Word. I couldn't have said it better. People and unfortunately not just/.'ers seem to think that there is configuration hell and uneven UI design in Windows and Mac... well sorry to break it to you all but there truly is not.
When is the last time anyone had to manually edit sys.ini, config.sys, or autoexec.bat??? Yeah thought so, all fo the configuration that the average user needs to do can be done in one single location called "Control Panel" without ever using a text editor at all... this is centralized ease of use.
And for UI woes, anyone who can't see this is either blind or in denial. You may not notice them as problems because you are used to 40 different UI's in 40 different apps, but to the new user this is more confusing than anything else Linux can throw at them. Don't believe me? Try it, grab an unsuspecting windows or Mac newbie and ask them to do normal tasks on your 1337 Linux box... see what trips them up the most, yep that's what I thought.
I agree and disagree with your opinion on this UserLinux movement. While I am a Linux advocate, and long time user, I am not afraid to point out its numerous flaws. The Desktop is NOT fine. There is a mess of mixed layouts, no standardization to application UI design, and the configuration hell that makes up that desktop is above and beyond what most users want to deal with.
Package management is not as big of an issue as most hardcore Linux guys(and gals) think. Most normal users simply take what is included with the OS and simply add pre-packaged applications to it.
I think the model we should be striving towards is much closer to the Mac and OSX over Windows. Config files need to be standardized and centrally located with easy to understand names, all programs then need to pull from these files ONLY, there is so much re-invention of the wheel in the current state of Linux that no wonder it is not more attractive to many developers.
What needs to happen is an effort like UserLinux to come along pull out those handful of killer apps (I know this kills "the value of choice" blah blah blah) and actually make them *Gasp* work right out-of-the-box with no actual editing a config file at all. Nice GUI's that do the editing for the user by answering questions/etc. are fine. And leave it at that.
I also clearly state that I hope it does become a viable desktop solution... why do you think I'm a/.'er??? But these shortcomings on the desktop, while to you are acceptable, simply are not to the majority of users out there. It is a simple fact, not a dig on Linux or your right to free choice of an OS. Go ahead and ask anyone from RedHat support if they feel Linux is ready for the masses on the desktop... oh, wait... they are stopping their desktop support because of the massive inability to help with all of the possible system changes and hardware/software incompatibilities. Face the fact that the average user still could never feel as comfortable with Linux as Windows at this point in time.
That doesn't mean we give up, it means we keep working until we are.
Well Santa, I'm a Senior in IST (Information Sciences & Technology) with a 3.9 QPA at Penn State. I also have been using Linux since 1995, that would be 8 years... since I could only be a "number cruncher."
Oh, yeah it is as simple as popping in Knoppix... puh-lease. Yeah I really get away from configuration with that. How about just getting my damn thumb button on my mouse to perform the "Back" function in any browser?!? Oh, wait that requires changes in EACH configuration file for EACH browser, and then what if I change mice... back to those config files again for some manual editing. I'd like to be able to use the tools I need to graduate... and amazingly some of them are Windows only, well break out WINE and begin the configuration hell of getting each individual program to work if at all.
I'll take the dll hell of Windows over the dependency and library hell of Linux anyday on a desktop PC. Some of us like to spend our time getting work done, not fighting with each new software install or hardware change.
Word. They also leave out the fact that we as Penn State students get almost any MS software completely free! Including WinXP Professional.
I find it funny that those that claim to be huge Linux fans on campus seem to either spend more time dual booting to Windows or have relegated a computer from computing past as their 1337 Linux box... while their nice shiny new PC is sporting Windows, "'cuz I couldn't play games or do 75% of the things I need to do to graduate" with that Uber Linux boxen.
I use Linux where it is called for, and amazingly enough that is in any of my servers *GASP* that is what Linux is mainly targeted at. Multi-user, server environments. That's like me using a screwdriver as a hammer and bitching about how poorly it performs and how much I can't do with my screwdriver that I could do with a hammer.
ummm... in case you didn't notice we pay the $160 no matter what. They didn't raise it to compensate, they are actually giving us more for our money... which is pretty rare in college, so I wouldn't complain too loudly.
