry for a while knows the sheer HORROR of most the "niche" software products that big businesses need. They're universally terrible. The people that make that stuff have no incentive to make their product GOOD. They only care about making it marginally functional, so they can make sure their customers have to pay them support fees for eternity.
YouTube and Google Video *are* full of copyrighted material. They *should* have some liability.
Don't get me wrong. I think that the so-called "content-providers" should be HAPPY about the free advertising they get when clips of their stuff are posted on those sites. But we all know that they can't stand it, and that it is illegal. It probably shouldn't be, but it is.
And you know what? It doesn't seem fair that in a world where the RIAA is forcing grandmothers to cough up thousands and thousands of dollars for unknowingly sharing Britney Spears tunes from their PC, that big corporations like Google get a free ride.
But why DOESN'T Apple include an FM tuner? It would cost next to nothing, it wouldn't increase the size of the iPod, and it wouldn't drain battery life if it wasn't being used.
It's just a simple, easy, CHEAP thing that Apple could add to the iPod, but for some reason doesn't. Why would they not include a feature that that adds almost zero cost, and is damn handy?
The Mighty Mouse is "sort-of" a two-button mouse, I guess. I've used one, I think the pressure-sensitive buttons are a pain in the ass. Also, it doesn't change the fact that MacOS doesn't really do as much as it should with the extra-button. Context-menus aren't very pervasive/functional in the MacOS. Which is, after all, the major reason to have 2-button mice in the first place
Don't get me wrong, I like Apple products well-enough, but they do weird things that seem kind of petty.
Everyone knows that Apple always does one stupid thing with every piece of hardware they sell. Something that isn't a deal breaker, but is annoying, and makes no real sense. With the Macs, it's their refusal to ship the things with 2-button mice. Withe the iPod, it's their refusal to include an FM tuner.
My guess is the iPhone will have no "7" button.
Steve hates the number 7.
Grossly gargantuan. Hauntingly hilarious. Incredibly interesting. Jarringly jolly. Keenly killer. Ludicrously lovely. Mostly malarkey. Nearly necessary. Obviously odorous. Positively pitiful. Queerly quick. Ridiculously rotten. Stupidly sexy. Totally tacky. Unbelievably ugly. Viciously viscous. Weirdly wooley. Xenophobically xeroxed. Yearningly yellow. Zoologically zippy.
And yet, for all these "barriers" to creating an efficient, profitable healthcare industry, they make BILLIONS of dollars every year. The healthcare industry is the MOST profitable industry in the United States.
Tell me again how the healthcare industry is screwed by regulations?
"If a school took advantage of the poor, another school who cares for the income would step up".
I didn't say that a privately-run school would "take advantage" of the poor. I said that they would spend as little as possible, since they would know that their customers couldn't pay very much.
Let's say you had a privately-run school in a poor area. They offer the absolute bare-minimum education, and their margins are very, very low. Eventually, they decide that they aren't making enough money, or possibly are even LOSING money, so they sell the school to a different company. What is that company going to do first? Cut costs in every way. They'd have to. Hire cheaper teachers, buy cheaper equipment, cut every corner. Eventually THAT company will probably give up.
What happens when no company wants to serve a given area with schools, because they can't really make a decent profit on it? Remember, a given corporation/investment group doesn't HAVE to start a school with their money. They can do whatever they want. Why would they invest millions into a school in a poor area if they could invest that same money in to some more profitable venture?
And you want me to show you one competitive market that is bad to the poor? You've never found any, you say? How about health insurance, or healthcare in general. There's a couple of free-markets that have screwed the poor. You really didn't think of those?
The public education system in this country is pretty broken, I'll give you that.
But letting the "free market" handle it is suicide. You'd end up with multiple "tiers" of schools. Good schools for rich people, bad schools for poor people. Which is exactly how it is now, except that the poor people would be even WORSE off, because they'd be paying more, and wouldn't get any funding from the state to fix things, or any hope of changing the situation through elections.
Or are you one of those idealists that thinks that companies in the "education business" would actually give a shit about the schools in poor areas? Because they wouldn't. They'd run them as cheaply as possible, and simply raise the rates at the schools for rich people. Much better margins on the rich kids, you see. The schools for poor kids aren't where the money is at.
The "free market" isn't good at providing services for the public good, because what is good for the public is rarely good for the bottom-line.
We'll get an EVE tabletop RPG, and CCG. They'll be supported for a couple of years, and then abandoned due to poor sales.
In a few months, we'll get an announcement *with screenshots* about a "World of Darkness" online MMORPG game. They'll never specify a release date, and over the next couple of years, we'll hear less and less about it, until it is finally quietly cancelled. At that point, the companies will split up again.
Honestly, I don't expect either company to be around much longer no matter WHAT happens. EVE Online is getting long-in-the-tooth, and really doesn't have mass-market appeal. And White Wolf is just screwed in general, because pen-and-paper RPGs that aren't Dungeons & Dragons are almost completely dead.