Well, customer service has definitely sucked over the past few months. The motherboard on my X31 broke at the end of March, and I'm still waiting for a replacement. IBM supposedly has a 3 day replacement policy for broken parts under warranty; it's been five weeks and IBM's been giving the runaround to both me and the tech (their business partner, for crying out loud) as to when my bloody $3000 notebook is going to be repaired.
"Intellectual property merit badge." The Hong Kong Boy Scouts Association owes me a new LCD monitor, since my old one has just been sprayed with Pepsi.
Jokes aside, "protecting" intellectual property isn't just something you can do once, but something that will occur over your entire life. When do they get it? How do leaders know that, once they've got this badge, they won't just go back to torrenting stuff? Honestly, this is the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard. What's next, a Coke merit badge (which you get by promising never to drink any other cola)?
Have you read it? I'm a conservative Christian and have no problem with my kids playing D&D. I *would* have a problem if their DM brought in material from the BOVD.
But constantly dwelling on *real* violence (like that found in Book of Vile Darkness, for example) is definitely a bad thing. Rolling a die and hitting a goblin with your mace is positively tame next to consciously attempting to torture an NPC over the course of a session in order to gain favour with your god, which is... well, quite frankly, disturbing.
...but what is "h2g2"? I'm pretty sure that the acronym for Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is "HG2G." Obviously Star Wars is on the brain, what with the prevalence of this acronym...
Honestly, I really don't mind if I had to watch a downloaded show with ads. Really, I don't! I'd definitely make that concession to download TV shows; after all, what would be the difference then between downloading a TV show and recording a public broadcast (received via bunny ears) and recording it with a VCR?
I'll bite. My folks have an P3 700MHz box with a 5400 RPM HD and 128MB RAM which takes 1.5 minutes to boot up, and 10-15 seconds to load up Internet Explorer. I've got a Athlon XP 2000+ with a 7200 RPM HD and 512MB RAM, which takes about 25 seconds cold to start menu and less than a second to load IE. My parent's box chugs anytime you want to run anything or load up any directory, whereas the HD barely seeks on mine.
It's not just the 128MB of RAM that makes a difference, but the type of computer that only has 128MB RAM. Nobody's going to run an A64 box with a 200GB 7200 SATA HD and 128MB of RAM, right?
So let me get this straight: X64 doesn't support flash? At all? The only way I can distract my 13 month old so I can read the NYT is by popping on an Strong Bad Email... and to think I was going to upgrade next week. Thanks very much - my ear drums appreciate it!
I'm a nintendo fanboy, but I still consider the DS to be a loss for this sub-generation (not truly a successor to the GBA). But as long as it doesn't turn out to be the end of the gameboy "pure" line (i.e. as long as Nintendo keeps their promises), well, it's no skin off my nose.
Re:The question every firefox user is asking
on
Opera 8 Released
·
· Score: 1
Google "adblocker.css" - jor has had a terrific adblocker since v5 or 6.
Yeah, but if everybody has these cars and everybody drives like you, there's still going to be accidents.
Re:I want animated program icons
on
Longhorn Preview
·
· Score: 1
Read my post again. Where did I say that it was cheaper to buy software for XP? I said it was cheaper to buy *hardware* for x386, which applies equally to XP or Linux. The total cost of ownership is higher with OS X, because if you compare apples to apples (no pun intended), Apple hardware is more expensive than x386 hardware. Next time, please read what I'm saying a bit more carefully.
Re:I want animated program icons
on
Longhorn Preview
·
· Score: 1
"All this, to not buy a Mac? Good work. Personally, I'd rather just buy the computer and be able to use it without having to do a shit load of stuff, and be at risk for spyware/malware/shitware."
The thing is, even though Mac OS X has it down for user friendliness, it can't touch the sheer amount of programs available for it. Plus x386 hardware is *much* cheaper. So, even though it takes a little more time to set up, it costs less and I can use more programs. The tradeoff is worth it to me.
Re:I want animated program icons
on
Longhorn Preview
·
· Score: 1
lol... you mean copying it to the prefetch folder while in safe mode? I'd hardly call this a battle.