Cut the crap, I'm sorry but the problems you face with Linux are unfortunately a CON to using Linux. I've been using Linux since '95, and I (unlike most of the/. crowd) have come to grips with the fact that it is not a viable desktop solution. It has become much better, but it is still such a long way off.
...and if you are a Penn State student, as I am, you have access to almost every MS product for... FREE. Last time I checked that's the same price as Linux. I understand those who want to feel like they are "bucking the system" but then you should also come to grips with the consequences of being the downtrodden and opressed minority. Freedom always has a price, you have to be willing to accept that as a Linux user at this point in time. Someday that may change, and I hope it does, but for now people have to simply come to accept this and stop the constant whining.
I'm perfectly fine with it. On top of it, since I am a Penn Stater at a branch campus I get NO benefit from this at all.
Penn State makes WinXP Pro, Office, Visual Dev Studio, etc. free to any student, so there is no one who doesn't at least have access to the proper software for free.
I'm also sorry to state that as a long time Linux user, I still prefer Windows to Linux on the desktop and I don't see that changing at all except maybe to a Mac. DRM will probably become the only pressing issue that would make me go through the configuration hell of Linux on the desktop.
Absolutely, Sony dropped the ball BIG TIME with their stupid announcement of the PS3 WAY to prematurely. Now all the fanboy's are so concerned with what will be that they lose interest in what is. Then they had to eat their loss with their acceptance that it will be 2006 or later before it actually can be mass produced.
How many sales were lost to the people who thought the PS3 would be out in a year or two???
This whole console race was initiated by Microsoft, because the perception was that they were the technological leader. This race favors M$ because their users are used to the fast upgrade cycles and Sony's are not. When you are a PC user you expect this kind of obsolecence, when you are a console gamer you tend to hang on to a beloved console till it is totally dead. Fragmentation is the only logical outcome of this, and it may just start the end of console gaming as we are used to it.
At first I agreed with this type of argument, but lately I have moved away from this thinking. Nintendo has never really been about the hardware... it's been about the games.
In fact, they tend to not rely on any special or flashy hardware at all to make great games. This is why their consoles don't outsell competitors offerings, they aren't as flashy. I'd be just as happy playing a Mario title on a Sony console, because the focus is on the game and the gameplay NOT the system that is spinning the disc.
I'd hate to see the Big N go the way of the dodo bird too, but if they did I wouldn't lose too much sleep.
As a member of the videogame industry, I have been following this new "console" quite closely. I came across this article at http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NTEy and it opened my eyes to just how much more is behind this so called company and console.
This should be required reading for anyone who still believes that this console will ever be more than a greedy attempt to milk VC's for some quick cash.
One of my biggest gripes about any browser under Linux is the simple fact that the thumb button on my Logitech iFeel Mouseman USB doesn't function as the back button.
I realize that this is more of an X issue, but I have yet to find a suitable solution that will give me a solid result.
Nothing like huge science/medical breakthrough stories being posted which could potentially explain our existence or open whole new doors to our way of thinking... and the first posts contain such insight as:
Wallace began winning contests -- local, state, national -- culminating in second place in the International Intel Science and Engineering Fair last May in Cleveland.
OK, OK, so it may not be a true reactor... but for jeebus sake what the hell did the first place winner make??? My freshman year was mostly occupied with beer and chicks, nuclear reactors came in a close third though.
OK, well I can speak from experience that I do my finest work under pressure. I've tried this non-procrastination route you speak of, and it hasn't gotten me anywhere. Some people work better when the heat is turned up.
Seriously I think it is just hard-wired into our psyche. As computer geeks, our minds are working on many levels all the time... multi-tasking if you will. This constant flow of information, and the pursuit of more, leads to this hyper ADHD type personality. It's always been that way, and I don't think it is going to change any time soon. Just face the music, you've become one of us.
I don't know about anyone else but it doesn't impress me in the least bit. The diamond shaped LED's on the front look terrible with the pyramid shape. Also, all it seems is that it was hard to fit the parts into a pyramid shape... so he kept increasing the size of the pyramid... hmmm, no rocket science here folks.
