I'm fairly new to the Gnu/Linux world and I have to agree with those who say that Slackware is NOT difficult to install and use, especially for geeks who have put in a lot of time on other platforms. I have tried all of the major distros, and have found that Slack posseses the best of all worlds. It is not only simple and stable, but it seems to me to be the most flexible distro.
I have had the most luck getting things to work in Slack. Sure, I don't have the benefits of something like apt-get or emerge (swaret and slapt-get don't quite measure up) but I'm also not limited by those tools. I installed and configured my Slack in under an hour, everything worked, and I have been able to get, install and use every piece of software that my heart has desired.
Coupled with Dropline Gnome, I have found Slack to be an excellent, complete and attractive desktop, even for the beginner/intermediate Linux user. I think that many of those who hold outdated, or second-hand impressions of Slack would be impressed by Slack 10.
To summarize, I love Slackware and want to marry it.
Yes, it remembers and restarts where you left off.
If you listen to a lot of audio books, you might look at one of the Rio players (just don't buy a Chiba, it's crap) because they have a bookmarking system.
Good counterpoints, although I think the mini would work very well while cycling, especially on the road. I have even heard from a couple of mountain bikers who use their 3G iPods without trouble.
I first wanted to stick to flash players for durability reasons, but I couldn't find many actual, first-hand complaints about skipping or drive failure. I began to wonder if it was just a reasonable myth. But I mainly just walk and take my road bike out occasionaly, so I think I'll be OK. The biggest weakness with iPod hardware seems to be the non-removable battery.
I suspect we use our music differently. If you have a quality listening room, a box with a big hard drive is probably more appropriate than a portable player. Unfortunately, I'm usually only in my home long enough to sleep.
What do you play your music on? I don't think there are many portable players that play FLACS. What do you use to manage that 75 gig music collection?
Re:Slashdotters==Curmudgeons?
on
iPod Mini Sells Out
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
I actually have one of these ridiculously overpriced pieces of pop-garbage. Here are my thoughts about it.
I consider myself a power user of gear. I'm an older geek with some disposable income, but I hate wasting money. I usually take weeks to shop for and decide on a new toy. I have an older flash player and before buying the mini, I purchased and returned many other players currently on the market. I found that they were all either poorly constructed, or suffered from poor interfaces.
For example, the battery cover on the Rio Chiba falls off at the slightest touch. You have to snap the player into the belt clip if you want to keep your battery cover.
The Nitrus seems nice until you start using it. The volume buttons are mushy and don't always work. The only button on this player that works and feels nice is the "Riostick." But even that doesn't hold a candle to the clickwheel on the mini.
I have also used some of the RCA players, but Music Match is a horrible, crashy piece of software and getting files onto the player is unnecessarily difficult. My old flash player uses Music Match, and I found that as a result, the player tended to collect dust. I only went through the hassle when I really needed to. Usually only for long flights.
I did like the Rio Cali, even though the battery cover on this is a bit wonky too. But the player is $179. After adding an $80 256 meg SD card, I would be at $259. Why not buy better design and 4 gig for the same price? The marketing guys at Apple knew what they were doing. Though, if I were in the market for a solid state player, I would probably pick up the Cali or one of the iRiver players.
So, after trying many players, I decided to look at the iPod. When I first picked one up, I instantly knew that I had just moved into a new world. These things (minis and full-size iPods alike) are industrial design masterpieces. They feel good in your hand, they are solidly built, the backlight and display are beautiful, the wheel control is BRILLIANT, the GUI is transparent and iTunes is a simple pleasure to use. With the aluminum case, I feel like I could stand on this thing and not hurt it. The On-The-Go playlist deserves mention too.
The whole iPod experience is unobtrusive and pleasant. The mini fits seamlessly into your life. I have several gadgets that I carry with me. I wish they were integrated into one well-designed device. Until that happens, I need my pocket gear to be SMALL so that I can actually take it with me and use it. I can't even feel the mini in my front pocket.
I thought about getting a full-sized iPod, but I'm glad I didn't. The trade-off for size is worth it. I think the "for only $50 more" argument is silly. How many damn songs can you listen to on one charge? The mini holds 3 days worth of music! Your battery will drain after about 9 hours. With your firewire or USB 2 cable, you can quickly swap out music while you charge. iTunes is so easy to use, that the swappage is no hassle at all. And I have not found an easier way to rip CDs and organize files than iTunes.
For the record, I don't fit the "Mac Trendoid" stereotype (although I don't know many Mac users who do.) I have a beer gut, poor social skills, and I'm balding. I pretty damn practical and far from stylish. My wardrobe consists of jeans, t-shirts and sneakers and I only replace them once a year, if my wife is lucky. I'm probably one of the Curmudgeons mentioned above. But I do enjoy the finer things in life, and well designed electronics is one of the finer things.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm fairly new to the Gnu/Linux world and I have to agree with those who say that Slackware is NOT difficult to install and use, especially for geeks who have put in a lot of time on other platforms. I have tried all of the major distros, and have found that Slack posseses the best of all worlds. It is not only simple and stable, but it seems to me to be the most flexible distro.
