The bugs tend to be with non-Microsoft software running on the Microsoft platform.
whoa, fella. if an OS allows programs to bring down a system, then there's something fundamentally flawed with the system. for instance, X can get weird. but can X bring down a system? rarely. even when it really hangs, or spins out of control, i can telnet in and kill X. i hear all sorts of things like crappy device drivers cause windows to crash. well, then the device API is faulty. no, i don't program device drivers. also, i hear about corrupt.dll's. well, if you allow programs to modify system files, then there's something faulty with the system security.
even though stability has never been the strong suit with windows, i think it is the security that has caused all the ill will. securing a windows box is a major PITA.
Granted, there may be bugs in other software, or libraries, or DLLs, or any other system components, which cause those software to fail -- but I've found precious little in terms of bugs in the base software put out by MS
really, have you seen their code? how do you "know"?
though most notebooks are made by compal, asus, and a few others, all in taiwan, there is more to it than that. laptops have all sorts of parts and pieces that can go wrong. desktops are put in spot x and stay there. laptops go all over the place. so, 1) a company that stands behind its stuff is worth a c-note or more, 2) the qualtiy control and testing is better at name brands, also worth a few bucks, 3) there is more to a laptop then the sum of its parts, namely the monitor. you look at a crappy laptop monitor for a few hours, you're gonna go blind.
plus, lots of stuff such as hard drives and memory are left out. so, dell will put better ram and hdd in. i'm not pimping dell, hell, i own an ibook. just that i did the same a few years ago and bought a CTX laptop. first one didn't boot. back to circuit city. second one, dead modem. circuit city wants to send to ctx. f*** that, so i buy a pcmcia modem and nic. and screen is crap. and keyboard is lousy. but strangely, all parts linux compatible. laptops are not like whiteboxes. spend a few bucks more up front. it is worth it. laptops have a typically will be used longer than desktops. a bad desktop means 6months to a year. a bad laptop means 2-3 years. cheap laptops are pennywise and pound foolish.
i have a 12", 700mhz/256mb ibook. all my linux apps that i need are there. especially a nice vim port. i run X with gimp, and it runs great, while i am testing mysql/php on apache, have mail open, mozilla, and assorted other stuff. and it doesn't lag at all. i don't know what all the bitching about speed is about. of course i can't "compile a kernel in 5 minutes...", but i have all the power i need. no, i'm not playing UT2K3.
and, the best part, i get 3.5-4 hours battery, plus, the it truly is a laptop. i can leave it my lap for hours. everything just works. usb, firewire, cd-rw, etc. yes, i have gotten all to work fine in linux. i use linux in my classroom. have for a few years. i was thinking seriously about a dell, or powernotebook.com laptop. but i ended up with the ibook simply because it is a sub 5 pound unix laptop and i didn't want to pay the m$ tax either. if you measure the price, you're not giving up too much with an ibook compared to a PC laptop. and you're getting a ton more. just get minimum 256mb, preferrably 384mb.
they won't even support their laptops connecting to a non-Apple wireless access point.
oh really. i bought an ibook and called them up when i couldn't connect to my linksys WAP. the guy told me exactly what i needed to do. very helpful. if you want to bash apple, at least know wtf you're talking about.
that in spite of the petulant, immature, idiotic actions of some of the F/OSS community, linux is still seeing widespread adoption. IF, m$ products are better, let them be the choice. if they are not, it is because F/OSS solutions are superior. period. my father, who was a salesman for thrity years said this, that he never sold a single product because he "wasn't company _________".
i certainly want to hear what m$ has to say. and let's face, the radars will be on. you think thy can get away with saying a whole bunch of crap? they are coming because they have to. don't expect to windows code on sourceforge, but don't you realize how much F/OSS has moved m$ in a direction they didn't want to go?
stay 100% Mac and keep the M$/Linux infiltration at bay.
linux is not a competitor of apple's. sure, both use apache, samba, et. al., but they are hitting different markets. apple is selling the hardware too. they are selling reliable, quality hardware. so i see them more in comp. with sun. as much as linux admin tools have improved, it is still a CLI for servers. apple offers that, but is offereing a gui, and essentially, a server that even ellen fiess can set up. so, for the SOHO who doesn't want to shell tons for win2k licenses, and deal with all the headaches, apple offers a point and click unix solution. kinda neat really. and for the enterprise that wants solid hardware/software unix solutions, it is a great sell.
