I was wondering why Apple decided to mix its aqua style with brushed metal. It just doesn't seem like a natural mix. Sort of like if Kiss walked into the scene in the matrix where that control room is all white/black/transparent computer environment.
Thankfully Apple did do a good job and making sure the look was very clean without any bad pixel/widgets that you wouldn't expect to be that way. For example, whenever I theme anything else (whether it be windows, gnome, kde, whatever) I always end up with some application with a weird looking widget.
i started putting files into directories like that... but that's ridiculous. I can never find anything in one view. I'd much rather leave that up to my music management program, and not the filesystem.
unless you happen to be the UI designer at Microsoft, Apple, and in the KDE/Gnome groups... I think you're going to have to accept usability studies done by all of these organizations.
Cutting the crap out of the desktop is a good thing... my gnome feels very efficient and easy.
I've found that if i need to configure something non-run of the mill, i can find it... in a config file.
As far as I can tell, nobody is calling gnome a joke. In fact, I thought the gnome 2.6 desktop was way more usable than both previous gnomes, KDE, and even OSX!
Now, the spatial file manager seems great for desktop file browsing. In fact, that's the only file browsing I do with a file manager... browsing source trees and other large depth things are best left to the actual programs that need to do something with that data (e.g. IDEs).
Besides spatial file browsing, what else do you have a beef with?
I have found the same thing.... slashdotters play a lot of favorites for some reason. There's the perl crowd which poops on PHP and the KDE crowd that poops on Gnome.
Of my 'geek' friends, about half use KDE and about half use Gnome. For some reason, the KDE people also use Slackware, and the Gnome people use Gentoo (that's just the way the cookie crumbled). There are some non-geeks that also use Gnome and are quite happy with it.
It's amazing that people here would even bitch about file managers... they're so ineffecient compared to the command line. The only time I would use them is for desktop +1 or 2 depths max, and usually that is stuff both frequently used and possibly graphical (pictures folder, for example).
Do KDE/QT threads enjoy the same level as bashing?
Learn a foreign language so you can stay on as the translator for the only people left in the US [the executes]. Ok, I jest... but hey, it's not bad to learn a new language
Yeah, it's a big hubris on their part that their money won't run out, or their produts loose quality (and they in turn loose out to smaller competitors).
Hmm, I'll check out pricelessware... but things on download.com usually come with Gator or other things that make me cringe because of all the spyware/adware
I'd go for an XBOX or PS2 (or soon to be PS3) and their online gaming.... you get a full TV, more games, etc. The only downside is that some MMORPGs that need a keyboard won't be there. Ah well, those games don't requiriure super graphics anyway.
Command line is a lot more efficient than using a GUI. After all, it takes time to move your hand from the keyboard to the mouse (and back again). In fact, in an ideal world... every application would have a command line dialog syntax for power users.
I had the same thoughts.... but i can't afford to keep a windows PC up to date for games. Seems like every time I decide to have an awesome gaming PC, i have it for one year after paying out the ass for it. After that year, there are new cool games that I want to play, but my hardware is too slow and it ruins the gaming experience for me.
That's why I'm now a counterstrike addict on Xbox live. Halo 2 should be good too. I'm going to try and get UT working on Linux, if that's all good, then I might use an older XP box just for Warcraft.
I second this... all power users need a CLI, it's so much quicker than having to use the mouse. In fact, switching between mouse and keyboard makes using a computer really slow
I can right click on my gnome desktop and change the background in one click. In windows, I have to do properties open up that heavy dialog window and find the right thing (is it themes, or desktop, or appearance, or settings -- who the hell knows). I also have a menu: Applications -> Desktop Preferences -> Background. No such thing on Windows. In fact, that entire menu makes customizing my desktop so easy it boggles the mind why Windows doesn't have it.
In firefox I can get an extension to add a proxy management toolbar and in one pull down + apply button I can easily use different proxies. "Normal" windows users don't even know where proxy stuff is or how to change it in IE.
All of the redhat system configuration tools are ridiculiously easy to use as well.
Hey, spyware/adware gets in under the radar of normal usage.
