Installing any OS is for geeks. Non-geeks use the pre-installed OS or get someone else to install for them. You can buy PCs with Ubuntu installed.
I agree the Ubuntu partition tool is not very good. However, it is a one-off problem. Do a bit of Googling and its solved, and you do not have to think about it again.
I have not completely made up my mind about all issues but:
1) We need different laws for different types of work. Having the same requirements, duration etc. for software, books, music and films is plain silly.
This exists to an extent: in thee UK recorded music has a shorter copyright term.
2) I want exemptions for private and non-profit use. Perhaps even for not for profit re-distribution.
3) Anything paid for with public funds should be public domain or something like a CC attribution license.
I would probably favour abolishing copyright on software and music recording, because other business models are possible. I would accept them as a necessary evil for written material, music scores, etc., but with generous non-profit and fair use exemptions.
Copyright is a state-granted monopoly, so it should only be sued as a last resort, to encourage work that could not be supported by an alternative model.
1) He said "my mom". I bet she does not even know what C is. 2) I could easily substitute my father. In fact, if you look at my previous comments, I have used the fact that my father can use Linux as evidence that it is ready for naive users
The Linux fanbase has no qualms claiming downloading=using
Really? The only Linux number I have seen recently were for Ubuntu, and that was based on the number of people downloading updates through the automated system.
those who use Linux a large number have it installed on secondary partitions as they want to keep their primary windows platform while playing around with Linux to get geek cred
No. The dual booters I have met use Linux as their primary OS and use Windows for games.
it never was, never was meant to be and never will be a mass market operating system used by the naive users
I know several naive users who prefer it to Windows.
As part of the "anti-copyright" crowd, we do not support giving creator no right at all, simply reasonable rights.
Pretty much everyone supports her right to be identified as the creator of the photograph. Was that done in this case? Obviously not.
Most of us would support a reasonable copyright law, for example, with exceptions for non-commercial or private use, lasting for a reasonable time etc. In this case it was public commercial use, so she should be paid.
Another subtlety that you miss is that the issues around copyright of software (obviously a major concern on/.), are very different from those around photography so we may take different view on the two.
It changes less often (making support easier), it puts less strain on upgrade infrastructure, there is less risk from upgrades going wrong (it can happen), it is harder to destabilise, it will be supported for longer.
People who want a more up to date system can install it for themselves. Yes, there are lots of nice improvements in fesity (7.04) over Dapper (6.06), but for the average user avoiding troubleshooting is more important.
Linux doesn't exist because it's actually everywhere, distributed by gigantic companies which make zillions of dollars off it.
I think he just undermined MS's own "its all written by commie hippies" FUD.
Because Open Source Software runs on Windows too, all those Apache guys are probably running Windows
Saying that half of all OSS developers are talking about Windows, implies half of all OSS developers are not interested in Windows. That is a lot of good software that I need Linux to run. Sorry, I cannot consider using Windows because the apps I use will not run on it (partly true btw).
So you think a monopoly is a meaningful free market? Without regulation we would have only private monopolies and cartels.
Given that almost all advocacy of free market economics relies on arguing that competition will deliver (at least close to) pareto efficiency, your position is nonsensical.
"an argument for regulation... so that a free market can exist"
ROFL. Thanks--you just made my day.
You do not think free markets require regulation? Have you any idea how free markets are in countries that do not have strong competition regulation (what is called anti-trust in the US)? Time for you to enroll for that Econ 101 course, I think.
Talk to anyone who went through Economics 101 and understood what was being said.
Me then.
In this environment, where no one has a cost advantage, but the barriers to entry are high, the market splits on other criteria (usually related to service, standardization and compatibility) and positive feedback sets in: "No one ever lost their job for selecting IBM"; VHS vs Beta. Each in their time, Xerox, WordStar, and WordPerfect owned 70 to 80% of the word processor market.
So why is there not a single dominant supplier of Unix like OSes? Even Unix like OSes on x86?
If you need a computer book, you'll probably buy something published by O'Reilley--why?--because if you wrote a computer book, you probably went to O'Reilley first to get it published. O'Reilley owns that particular market.
Thats just silly. Look at the shelf space in any bookshop: I have never seen O'Reilly have more than a third. I have even been to book shops (usually with small IT sections) that have no O'Reilly books at all.
Certainly, O'Reilley are popular with a particular audience. If Windows had that sort of grip on the market it probably would have a 30% or so market share.
Back in the days of the dinosaur, my company, Comterm, sold about 75% of the PCs and LANs bought by the Canadian Federal Government.
But not the rest of the country or the rest of the world.
Microsoft is dominant in the PC OS market in part because someone had to be.
No, network effects, mean that it is a market that tends towards monopoly. That does not mean it is inevitable. This is also an argument for regulation (or, alternatively, a weakening of copyright) so that a free market can exist.
There is also no reason why the market leader has to be dominant. The market leader could have 30%, another two big players 20% each and the remaining 30% split among the rest.
