By making it more and more difficult for users to run unlicensed copies of Windows OS (XP was a great start, they'll do better next time for certain), the home user who wants to upgrade will find themselves "upgrading" to something else entirely if they want to keep the price the same. No one wants to pay for a software "dongle" to make other software they (may) have paid for work. People buy computers to surf the web, send email, play games. They don't feel they need to pay just to be able to move files around.
I am hoping that the kind folks at OpenAL and OpenGL make a compelling replacement for DirectX so that games will run natively on Linux. When you get the gamers, you will have won. MS has the gamers right now. When those gamers come to Linux, they'll learn the OS and show their friends. Windows will lose its ubiquity on the desktop because no one wants to pay to upgrade their copy of windows, or even pay for an original license when building a machine.
First, my disclaimer: I am a newbie to *ix. I am confident that I can handle any reasonable system administration task in Windows and/or DOS, as I have dealt with those OSes since 1990.
My experience with Linux has been one week of trying to make the GUI work with RH7.2 and my Radeon 8500. I believe that at that time XFree86 was just plain incompatible at that time, though I'd bet some uber dudes made it work. I couldn't, and if there is no GUI, then it is not the kind of OS I want to use at home. Later I tried RH7.3, and X worked, but with no hardware 3D acceleration. Tux Racer was a slide show. Since I will not pay Xi for drivers so I can game at home, and ATI's binaries didn't work well enough for me, I abandoned 7.3. I skipped RH8 entirely because by then I had sold the 8500 and installed a 9700 Pro (love that card!). So now I have RH9 up and running, ATI's catalyst 3.7 drivers working reasonably well, and RTCW:Enemy Territory and UT2003 working great, so I can say that I believe I now have an OS acceptable for my home use.
As for *ix, I know there exists a command line prompt, and the operator can do many things provided he knows what to do there. I am not one of these people. I am the guy who needs a HOW-TO page to use rpm. I want to know how to use bash and the like. I want to know how to make KDE and GNOME do exactly what I want. I want to know how to install drivers correctly and understand the steps. I want to be as proficient in Linux as I am in windows.
That said, I do have a Linux book--The Red Hat Linux Bible (for RH7.2) It is a comprehensive book, with enough information for a beginner to install RH Linux and not much else. I'd say that unless you are already familiar with Linux and similar OSes that 95% of the material in that book is going to be over your head. About the only useful newbie information I found was installing RH. I understand that not everyone is going to use the same procedure, but for me, it was pretty much insert disk 1 and follow the prompts.
Don't get me wrong-- while convering installation is a great idea-- maybe some easy to understand tips on configuring X would be nice. Would you believe that changing the desktop resolution is covered in an obscure paragraph some 300 pages into the book? How about changing the refresh rate? I'll bet I'll have to edit my config file, but perhaps someone made it possible through the GUI. You Linux uber coders did that, didn't you?
How about sound cards? I'd bet that millions of computers sold in the last 4 years are capable of 4- or more channel audio. I don't know how to activate the rear channels. (Disclaimer-- i accidentally got them to work in RH7.3)
Guess what else? I sure would like my logitech 3 button + wheel mouse to work correctly. When connected via PS2, the only selection that works is 2 button wheel mouse. Changing to the USB port, RH discovers it nicely (I was floored to see the mouse discovered when booting!), but I have no idea what the thumb button does nor do I know how to change it.
My guess is that those of you who have read this whole thing are saying RTFM. Well, sure, I'd love to RTFM. Just give me a manual I can understand! Man pages are not good reading for the beginner, and unless you have a laptop, hard to take with you when you need a break from getting the fvcking screen resolution fixed.
Ah, well... just venting. I'll probably have to take a class at the community college, as none of my friends use Linux. Me, I am bored with windows, and want to be ready for the time when it is not worth the effort to get an unliscensed wopy of windows to work. I'll see if I can find a copy of RH9 Unleashed... thanks for the review!
Man this fucker is swinging for the fence-- he wants every bit of information and more that any creditor would ever ask for--- mother's maiden name and ssn as well as the normal billing info... online bank account info?!?
Someone needs to apply a red-hot iron poker to this site's operator's cornhole!
I took calculus in high school, using Finny and Thomas (in that order. red hardbound) and aced the ap exam. Two years later I was looking to refresh my math while serving in Korea, and I picked up Thomas, Finny (in that order, blue paperbound) at the Kyobo bookstore (6th floor) in Seoul (Chong-no, 3-Ga subway station), and I was very disappointed. My high school text was much better, even though the authors were the same.