While it is a noble cause of BYOM (building your own Mac), I really don't think it looks that great.
After a night of excess myself and four friends realized we had our SAT's that morning at 8:00am (it was about 5 or 6 when we realized this). I purchased a sixpack of Josta Cola (mmm... Josta, the real oldschool geek drink) and we headed off for the testing.
I had to wake one friend up twice during the testing, and he still was staggering during breaks, his final score: 1580. Another friend landed into what I would consider the lowest score of all time with a 580 COMBINED! I managed to do OK with a 1260.
The moral of the story, do a number of odd substances, don't sleep, do not study, and get a few naps in DURING the testing and you too can score like a true Ivy Leaguer. =)
Well, I will login to reply to you sir. I am a professional reviewer myself, and I think that all of the ranting is fairly well founded. The review is fairly poor, and just barely conveys enough information to make it semi-coherent.
It is an amature review on an amature site, I'm not bashing you in any way... I just do not think it was even a worthy/. post to begin with which is why you are getting slammed so often... oh and your name calling of "SlasHdot MonKeys" or whatever just further illustrates immaturity.
I was an original Magic:TG player (since unlimited), then my love of the medieval time period got me into Warhammer. After a short amount of time in the game I realized that it was damn near scam level. They take price gouging to another level.
I know every GW player cries the blues over the $0.10 figures going for $6.00+, but it doesn't end there. GW has this ego problem that shines through quite clearly.
They sell little plastic/pewter casted figures for Jeebus sakes! Not too long after my initial foray into Warhammer, I broke out of the "tournament" scene, my friend had a great source of similar (non GW) figures... we spent $40.00 each and had armies of an epic scale. The fun was back, and my wallet was quite a bit happier too.
Discwar's was pretty cool too, we got a chance to play test it before it came out and I can highly recommend it. Little cardboard pog-like things instead of miniatures, decent play mechanics, and you can cary an army in a small baseball card holder. GW's time is over, I hope they go down in flames from this move!
Four times the heat of today's proc's??? Let's see 84 watts (P4 3.06GHz) X 4 == 336 watts?!? No friggin way, there is no way anyone is going to pay for the costs of running a machine like this... this doesn't even take into consideration the rest of the system!
This is the kind of thing that just outrages me, I think what should be perfected are efforts like the VIA CPU's or the Crusoe (ugh). This brute force mentality in CPU's and Video cards is getting ridiculous. Things need to change in a big way, and I hope that they start soon because I'm not buying or running a 1500 watt powersupply 24/7. I don't care how many FPS it can push in Quake III, hell California alone would be under blackout conditions forever if we start seeing CPU's like this.
Normally I do not watch MTV, but it was on and one new musician's story caught my attention. A guy by the name of Cody Chesnutt, who has a bit of oldschool R&B sound and flair, was being featured. He created his first album all by himself in his bedroom studio, and released his two-CD set called "The Headphone Masterpiece" in a limited amount on his own. The CD sold out everywhere, and major record lables were courting him to release his CD on a much bigger scale... Cody turned them all down.
His CD is only available via his website (codychesnutt.com) and he is going it alone to make a stand against the music industry. I can appreciate this man's efforts, and it parallels a lot of what we in the OSS community are up against. If you're wondering, I have no ties to this guy at all... I just heard about him a couple hours ago, but I wish him nothing but the best... and his song "Look Good In Leather" is pretty damn catchy as well:)
umm... did you read what I said? my quote "However, if I would give a game a 5 (which would be average) no one would ever even think of buying it... but 5 would be where many games would sit on a truly even scale."
I am saying exactly what you stated... in a perfect world the rating system would change because too many games get a 7-10 rating. I am saying that most games deserve a 5, however due to the current rating structures these are the games that would be given a 7.
Slashdot Mirror
Word. I couldn't have said it better. People and unfortunately not just /.'ers seem to think that there is configuration hell and uneven UI design in Windows and Mac... well sorry to break it to you all but there truly is not.
