There is a not-so-fine line between sticking to your principles, and holding outdated views in face of compelling evidence that you are wrong. What often masquerades as integrity is all-to-often unthinking, knee-jerk reactionism.
Compare RMS to Linus. Linus will just go with the flow, and use the best tool for the job. >>>>>>>>>> Linus is an engineer. RMS is a visionary. We need both. Linus would not have had the balls to launch an entire movement to compete with the rest of the software industry. RMS still hasn't gotten the HURD finished. People like RMS are necessary to anchor the rest of the "best tool for the job" people. Consider Microsoft. They are like RMS, except opposite. They don't want you to use free software, they want you to use (their) closed software. Without people like RMS, everyone else would gravitate towards to the closed pole, and we wouldn't be able to have a happy medium.
PS> As for his personality, I say he's qualified enough to behave the way he does. Furthermore, he has a specific role in all of this, and to fill that role well, he doesn't need to be a nice guy. In fact, it works better if he's not.
Ok, so we can't be better than Windows and Mac because people are too used to their faults? The Win/Mac way of installing software makes no sense. I want my software installed. I don't care if it has to sacrifice some virgins to do it. apt-get does that. Windows installer and its Next->Next->Next->Finish braindeadness doesn't.
Fuck it. You guys keep the newbies:)
PS> A nice solution to this might be to make something like a "application install shortcut." Instead of being an actual installer, it would invoke apt-get to go and install the software. This way, there would be a unified interface to the automagic package repository, and to commercial apps not in the package repository.
PS2> I've introduced a couple of Windows users (including my little brother) to apt-get and Portage, and they think its great. I think the real problem domain here is not the absolute newbies, and not the technically advanced users, but the middle group. Those who know enough about computers to be ingrained in certain Windows habits, but not enough to truely understand what's underneath.
Guess where they go? >>>>>>>>>>> Where do they go? I've been thinking about this for a minute, but can't figure it out. I understand the rest of your post, but I don't see where you're going with this statement:)
Well, you could always use something like synaptic, which is actually easier than using an installer program, because you don't have to do all the shit the Windows installer makes you do, you just have to choose your app.
Desktop Linux kicks ass. With 2.6, interactivity on an unloaded system is close to WinXP, and on a heavily loaded one (the steady state of my machine:) kicks XP's ass all over the place.
If earlier versions of Linux are good enough for your old 386-25, why not keep using it? As Linux scales up to bigger and better machines, there is going to be some cost at the low end. Its a matter of priorties. I, for one, use Linux as my main desktop OS. I care a whole lot about the improvements in 2.6.
Heh. I'm sure our IT guys were glad that we were not running "bug-laden hobbyist software" when they had to remove msblaster from hundreds of machines on the network...
In his latest post to his blog, he mentions that what he would like is a Lisp with a more modern type system. I believe this type of language is often called an "object-functional" language. There are some nifty languages out that kind of fit this model, Dylan probably being the most complete one so far. However, it doesn't have a mathematically formal type system like ML, and is missing some new type system features like parameterized types. MIT's Goo system is nowhere near as far along in development, but looks like a logical progression of Dylan (returning to the more traditional prefix syntax) with an infusion of some modern type theory.
The media companies never promised that we would stop paying artisans for creating things. >>>>>>>>>>>> Just so you know, there is a different between "artisan" and "artist." I don't think we should stop paying vase-makers either...
The real problem is that most people have a rather limited grasp on the abstract. Psychological research has shown (specifically, research into ethical beliefs) has shown that the majority of humanity can handle only a moderate level of abstraction. A computer is highly abstract --- there are metaphors all over the place, and using a computer requires a great deal of symbolic thinking. For example, most things are iconic. The icon *represents* the file, it is not the file itself. Also, hierarchies are used to abstract the complexity of the underlying structure. Most people just don't handle this sort of abstraction all that well.
Now, this is not to say that they are dumb. They may be perfectly intelligent and capable in other respects. However, most of life's tasks do not require dealing with a great deal of abstraction.
Its not just proper capitalization. "Press Any Key" means sometime different from "Press The Any Key." A pizza place could say "Choose Any Topping," and there would be no ambiguity in most people's minds.
Re:The solution is obvious. Stop blaming the victi
on
Where is the Any Key?
·
· Score: 1
Oh god. Most people, if you told them to "raise any finger" would raise any finger. Why shouldn't they be able to do the same for the computer?
Re:Don't confuse stupid with unfamiIiar
on
Where is the Any Key?
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
To validate this point:
This summer, we drove from Amsterdam to Paris in a rented car. (We're from the US, FYI). Well, it came time to fill it up, and it occurred to us that the car might be a diesel. So we called up Hertz, and unfortunately for us, the phone system was in Dutch! Looked at the manual, and it was also in Dutch. The gas station attendent, who spoke only French, insisted that the car was a diesel, because he saw the word "diesel" written in the manual. So we go ahead and try to put diesel in the engine, only to find out that the nozzle is too large to go in! It was shaped so you could only put in gasoline!
So yes, in unfamilier situations, even relatively intelligent individuals can act rather wonky...
Slashdot Mirror
No.
There is a not-so-fine line between sticking to your principles, and holding outdated views in face of compelling evidence that you are wrong. What often masquerades as integrity is all-to-often unthinking, knee-jerk reactionism.
Compare RMS to Linus. Linus will just go with the flow, and use the best tool for the job.