Ever go to a non-techie's computer... it's probably infested with this shit. This is not the fault of the user, it's the fault of things like the browser or outlook [express] or whatever that makes these things so easy to do.
I've never installed something unknowingly using linux, or even firefox on XP for that matter.
Yeah, but just like in any car once you get down to the little buttons, controls, hidden capartments, it takes a while to get oriented. Some cars make this orientation very easy (based on your background, like you point out), sometimes they don't.
You're right, one you do those basic things... compiling specific apps has really small performance gains.
That's why I have yet-another-reason I like gentoo, and that's it's easy to keep it up to date. I did a RH9->FC1 with little pain, but FC1->FC2 broke RPM. This isn't the first time I've had simliar problems.... back in RH7.3 or Mandrake 7 days I had the same problems. RPM seems to be progressively getting better at handling dependencies and upgrades, but it isn't perfect yet.
I admit, I'm a new gentoo user... I'll see if portage breaks down, but so far it's been great
'because people can get it, legally or illegally' is not a good defense against the cost.
People who use pirated software don't get updates, security patches (sometimes), support, and of course run the risk of getting sued.
Also getting Windows installed on your Dell by default sucks in more ways than one: - no free upgrade to next version of Windows - still have to buy anti-virus software - probably have to buy anti-spyware/adware software - don't forget the dozens of apps you need to buy and install because default windows has like nothing on it and don't say outlook express, because that's crazy talk!
10x as much free software for Windows than for all other OSs combined is a hefty claim.
Can you show me the windows version of freshmeat or whatever where I can browse all of this great free software?
Don't tell me to google for anything either, because I don't want to sift through a bunch of expensive applications. I want to go to one easy place and find great quality software. Also, linux projects that support windows and linux don't count;)
I have been graced with having an updated Gentoo box with Gnome 2.6, of course my XP box at work, and an iMac for my girlfriend.
Mac has a lot of usability improvements, but it still has some weird gotchas. For example, I didn't know you could click the apple logo icon in the menu bar. I knew file, but I expected apple to have something like 'start' instead of just an icon. Also, no right-clicking is a big change fo most windows users (my gf is a big right clicker, she immediately got a new mouse).
one thing I have noticed is that Gnome is becoming increasingly more usable. Not to start a gnome vs OSX or vs other linux desktops or vs windows flameware, but when I click or right-click, or mouse over something in Gnome, I seem to get a lot more choices that I want to pick than in other desktops -- *generally speaking*
I'm interested in seeing how the desktop evolves and how different products/projects start addressing usability more and more.
Slashdot Mirror
I was wondering why Apple decided to mix its aqua style with brushed metal. It just doesn't seem like a natural mix. Sort of like if Kiss walked into the scene in the matrix where that control room is all white/black/transparent computer environment.
Thankfully Apple did do a good job and making sure the look was very clean without any bad pixel/widgets that you wouldn't expect to be that way. For example, whenever I theme anything else (whether it be windows, gnome, kde, whatever) I always end up with some application with a weird looking widget.
i started putting files into directories like that... but that's ridiculous. I can never find anything in one view. I'd much rather leave that up to my music management program, and not the filesystem.
unless you happen to be the UI designer at Microsoft, Apple, and in the KDE/Gnome groups... I think you're going to have to accept usability studies done by all of these organizations.
Cutting the crap out of the desktop is a good thing... my gnome feels very efficient and easy.
I've found that if i need to configure something non-run of the mill, i can find it... in a config file.
As far as I can tell, nobody is calling gnome a joke. In fact, I thought the gnome 2.6 desktop was way more usable than both previous gnomes, KDE, and even OSX!
Now, the spatial file manager seems great for desktop file browsing. In fact, that's the only file browsing I do with a file manager... browsing source trees and other large depth things are best left to the actual programs that need to do something with that data (e.g. IDEs).
Besides spatial file browsing, what else do you have a beef with?
I have found the same thing.... slashdotters play a lot of favorites for some reason. There's the perl crowd which poops on PHP and the KDE crowd that poops on Gnome.