When is the last time anyone had to manually edit sys.ini, config.sys, or autoexec.bat??? Yeah thought so, all fo the configuration that the average user needs to do can be done in one single location called "Control Panel" without ever using a text editor at all... this is centralized ease of use.
And for UI woes, anyone who can't see this is either blind or in denial. You may not notice them as problems because you are used to 40 different UI's in 40 different apps, but to the new user this is more confusing than anything else Linux can throw at them. Don't believe me? Try it, grab an unsuspecting windows or Mac newbie and ask them to do normal tasks on your 1337 Linux box... see what trips them up the most, yep that's what I thought.
I agree and disagree with your opinion on this UserLinux movement. While I am a Linux advocate, and long time user, I am not afraid to point out its numerous flaws. The Desktop is NOT fine. There is a mess of mixed layouts, no standardization to application UI design, and the configuration hell that makes up that desktop is above and beyond what most users want to deal with.
Package management is not as big of an issue as most hardcore Linux guys(and gals) think. Most normal users simply take what is included with the OS and simply add pre-packaged applications to it.
I think the model we should be striving towards is much closer to the Mac and OSX over Windows. Config files need to be standardized and centrally located with easy to understand names, all programs then need to pull from these files ONLY, there is so much re-invention of the wheel in the current state of Linux that no wonder it is not more attractive to many developers.
What needs to happen is an effort like UserLinux to come along pull out those handful of killer apps (I know this kills "the value of choice" blah blah blah) and actually make them *Gasp* work right out-of-the-box with no actual editing a config file at all. Nice GUI's that do the editing for the user by answering questions/etc. are fine. And leave it at that.
I also clearly state that I hope it does become a viable desktop solution... why do you think I'm a /.'er??? But these shortcomings on the desktop, while to you are acceptable, simply are not to the majority of users out there. It is a simple fact, not a dig on Linux or your right to free choice of an OS. Go ahead and ask anyone from RedHat support if they feel Linux is ready for the masses on the desktop... oh, wait... they are stopping their desktop support because of the massive inability to help with all of the possible system changes and hardware/software incompatibilities. Face the fact that the average user still could never feel as comfortable with Linux as Windows at this point in time.
That doesn't mean we give up, it means we keep working until we are.
Well Santa, I'm a Senior in IST (Information Sciences & Technology) with a 3.9 QPA at Penn State. I also have been using Linux since 1995, that would be 8 years... since I could only be a "number cruncher."
Oh, yeah it is as simple as popping in Knoppix... puh-lease. Yeah I really get away from configuration with that. How about just getting my damn thumb button on my mouse to perform the "Back" function in any browser?!? Oh, wait that requires changes in EACH configuration file for EACH browser, and then what if I change mice... back to those config files again for some manual editing. I'd like to be able to use the tools I need to graduate... and amazingly some of them are Windows only, well break out WINE and begin the configuration hell of getting each individual program to work if at all.
I'll take the dll hell of Windows over the dependency and library hell of Linux anyday on a desktop PC. Some of us like to spend our time getting work done, not fighting with each new software install or hardware change.
Word. They also leave out the fact that we as Penn State students get almost any MS software completely free! Including WinXP Professional.
I find it funny that those that claim to be huge Linux fans on campus seem to either spend more time dual booting to Windows or have relegated a computer from computing past as their 1337 Linux box... while their nice shiny new PC is sporting Windows, "'cuz I couldn't play games or do 75% of the things I need to do to graduate" with that Uber Linux boxen.
I use Linux where it is called for, and amazingly enough that is in any of my servers *GASP* that is what Linux is mainly targeted at. Multi-user, server environments. That's like me using a screwdriver as a hammer and bitching about how poorly it performs and how much I can't do with my screwdriver that I could do with a hammer.
ummm... in case you didn't notice we pay the $160 no matter what. They didn't raise it to compensate, they are actually giving us more for our money... which is pretty rare in college, so I wouldn't complain too loudly.
Cut the crap, I'm sorry but the problems you face with Linux are unfortunately a CON to using Linux. I've been using Linux since '95, and I (unlike most of the /. crowd) have come to grips with the fact that it is not a viable desktop solution. It has become much better, but it is still such a long way off.