even though lintel servers are being rolled out by everybody and their brother, and sure some might be swayed to go with lintel vs. xserve, they are essentially in two diffrerent markets. what this does do, and is great, is expand unix mindset. which is a HUGE check against m$.
they stand up for the constitution? holy shit, you are a public school product aren't you? and by the way, i am a public school teacher. sorry about the historical revisionism you got in HS.
there is nothing at all inconsistent with the pledge, any part of it. re-read the Dec. of Ind., the Const., etc., and you'll notice something. Jefferson says rights "endowed by their creator" specifically becasue the king cannot overrule God's will for people to be free. duh. then the Const. says done this day,..."in the year of the Lord...". SO i guess the constitution is unconstitutional?
well i could go on for a hundred or so pages, but i'll stop there.
so this is what the pc industry has come to. cutesy designs to drum up sales. interesting, yes. innovation, hardly. like the imacs that were all those colors. though first to integrate 10base-T, firewire, usb, etc., that was cool. the pc has reached an evolutionary peak. where can it go from here. faster, a bit. but at what price? wattage, heat, noise, etc. and for what. so this is all they have left.
this is what the "pc" industry is coming to. cutesy designs and gimicks. sure it looks nice. but really. not that it isn't interesting, but this is hardly "innovation". i'm not bashing sony here, just saying that this is sort of like apple's early imacs in that they had "ooh, all those colors". this seems like a cheap way to drum up sales. BR
though, imagine a beowulf cluster of these.
one, it doesn't cost the software companies a thing. you steal a car, it takes steel, rubber, plastic from somewhere. you make a DIGITAL copy, it costs software co. nothing. and many of the "pirates" wouldn't have bought the software.
two, the people using the software are not using a cheaper alternative. why would you use OO.org, when ms office is "free". so, piracy destroys competition. i remember there used to be at least three major office suites. corel, lotus, and office. in fact, office 97 offered wordperfect and lotus 123 keystrokes, BECAUSE THEY HAD TO. but "piracy" reduced the market share of the other two to nil
three, "piracy" promtes sales. as one program and one format becomes the "standard", especially if it is closed, peopole eventually all have to get on board. and not everyone or every business can "pirate".
i am as big a free market economy guy as you can get. i am as low tax and low regulation as you can get. but this whole piracy thing is bullshit. and they know it.
LOTD (linux on the desktop) starts in schools and enterprises. right now, functionality is far in excess of what 90% of people need. plus all the added things like security, no viruses, etc., etc. and no, when linux gets market share there won't be linux virii, think apache vs. IIS and think market share. duh. LOTD begins when suzy senventh grader says to me (i actually do teach seventh grade):
"hey, i need to finish to project at home, can i borrow your linux cd."
"well certainly, how 'bout i just burn you your own cd".
or when joe employes needs to finish up work at home and then just brings the cd home.
windows is not easy. windows is not user friendly. neither is a bicycle. windows is what most people sort of know. but that can change.
but i don't wnat joe user to surf the net, downlaod pr0n, check his stocks, play solitaire, etc. that makes linux ideal. sure, you can "do that too" with windows, but it requires mostly 3rd party software, xp pro, and tons of ofther crap. i konw. we have novell zen works at my school. nice, but it makes the rest of the system do funny things.
linux can do everyhting a windows box can. i have been using linux on the desktop for over three years. it has improved 10 fold since then. we get caught up in the "linux too" mentality regarding linux vs. windows. i don't want windows, period. not a cheap copy, not a "better" version. if i did, i'd just bu^H^H^H, er, lease xp. linux isn't windows. thankfully. it does its own things. very well, too. they are far more than sufficient for 80-90% of comptuer users. if you still wnt to pay the m$ tax, deal with BSA audits, all the security nightmares, forced upgrades, etc., then be my guest. have fun.
i am a public school teacher. let's face it, school districts are not run by the "best and brightest". see LAUSD (los angeles). however, this means that yes, that linux has real value, AND, that kids need to learn it in order be employable in the "real world". the ease and cost of entry is a huge bonus and an easier sell.
i can't tell you how many times our paper tigers have screwed up our network at school. where linux could have provided real solutions, it is purposely excluded, simply because it tramples on others' turf. what this helps do is get RHCE's into schools, they push it, parents see the value in it, kids get into it, and the ball gets rolling. plus, the cost is VERY attractive to school boards. it is win-win. and lete's face it, there isn't a whole lot of difference between linux distros really. flame on here, but c'mon, if you are red hat cert., and you get a deb server, are you lost? now, if you're a paper tiger mcse in front of a shell prompt...
