...this, as others have mentioned, is more of a wake-up call to maintainers than anything. Apache _will_ ship with Debian 3.0, because maintainers will make it as bug-free as possible, because they care about it. gpm has already been fixed of most (all?) of its bugs. Similarly, we can expect all of the other major packages to be fixed in the next couple of days.
Don't worry, people. The packages you care about will be in Debian 3.0. (Including mpg321!) We'll make sure of it.:)
Firstly, Debian 3.0 will be released when it's ready - which means sometime in 2002.
Woody wasn't frozen in July, Policy was. The base base system was frozen later, in August. Everything else remains unfrozen, though those packages in 'standard' and many tasks (such as GNOME and KDE) should be on the block to be frozen pretty soon.
We're going about it in a different way this time; different parts of Debian are being frozen at different times. Because base and standard packages are more important than Priority: extra packages, they're being frozen first so all bugs can be shaken out and fixed.
Unlike what most people think, a high bug count does not equal poor quality. A high bug count is actually a very good indicator of excellent testing, and this testing leads to high quality.
Mozilla is a very high-profile application, and is also very complex. A lot of people report bugs in it, ranging from showstopping to very trivial. I'm personally very encouraged that Mozilla has such good testing, because it directly translates into a better product.
Bottom line is: the more bugs, the better. (This is something a lot of people don't seem to recognise, particularly with Free Software development. When that user reports a bug you don't like, thank them instead of closing it without fixing it! They're contributing to the quality of your software!)
From WordNet (r) 1.6 [wn]:
condone
v : excuse or make allowances for; be lenient with; "excuse
someone's behavior" [syn: {excuse}]
Condone is actually more or less to encourage, and is not a negative word as many seem to think.
...I find much greater gratification from seeing downloads of my software, and hearing from actual users who either have bugs (or just questions) than I think I would from monetary contributions. An 'attaboy' email can go a long way, particularly when you're tired and might be inclined to go to bed rather than enhancing your software or fixing bugs.
If you want to make the developer(s) feel good, send them an attaboy email. If you want to contribute and don't want to learn to code, send them an attaboy email and a cheque, or a case of interesting beer -- or maybe make a contribution to a charity they wish to support. An email saying "I really enjoy your software a lot, and I'd like to thank you for it -- are there any charities you particularly feel kindly for?" alleviates any possibilities that people would be offended by a cheque (though I don't know of any people who would, personally).
But really, unless the people you're trying to thank are really overloaded, actual user contact is very rewarding. Knowing that people use and enjoy your software is one of the main reasons I develop Free Software.
[H]ow many companies can you think of that have filed for Chapter 11 and subsequently come out of it intact?
This is actually not all that uncommon. For example, there exists a steel company by the name of Algoma which filed for the equivalent of Chapter 11 here in Canada, not once, but twice. Back in the '80s it operated for years under creditor protection. They emerged in the mid-90s, and then spent hundreds of millions upgrading their operations. Now, with the recent downturn, they've been driven to bankruptcy, and so they're under creditor protection, again.
The bottom line is that creditor protection (chapter 11) is not always the end of a company. What it does is stop creditors from forcing a company into complete bankruptcy (aka out of business) just to pay the bills. There is also a pecking order for bills to be paid; employees first, then places like banks and other lenders, and other things after that.
While Loki has a very different business than Algoma, it is not the end for them -- yet.
The bottom line is, buy loki games (or if you're in Canada, click on the Canux link below.)
First, thanks for SDL and SMPEG. They ran mpg321
very well for a while. Thanks, too, for your development help.
I know you probably get asked this a lot, but as a loyal Loki customer I just have to know: now that you and most other Loki programmers have moved on to bigger and better things, in your opinion does Loki have a chance in continuing to produce Linux games?
You'd be surprised. Texas Instruments makes calculators and projectors (DLP - in digital theatres) which are end-user visible, but they are much, much bigger in the chip manufacturing business; chips are their biggest business. Know that cell phone you're talking on? Chances are, it's got a TI chip in it.
