Yeah, it would be a real pain in the ass to have a diabetic mouse... the continuous insulin shots, carefully managing sugar intake, testing glucose levels all the time.
It's probably for scientific research... I seriously doubt that someone would buy mutant mice for fun.. well, unless they had frickin' laser pointers on their heads.
That prototype is actually 5 years old and probably only shares the name and OS manufacturer. I personally can wait a few weeks before I dismiss this completely.
How many people would honestly say that they do bad things in a poll? I'm always wary of these kind of results. I have ONE ITMS purchased album and ONE ITMS purchased song plus maybe 20 songs I ripped from my own CDs. The other 1,590 tracks were downloaded or "bought" from Allofmp3.com/Mp3search.ru.
PS: I own an iPod
PPS: I don't care who knows, flame me for not buying music.
That is true, I forgot that XBMC had a launcher and FTP server built in. I just wish the xbox had a power button on the remote. I suppose the fact that the 360 has one means MS didn't think the firt xbox was going to be used as a media player.
Right now I'm trying to reencode a divx file to see if that's the problem with MCE not opening them. Basically MCE starts to play it and then the file ends. I can play it in WMP on the same box so it's not the file itself... maybe it's a weird size that MCE doesn't like? I'll find out in a bit when it finishes.
I've had much better experience using divx/mpeg on XBMC but XBMC is (at least the old version I have that I haven't bothered to update) a pain in the ass to configure and annoying to have to boot the xbox, select it from the dash, wait for it to load, etc... really as far as playing Divx for free (assuming a preexisting modded xbox) over the network on your TV, it's the only game in town.
Re:Myth TV is the way to go for HTPC
on
The Year of the HTPC
·
· Score: 2, Informative
I love my MCE as well but I wish MCE would handle Divx better. I finally got around to upgrading the CPU from an Athlon 1000 to a Semperon 2400 because it was running a little unreliably at such a slow speed. Generally worked fine but would cock up in certain circumstances.
My only issues are that it doesn't like divx playback (no FF/RW), the music playlist selection is crap, and the OEM remote is total crap. I'll occasionally have to pull the batteries to short the terminals because it stops working and the volume/channel buttons are way harder to press than they should be.
The only problem I see with this is that your laptop MUST be on to charge the mouse and if your laptop is on, you're probably going to want to use the mouse as well.
Otherwise, it's a great idea since most newer laptops have unused PC slots because the BT/Wireless/Firewire is all integrated.
If my boss actually used his laptop, I'd get him one. Since he has a 17" PowerBook for the "Me too" factor I got him a cheap BT mouse just in case he gets a wild hair up his ass to use it since he hates track pads.
I'm 29, just bought one for an early birthday present (couldn't wait two months). This is the most fantastic little game machine I've played in a long time! Granted, "long time" means "Atari Lynx." The PSP, as nice as it is, just doesn't work for me. As weird as using the touch screen to control a character is, that slide-knob on the PSP is even more alien.
My only gripes are that there isn't a way to adjust the brightness and the top and bottom screens are too far apart.
PS: Playing Mario Kart through the internet is EXTREMELY cool!
Want to talk pain? Imagine being one of those Sony designers, doing all that fine electronic and mechanical work, and having the quality of the product still be limited by Microsoft. At Apple, they'll be able to specify better materials, because there's actually enough margin to support it. Viao notebooks are cleverly designed, but the economics of the PC world means they have to be flimsy.
Don't praise sony too much, their laptops are bulky, unreliable, ugly pieces of shit. We have one here at my office that has a faulty memory slot, I couldn't even tell you the model number without looking at it, it's PCLXG-2835üø29zeta4 or something similar. Whatever the model is, it's indicative of that line and a Google search would bring up numerous complaints about the same thing or worse.
You are an idiot. Apple has worked with Sony and IBM in the past on PowerBooks. Apple and IBM worked on the PowerBook 2400. Apple and Sony worked on the Powerbook 100 series.
Also, Apple's ODM makes PC laptops already, or did you think that Steve Jobs sits at home with a SMT workstation and puts them together himself? Arguably it would explain the initial shortages of new models.
I appreciate your posts. Personally I never post here because 9 times out of 10 some jackass replies AC with an insult. Plus nobody likes my views on Linux for mainstream use.
I'm surprised that nobody mentioned how the majority of Gnome and KDE apps either start with G-something or K-something. The novelty wears off really quickly.
Oh yeah, I forgot to point out that you completely ignored my other points and focused on the library issue. Is that because you agree with me?
Incidentally the developers who are trying to make inroads with established XP users are designing their Linux distros to look like and act like XP. What do you think of that?
Yes, because letting the package manager handle all the little details is just so hard?
Just who are you trying to kid with those lies?
Had to "manually update libraries"? In Ubuntu, I think not.
Woah buddy... I guess I'm not with you so I'm against you, right? All I know is I had to find a precompiled version of Mplayer for Kubuntu, install 5 libraries which asked for about 20 other libraries to be updated. I didn't have the address of the repository I needed so I had to go download them and install them manually.