Most agree that Linux is too technical for average desktop computer users...
bullshit, installation might be, but not use. of course, windows instalation is a PITA. linux wins installation hands down. this is pure FUD. anyone with basic computer skills will have little trouble transitioning. in fact, the less skills, the better, since they will have not have to break lots of bad habits. for those of us that have been using linux ON THE DESKTOP for a few years now, are happy to see this. this is a huge thing. m$ see's it too. it is now a real possibility.
he's a helluva lot smarter than you think. and most likely you too. just because he doesn't buy into that psuedo-scientific crap about global warming, just because he knows the UN is a farce (libya chairs human rights comm., syria chairs security, iran/q co chair disarmament, puh-f***ing-lease), just because we should proceed with a missle defense shield because countries like n. korea might just push a button or two, because he thinks that life (as easily verified by two ultrasounds on my two children can prove) begins in the womb,and that abortion is murder, and just because he thinks that hard working people should keep their income and not have it stolen by the government, and redistributed to lazy mf'ers, doesn't make him stupid.
disagree with him. fine. attack him, you look like an idiot. and besides, clinton was as smart a POTUS as we've had, and what a piece of shit. no, sadly the left has nothing left but ad hominem attacks. posting anon because it is off topic. ah screw that, i have plenty of karma.
every two years m$ totally changes their server products. what you knew with nt4 is obsolete with win2k, is useless with.NET/whatever server. you learn to admin unix, your skills improve over time, 'cause your doing the same things you were 5 years ago. with m$ servers, you have to learn all over again, and you are at m$'s mercy to provide patches, etc. so no, don't compare unix to m$. unix had its growing pains sure, but it is a mature product. and linux is becoming one really fast. every freakin ne m$ product is a NEW product. and it experiences the same crap over and over. why does m$ do it? somebody who knows, please do tell.
as i try to implement F/OSS solutions when people ask, "what is this linux thing?", all i have to say is it is used by nasa in space in mission critical operations. "did they use windows?". yeah, the astronauts get bored and need their solitaire.
repeat after me: "apple is a hardware company". say over and over until you get it. apple is truly an innovative, technology company. apple makes it dollars selling its technology, its innovation. that is why it frequently upgrade their hardware. not like a 2.4GHZ to a golly gee, 2.6GHZ P4, but real upgrades. look at the new TiBooks. hell, they could've installed a MacLinux on every new mac if it's sold more boxen. they just don't make enough on software. in fact, they use their web site to market third party software, so you can see all that the mac can do. so you'll buy their hardware. open source has just been another avenue for them to sell hardware. they understand that all the OSS in the world doesn't cut into their bottom line. not one bit.
no, apple isn't approaching OSS from a philosophical standpoint, like many of us do, but rather from a practical standpoint. and if OSS makes good commercial sense, then it is good for OSS. pissing off the F/OSS community is a bad move on their part. apple knows it. even though office X is nice, m$ is the long run enemy of apple. m$ represents a different direction, different hardware. apple can't sell its os to run on intel. it needs to sell hardware. OSS is just one way to do that. they keep trying to prove they're good citizens, let's just give them the benefit of the doubt.
(writing this on my ibook, running mozilla, while i edit my php/perl files on gvim, and test on apache/mysql, and create graphics on GIMP)
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The bugs tend to be with non-Microsoft software running on the Microsoft platform.
.dll's. well, if you allow programs to modify system files, then there's something faulty with the system security.
whoa, fella. if an OS allows programs to bring down a system, then there's something fundamentally flawed with the system. for instance, X can get weird. but can X bring down a system? rarely. even when it really hangs, or spins out of control, i can telnet in and kill X. i hear all sorts of things like crappy device drivers cause windows to crash. well, then the device API is faulty. no, i don't program device drivers. also, i hear about corrupt
even though stability has never been the strong suit with windows, i think it is the security that has caused all the ill will. securing a windows box is a major PITA.
