If this ever happens to you do not ever attempt to turn the ignition all the way off
This is a sweeping statement that, like most in this discussion, ignores the huge variation between auto makers and the age of the vehicle. It also ignores the question of whether we've placed too much dependence on computer-controlled systems in automobiles - and the answer is yes (IMHO).
Arguably, the worst computerized automobile ever was the Chrysler Cordova/Dodge Diplomat. This piece of automotive offal used a computerized black box to handle ignition and severely retarded (no it's not a joke) timing at idle to meet EPA/SCAQMD requirements. The problem was the box could not stand the environment of an engine compartment, and the failure mode was *limp home* or idle timing. Try that on a freeway. The cars were instant junk because you couldn't find a replacement module, new or used after five years. This is why I always root for Kirk over Khan whenever I watch the movie (Ricardo Montalban did the commercials for the Cordova/Diplomats).
There was a problem a little later with a BMW power system caused by thermal creep on the processor chip. It was a black box under the dash, and the official fix was to whack it from underneath with a baseball bat, which reseated the chip. Definitely a low-tech solution for a high-tech problem.
Gimme that old time religion: a coil, contact points, a condensor (capacitor), and centrifugal advance. Flip a switch, and it's dead. Otherwise, it's pretty hard to make it fail.
If I were in my old SS 396 Chevelle with the throttle stuck open, I would just turn off the ignition - no problem (well, maybe a backfire).
People like the consistancy and desire the familiar layout.
Using your argument, people, like new ducklings, would be *impressed* by the first store they visited and never shop in another. I prefer to do business at the little bank, grocer, and hardware store in the small town where I live (for the past few years). I appreciate it when people recognize me by sight and name, I'm not stuck in a crowd, and I know any problems will be taken care of personally, by the manager. The meat, eggs, and produce are far better locally even if I don't have a choice of 37 brands of dishwashing detergent. If there's something I really can't get in town, I'll drive the twelve miles back to the city and WallyWorld or some other store - grudgingly.
Do you really think Wal-Mart advertises more then any other retailer? I personally do not think so
Okay, this is the point where I have to admit I watch TV. Yes, they do. There are constant commercials with the Wally Smiley slashing prices to the happy, happy smiles of all the happy, attractive shoppers (not an ugly, fat person in the bunch). Perhaps they only do this in targeted markets - I don't know, but they do here. Maybe after the WalBorg has assimilated the competition, the commercials stop.
Are you saying Kmart, Target, the dollar stores, department stores etc all have a larger percentage of US made products and Wal-Mart is the exception?
WalMart is the leading importer of Chinese merchandise. Where WalMart leads, others follow just to keep up. In effect, the U.S. government and taxpayers are subsidizing WalMart's profits with the trade deficit and unemployment benefits. China has been playing games with currency and trade agreements, and it's U.S. residents who are footing the bill, no matter how much you think WalMart provides a better shopping experience.
Or imagine buying a motor vehicle that already has enough fuel to run it for the rest of its' usefull life. And then image that car getting into an accident and removing Cleveland.
This is called mixed feelings. On one hand, no more Cleveland. On the other hand, no more Drew Carey or Mimi. Decisions, decisions . ..
The guy who died of overexposure was played by John Cusack.
And another renowned Hollywood nuclear expert, Jane Fonda, was in The China Syndrome. No doubt they will both be testifying before Congress on the dangers of these weapons.
It's price and advertising. The price comes from being the largest U.S. importer of Chinese goods. To repeat the point, this puts even more U.S. companies and workers out of business. It's also a very large chunk of the over half-trillion dollar trade deficit.
Wal-Mart pays the same wages as any other retailer.
BS. Any nation-wide grocery chain pays far higher wages than WalMart (with full benefits, too).
Why is deflation any worse than inflation (of equal amounts)? In either case as I understand it, the current amount of $$ you have is worth less afterwords in true value.
During inflation, your money becomes worth less. During deflation, money you already have becomes worth more, which might seem like a good thing. However, during deflation, your property becomes worth less, credit becomes tight, companies go out of business due to falling prices, and more people are unemployed. Historically, deflation has fed upon itself once started - see the Great Depression for details.
