If indeed there are warrantee programs. Shiping a product is only part of the problem. Providing proper support (ISPs, repairs,...) is also part of trying to get computers going in third world countries.
It is silly to think that only the Americans are deserving of quality products. The XO target market are increadibly cost consious. $100 is well over a month's income for many people. While an American might get slightly pissed at throwing away $100, that $100 quite likely means a year's careful saving by a whole family - equivalent to many thousands of dollars for the average American.
Saying "You get what you pay for" etc is not constructive.
Parent is correct. According to a show-and-tell by a burglar who strightened out his life, most burglars don't hang around with incriminating goods but get them fenced as soon as they can (within an hour or two). The fence's first job is to wipe off any trace of ownership and dispose of any goods that he cannot clean.
has always been the promised killer feature for the next gen Windows. It has been that way since 1995 or so and will probably stay that way forever.
Your last paragraph is the critical one. A 5 year timescale is impossible to manage without having milestones. With a 5 year window, people only start feeling the need to integrate and consolidate after 4 years. No wonder Winfs is always killed: too much effort for not enough feature.
If you make an incorrect assertion, then it could be libel: eg. say "It is vaporware and thus they are commiting fraud" and they are not.
Conjecture is a different matter: eg. saying "If it is vaporware and they are accepting money then they are commiting faud". Those "if"s make a big difference.
"It's OK for the first bridge to fall down, we can always fix it with a service pack" or "well Beta bridges always fall down": that's not something you hear a civil engineer say.
Same with a machine waving around a deadly weapon.
I do some kernel development etc. That does not mean I want to spend my life playing with config files or recompiling random bits of stuff or fixing drivers to get something working. I want a system that "Just Works" to some level so that I can get on with what I want to do instead of trawling the web looking for a magic patch set to just get a system that I can work with.
People who like broken stuff just so they can fix it should get a vintage car.
Geeks aside, why would anyone install over an MS box?
What we do see, however, is that devices like EEE PC are making people aware that there is a choice and that Linux is real. Here in New Zealand we can buy laptops preinstalled with Ubuntu in regular retail shops http://www.dse.co.nz/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/48067b6603694d34273fc0a87f3b067e/Product/View/XC5822. These have been quite popular. They are still quirky: for example setting up wireless is a bit messy (not as slick as windows) and the power management sucks a bit.
I run HH on one of these laptop that came installed with GG. For the most part, I don't think that HH vs GG is much of an issue for adoption. What is important is that distros like Ubuntu are very easy to use/update and that devices like Eee PC are exposing more people to the option. Soon people will be asking for Linux preinstalled on higher spec laptops and we'll see more choice.
Once you're below a certain threshold, a few more zeros really does not change anything. Very unlikely vs extremely unlikely is hardly relevant. Increasing my chances of being hit by an asteroid by 500 times still does not put it on the radar. Increasing my chance of a car crash by 50% is much more important.
So currently Google uses the.edu to pump up page rank. So what! When anyone tries to game the system it is easy enough for Google to just change this part of their page ranking algorithm to compensate (eg. don't add the.edu + modifier if the page is a blog). People have been gaming the system forever and Google have been combating the gaming too.
Most are only limited by what the law allows. Although a company might speak of ethics, don't expect them to actually practice it.
And why bother about security ethics when there are much more important ethical considerations like how they treat staff? Again, most companies screw most of their staff to the limit of the law.
In short: If you're looking for ethics you got off on the wrong planet.
When MS was pushing UMPCs, they still felt very much in control. They could call the shots and force people to go where they wanted, even if that ended up in aborted products.
With Eee PC etc being so popular, they don't feel so in control any more. MS are fighting a defensive action.
One thing Eee PC has done is exploded the myth that Linux is unusable by the non-geek and MS need to counteract that.
Quite a few geeks seem to have Aspergers and other issues which make them socially inept.
But there's nothing special about IT or whatever. If someone crosses the line, then tell them. This is particularly true of Aspergers folk who will often appreciate the feedback.
