I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you don't own the games you buy. You own a license to use those games. Big difference.
That point is up for debate. It's my understanding that a contract (the license) is not valid unless both parties agree to it before value is exchanged. Because of the way that shrink-wrap software is sold now, this isn't possible. IANAL, but I think that the publisher is obligated to refund your money if you disagree with the license. We all know how easy it is to return software for a full refund.
Consumers have rights too, and I'm just waiting to see one of the more egregious "clickwrap" agreements tested in court.
You have persistently misunderstood the parent post. (And missed his point entirely) His instructions:
"Try adding the following to your style sheet:
FORM { margin:0px; }
or adding style="margin:0px" to you form declaration."
were for the WEB SITE DESIGNER, not the end-user. It was simply a helpful hint on how to fix layout problems on a web page that is incorrectly formatted. It was not about desktop software AT ALL!!!!!
I read your post and I must say that with all of your pretense of objectivity ("I'm not against Linux, heck I have no loyalties when it comes to software.") it is unquestionably partisan. It seems to me that you are one of the Windows users that can't stand it when software doesn't work like windows. I will address some of the more obvious problems with your post:
First, video playing. If you were to install mplayer and the "essential" codec package, the overwhelming majority of your Linux video problems would go away. In order to play anywhere near the same number of differing video types under Windows requires getting media player classic and the K-Lite codec pack, real alternative and quicktime alternative.
Next, file structure. Just what, exactly is so confusing about linux file systems? Is it easier to navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents than/home/username? (I don't have a windows machine handy, so I might be missing a level.) What exactly is so confusing? I really want to know what's stretching your brain.
You also say "Until there is a tight, pixel-perfect GUI that has hardware acceleration on Linux, it's going to be playing catch-up to Macs and Windows. People who want eye-candy are going to be going elsewhere." I don't know what desktops that you've been playing with, but the only response that this comment deserves is http://www.kde-look.org/.
As for the bloat issue, I've been working with a stripped down linux distro to run instrumentation that fits on a 20MB flash disk. And, I have installed full Linux distributions that take up less space than Windows XP. You just have to make a few sensible choices in the install routine. If you check the "everything" box, you're gonna get everything! And while we're on the subject of bloat, why can't I uninstall the Microsoft versions of applications that I already have replacements for? I don't want IE, I already have Firefox.
You also say "Breaking. In my experience, when linux breaks, it can take a lot of work getting it right again. With windows, you can just re-install the software that is affected, and you're sailing." Well, all I can say is that you don't seem to have much experience fixing either Linux or Windows. I can forgive your problem fixing Linux since it's obvious from your post that you don't have much experience with it. However, your assertions about fixing Windows show that you don't have experience with it either (despite your cheerleading.) On more than one occasion, Microsoft software has bolluxed up Windows so much that it couldn't be fixed. (I'm thinking of Outlook, Outlook express, and Internet Explorer specifically).
I guess the thing I find most disturbing about your post is your pretense of objectivity. It seems obvious that you have little experience with either of the operating systems that you compare and yet you spout Windows fanboy exaggerations throughout.
I make no such assertion of objectivity. I used windows of all flavors for many years. I got my start in the IT biz repairing, upgrading, and generally troubleshooting Windows. One day, I just got fed up with all of Windows problems and started dual-booting Linux on my home machine. After a while, I found myself never using the Windows partition and dumped it for good. I still have to do a great deal of Windows troubleshooting and repair and I'm so glad that I have a reliable system to use myself.
I think it's usually a guitar and violins, not a banjo:-)
I think that the "no sound in space" adds to the menace that such an inhospitable environment presents. It was used quite effectively in the pilot episode, near the beginning.
However, that doesn't mean that I think incidental music should be abolished from all science fiction because it's "unrealistic". Effective use of music adds to the drama and tension of the scene. In the same way, I think that the absence of sound in space was used very effectively to enhance the dramatic impact of those scenes that occur outside the ship.