Would something like the liberty dollar be better - a somewhat fixed currency, say tied to gold again?
There are arguments about that both ways. When Russia dumped its gold holdings on the world market, gold prices tanked. A currency tied to gold would have been devalued. Better than what we have now? I don't know. Having floating currency allows one to play the same money games as other nations.
... bring in some folks who would do what's right for the Company rather than cow-tail to Microsoft...
Um.. that's kowtow.
Well, after experiencing the Big-n-Tasty Value Meal (C)(R)(TM), I think "cow-tail" actually applies to McDonalds rather than Home Depot or WalMart. Are the bone fragments supposed to be there?
Hmm, I paid a grand total of $2000 for college this year. All of that was because I wanted to live in the dorms and not commute.
I think you jest. I had a full-ride scholarship for the final two years, didn't live on-campus, qualified for Pell grants (before they were reduced) and local University grants with various small scholarships, and still racked up over $11,000 in school debt. Many of my classmates graduated with far more debt than that.
I don't really know what to say other than that's why we have a government. We that can make a lot of money give some to the people that can't.
So you're saying the unemployed people with CS degrees and large debts who can make a lot of money if they ever get another job should be happy subsidizing WalMart's operations? That's really adding insult to injury.
But thanks to Wal-Mart, prices move lower and less money is needed to live. So even though they pay nothing, thanks to that everyone gets a higher standard of living for the same $$$. This is the opposite of inflation, which makes it a good thing!
Thanks to WalMart, existing retailers go out of business and people lose their jobs. WalMart buys from China instead of the local companies that served the local retailers. Some of the displaced then work at WalMart for less money and have less to spend. They qualify for assistance which drives up local taxes. BTW, the opposite of inflation is deflation, which is a very bad thing.
Besides, if you don't want to make minimum wage, go to college or something!
Yeah. Get a degree in CS, and rack up many thousands of dollars in student debt. If WalMart won't hire you as one of their few IT people, there is always the high-paying Greeter job.
From what I've seen, this tidbit's effect on overall Linux desktop usage (taking into account the other methods of acquisition that you've mentioned) is beyond the scope of the Gartner report. I'd love to find a link that has more details on their conclusion -- perhaps there is a point that I've missed. Can you provide a link?
In a perfect world, you would have asked this while I was still online yesterday. This looks similar to the link I followed in from Google yesterday, but now it asks for registration, and I'm not going to pay the $795 either. Either I'm missing the trail I followed previously, or Gartner plugged the hole. I can't prove it, but the tables I saw yesterday showed Linux usage remaining at a tiny percentage of the total (basically static) while sales of Linux PCs increased. Note the table of contents on the Gartner page - it's not beyond the scope of the report.
What's unfair about the claim if they have the data to back it up? They're saying a lot of users who buy linux PCs go on to wipe out the linux installation and install windows, with a majority of the windows installation done from pirated CDs.
Geez. The argument is that they don't have the data. Gartner is using observations from Asia where you can buy a bootleg copy of Windows in a computer store, and trying to extend those observations to the rest of the world and all Linux usage. I realize a lot of people don't RTFA, but comments challenging the content should not be based on blurbs.
100 people buy linux PCs doesn't mean there are 100 new linux users...something the open source community should be worried about.
100 people buying Windows PCs doesn't mean there are 100 new Windows users anymore, and that is something Microsoft is worried about. And that is why we are being treated to this new report from Gartner.
And easier to use? Windows wins this one hands down after I spent 4 hours trying to get an internet connection via Ethernet under Suse Linux and after a reinstallation of Windows I was online by the time I'd logged on. And that's just the beginning.
And the rest of the story is you were 0wned before you could get to the Windows Update site. Try Mandrake Linux. It holds your hand during installation. It's what I use.:)
What kind of Linux user would buy a computer with Windows preinstalled when he could just build his own and not pay the MS tax?