Re:I want animated program icons
on
Longhorn Preview
·
· Score: 0
Word and Outlook are worth every penny. Yes, you can get that on OS X too, but comparable x386 components are cheaper, and I get to build my own box (which I would *much* rather do than just customising it online).
Re:I want animated program icons
on
Longhorn Preview
·
· Score: 1
It's easy to use because, for the most part, installing a hacked uxtheme.dll is as simple as copying it to the system32 folder. You can then download as many themes as you want and they will just plain work. Litestep or Cygwin comes with an installer. Add YzDock to your start folder and it starts automatically. It's not like I'm cracking the registry and changing anything there; these are all "hacks" that anybody with zero level of computing experience can do. It's just that easy.
Installing fluxbox on gentoo, on the other hand, was a complete bitch the last time I attempted it. I know that there's a certain level of familiarity that's lacking for me in Linux, but if I'm comfortable to manually install programs without a package manager, I think I should be able to put it in a freaking directory, tweak some config files, and get it running. I eventually did, but man, was it ever a pain.
Office 2003 works out of the box with no tweaking required (you have to download patches, of course, but it's 2005 - that kind of thing is expected). I'm extremely happy with both Word and Outlook - Thunderbird (when I last tried it) is clunky and anti-intuitive, and OO.org was just plain slow.
I'm not trying to argue that Microsoft r8l3z! and teh lunix and mac os x sucks. The fact of the matter is that, for me, it just plain works. I know, I know, you probably saw that on a Mac switcher commercial, but honestly, to me, it's true.
Re:I want animated program icons
on
Longhorn Preview
·
· Score: 1
Hell, I forgot to mention in my reply below that I use Opera instead of IE. I know that a lot of alternative users like Firefox, but I'm used to Opera after using it for so many years, and I can't stand the thought of going back to IE. I really don't care about the people who head to Best Buy and buy a computer with XP pre-loaded; I build my own comps and still purchase an XP licence. Yes, most users are ignorant of alternatives, but to be honest the main reason that Microsoft is so popular is because it's bundled, not because it's necessarily better.
Re:I want animated program icons
on
Longhorn Preview
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
That's what I love about Slashdot - if you have anything good to say about Microsoft, you get modded down to troll. So I guess I'll have to spend a few more minutes explaining why I like XP more, and how I mod it to make it even better.
First, even without a default shell, you can use either a hacked uxtheme.dll (free) or StyleXP (not so free) to replace the theme. Head over to customize.org to witness what you can *really* do with XP.
Second, explorer.exe isn't bad, but litestep is even better - makes it a lot more fun to use. google "litestep xp" to see what I mean.
Third, I don't personally enjoy using the start bar, so I use a freeware program I found someplace on the net to hide it (still accessable with the Windows button) and use a dock like yzdock. YzDock is free, quick, and fairly bug-free, but is no longer in development (as it was shut down by Apple). So much more convenient to group togther ten or so commonly-used programs, a restart/shutdown button, clock, mail checker, and weather report into an aesthetically-pleasing package.
The result? No icons on desktop. Interesting theme that replaces the Tonka Truck default. Using Litestep makes your comp that much faster. Add in the other advantages of XP (more games, apps, cheaper hardware over Apple, wider peripheral support than Linux) and in my opinion you've got a winner.
The problem is that you have to pay for XP, which makes it more expensive than Linux, but it ultimately costs less than a comparable OS X box (hardware is cheaper, software is roughly the same). It also takes some time to set this up, but once you've done it a few times, it takes probably 10-15 minutes after a fresh install.
So no, this post and the parent is *not* a troll - I'm simply expressing an opinion. Microsoft has monopolistic tendencies, yes, but in terms of ease of use, I think that they release pretty good products. Viruses and malware? Comes with being the most popular OS - if everybody had Macs, the situation would be reversed.
Anyway, that's the joy of being in a free market; I get to pick the OS that I want to use, and others can use Linux or OS X if they feel that those products are better.