So, a fact that contravenes the Sci-Fi cliche (of noisy space) was used to make the series more dramatic and original. I don't see why anyone would object.
What Microsoft consistently (conveniently?) ignores about the software world is that for the overwhelming majority of businesses, software is an expense-- not a profit center. Reducing this cost increases the amount that a business can spend on other things (like salaries or R&D). Software development is a miniscule portion of the total economy and it's reduction isn't going to cause a collapse.
In RFC 2606, example.com, example.net and example.org are reserved for testing. Therefore, I always use [somename]@example.com for my fake e-mail needs.
Since most people using Fedora and RedHat distros are running a dual boot machine.[sic]
Why on earth do you say that? It totally contradicts my experience. Most of the RH/Fedora installs at my place of employ are servers (ftp,http,postgres) or workstation installs (running numerical models). Do you have good information that most people are dual-booting or is it just that you assume everyone else is because you are? Some of us don't need Windows for anything.
disabling autorun on XP its embarrassingly simple to do, and claiming that it requires a registry hack just shows that your knowledge of windows doesn't even extend to the most absolute basics - so what the hell are you doing making claims about it's functionality when you don't even know how to use it?
It's pretty arrogant for you to assume that everyone in the world is running Windows XP. At my place of employment, most of our computers are running Windows 2000 (with a couple of Win 98 pcs left over). The solution for win2k (posted
here) is far from the "embarrassingly simple" task that you make it out to be. As for downloading a tweaking utility: why should I download an untrusted utility that makes registry edits in order to secure a windows pc? Does that really make sense to you?
Oh, and speaking of kludgy fixes, the windows 2000 fix causes you to have to hit F5 to refresh the explorer window when you change CDs.
Do people honestly use file selector windows and drag and drop, and find that more efficient than tab completing in a terminal window? Do I just need more practice?
What if those files are graphics? Wouldn't it be easier to select from them with a thumbnail preview? Konqueror is an amazing application for file management. It is transport agnostic so I can transfer files seamlessly via FTP, SMB and SSH/SFTP. On a side note, I use KDE on PIII 500mhz 128 MB system and while it isn't blindingly fast, it doesn't seem excessively slow either.
[sichemist@Apollo sichemist]$ ping 0.0.0.0 PING 0.0.0.0 (127.0.0.1) 56(84) bytes of data. 64 bytes from 127.0.0.1: icmp_seq=0 ttl=64 time=0.075 ms 64 bytes from 127.0.0.1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.043 ms 64 bytes from 127.0.0.1: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=0.055 ms 64 bytes from 127.0.0.1: icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=0.055 ms 64 bytes from 127.0.0.1: icmp_seq=4 ttl=64 time=0.055 ms
The default in KDE is ALT-CTRL-D (hmmm. Used CapsLock for that string.)
To change it, go to KControl->Regional & Accessibility->Keyboard Shortcuts, scroll down to the "panel" section and double click "Toggle showing Desktop". Choose the "alternate" radio button, and type your hotkey combo. Save and you're done!
Exactly how is this news for nerds? I understand that the prevailing opinion on Slashdot is hatred for the Bush administration, but I fail to see the 'nerd' aspect to this story. Politics aside, if it was a sci/fi or fantasy movie, I could understand, but this was simply a politically charged documentary about 9/11 and the Iraq war. What is next? Reviews of campaign ads?
While it might fall outside the "News for Nerds" arena, judging by the number of posts (880 at the time of posting) it IS "Stuff that matters".
...but i don't get thumbnails like those "even thumbnails have thumbnails" images he displays.
Launch an instance of konqueror and go to settings > configure konqueror > behavior. Check the box that says "show file tips" and the box below it that says "show previews in file tips".
For transparent menus: go to k-menu > settings > control center. Expand the "Appearance & Themes" section and select "style". Go to the "effects" tab and go crazy.