I'll admit to that, although I did build my previous machine. Sometimes, when a big chain has a sale, there's just no way you can duplicate the hardware for the same price (even with the Windows tax). So, my newest machine is a factory box. However, this proves the Windows/Linux usage figures are skewed: I use the Mandrake download edition, obtained via bittorrent. Like many others, I'm being counted as a Windows user when I'm not.
It's very simple: Gartner comments on industry trends. Wal-Mart and other major retailers are selling a relatively huge number of PCs equipped with Linux. That's the trend, and that's what Gartner is commenting on.
No, what Gartner did is take observations in Asia, where bootleg Windows CDs are available in computer stores, and try to apply that to world-wide Linux sales/usage.
But this is not something that Linus Torvalds or anybody running Linux should take personally. If people choose to see this as an issue of "blame," then blame Wal-Mart and the other retailers who recognize a marketing opportunity when they see it, or blame those who'd use this Gartner report to promote an agenda.
You've completely missed the point of the so-called study. The conclusion goes something like this: "Since people in Asia are installing bootlegged Windows on Linux PCs, the number of people world-wide using Linux is much smaller than the number of PCs sold with Linux, and that trend will remain so in the future." This ignores the people who don't bootleg Windows, those who buy a Windows PC and wipe it, and those who build their own systems. The study is just plain dodgy.
Precisely. Analyst firms will occasionally be commissioned by third parties to do reports and studies, but they remain independent.
lots of people are buying those Wal-Mart PCs because they'd rather save the money and just load Windows themselves using a friends' copy
First, the study was based on anecdotal evidence from Asia. From that, Gartner is extrapolating a very dubious conclusion. Second, how many people have a "copy" of Windows to lend, since computers don't come with Windows CDs anymore?
Either way, the Gartner Group analyzes the market.
Gartner doesn't do anything out of the goodness of their hearts. They are paid to do these so-called studies, and they won't remain in business very long if their conclusions aren't similar to their customer's expectations.
The Gartner Group are well respected as call-em-as-they-sees-em analysts and have slammed Microsoft on several occasions.
And they have recommended MS on several hundred other occassions. Sort of like they how they were recommending everyone use IIS until the security problems became so bad they had to withdraw the recommendation. They are hardly well-respected by anyone who knows how they work. This is the same outfit that has bilked companies out of millions for determining their Cost of IT, a totally worthless and meaningless magic number distilled from total WAGs and secret methods.
Yeah, sure. What percentage? There is absolutely no way to qualify that shit, so I don't buy it. Business plays the charity card when they know the public image will take a hit from a particular action.
I always felt that if the government continued to pursue their case against MSFT they would only pay for it in higher licensing fees later.
Two questions:
1) Why should the federal government be buying software from a convicted monopolist?
2) Why should the amount paid for any product take precedence over the government's responsibility to enforce the laws of the country?
I still stand by that statement. I'm in a decent job now and I believe that will still be the case in December regardless of who wins
If two months is job security for you, again, I have to say that's short-sighted.
Education - our schools suck right now and the PC movement is turning our children into a mass of "equal in every way" zombies.
If we don't have jobs requiring higher education, what's the point of educating the population? BTW, not all schools are bad, but the "Leave No Child Behind" act didn't help matters any.
Guns - most gun control laws only hurt law abiding citizens.
The somewhat silly ban on so-called assault weapons just expired. The gun-control battle is mostly hot air - like always. I joined the NRA in the 70's - nothing has changed. You're wasting your concern.
Ashcroft - the guy is out to know everything we do, even in the privacy of our own homes.
Easily removed by a regime change. His machinations are already being knocked down by the courts and criticized by lawmakers of both parties.
Healthcare
Yep. Problematic. It's a lot worse if you're out of work and trying to pay for it. Especially if you have a dependent with a chronic condition and only group policies will provide coverage. Yet another reason to push for a good economy and well-paying jobs.
I really don't know who I will vote for. I think both candidates suck on education and economy. Bush sucks with Ashcroft and healthcare, and Kerry sucks with gun control. I lose with either candidate.
As a life-long Republican, I'll be voting for Kerry. Bush's advisors are running the country, and I have no use for neocons or their policies. A regime change is needed to prevent further erosion. I never liked or voted for Bill Clinton, but he was right when he claimed it was all about the economy. When the economy is good, people have time to sweat the small stuff and work on improvements. When the economy is bad, people tend to elect a man on a white horse offering absurd promises.