They make all of Sun's UltraSparc chips, and also manufacture other, more esoteric things - like dual core chips (DSP and ARM, known as OMAP).
All in all, TI is much, much more than calculators.
...that it's remarkably difficult, it seems, to create an audio codec which doesn't infringe on patents already covered. While it's most likely laughable that Xiphophorous would use something from MP3 in Ogg Vorbis, it could conceivably infringe on someone else's "Intellectual Property."
I ran across this information while on the LAME page, which has as one of its goals a completely patent-free audio codec. Look here:
to see some of the myriad patents on audio compression techniques.
<insert diatribe on how patents on intellectual property should be abolished, etc>
A long time ago, I was a Slackware user. It was a very easy installation - only had to grab a few packages - and it didn't take many brains to figure out what to do. So away I went, a newcomer to Linux, without much of a clue as to just how I can do anything. But I proceeded, downloading things like Enlightenment 0.13.3, and compiling it from source. Of course, I didn't have ImageMagick, so I had to compile that too. And I needed imlib. It went on and on. But I felt like I was accomplishing something! Linux wasn't supposed to be simple, you had to wait a while for things to be compiled! In fact, when I installed binary packages, I felt like I had cheated.
Fast-forward three years. I'm now a Debian developer, apt-getting with the greatest of ease. When I want a package, I type apt-get install <packagename>. Apt handles the rest. I no longer have the bizzare need to accomplish anything by compiling it from source, because I know that there are legions of developers out there who are doing that for me, just as I'm doing it for them for my packages. There's something to be said for the simplicity of installing a package, precompiled and ready to go for you. And while slackware users may feel that it's not the right way to go, I can get Gnome installed in five minutes. Try doing that from source.
Personally, I don't have too much of a problem with this idea. Most likely you're going to see a crossfade between the advertisement and the intro to the song, so it will be very difficult to filtre out, and most likely there will be a lot of very good songs which are not available in any other format (read: CD) available in ad-mode. Truthfully I think this isn't such a bad idea, particularly if it turns out to make some sort of a profit. Think of it: You can download the free MP3 (and endure the 5-7 second ad for buy.com) or, in 2-3 weeks when the distributors are done doing their dirty business, buy the CD for the latest teen sensation.
You, I and the average Joe Free Software User don't want this, and wouldn't stand the intrusion. But as a teaser, for the average Teenie Net User, it works beautifully. They'll get their bubblegum early (Have you heard the latest Too-Young-To-Shave Boys single?) and it will probably drum up store business.
Really, I don't see what the problem is. If everyone here doesn't like the ad-ridden songs (which most likely you won't), don't listen to them! (which most likely won't be a problem) Listen to your CDs or legitimate mp3s or even your illegal mp3s - I don't think you'll be getting Indie bands signing on to this type of business too quickly.
xf86cfg, a new graphical configuration tool for XFree86 4.0, and can be used to either write the initial configuration or make customizations to the current configuration. xf86cfg is a work in progress, and allows configuration of:
[...]
Server layout setup, allowing complex configuration of physical monitor positions, default color depth and/or rotated monitors.
This may be what you're looking for - it seems that XFree86 4 has capabilities for this.
I like this analogy. Cars are created as safe as possible because if they weren't, car makers would be sued into the ground and then some. Simply put, Microsoft did not make their communications program safe enough. Car makers don't include a "Wheels fall off" button even though they probably could make such a thing, because it's not safe. "The button was clearly labelled and is properly documented in the User Manual as causing death when it is pressed."
There is no good reason for a foreign Visual Basic file to be allowed to run in anything but a sandbox (a la java) by default. Microsoft made a huge gaffe in putting this functionality ("innovation") into their program.
I admit that it's the user's fault in most cases "Ooo, I love you too! Let's click here!" and that most users are flaming morons, but that doesn't excuse Microsoft for making this sort of problem possible.
