The secret of copy/paste that those crazy GNU/hippies don't want you to know:
To copy, select text. To paste, use middle-mouse button.
If you want Windows buffer-like functionality instead of pointer-like X11 style, install a clipboard manager like GCM or Klipper.
Re:Linux Has Travelled Far... In The Wrong Directi
on
Linus on Linux in 1994
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Mostly I've talking about personal desktop use and I assume that you are too.
I guess I vaguely agree with the sentiment you and the grandparent poster expressed. Yes, there are some vocal zealots in the Linux camp who do more harm to their cause than good. But being a nerd/geek/whatever you should look past the ideology and concentrate on the geeky aspects: it's powerful, it's educational, and it's free.
I'm not the type of person whose strong sense of conviction is going to keep me focused for 8 hours straight so I can grasp ALL the concepts of a Linux distro install.
It doesn't take eight hours. There are pretty GUI installers (Mandrake, SuSE) that will guide you through everything, including partitioning and hardware configuration. You don't even have to RTFM (but it is a good idea). The only instance you would seriously have to devote time to study would be installing LFS. Does it take you 8 hours to (re)install Windows? No, it takes...what, 1-1.5 hours from start to desktop?
Yeah, I've installed and played around with several distros...
Must have taken you days.
That's probably uncalled for but exaggeration bothers me.
"Windows users are stupid"
Yes, this attitude is quite wide spread and it does put people off. If you think someone is more or less intelligent based on their IT skills, you need to step back and evaluate just how much you've integrated them into your own ego. But Linux users do tend to be more knowledgeable about computers generally than their Windows brethren because:-
a) they had to install it themselves, furthermore they chose to install it themselves out of curiosity or disaffection with Windows.
b) they're now doing the bits that Windows did for them behind the curtain. Sometimes there are friendly GUI tools that work well, sometimes there aren't. Either way, if you want featureX it's up to you to make it work. In contradistinction to Windows where featureX will either work or it won't, it's entirely up to Microsoft.
All I'm saying is that I think Linux can have great potential, but the problem now is that it is so surrounded in geek philosophy that people would rather just use their Windows machines because it does what they need right now.
Then they should do just that. I have Windows using friends and, believe it or not, I don't shout at them all the time for using Windows. For their (non-geeky) needs, switching to Linux wouldn't be worth it.
For geeks though, it is. Like that poster's sig says: I use Linux because it's like having a chainsaw instead of a penknife. Not always necessary but more fun.
Now, that's a lot no matter how you cut it. Looks really nice, though:)
XFree86 counts memory on vidcard according to another poster. So, minus 128m from used (maybe). The other memory hogs are firefox (56m) and mlnet (87m, I think). Anyway, it's not all gnome.
I've just installed Debian (woody) on this machine minutes ago. I'm now upgrading to sid and reading/. from lynx. I switched from SuSE (9.0) and I like Debian. Just don't expect everything to be configured for you like it is in SuSE.
I don't know if you've tried apt4rpm but apt proper seems to have much better dependency checking. I found that I was having to hunt down rpms myself or, worse yet, there was no package available at all. Not so with apt; the selection is huge and everything (so far) has installed effortlessly.
There are some things you need to be aware of (as pointed out by other posters): if you have current hardware and you're installing woody, you may be without certain functionallity (onboard ethernet/audio, X) until you upgrade. From woody to sid is about 350mb with my package selection.
Oh, and the install is not as nicey nice as SuSE but it's functional. Just be sure to read the debconf dialogs. Don't let it configure something that it's liable to make mistakes with (like XF86Config) because it will overwrite any alterations you make. This behaviour is documented but still caught me off guard.
When I was a Linux newbie (hey, I still am but I'm talking maybe 3 days after installing) I managed to link the java plugin from $JAVA_HOME/plugin to MozillaFirebird/plugins/ by draging and droping in a root KDE session.
Now, though, I've decided not to use the plugin at all because of the performance hit I take whenever an applet loads.
Re:GNU/Linux, Windows, and refusing to support MS
on
Linux Going Mainstream
·
· Score: 2, Informative
I refuse to help, too.
It's only fair since they refuse my advice on what software to use, and I'm not shouting at them, "use Linux!" all the time, either. Simple things like when they complain about IE/Outlook, I suggest Firebird/Thunderbird -- even going so far as to put them on CD. I rarely recommend Linux on the desktop to people because most of them play games. If someone is only using their computer for home-office tasks, then I do.
The "it's free!" approach doesn't seem to work because they all have pirated MS products anyway.
Remember, XP is only $100 if a) you buy it and b) your time is worth nothing.
Thunderbird has had built-in spell checking since it's inception.
Personally, I've always found Word grammar checking to be absolutely useless. It might help catch simple mistakes like putting a their where a there should be, but otherwise it's pointless.