There used to be a language school at the POSF... Alas I studied and later taught Korean Language at the Presidio of Monterey instead... I really wish I could have been stationed there, as SF is such a great place. Well, Monterey isn't all that bad at all...
Anyways, perhaps Lucas could reopen some of the schoolhouses, teaching Jedi Knights the language of the Sand People, which could be useful for recovering stolen droids, or, maybe the Stormtroopers could learn the language of the Jawas, also good for recovering stolen droids, or better yet, teach us mere mortals the Hut Language, so we too could someday acquire our own Princess Leia (dressed in the golden bikini w/chain and collar, of course!)
All that aside, I'll bet it was a real bitch to have to run up and down all those hills for physical training... it is bad enough on the Presidio of Monterey!
I gotta nominate Frank Herbert's Dune the most shameful modern PC "game". Looking at the packaging, it seemed to have cool features, and the system requirements made it seem like it was gonna have all the eye candy I could ask for, but it really sucked. It sucked so bad I uninstalled it faster than you could click the "Do not run MSN Messenger on startup" checkbox.
And this game continues to suck even today as it collects dust on the shelf (takes valuable space). I can't return it for a refund, which sucks, and even if I throw it away, the CD-Rom probably won't be recycled, which sucks, too.
Whatever happened to the idea of super- and hypersonic airliners? It seems to me that if you reduce the time spent in an airliner, you reduce exposure to whatever stresses the body experiences.
Having flown over the pacific 11 times now, even I (extreme miser) would fess up an extra $200 for, say 5-6 hour flight rather than the 10-12 hours it takes now.
Back on topic, trans-oceanic flights do pose an interesting problem for this: Where exactly do you divert to if you are flying from SFO to Narita?
Honey-- I told you not to turn off the antivirus autochecker!!
All kidding aside, I downloaded the demos and screensavers (If you upgraded from the DX9 Beta you have to reinstall all the demos), and I for one am astounded! I NEVER use screensavers at home, but will now... with the lights off, and some Pink Floyd...
I wish ATI will release an "aquarium" themed screensaver or demo... something with jellyfish would be awesome! I mean, just replace the bacteria, right?
In my first 4 years of buying CDs I accumulated about 500 total. In the last 4 years I have bought maybe 5 total, as gifts for others. So considering that 500 CDs @ $18.00 each = $9000.00. If there are more like me, I would say we are definitely not adding to the bottom line of the record industry.
Now, as for DVDs, I know the MPAA is evil... but I feel like there is $8.99 - $17.99+taxes worth of entertainment on a DVD. I look at a DVD and see the 2 hour product of at least 100 actors and production crew, whereas for about the same price I *might* get an hour of product from really 4-10 people, tops, on a CD.
Plus all new music is crap, anyways. Everyone should have taken a long break after Social Distortion's "Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell". (only half-joking)
I would imagine that 10GB of pr0n would be more popular.... I mean, we are already flooded with pop music on MTv, VH1, or ClearChannel, why would you want it on your pc? Now pr0n, you just aren't bombarded by pr0n everyday, so I would recommend pay-per-pr0n instead. I mean, really, for what other reason would Gateway bundle monitors with their machines?
What I am saying is that there must be an issue that is not being addressed such that broadband service in the US is rediculously overpriced and has deplorable customer service. While I am no telco/isp expert, I would say that US customers are taking it up the dirtpipe.
I think I will ask around here to see if KT's ISP activity is subsidized by the government, or if it is so reasonable strictly because it is ubiquitous in pretty much every household. Either way, my perception as a subscriber is that their service is truly excellent, and a model for other providers to study.
Now, to address your issue.
I have been studying Korean language, history, and culture since before I had gained access to the internet that the Dear Leader's chingu Al Gore invented. Since then I have received no more than 10 spam emails from the Rep. of Korea. Even my kornet.net account is spam-free (knock on wood).
My guess is that you should consider being more careful about sharing your email address with the Korean pr0n sites. Or with anybody, for that matter... Maybe a foe signed you up for a "pic of the day, delivered to your mailbox, free"?
Also, another possibility is that Koreans in general don't seem to be all that privacy/security -oriented, just like people anywhere else in the world. I would bet that mail servers are commonly left unpatched or even not password-protected.