Imagine that, another inflammatory Forbes story
on
Red Hat Recap
·
· Score: 1
"Paul Starzetz discovered a flaw in return value checking in mremap() in the
Linux kernel versions 2.4.24 and previous that may allow a local attacker
to gain root privileges. No exploit is currently available; however this
issue is exploitable. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project
(cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CAN-2004-0077 to this issue."
This is the same CVE as the article. The patch was issued 2004-02-18.
This issue was patched in Fedora on 19 Feb with 2.4.22-1.2174. See the Fedora announce list here:
I see this in many of the comments attached to this story and I don't understand it. In Linux at least, you can dock every pallet into a single window that has a single task bar button. Add the image window, and that's two. Is the problem having a separate task bar button for each image?
Note to parent: I'm not singling you out, yours is just the first comment that brings this up.
Our virus detector has just been triggered by a message you sent:-
To: editor@slashdot.org Subject: Profile of the Mind of a Virus Writer Date: Mon Feb 9 6:00:55 2004
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I already had the helixplayer installed on my system but I was curious about the RPM package, so I clicked on the first link. This caused Helixplayer to launch the plugin and crash my browser. Real needs to do SOMETHING about the RPM extension in their plugin.
Maybe there should be TWO separate plugins, one for the application/x-pn-realmedia mimetype (.rm extension which is the only one I ever see anyway) and a separate one for the audio/x-pn-realaudio-plugin RealPlayer Plugin Metafile which launches on the.rpm extension. That way, I can remove it from my plugins directory and fix this screw up.
Slashdot Mirror
I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you don't own the games you buy. You own a license to use those games. Big difference.
That point is up for debate. It's my understanding that a contract (the license) is not valid unless both parties agree to it before value is exchanged. Because of the way that shrink-wrap software is sold now, this isn't possible. IANAL, but I think that the publisher is obligated to refund your money if you disagree with the license. We all know how easy it is to return software for a full refund.
Consumers have rights too, and I'm just waiting to see one of the more egregious "clickwrap" agreements tested in court.
You have persistently misunderstood the parent post. (And missed his point entirely) His instructions:
"Try adding the following to your style sheet:
FORM { margin:0px; }
or adding style="margin:0px" to you form declaration."
were for the WEB SITE DESIGNER, not the end-user. It was simply a helpful hint on how to fix layout problems on a web page that is incorrectly formatted. It was not about desktop software AT ALL!!!!!
I read your post and I must say that with all of your pretense of objectivity ("I'm not against Linux, heck I have no loyalties when it comes to software.") it is unquestionably partisan. It seems to me that you are one of the Windows users that can't stand it when software doesn't work like windows. I will address some of the more obvious problems with your post:
/home/username? (I don't have a windows machine handy, so I might be missing a level.) What exactly is so confusing? I really want to know what's stretching your brain.
First, video playing. If you were to install mplayer and the "essential" codec package, the overwhelming majority of your Linux video problems would go away. In order to play anywhere near the same number of differing video types under Windows requires getting media player classic and the K-Lite codec pack, real alternative and quicktime alternative.
Next, file structure. Just what, exactly is so confusing about linux file systems? Is it easier to navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents than
You also say "Until there is a tight, pixel-perfect GUI that has hardware acceleration on Linux, it's going to be playing catch-up to Macs and Windows. People who want eye-candy are going to be going elsewhere." I don't know what desktops that you've been playing with, but the only response that this comment deserves is http://www.kde-look.org/.
As for the bloat issue, I've been working with a stripped down linux distro to run instrumentation that fits on a 20MB flash disk. And, I have installed full Linux distributions that take up less space than Windows XP. You just have to make a few sensible choices in the install routine. If you check the "everything" box, you're gonna get everything! And while we're on the subject of bloat, why can't I uninstall the Microsoft versions of applications that I already have replacements for? I don't want IE, I already have Firefox.