Re:I want animated program icons
on
Longhorn Preview
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
Puh-leese. I've extensively used both Linux (Mandrake, Red Hat) and OS X (Panther), and frankly I enjoy using XP much, much more. I could care less what Microsoft says about their products, and could care less what reviewers say about them - XP is snappy, looks good (once you replace the default shell), and is easy to use.
Believe it or not, people educated about the alternatives *still* use XP.
The bootlegs I was scammed into purchasing were actually a bit better... Tactics Ogre actually came with a game manual, but in several places it said "see page 69", for example, when the booklet was only 15 pages long. Even came with a box.
If you want to verify that your game is legit: there should be a two digit number imprinted onto the front of the cartridge, right hand side in the middle. Flip it back and forth to catch the light. If it's not there, it's not legit. This is the easiest way to tell, as it's hardest for bootleggers to replicate.
In sum: NEVER buy any video games ebay sellers in Asia. Not *once* have I done so and received a legit copy of a game.
"Never be so crazy enough... to queue 40 days early..." "Rather spend time with my wife..." "Enjoyed being back with each other..." "Not give up being with her [for Star Wars]..." "Starwars is a plain story, a fantasy. She is real..."
Slashdot Mirror
Well, customer service has definitely sucked over the past few months. The motherboard on my X31 broke at the end of March, and I'm still waiting for a replacement. IBM supposedly has a 3 day replacement policy for broken parts under warranty; it's been five weeks and IBM's been giving the runaround to both me and the tech (their business partner, for crying out loud) as to when my bloody $3000 notebook is going to be repaired.
Jokes aside, "protecting" intellectual property isn't just something you can do once, but something that will occur over your entire life. When do they get it? How do leaders know that, once they've got this badge, they won't just go back to torrenting stuff? Honestly, this is the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard. What's next, a Coke merit badge (which you get by promising never to drink any other cola)?
Have you read it? I'm a conservative Christian and have no problem with my kids playing D&D. I *would* have a problem if their DM brought in material from the BOVD.
But constantly dwelling on *real* violence (like that found in Book of Vile Darkness, for example) is definitely a bad thing. Rolling a die and hitting a goblin with your mace is positively tame next to consciously attempting to torture an NPC over the course of a session in order to gain favour with your god, which is... well, quite frankly, disturbing.
...but what is "h2g2"? I'm pretty sure that the acronym for Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is "HG2G." Obviously Star Wars is on the brain, what with the prevalence of this acronym...
Honestly, I really don't mind if I had to watch a downloaded show with ads. Really, I don't! I'd definitely make that concession to download TV shows; after all, what would be the difference then between downloading a TV show and recording a public broadcast (received via bunny ears) and recording it with a VCR?
It's not just the 128MB of RAM that makes a difference, but the type of computer that only has 128MB RAM. Nobody's going to run an A64 box with a 200GB 7200 SATA HD and 128MB of RAM, right?
Hmm... thanks for the info! I might have to switch from Opera to Firefox after all...
So let me get this straight: X64 doesn't support flash? At all? The only way I can distract my 13 month old so I can read the NYT is by popping on an Strong Bad Email... and to think I was going to upgrade next week. Thanks very much - my ear drums appreciate it!
You must have played a remake - the original ran on my Tandy 1000. I have fond memories of playing Where in Time is Carmen Sandiago. Ah, classic.
I'm a nintendo fanboy, but I still consider the DS to be a loss for this sub-generation (not truly a successor to the GBA). But as long as it doesn't turn out to be the end of the gameboy "pure" line (i.e. as long as Nintendo keeps their promises), well, it's no skin off my nose.
Google "adblocker.css" - jor has had a terrific adblocker since v5 or 6.
Yeah, but if everybody has these cars and everybody drives like you, there's still going to be accidents.
Read my post again. Where did I say that it was cheaper to buy software for XP? I said it was cheaper to buy *hardware* for x386, which applies equally to XP or Linux. The total cost of ownership is higher with OS X, because if you compare apples to apples (no pun intended), Apple hardware is more expensive than x386 hardware. Next time, please read what I'm saying a bit more carefully.