Granted, there may be bugs in other software, or libraries, or DLLs, or any other system components, which cause those software to fail -- but I've found precious little in terms of bugs in the base software put out by MS
really, have you seen their code? how do you "know"?
though most notebooks are made by compal, asus, and a few others, all in taiwan, there is more to it than that. laptops have all sorts of parts and pieces that can go wrong. desktops are put in spot x and stay there. laptops go all over the place. so, 1) a company that stands behind its stuff is worth a c-note or more, 2) the qualtiy control and testing is better at name brands, also worth a few bucks, 3) there is more to a laptop then the sum of its parts, namely the monitor. you look at a crappy laptop monitor for a few hours, you're gonna go blind.
plus, lots of stuff such as hard drives and memory are left out. so, dell will put better ram and hdd in. i'm not pimping dell, hell, i own an ibook. just that i did the same a few years ago and bought a CTX laptop. first one didn't boot. back to circuit city. second one, dead modem. circuit city wants to send to ctx. f*** that, so i buy a pcmcia modem and nic. and screen is crap. and keyboard is lousy. but strangely, all parts linux compatible. laptops are not like whiteboxes. spend a few bucks more up front. it is worth it. laptops have a typically will be used longer than desktops. a bad desktop means 6months to a year. a bad laptop means 2-3 years. cheap laptops are pennywise and pound foolish.
i have a 12", 700mhz/256mb ibook. all my linux apps that i need are there. especially a nice vim port. i run X with gimp, and it runs great, while i am testing mysql/php on apache, have mail open, mozilla, and assorted other stuff. and it doesn't lag at all. i don't know what all the bitching about speed is about. of course i can't "compile a kernel in 5 minutes...", but i have all the power i need. no, i'm not playing UT2K3.
and, the best part, i get 3.5-4 hours battery, plus, the it truly is a laptop. i can leave it my lap for hours. everything just works. usb, firewire, cd-rw, etc. yes, i have gotten all to work fine in linux. i use linux in my classroom. have for a few years. i was thinking seriously about a dell, or powernotebook.com laptop. but i ended up with the ibook simply because it is a sub 5 pound unix laptop and i didn't want to pay the m$ tax either. if you measure the price, you're not giving up too much with an ibook compared to a PC laptop. and you're getting a ton more. just get minimum 256mb, preferrably 384mb.
they won't even support their laptops connecting to a non-Apple wireless access point.
oh really. i bought an ibook and called them up when i couldn't connect to my linksys WAP. the guy told me exactly what i needed to do. very helpful. if you want to bash apple, at least know wtf you're talking about.
that in spite of the petulant, immature, idiotic actions of some of the F/OSS community, linux is still seeing widespread adoption. IF, m$ products are better, let them be the choice. if they are not, it is because F/OSS solutions are superior. period. my father, who was a salesman for thrity years said this, that he never sold a single product because he "wasn't company _________".
i certainly want to hear what m$ has to say. and let's face, the radars will be on. you think thy can get away with saying a whole bunch of crap? they are coming because they have to. don't expect to windows code on sourceforge, but don't you realize how much F/OSS has moved m$ in a direction they didn't want to go?
when you dance with the devil...
m$ is a software company, they copy and clone.
apple is a true technology company, they innovate.
stay 100% Mac and keep the M$/Linux infiltration at bay.
linux is not a competitor of apple's. sure, both use apache, samba, et. al., but they are hitting different markets. apple is selling the hardware too. they are selling reliable, quality hardware. so i see them more in comp. with sun. as much as linux admin tools have improved, it is still a CLI for servers. apple offers that, but is offereing a gui, and essentially, a server that even ellen fiess can set up. so, for the SOHO who doesn't want to shell tons for win2k licenses, and deal with all the headaches, apple offers a point and click unix solution. kinda neat really. and for the enterprise that wants solid hardware/software unix solutions, it is a great sell.
even though lintel servers are being rolled out by everybody and their brother, and sure some might be swayed to go with lintel vs. xserve, they are essentially in two diffrerent markets. what this does do, and is great, is expand unix mindset. which is a HUGE check against m$.
wouldn't this be a great xserver for thin x clients? just a thought. and no i don't intend it to be funny.
they stand up for the constitution? holy shit, you are a public school product aren't you? and by the way, i am a public school teacher. sorry about the historical revisionism you got in HS.