Sometimes I worry about my grammar and punctuation, which is why I just ordered Grammatically Correct and Write Right!. I can't say how good they are yet but, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" -- or so it goes.
Jon Johansen went free because there was "no evidence" that he used DeCSS for illegal purposes (links, thanksgoogle). Just because DeCSS could be used illegally, the code itself, and it's creation, could not be deemed illegal according to the court.
"The appellate court holds the opinion, as did the first instance court, that there has not been offered any evidence for anybody else having used DeCSS for illegally acquired DVD movies..."
Secondly, the DVD CCA sought dismissal in their trade secret case against Andrew Bunner after they were told that it lacked merit by the California Supreme Court. So, CSS isn't a trade secret, either.
"A journalist shall strive to ensure that the information he/she disseminates is fair and accurate, avoid the expression of comment and conjecture as established fact and falsification by distortion, selection or *misrepresentation*."
What about the armpits? Easier to wire to than the groin and hotter than the forearm. Probably easiest to have the whole thing in a long sleve zip vest. The disadvantage of that would be you wouldn't be able to remove the gloves...
How many places are "out of reach of broadband"? As opposed to "not profitable enough to enable broadband for"?
Most places have landlines. Ok, I know there are some really remote locations that do not -- like Cwm Brefi. Isn't it just a question of upgrading the existing telephone exchanges to increase coverage? No new wires, right?
I don't much care whether my broadband comes via cable, DSL, or wireless. This airship idea sounds great but it's years off. I think I'm going to go door to door trying to reach our DSL trigger level (35 signed up, need 100 -- damn old people!).
Maybe their reaction is partly due to the pre-release version numbers. Tech marketing has conditioned consumers to equate bigger numbers with better products, therefore something with a 0.x version number can't be good.
Maybe it should be marketed as "FB X7":)
Even on slashdot I've seen people confuse the code quality with the version numbers. Firebird/Phoenix 0.1 used, "large hunks of Mozilla [~1.2a] code" and Thunbderbird 0.1 was, "based on a running snapshot of the Mozilla 1.5b trunk."
Thunderbird is the best damn 'alpha' quality software I've used.
I've been using Firebird since 0.4 and I love it. However, no matter what I do or say I simply cannot get others to give it a try.
They're quite prepared to install junk like bonzai buddy and various dancing things on their desktop but categorically refuse to try another browser. "I use Internet Explorer", they say and look at me like I just suggested they make love to the electric pencil sharpener.
Checked their Terms. Not really for me (windows only tuner software, lowish transfer cap, no p2p) but by far the best satellite broadband deal I've seen (they're not charging huge amounts for installation/equipment).
Slashdot Mirror
I guess I vaguely agree with the sentiment you and the grandparent poster expressed. Yes, there are some vocal zealots in the Linux camp who do more harm to their cause than good. But being a nerd/geek/whatever you should look past the ideology and concentrate on the geeky aspects: it's powerful, it's educational, and it's free.It doesn't take eight hours. There are pretty GUI installers (Mandrake, SuSE) that will guide you through everything, including partitioning and hardware configuration. You don't even have to RTFM (but it is a good idea). The only instance you would seriously have to devote time to study would be installing LFS. Does it take you 8 hours to (re)install Windows? No, it takes...what, 1-1.5 hours from start to desktop?Must have taken you days.
That's probably uncalled for but exaggeration bothers me.Yes, this attitude is quite wide spread and it does put people off. If you think someone is more or less intelligent based on their IT skills, you need to step back and evaluate just how much you've integrated them into your own ego. But Linux users do tend to be more knowledgeable about computers generally than their Windows brethren because:-
Then they should do just that. I have Windows using friends and, believe it or not, I don't shout at them all the time for using Windows. For their (non-geeky) needs, switching to Linux wouldn't be worth it.
For geeks though, it is. Like that poster's sig says: I use Linux because it's like having a chainsaw instead of a penknife. Not always necessary but more fun.
XFree86 counts memory on vidcard according to another poster. So, minus 128m from used (maybe). The other memory hogs are firefox (56m) and mlnet (87m, I think). Anyway, it's not all gnome.
Realdolls are apparently freakishly realistic.
Registration required? Google cached it anyway.
There are a few distros -- SuSE, Fedora, Gentoo, and now Mandrake -- with SATA support out of the box in current versions.
:)
I'm going to get a SATA drive this month and try to install (or, preferably, clone an existing partition of) Debian on to it. Should be fun
Pornzilla
It's funny because it's true!
I've just installed Debian (woody) on this machine minutes ago. I'm now upgrading to sid and reading /. from lynx. I switched from SuSE (9.0) and I like Debian. Just don't expect everything to be configured for you like it is in SuSE.