That way we get rid of the monoculture, which is a security disaster.
If anyone actually read the emails, Andrew Morton does not say ZFS is bad - he says "although it is a rampant layering violation...", in the context of criticising the current Linux file systems.
Given that downloads have had no real impact on revenues AND the fall in quality started before downloads became popular, the fall in quality is for different reasons.
The reason for the homogeneity is that it produces predictable revenues. It is the inevitable result of business objectives taking precedence over artistic ones.
In fact more piracy, if it undermines big media, will actually improve quality and increase variety by creating an opportunity for smaller companies, lesser known musicians etc.
I hardly ever pirate (this is in a country where everything is pirated), not because of any moral reason, but because I am instinctively law abiding and because I can find lots of good legitimate free downloads: the last piece of music I listened to was a CC licensed download from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
It may not have marketing to take off as a full PC replacement, but Nokia has the muscle to sell it as a mobile appliace - i.e. a smartphone alternative without the cellular connectivity, but with a decent screen and proper web browser.
You aren't saying that OpenOffice is better than MS Office, are you? It's cheaper, it runs on more platforms (which is why I use it on my Linux box for the very few cases where I need Office-type software), but other than that, it's most certainly NOT better.
Of course there are ways in which OO is better:
Open document format - much better for long term archiving of documents
Fewer vulnerabilities
Built in PDF export
On licensing problems, risks or admin costs - a business advantage.
More familiar UI than the new version of MS Office
Thats what I could think of straight away. More here.
I am not saying OO is necessarily better, just that it depends on your needs. The one thing I would prefer MS Office for is complex financial modelling - but I do not do that any more.
More seriously than my other answer, sexual relationships are a lot tricker in a small group in a spaceship than in normal society:
1) You cannot get away from a person who rejected you 2) You cannot avoid someone who refuses to accept a rejection 3) You cannot avoid living and working with some who took a third person from you. 4) People's sexuality can be affected by unusual conditions.
The best solution is probably to use stable couples for really long missions (months to years), but that makes it harder to recruit the best. Even then if things do go wrong you have a horrible mess.
Psychological screening is essential in any case - and not just for the headline grabbing sex issue. There are plenty of ways in which a small group at close quarters can go wrong.
I would have thought that the best way to cope with sexual desire among healthy young men and women during a mission years long would be for them to have sex with each other;-)
Alternatively you can send people who are used to not having sex: advertise on Slashdot.
What I'm saying is that DRM is a pain in the ass for John-Q-consumer
Thats the point. They want to keep things locked down, not so much to reduce the tolerable lost revenues from pirating, but to increase barriers to entry.
No, I do not care at all, I have not problem with it.
I do not pirate stuff myself, because I am simply an instinctively law-abiding sort of person, but I have to the slightest objection to other people breaking silly laws.
Its up to the companies selling (or not selling) the stuff to find a new business model - or go bust. No problem. Its called creative destruction.
Consider the Poles. They refuse to develop nuclear weapons and prefer to invest government funds in developing the infrastructure to spur economic growth
So the US, UK and France are not Western?
India has a strong and independent judiciary, democracy, human rights law (unlike Britain). It is more democratic and free than any other country at its economic level.
Lots of people pay consultants without knowing exactly what they will do or why they need them. The entire management consultancy game depends on this.
In this case they probably did know what they were doing though.
Slashdot Mirror
Installing any OS is for geeks. Non-geeks use the pre-installed OS or get someone else to install for them. You can buy PCs with Ubuntu installed.
7 -confusing-partition-tables.html
I agree the Ubuntu partition tool is not very good. However, it is a one-off problem. Do a bit of Googling and its solved, and you do not have to think about it again.
If you want to give it another try read:
http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/partitioning
http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/ubuntu-help/5979
http://users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/p2.htm
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=179902
and a lot more
BTW, Mandriva and Mepis are also pretty good for non-geek users. All have live-CDs you can try out.
I have not completely made up my mind about all issues but:
1) We need different laws for different types of work. Having the same requirements, duration etc. for software, books, music and films is plain silly.
This exists to an extent: in thee UK recorded music has a shorter copyright term.
2) I want exemptions for private and non-profit use. Perhaps even for not for profit re-distribution.
3) Anything paid for with public funds should be public domain or something like a CC attribution license.
I would probably favour abolishing copyright on software and music recording, because other business models are possible. I would accept them as a necessary evil for written material, music scores, etc., but with generous non-profit and fair use exemptions.
Copyright is a state-granted monopoly, so it should only be sued as a last resort, to encourage work that could not be supported by an alternative model.
1) He said "my mom". I bet she does not even know what C is.
2) I could easily substitute my father. In fact, if you look at my previous comments, I have used the fact that my father can use Linux as evidence that it is ready for naive users
As part of the "anti-copyright" crowd, we do not support giving creator no right at all, simply reasonable rights.
/.), are very different from those around photography so we may take different view on the two.
Pretty much everyone supports her right to be identified as the creator of the photograph. Was that done in this case? Obviously not.