The thing is, even though Mac OS X has it down for user friendliness, it can't touch the sheer amount of programs available for it. Plus x386 hardware is *much* cheaper. So, even though it takes a little more time to set up, it costs less and I can use more programs. The tradeoff is worth it to me.
lol... you mean copying it to the prefetch folder while in safe mode? I'd hardly call this a battle.
Word and Outlook are worth every penny. Yes, you can get that on OS X too, but comparable x386 components are cheaper, and I get to build my own box (which I would *much* rather do than just customising it online).
Installing fluxbox on gentoo, on the other hand, was a complete bitch the last time I attempted it. I know that there's a certain level of familiarity that's lacking for me in Linux, but if I'm comfortable to manually install programs without a package manager, I think I should be able to put it in a freaking directory, tweak some config files, and get it running. I eventually did, but man, was it ever a pain.
Office 2003 works out of the box with no tweaking required (you have to download patches, of course, but it's 2005 - that kind of thing is expected). I'm extremely happy with both Word and Outlook - Thunderbird (when I last tried it) is clunky and anti-intuitive, and OO.org was just plain slow.
I'm not trying to argue that Microsoft r8l3z! and teh lunix and mac os x sucks. The fact of the matter is that, for me, it just plain works. I know, I know, you probably saw that on a Mac switcher commercial, but honestly, to me, it's true.
Hell, I forgot to mention in my reply below that I use Opera instead of IE. I know that a lot of alternative users like Firefox, but I'm used to Opera after using it for so many years, and I can't stand the thought of going back to IE. I really don't care about the people who head to Best Buy and buy a computer with XP pre-loaded; I build my own comps and still purchase an XP licence. Yes, most users are ignorant of alternatives, but to be honest the main reason that Microsoft is so popular is because it's bundled, not because it's necessarily better.
First, even without a default shell, you can use either a hacked uxtheme.dll (free) or StyleXP (not so free) to replace the theme. Head over to customize.org to witness what you can *really* do with XP.
Second, explorer.exe isn't bad, but litestep is even better - makes it a lot more fun to use. google "litestep xp" to see what I mean.
Third, I don't personally enjoy using the start bar, so I use a freeware program I found someplace on the net to hide it (still accessable with the Windows button) and use a dock like yzdock. YzDock is free, quick, and fairly bug-free, but is no longer in development (as it was shut down by Apple). So much more convenient to group togther ten or so commonly-used programs, a restart/shutdown button, clock, mail checker, and weather report into an aesthetically-pleasing package. The result? No icons on desktop. Interesting theme that replaces the Tonka Truck default. Using Litestep makes your comp that much faster. Add in the other advantages of XP (more games, apps, cheaper hardware over Apple, wider peripheral support than Linux) and in my opinion you've got a winner.
The problem is that you have to pay for XP, which makes it more expensive than Linux, but it ultimately costs less than a comparable OS X box (hardware is cheaper, software is roughly the same). It also takes some time to set this up, but once you've done it a few times, it takes probably 10-15 minutes after a fresh install.
So no, this post and the parent is *not* a troll - I'm simply expressing an opinion. Microsoft has monopolistic tendencies, yes, but in terms of ease of use, I think that they release pretty good products. Viruses and malware? Comes with being the most popular OS - if everybody had Macs, the situation would be reversed.
Anyway, that's the joy of being in a free market; I get to pick the OS that I want to use, and others can use Linux or OS X if they feel that those products are better.
Believe it or not, people educated about the alternatives *still* use XP.
Now where's that "-1 my fricking eyes are burning" mod option?
Um, yes? And what's your point, exactly?
If you want to verify that your game is legit: there should be a two digit number imprinted onto the front of the cartridge, right hand side in the middle. Flip it back and forth to catch the light. If it's not there, it's not legit. This is the easiest way to tell, as it's hardest for bootleggers to replicate.
In sum: NEVER buy any video games ebay sellers in Asia. Not *once* have I done so and received a legit copy of a game.
Guards, seize him! He's not one of us!