You also say "Breaking. In my experience, when linux breaks, it can take a lot of work getting it right again. With windows, you can just re-install the software that is affected, and you're sailing." Well, all I can say is that you don't seem to have much experience fixing either Linux or Windows. I can forgive your problem fixing Linux since it's obvious from your post that you don't have much experience with it. However, your assertions about fixing Windows show that you don't have experience with it either (despite your cheerleading.) On more than one occasion, Microsoft software has bolluxed up Windows so much that it couldn't be fixed. (I'm thinking of Outlook, Outlook express, and Internet Explorer specifically).
I guess the thing I find most disturbing about your post is your pretense of objectivity. It seems obvious that you have little experience with either of the operating systems that you compare and yet you spout Windows fanboy exaggerations throughout.
I make no such assertion of objectivity. I used windows of all flavors for many years. I got my start in the IT biz repairing, upgrading, and generally troubleshooting Windows. One day, I just got fed up with all of Windows problems and started dual-booting Linux on my home machine. After a while, I found myself never using the Windows partition and dumped it for good. I still have to do a great deal of Windows troubleshooting and repair and I'm so glad that I have a reliable system to use myself.
I think it's usually a guitar and violins, not a banjo :-)
I think that the "no sound in space" adds to the menace that such an inhospitable environment presents. It was used quite effectively in the pilot episode, near the beginning.
However, that doesn't mean that I think incidental music should be abolished from all science fiction because it's "unrealistic". Effective use of music adds to the drama and tension of the scene. In the same way, I think that the absence of sound in space was used very effectively to enhance the dramatic impact of those scenes that occur outside the ship.
So, a fact that contravenes the Sci-Fi cliche (of noisy space) was used to make the series more dramatic and original. I don't see why anyone would object.
I think you would lose that bet (unless you have a freakishly large number of fingers).
At my place of employ, we have purchased several products for Linux (including the excellent Matlab that you mentioned).
At home, I have a couple of FPS games that I bought because they included a Linux client.
P.S. What are you betting?
P.P.S. Cue all the "I have don't have any fingers, you insensitive clod!" jokes.
I loved the series and I must say that any science fiction that respects the "no sound in space" rule gets additional kudos in my book.
(That would be SiChemist's Big Book O' Kudos for the curious.)
What Microsoft consistently (conveniently?) ignores about the software world is that for the overwhelming majority of businesses, software is an expense-- not a profit center. Reducing this cost increases the amount that a business can spend on other things (like salaries or R&D). Software development is a miniscule portion of the total economy and it's reduction isn't going to cause a collapse.
In RFC 2606, example.com, example.net and example.org are reserved for testing. Therefore, I always use [somename]@example.com for my fake e-mail needs.
There's some good info here:
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/4051
and here:
http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2606.html
Since most people using Fedora and RedHat distros are running a dual boot machine.[sic]
Why on earth do you say that? It totally contradicts my experience. Most of the RH/Fedora installs at my place of employ are servers (ftp,http,postgres) or workstation installs (running numerical models). Do you have good information that most people are dual-booting or is it just that you assume everyone else is because you are? Some of us don't need Windows for anything.
disabling autorun on XP its embarrassingly simple to do, and claiming that it requires a registry hack just shows that your knowledge of windows doesn't even extend to the most absolute basics - so what the hell are you doing making claims about it's functionality when you don't even know how to use it?
It's pretty arrogant for you to assume that everyone in the world is running Windows XP. At my place of employment, most of our computers are running Windows 2000 (with a couple of Win 98 pcs left over). The solution for win2k (posted here) is far from the "embarrassingly simple" task that you make it out to be. As for downloading a tweaking utility: why should I download an untrusted utility that makes registry edits in order to secure a windows pc? Does that really make sense to you?
Oh, and speaking of kludgy fixes, the windows 2000 fix causes you to have to hit F5 to refresh the explorer window when you change CDs.