Here is a snapshot of the mindset of Kornet subscribers:
When I wanted to exchange my internal, PCI ADSL modem for an external model, I had to explain that it wasn't broken, just that I absolutely could not find Linux drivers for it. The techs I spoke with at the phone company were incredulous that 1. an American (caucasian) was speaking their language, correctly, and 2. that I wanted to use an OS other than Windows. In fact, one jumped at my offer to let him observe me install drivers for an ethernet card and set up networking/PPPoE in Red Hat. Apparently none of them had ever seen Linux, at least on the desktop, before. Short story is, the techs never see anything but Windows, and don't know what to do with anything else. That leaves me with a strong suspicion of what is running on their more important machines... And something about Korean culture leads me to believe that most OSes are totally unpatched.
US DSL providers suck ass
on
New Look at ADSL2
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I for one am happy to hear any news about expanding DSL service area and raising bandwidth to the customer.
That said, it is now time for the Bob-o-Matic gripe and brag:
What is the problem, PacBell?!?
Why does it take over a month to activate a DSL line (everything was self-installed within 10 minutes of receiving the package), and cost $50 per month for 384kbps down/128kbps up service?
I am stationed in the Republic of Korea now, and my DSL service was delivered/installed/activated/tested within 3 days of my phone line activation!, less than one week after I first contacted Korea Telecom.
Here is the real kicker: My combined phone/ISP service bill here is LESS THAN MY SLOW-ASS PacBell ISP service alone!
Now, the brag: Kornet MegaPass Premium service is 8mbps down, and about 1mbps up, for (at most) 43,000 Won per month, or less than US$40.
BTW I downloaded RH 8.0 from a Japanese mirror at an average of 26 minutes per iso. Also, I am known to fill the 60GB DeathStar in less than 4 days after it dies... Thanks, Kazaa-lite!
Slashdot Mirror
By making it more and more difficult for users to run unlicensed copies of Windows OS (XP was a great start, they'll do better next time for certain), the home user who wants to upgrade will find themselves "upgrading" to something else entirely if they want to keep the price the same. No one wants to pay for a software "dongle" to make other software they (may) have paid for work. People buy computers to surf the web, send email, play games. They don't feel they need to pay just to be able to move files around.
I am hoping that the kind folks at OpenAL and OpenGL make a compelling replacement for DirectX so that games will run natively on Linux. When you get the gamers, you will have won. MS has the gamers right now. When those gamers come to Linux, they'll learn the OS and show their friends. Windows will lose its ubiquity on the desktop because no one wants to pay to upgrade their copy of windows, or even pay for an original license when building a machine.
It is only a matter of time.
First, my disclaimer: I am a newbie to *ix. I am confident that I can handle any reasonable system administration task in Windows and/or DOS, as I have dealt with those OSes since 1990.
My experience with Linux has been one week of trying to make the GUI work with RH7.2 and my Radeon 8500. I believe that at that time XFree86 was just plain incompatible at that time, though I'd bet some uber dudes made it work. I couldn't, and if there is no GUI, then it is not the kind of OS I want to use at home. Later I tried RH7.3, and X worked, but with no hardware 3D acceleration. Tux Racer was a slide show. Since I will not pay Xi for drivers so I can game at home, and ATI's binaries didn't work well enough for me, I abandoned 7.3. I skipped RH8 entirely because by then I had sold the 8500 and installed a 9700 Pro (love that card!). So now I have RH9 up and running, ATI's catalyst 3.7 drivers working reasonably well, and RTCW:Enemy Territory and UT2003 working great, so I can say that I believe I now have an OS acceptable for my home use.
As for *ix, I know there exists a command line prompt, and the operator can do many things provided he knows what to do there. I am not one of these people. I am the guy who needs a HOW-TO page to use rpm. I want to know how to use bash and the like. I want to know how to make KDE and GNOME do exactly what I want. I want to know how to install drivers correctly and understand the steps. I want to be as proficient in Linux as I am in windows.
That said, I do have a Linux book--The Red Hat Linux Bible (for RH7.2) It is a comprehensive book, with enough information for a beginner to install RH Linux and not much else. I'd say that unless you are already familiar with Linux and similar OSes that 95% of the material in that book is going to be over your head. About the only useful newbie information I found was installing RH. I understand that not everyone is going to use the same procedure, but for me, it was pretty much insert disk 1 and follow the prompts.