Ubuntu at least had a package for Mplayer that just installed and ran properly. Except that when I wanted to update Firefox I had to manually remove it and manually install 1.5 and a week later, I just said 'screw this' and reformatted in XP.
When a very common program like Firefox requires an entire forum thread to install without fucking up your entire system (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=79283) there is obviously an ease of use issue with the OS. Windows/MacOS users can start to install a program 99% of the time with two clicks. That is your target market if you want more market share.
PS: Ubuntu was unstable and would shut down programs at random when I either clicked into or out of their windows.
I agree. I ran a copy of Ubuntu (and Kubuntu to not be biased) on my laptop for a few weeks. Prior to Linux I had a copy of XP Pro running and I do web stuff, email, picture retouching, etc... "the basics" no games, no video editing...
First of all, it's more of a pain in the ass to install software in Linux - end users would hate having to figure out how to get to a package repository and verify a key to finally get the package they need and then figure out that they need to update all these other libraries which need even more dependencies upgraded to work. I literally spent two hours making Mplayer stream video in Firefox under Kubuntu because I had to find a precompiled package, upgrade probably 20 (no BS) libraries and dependencies and then it ran HORRIBLY. It would take forever to start streaming as if there was a bottleneck between the player and the browser.
Second, my laptop would suspend when I closed the lid in Kubuntu but I had to edit the ACPI settings to reassign the lid switch command to call the suspend script. That was a 40 minute web search in itself.
Third, I just wasn't getting ANYTHING extra out of Linux that I was missing from XP. Sure it has virtual desktops (that I don't use) and the whole apt-get thing is neat but I'd rather go download a virtual screen program for XP and use VersionTracker or Download.com. From the user's point of view, double-clicking an icon is way easier than 'dpkg -install ~/Desktop/whatever.deb' any day of the week!
Fourth, the software catalog just isn't there for basic stuff... You want Picasa? Better make sure you install Wine or pay for Crossover Office because I haven't seen a Linux picture cataloging program that even comes near it. Hell, free Picasa even beats Adobe's Album software.
Linux (in my opinion) doesn't have the ease of use and interoperability that people have come to expect from XP. I'm sure it eventually will... its come a long way in a few years. Right now I don't think it's fit for anything other than server/high end workstation/poweruser/geek use.
My best example is Linux vs OS10. I'm using a Mac to type this right now and the OS is the most polished Linux/Unix OS I've ever seen. It's so polished it doesn't even resemble Linux unless you boot in Single User Mode to the command prompt! Assuming a person had no issues with spending money for a new computer, i would suggest a Mac. If they were price-consious I would suggest a PC with XP Home. If they were building a server (I'd still try to push OSX Server) I'd suggest Linux.
I know I'm going to be flamed for this since I'm so pro-Microsoft and all but in the end, I'm really just pro-"Right tool for the job." As soon as Linux gets a single distribution with a single graphic environment it'll make better inroads to end users via ease of use and a consistent experience. That of course flies in the face of the whole free software movement so don't expect wide-spread adoption among the "working poor" of the computer world.
I think the only "real" market now is police and government. My boss is affiliated with the Florida Highway Patrol and they assigned him a BB along with a bunch of his other associates.. I made a test call when I set it up and I bet its never been used since, that's another story though.
Slashdot Mirror
Yeah, it would be a real pain in the ass to have a diabetic mouse... the continuous insulin shots, carefully managing sugar intake, testing glucose levels all the time.
It's probably for scientific research... I seriously doubt that someone would buy mutant mice for fun.. well, unless they had frickin' laser pointers on their heads.
What a shame that laws need to be created to keep companies from acting like greedy assholes.
That prototype is actually 5 years old and probably only shares the name and OS manufacturer. I personally can wait a few weeks before I dismiss this completely.
in unrelated news, my refrigerator light bulb works better with the door closed.
Except that you can deactivate your previously installed copy and install it on a new Mac.
WarioWare? I wanted my money back and I downloaded the ROM!
PS: I own an iPod
PPS: I don't care who knows, flame me for not buying music.
Wow, seriously... I didn't know this existed! Thanks! I'm tired of WMVs playing like crap (or not at all) in VLC and WMP.
Right now I'm trying to reencode a divx file to see if that's the problem with MCE not opening them. Basically MCE starts to play it and then the file ends. I can play it in WMP on the same box so it's not the file itself... maybe it's a weird size that MCE doesn't like? I'll find out in a bit when it finishes.
I've had much better experience using divx/mpeg on XBMC but XBMC is (at least the old version I have that I haven't bothered to update) a pain in the ass to configure and annoying to have to boot the xbox, select it from the dash, wait for it to load, etc... really as far as playing Divx for free (assuming a preexisting modded xbox) over the network on your TV, it's the only game in town.
My only issues are that it doesn't like divx playback (no FF/RW), the music playlist selection is crap, and the OEM remote is total crap. I'll occasionally have to pull the batteries to short the terminals because it stops working and the volume/channel buttons are way harder to press than they should be.