>>>>>>>>>>
Linus is an engineer. RMS is a visionary. We need both. Linus would not have had the balls to launch an entire movement to compete with the rest of the software industry. RMS still hasn't gotten the HURD finished. People like RMS are necessary to anchor the rest of the "best tool for the job" people. Consider Microsoft. They are like RMS, except opposite. They don't want you to use free software, they want you to use (their) closed software. Without people like RMS, everyone else would gravitate towards to the closed pole, and we wouldn't be able to have a happy medium.
PS> As for his personality, I say he's qualified enough to behave the way he does. Furthermore, he has a specific role in all of this, and to fill that role well, he doesn't need to be a nice guy. In fact, it works better if he's not.
Care to expound on that? Its really hard to make a logical counter arguement to arm waving...
Absolutely wonderful post.
Well, it if it isn't life imitating art again...
Jesus Christ people, that AIs weren't the good guys!
Invading another country isn't a preventive measure. Its an act of agression. You do it only if there is abso-fucking-lutely nothing else you can do.
Can you read?
Ok, so we can't be better than Windows and Mac because people are too used to their faults? The Win/Mac way of installing software makes no sense. I want my software installed. I don't care if it has to sacrifice some virgins to do it. apt-get does that. Windows installer and its Next->Next->Next->Finish braindeadness doesn't.
:)
Fuck it. You guys keep the newbies
PS> A nice solution to this might be to make something like a "application install shortcut." Instead of being an actual installer, it would invoke apt-get to go and install the software. This way, there would be a unified interface to the automagic package repository, and to commercial apps not in the package repository.
PS2> I've introduced a couple of Windows users (including my little brother) to apt-get and Portage, and they think its great. I think the real problem domain here is not the absolute newbies, and not the technically advanced users, but the middle group. Those who know enough about computers to be ingrained in certain Windows habits, but not enough to truely understand what's underneath.
Guess where they go? :)
>>>>>>>>>>>
Where do they go? I've been thinking about this for a minute, but can't figure it out. I understand the rest of your post, but I don't see where you're going with this statement
Good luck. The "elitist douchebags" you so kindly refer to are the ones you actually built the fucking platform...
Well, you could always use something like synaptic, which is actually easier than using an installer program, because you don't have to do all the shit the Windows installer makes you do, you just have to choose your app.
Desktop Linux kicks ass. With 2.6, interactivity on an unloaded system is close to WinXP, and on a heavily loaded one (the steady state of my machine :) kicks XP's ass all over the place.
If earlier versions of Linux are good enough for your old 386-25, why not keep using it? As Linux scales up to bigger and better machines, there is going to be some cost at the low end. Its a matter of priorties. I, for one, use Linux as my main desktop OS. I care a whole lot about the improvements in 2.6.
Um, even installing from stage1's, it never took my 2GHz P4 more than a day to compile Gentoo and KDE.
Eh? You expect them to go around to each of the thousands of personal machines on the campus network and install patches?
Heh. I'm sure our IT guys were glad that we were not running "bug-laden hobbyist software" when they had to remove msblaster from hundreds of machines on the network...
I also heard that hungerstrikes
>>>>>>>>>
Worked for Ghandi...
Too funny!
In his latest post to his blog, he mentions that what he would like is a Lisp with a more modern type system. I believe this type of language is often called an "object-functional" language. There are some nifty languages out that kind of fit this model, Dylan probably being the most complete one so far. However, it doesn't have a mathematically formal type system like ML, and is missing some new type system features like parameterized types. MIT's Goo system is nowhere near as far along in development, but looks like a logical progression of Dylan (returning to the more traditional prefix syntax) with an infusion of some modern type theory.
The media companies never promised that we would stop paying artisans for creating things.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
Just so you know, there is a different between "artisan" and "artist." I don't think we should stop paying vase-makers either...
The real problem is that most people have a rather limited grasp on the abstract. Psychological research has shown (specifically, research into ethical beliefs) has shown that the majority of humanity can handle only a moderate level of abstraction. A computer is highly abstract --- there are metaphors all over the place, and using a computer requires a great deal of symbolic thinking. For example, most things are iconic. The icon *represents* the file, it is not the file itself. Also, hierarchies are used to abstract the complexity of the underlying structure. Most people just don't handle this sort of abstraction all that well.
Now, this is not to say that they are dumb. They may be perfectly intelligent and capable in other respects. However, most of life's tasks do not require dealing with a great deal of abstraction.
Its not just proper capitalization. "Press Any Key" means sometime different from "Press The Any Key." A pizza place could say "Choose Any Topping," and there would be no ambiguity in most people's minds.
Oh god. Most people, if you told them to "raise any finger" would raise any finger. Why shouldn't they be able to do the same for the computer?
To validate this point:
This summer, we drove from Amsterdam to Paris in a rented car. (We're from the US, FYI). Well, it came time to fill it up, and it occurred to us that the car might be a diesel. So we called up Hertz, and unfortunately for us, the phone system was in Dutch! Looked at the manual, and it was also in Dutch. The gas station attendent, who spoke only French, insisted that the car was a diesel, because he saw the word "diesel" written in the manual. So we go ahead and try to put diesel in the engine, only to find out that the nozzle is too large to go in! It was shaped so you could only put in gasoline!
So yes, in unfamilier situations, even relatively intelligent individuals can act rather wonky...