..."in the year of the Lord...". SO i guess the constitution is unconstitutional?
there is nothing at all inconsistent with the pledge, any part of it. re-read the Dec. of Ind., the Const., etc., and you'll notice something. Jefferson says rights "endowed by their creator" specifically becasue the king cannot overrule God's will for people to be free. duh. then the Const. says done this day,
well i could go on for a hundred or so pages, but i'll stop there.
that ruled the pledge of allegiance unconstitutional. keep that in mind.
so this is what the pc industry has come to. cutesy designs to drum up sales. interesting, yes. innovation, hardly. like the imacs that were all those colors. though first to integrate 10base-T, firewire, usb, etc., that was cool. the pc has reached an evolutionary peak. where can it go from here. faster, a bit. but at what price? wattage, heat, noise, etc. and for what. so this is all they have left.
(imagine a beowulf cluster of these though...)
this is what the "pc" industry is coming to. cutesy designs and gimicks. sure it looks nice. but really. not that it isn't interesting, but this is hardly "innovation". i'm not bashing sony here, just saying that this is sort of like apple's early imacs in that they had "ooh, all those colors". this seems like a cheap way to drum up sales.
BR though, imagine a beowulf cluster of these.
Linux, BSD (amusingly, Sun's old source code base), and many other smaller-niche free systems are rapidly eclipsing the proprietary operating systems.
isn't BSD dead?
so they "pirated" software. here is the result:
one, it doesn't cost the software companies a thing. you steal a car, it takes steel, rubber, plastic from somewhere. you make a DIGITAL copy, it costs software co. nothing. and many of the "pirates" wouldn't have bought the software.
two, the people using the software are not using a cheaper alternative. why would you use OO.org, when ms office is "free". so, piracy destroys competition. i remember there used to be at least three major office suites. corel, lotus, and office. in fact, office 97 offered wordperfect and lotus 123 keystrokes, BECAUSE THEY HAD TO. but "piracy" reduced the market share of the other two to nil
three, "piracy" promtes sales. as one program and one format becomes the "standard", especially if it is closed, peopole eventually all have to get on board. and not everyone or every business can "pirate".
i am as big a free market economy guy as you can get. i am as low tax and low regulation as you can get. but this whole piracy thing is bullshit. and they know it.
LOTD (linux on the desktop) starts in schools and enterprises. right now, functionality is far in excess of what 90% of people need. plus all the added things like security, no viruses, etc., etc. and no, when linux gets market share there won't be linux virii, think apache vs. IIS and think market share. duh. LOTD begins when suzy senventh grader says to me (i actually do teach seventh grade):
"hey, i need to finish to project at home, can i borrow your linux cd."
"well certainly, how 'bout i just burn you your own cd".
or when joe employes needs to finish up work at home and then just brings the cd home.
windows is not easy. windows is not user friendly. neither is a bicycle. windows is what most people sort of know. but that can change.
but i don't wnat joe user to surf the net, downlaod pr0n, check his stocks, play solitaire, etc. that makes linux ideal. sure, you can "do that too" with windows, but it requires mostly 3rd party software, xp pro, and tons of ofther crap. i konw. we have novell zen works at my school. nice, but it makes the rest of the system do funny things.
linux can do everyhting a windows box can. i have been using linux on the desktop for over three years. it has improved 10 fold since then. we get caught up in the "linux too" mentality regarding linux vs. windows. i don't want windows, period. not a cheap copy, not a "better" version. if i did, i'd just bu^H^H^H, er, lease xp. linux isn't windows. thankfully. it does its own things. very well, too. they are far more than sufficient for 80-90% of comptuer users. if you still wnt to pay the m$ tax, deal with BSA audits, all the security nightmares, forced upgrades, etc., then be my guest. have fun.