I like linux and would really like to see it become more predominant, but with sooooo many flavours, choices and ways to skin a cat, the average user gets lost in the shuffle.
So you're suggesting that users now are far more stupid than users in the 80's, when Microsoft was just another choice?
Lindows is doing a great job in trying to produce a finished product
No, it isn't; it's a piece of junk, and it isn't called "Lindows" anymore and hasn't been for some time. Are you astroturfing?
Make the initial install include one text editor, a simple RTF editor . ..
The Windows way is not necessarily the right way. Choice is a Good Thing (TM).
MS Might be evil, but they realized this formula a long time ago.
What MS realized a long time ago was that using proprietary formats locks in customers.
Welcome to market research, not just marketing.
Welcome back to MS marketing, which is all buzzwords. Enjoy your "rich" experience with the "rich" features of Windows, and of course for Windows programmers, there is a "rich" API. One has to wonder why the main selling point for MS these days always includes the word "rich".
I have noticed that, like Cats, Windows problems seem to be attracted to people who hate windows.
Wrong. I have a cat, and the only windows problem it produces is little nose marks on the window panes. Windows problems that cause pain are attracted by people who use Windows.
Monopoly or not, Microsoft knows how to build a solid OS.
You mean solid as in very big and thick as a brick? Or do you mean solid as in being an immovable, easy target for malware? As a former user, Windows doesn't fit my definition of a "solid OS". A solid OS isn't swiss cheese that requires virus scanners, anti-spyware tools, and anti-adware tools that suck up system resources while watching for bad things that the OS allows. Microsoft definitely knows how to market their software, which is a very different thing from building a solid product.
Slashdot Mirror
If this ever happens to you do not ever attempt to turn the ignition all the way off
This is a sweeping statement that, like most in this discussion, ignores the huge variation between auto makers and the age of the vehicle. It also ignores the question of whether we've placed too much dependence on computer-controlled systems in automobiles - and the answer is yes (IMHO).
Arguably, the worst computerized automobile ever was the Chrysler Cordova/Dodge Diplomat. This piece of automotive offal used a computerized black box to handle ignition and severely retarded (no it's not a joke) timing at idle to meet EPA/SCAQMD requirements. The problem was the box could not stand the environment of an engine compartment, and the failure mode was *limp home* or idle timing. Try that on a freeway. The cars were instant junk because you couldn't find a replacement module, new or used after five years. This is why I always root for Kirk over Khan whenever I watch the movie (Ricardo Montalban did the commercials for the Cordova/Diplomats).
There was a problem a little later with a BMW power system caused by thermal creep on the processor chip. It was a black box under the dash, and the official fix was to whack it from underneath with a baseball bat, which reseated the chip. Definitely a low-tech solution for a high-tech problem.
Gimme that old time religion: a coil, contact points, a condensor (capacitor), and centrifugal advance. Flip a switch, and it's dead. Otherwise, it's pretty hard to make it fail.
If I were in my old SS 396 Chevelle with the throttle stuck open, I would just turn off the ignition - no problem (well, maybe a backfire).
People like the consistancy and desire the familiar layout.
Using your argument, people, like new ducklings, would be *impressed* by the first store they visited and never shop in another. I prefer to do business at the little bank, grocer, and hardware store in the small town where I live (for the past few years). I appreciate it when people recognize me by sight and name, I'm not stuck in a crowd, and I know any problems will be taken care of personally, by the manager. The meat, eggs, and produce are far better locally even if I don't have a choice of 37 brands of dishwashing detergent. If there's something I really can't get in town, I'll drive the twelve miles back to the city and WallyWorld or some other store - grudgingly.
Do you really think Wal-Mart advertises more then any other retailer? I personally do not think so
Okay, this is the point where I have to admit I watch TV. Yes, they do. There are constant commercials with the Wally Smiley slashing prices to the happy, happy smiles of all the happy, attractive shoppers (not an ugly, fat person in the bunch). Perhaps they only do this in targeted markets - I don't know, but they do here. Maybe after the WalBorg has assimilated the competition, the commercials stop.