Strange things found in computer cases
on
Quickielanche
·
· Score: 1
While cleaning out old computers, used in tech labs (ie: wood shop), to be re-used for either spare parts or workstations at my school, we came across all manner of broken parts, missing pieces (some people just love stealing RAM from computers) and other various tidbits, but one day along with the usual pen lids, crumpled up paper and dust I found: a full sandwich, still in a ziplock baggie. My theory? Someone taking tech decided that, because their computer was going slowly, it was hungry.
Of course you can do whatever you want - but you can't distribute that "whatever you want." Quake is copyrighted. Copyright covers copying, distributing and modification only - not use. So of course he could modify the GPL'd Quake source, compile it, print it out and burn it in effigy, etc.. but if he ever distributes it, it has to be in compliance with Quake's copyright and license, which in this case is the GNU GPL.
Actually, since you are the original copyright holder, you can both release the code under the GPL and utilise it for your projects, future commercial endeavours, etc. The only thing you won't be able to use in that manner is any patches/etc which are sent to you on the GPL'd code, because you don't own the copyrights to that. Naturally, if you get the patcher to assign you the copyright, everything is copacetic.
Perhaps some background on the situation, in case people aren't entirely sure what's going on:
FreeBSD is a kernel/and/ a distribution of software. It has two general branches - Stable and Current (I think). Current is where the bleeding-edge changes go; people who know what they're doing and/or need features only in current track it. Otherwise, you use Stable.
Linux is a kernel, only. There are many distributions based around it. It is developed in two branches; a stable and development branch. You can tell which branch a kernel is in by the minor version number (Linux kernels are numbered major.minor.patchlevel - Major is iterated very infrequently, after major changes; minor is iterated not so often, when going from development to stable; and patchlevel is the development on the minor version). If the minor version is odd - 1, 3, 5, etc - it is a development kernel, and if it is even - 2, 4, 6 - it is a stable kernel. Development kernels should not be used on production boxes, unless you're willing to support it yourself and deal with problems that may occur. Things can and will break in development kernels. Stable kernels should be used pretty much everywhere, particularly if you are new to Linux.
Remember: You don't ever need to update a kernel unless it fixes something that's broken, adds support for something you have, or adds a feature you require. Otherwise, stick with what you've got - it's not a prerequisite to update when new versions are released.
I'm very encouraged by the number of games being ported or already ported to Linux. I've made a point of buying games (from Canux) for Linux which I might not have bought before, simply to show both Loki and Canux support. For example, I certainly wouldn't have bought Quake III so early after it was released had it not been important to me to show the numbercrunchers at id and Activision that Linux is a valid platform.
I'm very discouraged, however, by the fact that one very important game to me hasn't been ported or announced by Loki: Half-Life. Valve have to know that this'd kill, and that more people would buy that port than would buy Quake III, probably. I know I'd snap it up right away. And I've made it very clear to a number of companies, when inquiring as to their Linux port status, that I wouldn't buy their games if they weren't available for Linux.
It might sound a little crazy - support for only games for Linux - but, simply put, it needs support. I'm the biggest Free Software advocate out there. Hell, I don't even like the term "Open source." But games are sort of different - I'm not so sure that Free Software will work for all games.
And, in the end, by buying Linux-ported games the market itself is expanding, and more people will get into Linux - and isn't that what we all want?
How about the elusive 9th planet? Pluto is technically no more than a comet, and there's a concerted effort right now to get it de-certified as a planet. Of course the American astronomers aren't in favour of it because - who was it, Hubble? not sure - an American found the blasted thing. Really we're an 8-planet system with a whole bunch of smaller rocks and bits of ice orbiting too.
Actually, to be completely accurate, Pope Gregory asked Napoleon very nicely to switch to his Gregorian calendar, and since Napoleon was such a good person who loved his church (and wanted all the supporters he could get), he switched to it. Otherwise we'd have 10 hour days, 10 day weeks, and 100 second minutes, etc - of course the only thing that would/really/ need to change is the definition of the second.
Just like he's destroyed Red Hat, VA Research, Corel, and Microsoft, right?