I don't know if you've tried apt4rpm but apt proper seems to have much better dependency checking. I found that I was having to hunt down rpms myself or, worse yet, there was no package available at all. Not so with apt; the selection is huge and everything (so far) has installed effortlessly.
There are some things you need to be aware of (as pointed out by other posters): if you have current hardware and you're installing woody, you may be without certain functionallity (onboard ethernet/audio, X) until you upgrade. From woody to sid is about 350mb with my package selection.
Oh, and the install is not as nicey nice as SuSE but it's functional. Just be sure to read the debconf dialogs. Don't let it configure something that it's liable to make mistakes with (like XF86Config) because it will overwrite any alterations you make. This behaviour is documented but still caught me off guard.
1) Firebird. 2) Java applets suck.
When I was a Linux newbie (hey, I still am but I'm talking maybe 3 days after installing) I managed to link the java plugin from $JAVA_HOME/plugin to MozillaFirebird/plugins/ by draging and droping in a root KDE session.
Now, though, I've decided not to use the plugin at all because of the performance hit I take whenever an applet loads.
I refuse to help, too.
It's only fair since they refuse my advice on what software to use, and I'm not shouting at them, "use Linux!" all the time, either. Simple things like when they complain about IE/Outlook, I suggest Firebird/Thunderbird -- even going so far as to put them on CD. I rarely recommend Linux on the desktop to people because most of them play games. If someone is only using their computer for home-office tasks, then I do.
The "it's free!" approach doesn't seem to work because they all have pirated MS products anyway.
Remember, XP is only $100 if a) you buy it and b) your time is worth nothing.
Thunderbird has had built-in spell checking since it's inception.
Personally, I've always found Word grammar checking to be absolutely useless. It might help catch simple mistakes like putting a their where a there should be, but otherwise it's pointless.
Sometimes I worry about my grammar and punctuation, which is why I just ordered Grammatically Correct and Write Right!. I can't say how good they are yet but, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" -- or so it goes.
Silly sciolist.
If you write, "a man assulted three people..." but fail to mention that he also killed them, you're guilty of negligent reporting.
In fact, in the UK this breaks the NUJ's Code of Conduct (rule 3):
"A journalist shall strive to ensure that the information he/she disseminates is fair and accurate, avoid the expression of comment and conjecture as established fact and falsification by distortion, selection or *misrepresentation*."
What about the armpits? Easier to wire to than the groin and hotter than the forearm. Probably easiest to have the whole thing in a long sleve zip vest. The disadvantage of that would be you wouldn't be able to remove the gloves...
How many places are "out of reach of broadband"? As opposed to "not profitable enough to enable broadband for"?
Most places have landlines. Ok, I know there are some really remote locations that do not -- like Cwm Brefi. Isn't it just a question of upgrading the existing telephone exchanges to increase coverage? No new wires, right?
I don't much care whether my broadband comes via cable, DSL, or wireless. This airship idea sounds great but it's years off. I think I'm going to go door to door trying to reach our DSL trigger level (35 signed up, need 100 -- damn old people!).
Here, here! I think Timothy is one of the few editors that actually gives a damn.
I honestly pegged bigbigbison's post as a troll.
and i won't be happy until i've scrubbed the thought of a !/. thong from my mind with a wire brush and bleach.
slashdotters in thongs? oh, the humanity...&c.
google (v.) is at nearly 3 years old (at the very least), for christ's sake.
where did the last few years go?
Maybe their reaction is partly due to the pre-release version numbers. Tech marketing has conditioned consumers to equate bigger numbers with better products, therefore something with a 0.x version number can't be good.
:)
Maybe it should be marketed as "FB X7"
Even on slashdot I've seen people confuse the code quality with the version numbers. Firebird/Phoenix 0.1 used, "large hunks of Mozilla [~1.2a] code" and Thunbderbird 0.1 was, "based on a running snapshot of the Mozilla 1.5b trunk."
Thunderbird is the best damn 'alpha' quality software I've used.
Congratulations :)
Maybe Thunderbird is an easier sell and could act as a gateway application...
I've been using Firebird since 0.4 and I love it. However, no matter what I do or say I simply cannot get others to give it a try.
They're quite prepared to install junk like bonzai buddy and various dancing things on their desktop but categorically refuse to try another browser. "I use Internet Explorer", they say and look at me like I just suggested they make love to the electric pencil sharpener.
I've long since given up trying.
Checked their Terms. Not really for me (windows only tuner software, lowish transfer cap, no p2p) but by far the best satellite broadband deal I've seen (they're not charging huge amounts for installation/equipment).
Looks like I'm waiting for wireless.
Hmm. Do you use it or work for them? Does it work with p2p/freenet/bittorrent/etc or is it only smtp/http/ftp? Is their software Linux compatible?