The easiest way to disable KDE's autorun is to navigate to
Do people honestly use file selector windows and drag and drop, and find that more efficient than tab completing in a terminal window? Do I just need more practice?
What if those files are graphics? Wouldn't it be easier to select from them with a thumbnail preview? Konqueror is an amazing application for file management. It is transport agnostic so I can transfer files seamlessly via FTP, SMB and SSH/SFTP. On a side note, I use KDE on PIII 500mhz 128 MB system and while it isn't blindingly fast, it doesn't seem excessively slow either.
Any way to get KDE to do the same thing?
The default in KDE is ALT-CTRL-D (hmmm. Used CapsLock for that string.)
To change it, go to KControl->Regional & Accessibility->Keyboard Shortcuts, scroll down to the "panel" section and double click "Toggle showing Desktop". Choose the "alternate" radio button, and type your hotkey combo. Save and you're done!
What's up with Brown's consistent use of noone? I don't think it means what he thinks it means.
Exactly how is this news for nerds? I understand that the prevailing opinion on Slashdot is hatred for the Bush administration, but I fail to see the 'nerd' aspect to this story. Politics aside, if it was a sci/fi or fantasy movie, I could understand, but this was simply a politically charged documentary about 9/11 and the Iraq war. What is next? Reviews of campaign ads?
While it might fall outside the "News for Nerds" arena, judging by the number of posts (880 at the time of posting) it IS "Stuff that matters".
Effect is a noun. Affect is a verb.
That's not strictly true. It's also a transitive verb.
See also the usage note at affect.
...but i don't get thumbnails like those "even thumbnails have thumbnails" images he displays.
Launch an instance of konqueror and go to settings > configure konqueror > behavior. Check the box that says "show file tips" and the box below it that says "show previews in file tips".
For transparent menus: go to k-menu > settings > control center. Expand the "Appearance & Themes" section and select "style". Go to the "effects" tab and go crazy.
What does Forbes have against Linux, anyway?
There is a patched kernel at least for RedHat:
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2004-065.html
Note in the third paragraph:
"Paul Starzetz discovered a flaw in return value checking in mremap() in the Linux kernel versions 2.4.24 and previous that may allow a local attacker to gain root privileges. No exploit is currently available; however this issue is exploitable. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CAN-2004-0077 to this issue."
This is the same CVE as the article. The patch was issued 2004-02-18.
This issue was patched in Fedora on 19 Feb with 2.4.22-1.2174. See the Fedora announce list here:
http://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-announce-li
Ever hear of "Habitat for Humanity"?
Gimp has all those task bar buttons...
I see this in many of the comments attached to this story and I don't understand it. In Linux at least, you can dock every pallet into a single window that has a single task bar button. Add the image window, and that's two. Is the problem having a separate task bar button for each image?
Note to parent: I'm not singling you out, yours is just the first comment that brings this up.
Well, if it's just for the sake of the argument :-)
http://freshrpms.net/
http://apt-rpm.tuxfamily.org/
http://dag.wieers.com/home-made/apt/
http://atrpms.physik.fu-berlin.de/
http://www.aucs.org/rpmcenter/rpms.html
http://www.niemueller.de/projects/extrpms/
Those were just the ones I have bookmarked. You could find more with a web search.
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Subject: Profile of the Mind of a Virus Writer
Date: Mon Feb 9 6:00:55 2004
Any infected parts of the message have not been delivered.This message is simply to warn you that your computer system may have a virus present and should be checked. The virus detector said this about the message:
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I already had the helixplayer installed on my system but I was curious about the RPM package, so I clicked on the first link. This caused Helixplayer to launch the plugin and crash my browser. Real needs to do SOMETHING about the RPM extension in their plugin.
Maybe there should be TWO separate plugins, one for the application/x-pn-realmedia mimetype (.rm extension which is the only one I ever see anyway) and a separate one for the audio/x-pn-realaudio-plugin RealPlayer Plugin Metafile which launches on the