Don't get me wrong-- while convering installation is a great idea-- maybe some easy to understand tips on configuring X would be nice. Would you believe that changing the desktop resolution is covered in an obscure paragraph some 300 pages into the book? How about changing the refresh rate? I'll bet I'll have to edit my config file, but perhaps someone made it possible through the GUI. You Linux uber coders did that, didn't you?
How about sound cards? I'd bet that millions of computers sold in the last 4 years are capable of 4- or more channel audio. I don't know how to activate the rear channels. (Disclaimer-- i accidentally got them to work in RH7.3)
Guess what else? I sure would like my logitech 3 button + wheel mouse to work correctly. When connected via PS2, the only selection that works is 2 button wheel mouse. Changing to the USB port, RH discovers it nicely (I was floored to see the mouse discovered when booting!), but I have no idea what the thumb button does nor do I know how to change it.
My guess is that those of you who have read this whole thing are saying RTFM. Well, sure, I'd love to RTFM. Just give me a manual I can understand! Man pages are not good reading for the beginner, and unless you have a laptop, hard to take with you when you need a break from getting the fvcking screen resolution fixed.
Ah, well... just venting. I'll probably have to take a class at the community college, as none of my friends use Linux. Me, I am bored with windows, and want to be ready for the time when it is not worth the effort to get an unliscensed wopy of windows to work. I'll see if I can find a copy of RH9 Unleashed... thanks for the review!
damn-- too much sierra nevada pale ale... hosed the hyperlink to the article
ATI 9x owners rejoice, indeed! Even the budget 9200 smokes the 5600 Ultra!
Man this fucker is swinging for the fence-- he wants every bit of information and more that any creditor would ever ask for--- mother's maiden name and ssn as well as the normal billing info... online bank account info?!?
Someone needs to apply a red-hot iron poker to this site's operator's cornhole!
Thanks! suprnova.org is down, and I don't have a good list of torrent sources (BT n00b here)
I took calculus in high school, using Finny and Thomas (in that order. red hardbound) and aced the ap exam. Two years later I was looking to refresh my math while serving in Korea, and I picked up Thomas, Finny (in that order, blue paperbound) at the Kyobo bookstore (6th floor) in Seoul (Chong-no, 3-Ga subway station), and I was very disappointed. My high school text was much better, even though the authors were the same.
There used to be a language school at the POSF... Alas I studied and later taught Korean Language at the Presidio of Monterey instead... I really wish I could have been stationed there, as SF is such a great place. Well, Monterey isn't all that bad at all...
Anyways, perhaps Lucas could reopen some of the schoolhouses, teaching Jedi Knights the language of the Sand People, which could be useful for recovering stolen droids, or, maybe the Stormtroopers could learn the language of the Jawas, also good for recovering stolen droids, or better yet, teach us mere mortals the Hut Language, so we too could someday acquire our own Princess Leia (dressed in the golden bikini w/chain and collar, of course!)
All that aside, I'll bet it was a real bitch to have to run up and down all those hills for physical training... it is bad enough on the Presidio of Monterey!
Oh yeah?
I think I will wait until Apr 29 (Apr 30 here in Korea) and download it! hehe- Kornet rulez!
If you ask nicely I may burn a copy for you, n8tron.
(of course you could only use it for a 24-hour period)
I gotta nominate Frank Herbert's Dune the most shameful modern PC "game". Looking at the packaging, it seemed to have cool features, and the system requirements made it seem like it was gonna have all the eye candy I could ask for, but it really sucked. It sucked so bad I uninstalled it faster than you could click the "Do not run MSN Messenger on startup" checkbox.
And this game continues to suck even today as it collects dust on the shelf (takes valuable space). I can't return it for a refund, which sucks, and even if I throw it away, the CD-Rom probably won't be recycled, which sucks, too.
I guess I could sel it on ebay...
Whatever happened to the idea of super- and hypersonic airliners? It seems to me that if you reduce the time spent in an airliner, you reduce exposure to whatever stresses the body experiences.
Having flown over the pacific 11 times now, even I (extreme miser) would fess up an extra $200 for, say 5-6 hour flight rather than the 10-12 hours it takes now.
Back on topic, trans-oceanic flights do pose an interesting problem for this: Where exactly do you divert to if you are flying from SFO to Narita?
HOLY SHIT!!!
Honey-- I told you not to turn off the antivirus autochecker!!