I'm sorry, but Richard's never said you should not have the choice to use proprietary software. He's simply said that he will not support, and in practice has hindered, any non-free software. But if you have a wonderful idea for a start-up that'll make millions, or even will just break even, the HMS RMS (oo, isn't that clever) isn't about to steam into port with cannons a-blazing, ready to take away your ability to innovate (whatever that is). He advocates Free Software. He's obviously not going to support you if you produce proprietary software. And he is going to support free alternatives to your proprietary package. But that doesn't mean you're going out of business because of rms. He simply doesn't wield the same power the large consumer base of the computing industry in his hand.
I'm still in highschool, though in my last year, and in the past two months I've met a girl that makes me happier than I've ever been - she's understanding, she's caring, and moreover, she likes me!
But there's a trick to "getting girls to like you." It's not a magic potion or a pick-up line - nothing will make a girl like you. (It has to come from the heart.) But a girl can discover that they like you by getting to know you - and here's the tricky part. Be friends with girls first!
It's hard for a lot of guys, particularly guys (like me) who've, in the past, only ever struck out. But if you see a girl you like, and you want to give a relationship a chance at being real, you can't rush it. Strike up a conversation, spend time with her - and don't rush anything! Believe me, you can wait. You've done it in the past, haven't you?
The simple fact is, you wouldn't want to be intimately involved (and no, I'm not just referring to sex) with someone who you wouldn't want to be at least friends with. A relationship is about communication and openness, and those require trust - and you have to develop trust over time. Be friends with girls; not only will you gain knowledge about the way an extra X chromosome makes a human's mind work, but you might just find that people do, in fact, like you for who you are. It's not so big a jump from "She's my friend" to "She's my girlfriend," after all.
Slashdot Mirror
Don't worry, people. The packages you care about will be in Debian 3.0. (Including mpg321!) We'll make sure of it. :)
Of course, having the default being disabled is rather questionable...
Woody wasn't frozen in July, Policy was. The base base system was frozen later, in August. Everything else remains unfrozen, though those packages in 'standard' and many tasks (such as GNOME and KDE) should be on the block to be frozen pretty soon.
We're going about it in a different way this time; different parts of Debian are being frozen at different times. Because base and standard packages are more important than Priority: extra packages, they're being frozen first so all bugs can be shaken out and fixed.
For more information, search the debian-devel-announce archives or see the most recent mail from one of the release coordinators, Anthony Towns.
Basically, be patient. The reason that Anthony whipped together Debian 2.2r4 is simply because 3.0 won't be ready for a while.
Best codec would be MPEG-2, I assume. Then it's not just Linux users who can watch it, but everybody. Standard MPEG files are our friends.
Mozilla is a very high-profile application, and is also very complex. A lot of people report bugs in it, ranging from showstopping to very trivial. I'm personally very encouraged that Mozilla has such good testing, because it directly translates into a better product.
Bottom line is: the more bugs, the better. (This is something a lot of people don't seem to recognise, particularly with Free Software development. When that user reports a bug you don't like, thank them instead of closing it without fixing it! They're contributing to the quality of your software!)
From WordNet (r) 1.6 [wn]: condone v : excuse or make allowances for; be lenient with; "excuse someone's behavior" [syn: {excuse}] Condone is actually more or less to encourage, and is not a negative word as many seem to think.
If you want to make the developer(s) feel good, send them an attaboy email. If you want to contribute and don't want to learn to code, send them an attaboy email and a cheque, or a case of interesting beer -- or maybe make a contribution to a charity they wish to support. An email saying "I really enjoy your software a lot, and I'd like to thank you for it -- are there any charities you particularly feel kindly for?" alleviates any possibilities that people would be offended by a cheque (though I don't know of any people who would, personally).
But really, unless the people you're trying to thank are really overloaded, actual user contact is very rewarding. Knowing that people use and enjoy your software is one of the main reasons I develop Free Software.