I've seen this before with mineral oil... that "should" be better in the long run.
Otherwise, it's a great idea since most newer laptops have unused PC slots because the BT/Wireless/Firewire is all integrated.
If my boss actually used his laptop, I'd get him one. Since he has a 17" PowerBook for the "Me too" factor I got him a cheap BT mouse just in case he gets a wild hair up his ass to use it since he hates track pads.
My only gripes are that there isn't a way to adjust the brightness and the top and bottom screens are too far apart.
PS: Playing Mario Kart through the internet is EXTREMELY cool!
Don't praise sony too much, their laptops are bulky, unreliable, ugly pieces of shit. We have one here at my office that has a faulty memory slot, I couldn't even tell you the model number without looking at it, it's PCLXG-2835üø29zeta4 or something similar. Whatever the model is, it's indicative of that line and a Google search would bring up numerous complaints about the same thing or worse.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerBook (Search for "Sony")
http://www.macopinion.com/columns/roadwarrior/02/0 4/02/ (Search for "IBM")
Also, Apple's ODM makes PC laptops already, or did you think that Steve Jobs sits at home with a SMT workstation and puts them together himself? Arguably it would explain the initial shortages of new models.
I appreciate your posts. Personally I never post here because 9 times out of 10 some jackass replies AC with an insult. Plus nobody likes my views on Linux for mainstream use.
I'm surprised that nobody mentioned how the majority of Gnome and KDE apps either start with G-something or K-something. The novelty wears off really quickly.
That's dangerous talk, I commented here on how Linux isn't ready for mainstream home computer use because it's so intimidating and was crucified.
Incidentally the developers who are trying to make inroads with established XP users are designing their Linux distros to look like and act like XP. What do you think of that?
Woah buddy... I guess I'm not with you so I'm against you, right? All I know is I had to find a precompiled version of Mplayer for Kubuntu, install 5 libraries which asked for about 20 other libraries to be updated. I didn't have the address of the repository I needed so I had to go download them and install them manually.
Ubuntu at least had a package for Mplayer that just installed and ran properly. Except that when I wanted to update Firefox I had to manually remove it and manually install 1.5 and a week later, I just said 'screw this' and reformatted in XP.
When a very common program like Firefox requires an entire forum thread to install without fucking up your entire system (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=79283) there is obviously an ease of use issue with the OS. Windows/MacOS users can start to install a program 99% of the time with two clicks. That is your target market if you want more market share.
PS: Ubuntu was unstable and would shut down programs at random when I either clicked into or out of their windows.
BTW: You're right regarding OSX being BSD but I think I mentioned Unix-based.
First of all, it's more of a pain in the ass to install software in Linux - end users would hate having to figure out how to get to a package repository and verify a key to finally get the package they need and then figure out that they need to update all these other libraries which need even more dependencies upgraded to work. I literally spent two hours making Mplayer stream video in Firefox under Kubuntu because I had to find a precompiled package, upgrade probably 20 (no BS) libraries and dependencies and then it ran HORRIBLY. It would take forever to start streaming as if there was a bottleneck between the player and the browser.
Second, my laptop would suspend when I closed the lid in Kubuntu but I had to edit the ACPI settings to reassign the lid switch command to call the suspend script. That was a 40 minute web search in itself.
Third, I just wasn't getting ANYTHING extra out of Linux that I was missing from XP. Sure it has virtual desktops (that I don't use) and the whole apt-get thing is neat but I'd rather go download a virtual screen program for XP and use VersionTracker or Download.com. From the user's point of view, double-clicking an icon is way easier than 'dpkg -install ~/Desktop/whatever.deb' any day of the week!
Fourth, the software catalog just isn't there for basic stuff... You want Picasa? Better make sure you install Wine or pay for Crossover Office because I haven't seen a Linux picture cataloging program that even comes near it. Hell, free Picasa even beats Adobe's Album software.
Linux (in my opinion) doesn't have the ease of use and interoperability that people have come to expect from XP. I'm sure it eventually will... its come a long way in a few years. Right now I don't think it's fit for anything other than server/high end workstation/poweruser/geek use.
My best example is Linux vs OS10. I'm using a Mac to type this right now and the OS is the most polished Linux/Unix OS I've ever seen. It's so polished it doesn't even resemble Linux unless you boot in Single User Mode to the command prompt! Assuming a person had no issues with spending money for a new computer, i would suggest a Mac. If they were price-consious I would suggest a PC with XP Home. If they were building a server (I'd still try to push OSX Server) I'd suggest Linux.
I know I'm going to be flamed for this since I'm so pro-Microsoft and all but in the end, I'm really just pro-"Right tool for the job." As soon as Linux gets a single distribution with a single graphic environment it'll make better inroads to end users via ease of use and a consistent experience. That of course flies in the face of the whole free software movement so don't expect wide-spread adoption among the "working poor" of the computer world.
I think the only "real" market now is police and government. My boss is affiliated with the Florida Highway Patrol and they assigned him a BB along with a bunch of his other associates.. I made a test call when I set it up and I bet its never been used since, that's another story though.