Are you saying Kmart, Target, the dollar stores, department stores etc all have a larger percentage of US made products and Wal-Mart is the exception?
WalMart is the leading importer of Chinese merchandise. Where WalMart leads, others follow just to keep up. In effect, the U.S. government and taxpayers are subsidizing WalMart's profits with the trade deficit and unemployment benefits. China has been playing games with currency and trade agreements, and it's U.S. residents who are footing the bill, no matter how much you think WalMart provides a better shopping experience.
Or imagine buying a motor vehicle that already has enough fuel to run it for the rest of its' usefull life. And then image that car getting into an accident and removing Cleveland.
This is called mixed feelings. On one hand, no more Cleveland. On the other hand, no more Drew Carey or Mimi. Decisions, decisions . . .
The guy who died of overexposure was played by John Cusack.
And another renowned Hollywood nuclear expert, Jane Fonda, was in The China Syndrome. No doubt they will both be testifying before Congress on the dangers of these weapons.
Why do people choose Wal-Mart over other stores?
It's price and advertising. The price comes from being the largest U.S. importer of Chinese goods. To repeat the point, this puts even more U.S. companies and workers out of business. It's also a very large chunk of the over half-trillion dollar trade deficit.
Wal-Mart pays the same wages as any other retailer.
BS. Any nation-wide grocery chain pays far higher wages than WalMart (with full benefits, too).
Why is deflation any worse than inflation (of equal amounts)? In either case as I understand it, the current amount of $$ you have is worth less afterwords in true value.
During inflation, your money becomes worth less. During deflation, money you already have becomes worth more, which might seem like a good thing. However, during deflation, your property becomes worth less, credit becomes tight, companies go out of business due to falling prices, and more people are unemployed. Historically, deflation has fed upon itself once started - see the Great Depression for details.
Would something like the liberty dollar be better - a somewhat fixed currency, say tied to gold again?
There are arguments about that both ways. When Russia dumped its gold holdings on the world market, gold prices tanked. A currency tied to gold would have been devalued. Better than what we have now? I don't know. Having floating currency allows one to play the same money games as other nations.
Well, after experiencing the Big-n-Tasty Value Meal (C)(R)(TM), I think "cow-tail" actually applies to McDonalds rather than Home Depot or WalMart. Are the bone fragments supposed to be there?
Hmm, I paid a grand total of $2000 for college this year. All of that was because I wanted to live in the dorms and not commute.
I think you jest. I had a full-ride scholarship for the final two years, didn't live on-campus, qualified for Pell grants (before they were reduced) and local University grants with various small scholarships, and still racked up over $11,000 in school debt. Many of my classmates graduated with far more debt than that.
I don't really know what to say other than that's why we have a government. We that can make a lot of money give some to the people that can't.
So you're saying the unemployed people with CS degrees and large debts who can make a lot of money if they ever get another job should be happy subsidizing WalMart's operations? That's really adding insult to injury.
But thanks to Wal-Mart, prices move lower and less money is needed to live. So even though they pay nothing, thanks to that everyone gets a higher standard of living for the same $$$. This is the opposite of inflation, which makes it a good thing!
Thanks to WalMart, existing retailers go out of business and people lose their jobs. WalMart buys from China instead of the local companies that served the local retailers. Some of the displaced then work at WalMart for less money and have less to spend. They qualify for assistance which drives up local taxes. BTW, the opposite of inflation is deflation, which is a very bad thing.
Besides, if you don't want to make minimum wage, go to college or something!
Yeah. Get a degree in CS, and rack up many thousands of dollars in student debt. If WalMart won't hire you as one of their few IT people, there is always the high-paying Greeter job.
From what I've seen, this tidbit's effect on overall Linux desktop usage (taking into account the other methods of acquisition that you've mentioned) is beyond the scope of the Gartner report. I'd love to find a link that has more details on their conclusion -- perhaps there is a point that I've missed. Can you provide a link?