This is actually not all that uncommon. For example, there exists a steel company by the name of Algoma which filed for the equivalent of Chapter 11 here in Canada, not once, but twice. Back in the '80s it operated for years under creditor protection. They emerged in the mid-90s, and then spent hundreds of millions upgrading their operations. Now, with the recent downturn, they've been driven to bankruptcy, and so they're under creditor protection, again.
The bottom line is that creditor protection (chapter 11) is not always the end of a company. What it does is stop creditors from forcing a company into complete bankruptcy (aka out of business) just to pay the bills. There is also a pecking order for bills to be paid; employees first, then places like banks and other lenders, and other things after that.
While Loki has a very different business than Algoma, it is not the end for them -- yet.
The bottom line is, buy loki games (or if you're in Canada, click on the Canux link below.)
First, thanks for SDL and SMPEG. They ran mpg321 very well for a while. Thanks, too, for your development help.
I know you probably get asked this a lot, but as a loyal Loki customer I just have to know: now that you and most other Loki programmers have moved on to bigger and better things, in your opinion does Loki have a chance in continuing to produce Linux games?
They make all of Sun's UltraSparc chips, and also manufacture other, more esoteric things - like dual core chips (DSP and ARM, known as OMAP).
All in all, TI is much, much more than calculators.
I ran across this information while on the LAME page, which has as one of its goals a completely patent-free audio codec. Look here: to see some of the myriad patents on audio compression techniques.
<insert diatribe on how patents on intellectual property should be abolished, etc>
---
Fast-forward three years. I'm now a Debian developer, apt-getting with the greatest of ease. When I want a package, I type apt-get install <packagename>. Apt handles the rest. I no longer have the bizzare need to accomplish anything by compiling it from source, because I know that there are legions of developers out there who are doing that for me, just as I'm doing it for them for my packages. There's something to be said for the simplicity of installing a package, precompiled and ready to go for you. And while slackware users may feel that it's not the right way to go, I can get Gnome installed in five minutes. Try doing that from source.
---
You, I and the average Joe Free Software User don't want this, and wouldn't stand the intrusion. But as a teaser, for the average Teenie Net User, it works beautifully. They'll get their bubblegum early (Have you heard the latest Too-Young-To-Shave Boys single?) and it will probably drum up store business.
Really, I don't see what the problem is. If everyone here doesn't like the ad-ridden songs (which most likely you won't), don't listen to them! (which most likely won't be a problem) Listen to your CDs or legitimate mp3s or even your illegal mp3s - I don't think you'll be getting Indie bands signing on to this type of business too quickly.
---
---
It means the ever popular OBSD Wireframe Daemon Head shirt - it is a shirt with the Wireframe Daemon's Head on it.
There is no good reason for a foreign Visual Basic file to be allowed to run in anything but a sandbox (a la java) by default. Microsoft made a huge gaffe in putting this functionality ("innovation") into their program.
I admit that it's the user's fault in most cases "Ooo, I love you too! Let's click here!" and that most users are flaming morons, but that doesn't excuse Microsoft for making this sort of problem possible.
While cleaning out old computers, used in tech labs (ie: wood shop), to be re-used for either spare parts or workstations at my school, we came across all manner of broken parts, missing pieces (some people just love stealing RAM from computers) and other various tidbits, but one day along with the usual pen lids, crumpled up paper and dust I found: a full sandwich, still in a ziplock baggie. My theory? Someone taking tech decided that, because their computer was going slowly, it was hungry.
Of course you can do whatever you want - but you can't distribute that "whatever you want." Quake is copyrighted. Copyright covers copying, distributing and modification only - not use. So of course he could modify the GPL'd Quake source, compile it, print it out and burn it in effigy, etc.. but if he ever distributes it, it has to be in compliance with Quake's copyright and license, which in this case is the GNU GPL.
Actually, since you are the original copyright holder, you can both release the code under the GPL and utilise it for your projects, future commercial endeavours, etc. The only thing you won't be able to use in that manner is any patches/etc which are sent to you on the GPL'd code, because you don't own the copyrights to that. Naturally, if you get the patcher to assign you the copyright, everything is copacetic.