All kidding aside, I downloaded the demos and screensavers (If you upgraded from the DX9 Beta you have to reinstall all the demos), and I for one am astounded! I NEVER use screensavers at home, but will now... with the lights off, and some Pink Floyd...
I wish ATI will release an "aquarium" themed screensaver or demo... something with jellyfish would be awesome! I mean, just replace the bacteria, right?
Actually, I am married. And my wife is my best friend. We ordinarily do things together all the time.
/. is a lot more acceptable to my wife and wallet than leaving the house and spending money.
But...
I am stuck here in Korea, and reading and posting to
BTW that was my 1st ever "1st post!" post!
1st post!!!
In my first 4 years of buying CDs I accumulated about 500 total. In the last 4 years I have bought maybe 5 total, as gifts for others. So considering that 500 CDs @ $18.00 each = $9000.00. If there are more like me, I would say we are definitely not adding to the bottom line of the record industry.
Now, as for DVDs, I know the MPAA is evil... but I feel like there is $8.99 - $17.99+taxes worth of entertainment on a DVD. I look at a DVD and see the 2 hour product of at least 100 actors and production crew, whereas for about the same price I *might* get an hour of product from really 4-10 people, tops, on a CD.
Plus all new music is crap, anyways. Everyone should have taken a long break after Social Distortion's "Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell".
(only half-joking)
I would imagine that 10GB of pr0n would be more popular.... I mean, we are already flooded with pop music on MTv, VH1, or ClearChannel, why would you want it on your pc? Now pr0n, you just aren't bombarded by pr0n everyday, so I would recommend pay-per-pr0n instead. I mean, really, for what other reason would Gateway bundle monitors with their machines?
What I am saying is that there must be an issue that is not being addressed such that broadband service in the US is rediculously overpriced and has deplorable customer service. While I am no telco/isp expert, I would say that US customers are taking it up the dirtpipe.
I think I will ask around here to see if KT's ISP activity is subsidized by the government, or if it is so reasonable strictly because it is ubiquitous in pretty much every household. Either way, my perception as a subscriber is that their service is truly excellent, and a model for other providers to study.
Now, to address your issue.
I have been studying Korean language, history, and culture since before I had gained access to the internet that the Dear Leader's chingu Al Gore invented. Since then I have received no more than 10 spam emails from the Rep. of Korea. Even my kornet.net account is spam-free (knock on wood).
My guess is that you should consider being more careful about sharing your email address with the Korean pr0n sites. Or with anybody, for that matter... Maybe a foe signed you up for a "pic of the day, delivered to your mailbox, free"?
Also, another possibility is that Koreans in general don't seem to be all that privacy/security -oriented, just like people anywhere else in the world. I would bet that mail servers are commonly left unpatched or even not password-protected.
Here is a snapshot of the mindset of Kornet subscribers:
When I wanted to exchange my internal, PCI ADSL modem for an external model, I had to explain that it wasn't broken, just that I absolutely could not find Linux drivers for it. The techs I spoke with at the phone company were incredulous that 1. an American (caucasian) was speaking their language, correctly, and 2. that I wanted to use an OS other than Windows. In fact, one jumped at my offer to let him observe me install drivers for an ethernet card and set up networking/PPPoE in Red Hat. Apparently none of them had ever seen Linux, at least on the desktop, before. Short story is, the techs never see anything but Windows, and don't know what to do with anything else. That leaves me with a strong suspicion of what is running on their more important machines... And something about Korean culture leads me to believe that most OSes are totally unpatched.
I for one am happy to hear any news about expanding DSL service area and raising bandwidth to the customer.
That said, it is now time for the Bob-o-Matic gripe and brag:
What is the problem, PacBell?!?
Why does it take over a month to activate a DSL line (everything was self-installed within 10 minutes of receiving the package), and cost $50 per month for 384kbps down/128kbps up service?
I am stationed in the Republic of Korea now, and my DSL service was delivered/installed/activated/tested within 3 days of my phone line activation!, less than one week after I first contacted Korea Telecom.
Here is the real kicker: My combined phone/ISP service bill here is LESS THAN MY SLOW-ASS PacBell ISP service alone!
Now, the brag: Kornet MegaPass Premium service is 8mbps down, and about 1mbps up, for (at most) 43,000 Won per month, or less than US$40. BTW I downloaded RH 8.0 from a Japanese mirror at an average of 26 minutes per iso. Also, I am known to fill the 60GB DeathStar in less than 4 days after it dies... Thanks, Kazaa-lite!