I have had the most luck getting things to work in Slack. Sure, I don't have the benefits of something like apt-get or emerge (swaret and slapt-get don't quite measure up) but I'm also not limited by those tools. I installed and configured my Slack in under an hour, everything worked, and I have been able to get, install and use every piece of software that my heart has desired.
Coupled with Dropline Gnome, I have found Slack to be an excellent, complete and attractive desktop, even for the beginner/intermediate Linux user. I think that many of those who hold outdated, or second-hand impressions of Slack would be impressed by Slack 10.
To summarize, I love Slackware and want to marry it.
Yes, it remembers and restarts where you left off. If you listen to a lot of audio books, you might look at one of the Rio players (just don't buy a Chiba, it's crap) because they have a bookmarking system.
Look man, my Apple tattoo isn't even that big!
Good counterpoints, although I think the mini would work very well while cycling, especially on the road. I have even heard from a couple of mountain bikers who use their 3G iPods without trouble.
I first wanted to stick to flash players for durability reasons, but I couldn't find many actual, first-hand complaints about skipping or drive failure. I began to wonder if it was just a reasonable myth. But I mainly just walk and take my road bike out occasionaly, so I think I'll be OK. The biggest weakness with iPod hardware seems to be the non-removable battery.
I suspect we use our music differently. If you have a quality listening room, a box with a big hard drive is probably more appropriate than a portable player. Unfortunately, I'm usually only in my home long enough to sleep.
What do you play your music on? I don't think there are many portable players that play FLACS. What do you use to manage that 75 gig music collection?
I actually have one of these ridiculously overpriced pieces of pop-garbage. Here are my thoughts about it.
I consider myself a power user of gear. I'm an older geek with some disposable income, but I hate wasting money. I usually take weeks to shop for and decide on a new toy. I have an older flash player and before buying the mini, I purchased and returned many other players currently on the market. I found that they were all either poorly constructed, or suffered from poor interfaces.
For example, the battery cover on the Rio Chiba falls off at the slightest touch. You have to snap the player into the belt clip if you want to keep your battery cover.
The Nitrus seems nice until you start using it. The volume buttons are mushy and don't always work. The only button on this player that works and feels nice is the "Riostick." But even that doesn't hold a candle to the clickwheel on the mini.
I have also used some of the RCA players, but Music Match is a horrible, crashy piece of software and getting files onto the player is unnecessarily difficult. My old flash player uses Music Match, and I found that as a result, the player tended to collect dust. I only went through the hassle when I really needed to. Usually only for long flights.
I did like the Rio Cali, even though the battery cover on this is a bit wonky too. But the player is $179. After adding an $80 256 meg SD card, I would be at $259. Why not buy better design and 4 gig for the same price? The marketing guys at Apple knew what they were doing. Though, if I were in the market for a solid state player, I would probably pick up the Cali or one of the iRiver players.
So, after trying many players, I decided to look at the iPod. When I first picked one up, I instantly knew that I had just moved into a new world. These things (minis and full-size iPods alike) are industrial design masterpieces. They feel good in your hand, they are solidly built, the backlight and display are beautiful, the wheel control is BRILLIANT, the GUI is transparent and iTunes is a simple pleasure to use. With the aluminum case, I feel like I could stand on this thing and not hurt it. The On-The-Go playlist deserves mention too.
The whole iPod experience is unobtrusive and pleasant. The mini fits seamlessly into your life. I have several gadgets that I carry with me. I wish they were integrated into one well-designed device. Until that happens, I need my pocket gear to be SMALL so that I can actually take it with me and use it. I can't even feel the mini in my front pocket.
I thought about getting a full-sized iPod, but I'm glad I didn't. The trade-off for size is worth it. I think the "for only $50 more" argument is silly. How many damn songs can you listen to on one charge? The mini holds 3 days worth of music! Your battery will drain after about 9 hours. With your firewire or USB 2 cable, you can quickly swap out music while you charge. iTunes is so easy to use, that the swappage is no hassle at all. And I have not found an easier way to rip CDs and organize files than iTunes.
For the record, I don't fit the "Mac Trendoid" stereotype (although I don't know many Mac users who do.) I have a beer gut, poor social skills, and I'm balding. I pretty damn practical and far from stylish. My wardrobe consists of jeans, t-shirts and sneakers and I only replace them once a year, if my wife is lucky. I'm probably one of the Curmudgeons mentioned above. But I do enjoy the finer things in life, and well designed electronics is one of the finer things.
This is also the first Apple pro