FreeBSD is a kernel /and/ a distribution of software. It has two general branches - Stable and Current (I think). Current is where the bleeding-edge changes go; people who know what they're doing and/or need features only in current track it. Otherwise, you use Stable.
Linux is a kernel, only. There are many distributions based around it. It is developed in two branches; a stable and development branch. You can tell which branch a kernel is in by the minor version number (Linux kernels are numbered major.minor.patchlevel - Major is iterated very infrequently, after major changes; minor is iterated not so often, when going from development to stable; and patchlevel is the development on the minor version). If the minor version is odd - 1, 3, 5, etc - it is a development kernel, and if it is even - 2, 4, 6 - it is a stable kernel. Development kernels should not be used on production boxes, unless you're willing to support it yourself and deal with problems that may occur. Things can and will break in development kernels. Stable kernels should be used pretty much everywhere, particularly if you are new to Linux.
Remember: You don't ever need to update a kernel unless it fixes something that's broken, adds support for something you have, or adds a feature you require. Otherwise, stick with what you've got - it's not a prerequisite to update when new versions are released.
I'm very discouraged, however, by the fact that one very important game to me hasn't been ported or announced by Loki: Half-Life. Valve have to know that this'd kill, and that more people would buy that port than would buy Quake III, probably. I know I'd snap it up right away. And I've made it very clear to a number of companies, when inquiring as to their Linux port status, that I wouldn't buy their games if they weren't available for Linux.
It might sound a little crazy - support for only games for Linux - but, simply put, it needs support. I'm the biggest Free Software advocate out there. Hell, I don't even like the term "Open source." But games are sort of different - I'm not so sure that Free Software will work for all games.
And, in the end, by buying Linux-ported games the market itself is expanding, and more people will get into Linux - and isn't that what we all want?
How about the elusive 9th planet? Pluto is technically no more than a comet, and there's a concerted effort right now to get it de-certified as a planet. Of course the American astronomers aren't in favour of it because - who was it, Hubble? not sure - an American found the blasted thing. Really we're an 8-planet system with a whole bunch of smaller rocks and bits of ice orbiting too.
Actually, to be completely accurate, Pope Gregory asked Napoleon very nicely to switch to his Gregorian calendar, and since Napoleon was such a good person who loved his church (and wanted all the supporters he could get), he switched to it. Otherwise we'd have 10 hour days, 10 day weeks, and 100 second minutes, etc - of course the only thing that would /really/ need to change is the definition of the second.
I'm sorry, but Richard's never said you should not have the choice to use proprietary software. He's simply said that he will not support, and in practice has hindered, any non-free software. But if you have a wonderful idea for a start-up that'll make millions, or even will just break even, the HMS RMS (oo, isn't that clever) isn't about to steam into port with cannons a-blazing, ready to take away your ability to innovate (whatever that is). He advocates Free Software. He's obviously not going to support you if you produce proprietary software. And he is going to support free alternatives to your proprietary package. But that doesn't mean you're going out of business because of rms. He simply doesn't wield the same power the large consumer base of the computing industry in his hand.
But there's a trick to "getting girls to like you." It's not a magic potion or a pick-up line - nothing will make a girl like you. (It has to come from the heart.) But a girl can discover that they like you by getting to know you - and here's the tricky part. Be friends with girls first!
It's hard for a lot of guys, particularly guys (like me) who've, in the past, only ever struck out. But if you see a girl you like, and you want to give a relationship a chance at being real, you can't rush it. Strike up a conversation, spend time with her - and don't rush anything! Believe me, you can wait. You've done it in the past, haven't you?
The simple fact is, you wouldn't want to be intimately involved (and no, I'm not just referring to sex) with someone who you wouldn't want to be at least friends with. A relationship is about communication and openness, and those require trust - and you have to develop trust over time. Be friends with girls; not only will you gain knowledge about the way an extra X chromosome makes a human's mind work, but you might just find that people do, in fact, like you for who you are. It's not so big a jump from "She's my friend" to "She's my girlfriend," after all.