Most of us would support a reasonable copyright law, for example, with exceptions for non-commercial or private use, lasting for a reasonable time etc. In this case it was public commercial use, so she should be paid.
Another subtlety that you miss is that the issues around copyright of software (obviously a major concern on
They ought to ship the LTS version.
It changes less often (making support easier), it puts less strain on upgrade infrastructure, there is less risk from upgrades going wrong (it can happen), it is harder to destabilise, it will be supported for longer.
People who want a more up to date system can install it for themselves. Yes, there are lots of nice improvements in fesity (7.04) over Dapper (6.06), but for the average user avoiding troubleshooting is more important.
I think he just undermined MS's own "its all written by commie hippies" FUD.
Saying that half of all OSS developers are talking about Windows, implies half of all OSS developers are not interested in Windows. That is a lot of good software that I need Linux to run. Sorry, I cannot consider using Windows because the apps I use will not run on it (partly true btw).
You are talking about Slashdot
Half the articles are flamebait, and the discussions are a battle between mindless OSS fanboys and corporate astroturfers.
Certainly, there is a lot of good discussion, but the crap is nothing new.
So you think a monopoly is a meaningful free market? Without regulation we would have only private monopolies and cartels.
Given that almost all advocacy of free market economics relies on arguing that competition will deliver (at least close to) pareto efficiency, your position is nonsensical.
Certainly, O'Reilley are popular with a particular audience. If Windows had that sort of grip on the market it probably would have a 30% or so market share.
But not the rest of the country or the rest of the world. No, network effects, mean that it is a market that tends towards monopoly. That does not mean it is inevitable. This is also an argument for regulation (or, alternatively, a weakening of copyright) so that a free market can exist.There is also no reason why the market leader has to be dominant. The market leader could have 30%, another two big players 20% each and the remaining 30% split among the rest.
That way we get rid of the monoculture, which is a security disaster.
If anyone actually read the emails, Andrew Morton does not say ZFS is bad - he says "although it is a rampant layering violation...", in the context of criticising the current Linux file systems.
Given that downloads have had no real impact on revenues AND the fall in quality started before downloads became popular, the fall in quality is for different reasons.
The reason for the homogeneity is that it produces predictable revenues. It is the inevitable result of business objectives taking precedence over artistic ones.
In fact more piracy, if it undermines big media, will actually improve quality and increase variety by creating an opportunity for smaller companies, lesser known musicians etc.
I hardly ever pirate (this is in a country where everything is pirated), not because of any moral reason, but because I am instinctively law abiding and because I can find lots of good legitimate free downloads: the last piece of music I listened to was a CC licensed download from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
I can say that everything I have heard about Vista, from a wide variety of sources including Windows users, is bad.
You have never read Al-Jazeera, have you? From what I have seen on their English language site, its no more anti-American than world opinion.I see links images on Flickr on lots of websites. I cannot remember seeing any to Photobucket.
My guess is that Photobucket has more hits, but Flickr has greater reach.
It may not have marketing to take off as a full PC replacement, but Nokia has the muscle to sell it as a mobile appliace - i.e. a smartphone alternative without the cellular connectivity, but with a decent screen and proper web browser.
- Open document format - much better for long term archiving of documents
- Fewer vulnerabilities
- Built in PDF export
- On licensing problems, risks or admin costs - a business advantage.
- More familiar UI than the new version of MS Office
Thats what I could think of straight away. More here. I am not saying OO is necessarily better, just that it depends on your needs. The one thing I would prefer MS Office for is complex financial modelling - but I do not do that any more.More seriously than my other answer, sexual relationships are a lot tricker in a small group in a spaceship than in normal society:
1) You cannot get away from a person who rejected you
2) You cannot avoid someone who refuses to accept a rejection
3) You cannot avoid living and working with some who took a third person from you.
4) People's sexuality can be affected by unusual conditions.
The best solution is probably to use stable couples for really long missions (months to years), but that makes it harder to recruit the best. Even then if things do go wrong you have a horrible mess.
Psychological screening is essential in any case - and not just for the headline grabbing sex issue. There are plenty of ways in which a small group at close quarters can go wrong.
Thats the point. They want to keep things locked down, not so much to reduce the tolerable lost revenues from pirating, but to increase barriers to entry.
I do not pirate stuff myself, because I am simply an instinctively law-abiding sort of person, but I have to the slightest objection to other people breaking silly laws.
Its up to the companies selling (or not selling) the stuff to find a new business model - or go bust. No problem. Its called creative destruction.
India has a strong and independent judiciary, democracy, human rights law (unlike Britain). It is more democratic and free than any other country at its economic level.
Lots of people pay consultants without knowing exactly what they will do or why they need them. The entire management consultancy game depends on this.
In this case they probably did know what they were doing though.
There are credit cards that do the web based interface bit of that.
As part of every transaction you are redirected to the issuer's website to confirm the transaction there.
The problem is that it now introduces another thing to forget: one more password.