...and if you are a Penn State student, as I am, you have access to almost every MS product for... FREE. Last time I checked that's the same price as Linux. I understand those who want to feel like they are "bucking the system" but then you should also come to grips with the consequences of being the downtrodden and opressed minority. Freedom always has a price, you have to be willing to accept that as a Linux user at this point in time. Someday that may change, and I hope it does, but for now people have to simply come to accept this and stop the constant whining.
I'm perfectly fine with it. On top of it, since I am a Penn Stater at a branch campus I get NO benefit from this at all.
Penn State makes WinXP Pro, Office, Visual Dev Studio, etc. free to any student, so there is no one who doesn't at least have access to the proper software for free.
I'm also sorry to state that as a long time Linux user, I still prefer Windows to Linux on the desktop and I don't see that changing at all except maybe to a Mac. DRM will probably become the only pressing issue that would make me go through the configuration hell of Linux on the desktop.
Absolutely, Sony dropped the ball BIG TIME with their stupid announcement of the PS3 WAY to prematurely. Now all the fanboy's are so concerned with what will be that they lose interest in what is. Then they had to eat their loss with their acceptance that it will be 2006 or later before it actually can be mass produced.
How many sales were lost to the people who thought the PS3 would be out in a year or two???
This whole console race was initiated by Microsoft, because the perception was that they were the technological leader. This race favors M$ because their users are used to the fast upgrade cycles and Sony's are not. When you are a PC user you expect this kind of obsolecence, when you are a console gamer you tend to hang on to a beloved console till it is totally dead. Fragmentation is the only logical outcome of this, and it may just start the end of console gaming as we are used to it.
At first I agreed with this type of argument, but lately I have moved away from this thinking. Nintendo has never really been about the hardware... it's been about the games.
In fact, they tend to not rely on any special or flashy hardware at all to make great games. This is why their consoles don't outsell competitors offerings, they aren't as flashy. I'd be just as happy playing a Mario title on a Sony console, because the focus is on the game and the gameplay NOT the system that is spinning the disc.
I'd hate to see the Big N go the way of the dodo bird too, but if they did I wouldn't lose too much sleep.
As a member of the videogame industry, I have been following this new "console" quite closely. I came across this article at http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=NTEy and it opened my eyes to just how much more is behind this so called company and console.
This should be required reading for anyone who still believes that this console will ever be more than a greedy attempt to milk VC's for some quick cash.
One of my biggest gripes about any browser under Linux is the simple fact that the thumb button on my Logitech iFeel Mouseman USB doesn't function as the back button. I realize that this is more of an X issue, but I have yet to find a suitable solution that will give me a solid result.
Nothing like huge science/medical breakthrough stories being posted which could potentially explain our existence or open whole new doors to our way of thinking... and the first posts contain such insight as:
"suck my cok
props 2 gnaa"
and First Person Shooter weaponry.
Sheesh...
OK, OK, so it may not be a true reactor... but for jeebus sake what the hell did the first place winner make??? My freshman year was mostly occupied with beer and chicks, nuclear reactors came in a close third though.
BEER.
OK, well I can speak from experience that I do my finest work under pressure. I've tried this non-procrastination route you speak of, and it hasn't gotten me anywhere. Some people work better when the heat is turned up.
Seriously I think it is just hard-wired into our psyche. As computer geeks, our minds are working on many levels all the time... multi-tasking if you will. This constant flow of information, and the pursuit of more, leads to this hyper ADHD type personality. It's always been that way, and I don't think it is going to change any time soon. Just face the music, you've become one of us.
I don't know about anyone else but it doesn't impress me in the least bit. The diamond shaped LED's on the front look terrible with the pyramid shape. Also, all it seems is that it was hard to fit the parts into a pyramid shape... so he kept increasing the size of the pyramid... hmmm, no rocket science here folks.
While it is a noble cause of BYOM (building your own Mac), I really don't think it looks that great.