Single plant types bloom together and only provide a brief window for bee food. In between, the bees get fed syrups etc, but those are really empty carbs.
The loss of plant diversity must be a huge factor too.
As for the loss of scent. Well duh! selective flower breeding is tending away from scent and more towards what the plants look like.
Slashdot Mirror
On the Corruption Perception Index http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index, Norway ranked a healthy 9 in 2007 (US was 20th). Let's see if Norway slides.
So you're saying that people who buy this holo stuff will want to throw it out and replace is with hard disks?
Nothing is stopping you from just sending them some money.
It is silly to think that only the Americans are deserving of quality products. The XO target market are increadibly cost consious. $100 is well over a month's income for many people. While an American might get slightly pissed at throwing away $100, that $100 quite likely means a year's careful saving by a whole family - equivalent to many thousands of dollars for the average American.
Saying "You get what you pay for" etc is not constructive.
Parent is correct. According to a show-and-tell by a burglar who strightened out his life, most burglars don't hang around with incriminating goods but get them fenced as soon as they can (within an hour or two). The fence's first job is to wipe off any trace of ownership and dispose of any goods that he cannot clean.
With a vocabulary like that you should consider an English major.
I don't mind being groped, but not by a gamer girl thanks!
Your last paragraph is the critical one. A 5 year timescale is impossible to manage without having milestones. With a 5 year window, people only start feeling the need to integrate and consolidate after 4 years. No wonder Winfs is always killed: too much effort for not enough feature.
Conjecture is a different matter: eg. saying "If it is vaporware and they are accepting money then they are commiting faud". Those "if"s make a big difference.
You've got to say these obvious things because the space boffins seem to forget now and then.
Third placed Turkey and tenth placed UK are wthin a +- 6% band, probably close to the margin of error in the analysis.
Same with a machine waving around a deadly weapon.
People who like broken stuff just so they can fix it should get a vintage car.
No please or sweety.
I bet your chances of a car crash are far greater than 1/450. I've been in at least 5 car crashes, but I'm still alive - I think.
What we do see, however, is that devices like EEE PC are making people aware that there is a choice and that Linux is real. Here in New Zealand we can buy laptops preinstalled with Ubuntu in regular retail shops http://www.dse.co.nz/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/48067b6603694d34273fc0a87f3b067e/Product/View/XC5822. These have been quite popular. They are still quirky: for example setting up wireless is a bit messy (not as slick as windows) and the power management sucks a bit.
I run HH on one of these laptop that came installed with GG. For the most part, I don't think that HH vs GG is much of an issue for adoption. What is important is that distros like Ubuntu are very easy to use/update and that devices like Eee PC are exposing more people to the option. Soon people will be asking for Linux preinstalled on higher spec laptops and we'll see more choice.
Once you're below a certain threshold, a few more zeros really does not change anything. Very unlikely vs extremely unlikely is hardly relevant. Increasing my chances of being hit by an asteroid by 500 times still does not put it on the radar. Increasing my chance of a car crash by 50% is much more important.
They emailed me a diploma!
So currently Google uses the .edu to pump up page rank. So what! When anyone tries to game the system it is easy enough for Google to just change this part of their page ranking algorithm to compensate (eg. don't add the .edu + modifier if the page is a blog). People have been gaming the system forever and Google have been combating the gaming too.
And anyone savvy enough to know the difference should also be sceptical enough to not get suckered.
And why bother about security ethics when there are much more important ethical considerations like how they treat staff? Again, most companies screw most of their staff to the limit of the law.
In short: If you're looking for ethics you got off on the wrong planet.
With Eee PC etc being so popular, they don't feel so in control any more. MS are fighting a defensive action.
One thing Eee PC has done is exploded the myth that Linux is unusable by the non-geek and MS need to counteract that.
But there's nothing special about IT or whatever. If someone crosses the line, then tell them. This is particularly true of Aspergers folk who will often appreciate the feedback.
The loss of plant diversity must be a huge factor too.
As for the loss of scent. Well duh! selective flower breeding is tending away from scent and more towards what the plants look like.