i am a public school teacher. let's face it, school districts are not run by the "best and brightest". see LAUSD (los angeles). however, this means that yes, that linux has real value, AND, that kids need to learn it in order be employable in the "real world". the ease and cost of entry is a huge bonus and an easier sell.
i can't tell you how many times our paper tigers have screwed up our network at school. where linux could have provided real solutions, it is purposely excluded, simply because it tramples on others' turf. what this helps do is get RHCE's into schools, they push it, parents see the value in it, kids get into it, and the ball gets rolling. plus, the cost is VERY attractive to school boards. it is win-win. and lete's face it, there isn't a whole lot of difference between linux distros really. flame on here, but c'mon, if you are red hat cert., and you get a deb server, are you lost? now, if you're a paper tiger mcse in front of a shell prompt...
real mature. this is the best response you can do. well, i have to get back to work, because i have a job.
Most agree that Linux is too technical for average desktop computer users...
bullshit, installation might be, but not use. of course, windows instalation is a PITA. linux wins installation hands down. this is pure FUD. anyone with basic computer skills will have little trouble transitioning. in fact, the less skills, the better, since they will have not have to break lots of bad habits.
for those of us that have been using linux ON THE DESKTOP for a few years now, are happy to see this. this is a huge thing. m$ see's it too. it is now a real possibility.
linux is now a legitimate option
George W. Bush: Too stupid to know any better.
he's a helluva lot smarter than you think. and most likely you too. just because he doesn't buy into that psuedo-scientific crap about global warming, just because he knows the UN is a farce (libya chairs human rights comm., syria chairs security, iran/q co chair disarmament, puh-f***ing-lease), just because we should proceed with a missle defense shield because countries like n. korea might just push a button or two, because he thinks that life (as easily verified by two ultrasounds on my two children can prove) begins in the womb,and that abortion is murder, and just because he thinks that hard working people should keep their income and not have it stolen by the government, and redistributed to lazy mf'ers, doesn't make him stupid.
disagree with him. fine. attack him, you look like an idiot. and besides, clinton was as smart a POTUS as we've had, and what a piece of shit. no, sadly the left has nothing left but ad hominem attacks. posting anon because it is off topic. ah screw that, i have plenty of karma.
every two years m$ totally changes their server products. what you knew with nt4 is obsolete with win2k, is useless with .NET/whatever server. you learn to admin unix, your skills improve over time, 'cause your doing the same things you were 5 years ago. with m$ servers, you have to learn all over again, and you are at m$'s mercy to provide patches, etc. so no, don't compare unix to m$. unix had its growing pains sure, but it is a mature product. and linux is becoming one really fast. every freakin ne m$ product is a NEW product. and it experiences the same crap over and over. why does m$ do it? somebody who knows, please do tell.
as i try to implement F/OSS solutions when people ask, "what is this linux thing?", all i have to say is it is used by nasa in space in mission critical operations. "did they use windows?". yeah, the astronauts get bored and need their solitaire.
repeat after me: "apple is a hardware company". say over and over until you get it. apple is truly an innovative, technology company. apple makes it dollars selling its technology, its innovation. that is why it frequently upgrade their hardware. not like a 2.4GHZ to a golly gee, 2.6GHZ P4, but real upgrades. look at the new TiBooks. hell, they could've installed a MacLinux on every new mac if it's sold more boxen. they just don't make enough on software. in fact, they use their web site to market third party software, so you can see all that the mac can do. so you'll buy their hardware. open source has just been another avenue for them to sell hardware. they understand that all the OSS in the world doesn't cut into their bottom line. not one bit.
no, apple isn't approaching OSS from a philosophical standpoint, like many of us do, but rather from a practical standpoint. and if OSS makes good commercial sense, then it is good for OSS. pissing off the F/OSS community is a bad move on their part. apple knows it. even though office X is nice, m$ is the long run enemy of apple. m$ represents a different direction, different hardware. apple can't sell its os to run on intel. it needs to sell hardware. OSS is just one way to do that. they keep trying to prove they're good citizens, let's just give them the benefit of the doubt.
(writing this on my ibook, running mozilla, while i edit my php/perl files on gvim, and test on apache/mysql, and create graphics on GIMP)
probably not, since the whole kit and hdd and a ps2 will cot you more than a big fat P4...
hmmm...that sounds like a G4...