In a perfect world, you would have asked this while I was still online yesterday. This looks similar to the link I followed in from Google yesterday, but now it asks for registration, and I'm not going to pay the $795 either. Either I'm missing the trail I followed previously, or Gartner plugged the hole. I can't prove it, but the tables I saw yesterday showed Linux usage remaining at a tiny percentage of the total (basically static) while sales of Linux PCs increased. Note the table of contents on the Gartner page - it's not beyond the scope of the report.
What's unfair about the claim if they have the data to back it up? They're saying a lot of users who buy linux PCs go on to wipe out the linux installation and install windows, with a majority of the windows installation done from pirated CDs.
Geez. The argument is that they don't have the data. Gartner is using observations from Asia where you can buy a bootleg copy of Windows in a computer store, and trying to extend those observations to the rest of the world and all Linux usage. I realize a lot of people don't RTFA, but comments challenging the content should not be based on blurbs.
100 people buy linux PCs doesn't mean there are 100 new linux users...something the open source community should be worried about.
100 people buying Windows PCs doesn't mean there are 100 new Windows users anymore, and that is something Microsoft is worried about. And that is why we are being treated to this new report from Gartner.
And easier to use? Windows wins this one hands down after I spent 4 hours trying to get an internet connection via Ethernet under Suse Linux and after a reinstallation of Windows I was online by the time I'd logged on. And that's just the beginning.
And the rest of the story is you were 0wned before you could get to the Windows Update site. Try Mandrake Linux. It holds your hand during installation. It's what I use. :)
Dude, I'm totally with you. I'd love to be able to buy a laptop with Linux preinstalled.
Emperor Linux
What kind of Linux user would buy a computer with Windows preinstalled when he could just build his own and not pay the MS tax?
I'll admit to that, although I did build my previous machine. Sometimes, when a big chain has a sale, there's just no way you can duplicate the hardware for the same price (even with the Windows tax). So, my newest machine is a factory box. However, this proves the Windows/Linux usage figures are skewed: I use the Mandrake download edition, obtained via bittorrent. Like many others, I'm being counted as a Windows user when I'm not.
It's very simple: Gartner comments on industry trends. Wal-Mart and other major retailers are selling a relatively huge number of PCs equipped with Linux. That's the trend, and that's what Gartner is commenting on.
No, what Gartner did is take observations in Asia, where bootleg Windows CDs are available in computer stores, and try to apply that to world-wide Linux sales/usage.
But this is not something that Linus Torvalds or anybody running Linux should take personally. If people choose to see this as an issue of "blame," then blame Wal-Mart and the other retailers who recognize a marketing opportunity when they see it, or blame those who'd use this Gartner report to promote an agenda.
You've completely missed the point of the so-called study. The conclusion goes something like this: "Since people in Asia are installing bootlegged Windows on Linux PCs, the number of people world-wide using Linux is much smaller than the number of PCs sold with Linux, and that trend will remain so in the future." This ignores the people who don't bootleg Windows, those who buy a Windows PC and wipe it, and those who build their own systems. The study is just plain dodgy.
Precisely. Analyst firms will occasionally be commissioned by third parties to do reports and studies, but they remain independent.
Of course they do.
lots of people are buying those Wal-Mart PCs because they'd rather save the money and just load Windows themselves using a friends' copy
First, the study was based on anecdotal evidence from Asia. From that, Gartner is extrapolating a very dubious conclusion. Second, how many people have a "copy" of Windows to lend, since computers don't come with Windows CDs anymore?
Either way, the Gartner Group analyzes the market.
Gartner doesn't do anything out of the goodness of their hearts. They are paid to do these so-called studies, and they won't remain in business very long if their conclusions aren't similar to their customer's expectations.
The Gartner Group are well respected as call-em-as-they-sees-em analysts and have slammed Microsoft on several occasions.
And they have recommended MS on several hundred other occassions. Sort of like they how they were recommending everyone use IIS until the security problems became so bad they had to withdraw the recommendation. They are hardly well-respected by anyone who knows how they work. This is the same outfit that has bilked companies out of millions for determining their Cost of IT, a totally worthless and meaningless magic number distilled from total WAGs and secret methods.