After a night of excess myself and four friends realized we had our SAT's that morning at 8:00am (it was about 5 or 6 when we realized this). I purchased a sixpack of Josta Cola (mmm... Josta, the real oldschool geek drink) and we headed off for the testing.
I had to wake one friend up twice during the testing, and he still was staggering during breaks, his final score: 1580. Another friend landed into what I would consider the lowest score of all time with a 580 COMBINED! I managed to do OK with a 1260.
The moral of the story, do a number of odd substances, don't sleep, do not study, and get a few naps in DURING the testing and you too can score like a true Ivy Leaguer. =)
I've tried six or seven of the solutions offered by the Spam emails, but no matter what I do I still get that pencil tip comparison all the time!
Well, I will login to reply to you sir. I am a professional reviewer myself, and I think that all of the ranting is fairly well founded. The review is fairly poor, and just barely conveys enough information to make it semi-coherent.
/. post to begin with which is why you are getting slammed so often... oh and your name calling of "SlasHdot MonKeys" or whatever just further illustrates immaturity.
It is an amature review on an amature site, I'm not bashing you in any way... I just do not think it was even a worthy
Boy, this one took some real thought didn't it?
: I'll post a link to PCMall's product with my advertising link on Slashdot.
: ???
: Profit!
Oh!, wait! PC Mall doesn't even stock the product you were attempting to spam!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
100's of hand scanned comic book pages + Slashdot == trouble.
This is going down like "Chemical Ali."
I was an original Magic:TG player (since unlimited), then my love of the medieval time period got me into Warhammer. After a short amount of time in the game I realized that it was damn near scam level. They take price gouging to another level.
I know every GW player cries the blues over the $0.10 figures going for $6.00+, but it doesn't end there. GW has this ego problem that shines through quite clearly.
They sell little plastic/pewter casted figures for Jeebus sakes! Not too long after my initial foray into Warhammer, I broke out of the "tournament" scene, my friend had a great source of similar (non GW) figures... we spent $40.00 each and had armies of an epic scale. The fun was back, and my wallet was quite a bit happier too.
Discwar's was pretty cool too, we got a chance to play test it before it came out and I can highly recommend it. Little cardboard pog-like things instead of miniatures, decent play mechanics, and you can cary an army in a small baseball card holder. GW's time is over, I hope they go down in flames from this move!
Four times the heat of today's proc's??? Let's see 84 watts (P4 3.06GHz) X 4 == 336 watts?!? No friggin way, there is no way anyone is going to pay for the costs of running a machine like this... this doesn't even take into consideration the rest of the system!
This is the kind of thing that just outrages me, I think what should be perfected are efforts like the VIA CPU's or the Crusoe (ugh). This brute force mentality in CPU's and Video cards is getting ridiculous. Things need to change in a big way, and I hope that they start soon because I'm not buying or running a 1500 watt powersupply 24/7. I don't care how many FPS it can push in Quake III, hell California alone would be under blackout conditions forever if we start seeing CPU's like this.
Normally I do not watch MTV, but it was on and one new musician's story caught my attention. A guy by the name of Cody Chesnutt, who has a bit of oldschool R&B sound and flair, was being featured. He created his first album all by himself in his bedroom studio, and released his two-CD set called "The Headphone Masterpiece" in a limited amount on his own. The CD sold out everywhere, and major record lables were courting him to release his CD on a much bigger scale... Cody turned them all down.
:)
His CD is only available via his website (codychesnutt.com) and he is going it alone to make a stand against the music industry. I can appreciate this man's efforts, and it parallels a lot of what we in the OSS community are up against. If you're wondering, I have no ties to this guy at all... I just heard about him a couple hours ago, but I wish him nothing but the best... and his song "Look Good In Leather" is pretty damn catchy as well
umm... did you read what I said? my quote "However, if I would give a game a 5 (which would be average) no one would ever even think of buying it... but 5 would be where many games would sit on a truly even scale." I am saying exactly what you stated... in a perfect world the rating system would change because too many games get a 7-10 rating. I am saying that most games deserve a 5, however due to the current rating structures these are the games that would be given a 7.