Yeah, sure. What percentage? There is absolutely no way to qualify that shit, so I don't buy it. Business plays the charity card when they know the public image will take a hit from a particular action.
The charity is the Abused CEO's Relief Fund.
I always felt that if the government continued to pursue their case against MSFT they would only pay for it in higher licensing fees later.
Two questions:
1) Why should the federal government be buying software from a convicted monopolist?
2) Why should the amount paid for any product take precedence over the government's responsibility to enforce the laws of the country?
Getting a little behind in your correspondence? :)
I still stand by that statement. I'm in a decent job now and I believe that will still be the case in December regardless of who wins
If two months is job security for you, again, I have to say that's short-sighted.
Education - our schools suck right now and the PC movement is turning our children into a mass of "equal in every way" zombies.
If we don't have jobs requiring higher education, what's the point of educating the population? BTW, not all schools are bad, but the "Leave No Child Behind" act didn't help matters any.
Guns - most gun control laws only hurt law abiding citizens.
The somewhat silly ban on so-called assault weapons just expired. The gun-control battle is mostly hot air - like always. I joined the NRA in the 70's - nothing has changed. You're wasting your concern.
Ashcroft - the guy is out to know everything we do, even in the privacy of our own homes.
Easily removed by a regime change. His machinations are already being knocked down by the courts and criticized by lawmakers of both parties.
Healthcare
Yep. Problematic. It's a lot worse if you're out of work and trying to pay for it. Especially if you have a dependent with a chronic condition and only group policies will provide coverage. Yet another reason to push for a good economy and well-paying jobs.
I really don't know who I will vote for. I think both candidates suck on education and economy. Bush sucks with Ashcroft and healthcare, and Kerry sucks with gun control. I lose with either candidate.
As a life-long Republican, I'll be voting for Kerry. Bush's advisors are running the country, and I have no use for neocons or their policies. A regime change is needed to prevent further erosion. I never liked or voted for Bill Clinton, but he was right when he claimed it was all about the economy. When the economy is good, people have time to sweat the small stuff and work on improvements. When the economy is bad, people tend to elect a man on a white horse offering absurd promises.
LOL! Thanks, I bookmarked the page.
I like linux and would really like to see it become more predominant, but with sooooo many flavours, choices and ways to skin a cat, the average user gets lost in the shuffle.
So you're suggesting that users now are far more stupid than users in the 80's, when Microsoft was just another choice?
Lindows is doing a great job in trying to produce a finished product
No, it isn't; it's a piece of junk, and it isn't called "Lindows" anymore and hasn't been for some time. Are you astroturfing?
Make the initial install include one text editor, a simple RTF editor . . .
The Windows way is not necessarily the right way. Choice is a Good Thing (TM).
MS Might be evil, but they realized this formula a long time ago.
What MS realized a long time ago was that using proprietary formats locks in customers.
Welcome to market research, not just marketing.
Welcome back to MS marketing, which is all buzzwords. Enjoy your "rich" experience with the "rich" features of Windows, and of course for Windows programmers, there is a "rich" API. One has to wonder why the main selling point for MS these days always includes the word "rich".
I have noticed that, like Cats, Windows problems seem to be attracted to people who hate windows.
Wrong. I have a cat, and the only windows problem it produces is little nose marks on the window panes. Windows problems that cause pain are attracted by people who use Windows.
Ultimately, not worth the trouble.
Hmm. Very odd. We seem to have a real do-it-yourselfer complaining about Linux.
Monopoly or not, Microsoft knows how to build a solid OS.
You mean solid as in very big and thick as a brick? Or do you mean solid as in being an immovable, easy target for malware? As a former user, Windows doesn't fit my definition of a "solid OS". A solid OS isn't swiss cheese that requires virus scanners, anti-spyware tools, and anti-adware tools that suck up system resources while watching for bad things that the OS allows. Microsoft definitely knows how to market their software, which is a very different thing from building a solid product.
try 'make help' with a 2.6 kernel.
Why on earth would I do that? I don't need no steenkin' "help" to compile a kernel. :)