Of my 'geek' friends, about half use KDE and about half use Gnome. For some reason, the KDE people also use Slackware, and the Gnome people use Gentoo (that's just the way the cookie crumbled). There are some non-geeks that also use Gnome and are quite happy with it.
It's amazing that people here would even bitch about file managers... they're so ineffecient compared to the command line. The only time I would use them is for desktop +1 or 2 depths max, and usually that is stuff both frequently used and possibly graphical (pictures folder, for example).
Do KDE/QT threads enjoy the same level as bashing?
Learn a foreign language so you can stay on as the translator for the only people left in the US [the executes]. Ok, I jest... but hey, it's not bad to learn a new language
But then how would we afford the Bush Iraq Bananza?
Rock on futurepower, rock on!
Pretty soon we'll just be lying in bed with IVs for food and matrix-like things hooked up to our brain.... oh yeah
thank god for mad scientists! YEEEEEHAH!
Yeah, it's a big hubris on their part that their money won't run out, or their produts loose quality (and they in turn loose out to smaller competitors).
Hmm, I'll check out pricelessware... but things on download.com usually come with Gator or other things that make me cringe because of all the spyware/adware
I'd go for an XBOX or PS2 (or soon to be PS3) and their online gaming.... you get a full TV, more games, etc. The only downside is that some MMORPGs that need a keyboard won't be there. Ah well, those games don't requiriure super graphics anyway.
Command line is a lot more efficient than using a GUI. After all, it takes time to move your hand from the keyboard to the mouse (and back again). In fact, in an ideal world... every application would have a command line dialog syntax for power users.
I had the same thoughts.... but i can't afford to keep a windows PC up to date for games. Seems like every time I decide to have an awesome gaming PC, i have it for one year after paying out the ass for it. After that year, there are new cool games that I want to play, but my hardware is too slow and it ruins the gaming experience for me.
That's why I'm now a counterstrike addict on Xbox live. Halo 2 should be good too. I'm going to try and get UT working on Linux, if that's all good, then I might use an older XP box just for Warcraft.
I second this... all power users need a CLI, it's so much quicker than having to use the mouse. In fact, switching between mouse and keyboard makes using a computer really slow
Symbolic links are also man's best friend
headless boxes are killer too....
Ok, to make this happen I have to:
:)
- Ensure that my Windows applications NEVER LOOSE CONNECTIVITY
- Don't run Outlook, or IE, or disable word for Outlook, because loss of connectivity on any of those hangs everything
- In fact, when IE starts barfing on bad plugins, the whole system seems to hang
- Never run Java, thanks to Microsoft being a bunch of wanks, Java can hang XP so easiy now.
- Don't run anti-virus software that actively scans things when you open them. This just invites more hanging and needs for reboots
Oh screw it, just run Linux
Here are some:
I can right click on my gnome desktop and change the background in one click. In windows, I have to do properties open up that heavy dialog window and find the right thing (is it themes, or desktop, or appearance, or settings -- who the hell knows). I also have a menu: Applications -> Desktop Preferences -> Background. No such thing on Windows. In fact, that entire menu makes customizing my desktop so easy it boggles the mind why Windows doesn't have it.
In firefox I can get an extension to add a proxy management toolbar and in one pull down + apply button I can easily use different proxies. "Normal" windows users don't even know where proxy stuff is or how to change it in IE.
All of the redhat system configuration tools are ridiculiously easy to use as well.
There's a bunch of GUI tools for system admin in Linux.
If it's a server, I don't want to run a GUI, I want just basic OS + my app, and thank god for Linux on that one.
Hey, spyware/adware gets in under the radar of normal usage.
Ever go to a non-techie's computer... it's probably infested with this shit. This is not the fault of the user, it's the fault of things like the browser or outlook [express] or whatever that makes these things so easy to do.
I've never installed something unknowingly using linux, or even firefox on XP for that matter.
Yeah, but just like in any car once you get down to the little buttons, controls, hidden capartments, it takes a while to get oriented. Some cars make this orientation very easy (based on your background, like you point out), sometimes they don't.
You're right, one you do those basic things... compiling specific apps has really small performance gains.
That's why I have yet-another-reason I like gentoo, and that's it's easy to keep it up to date. I did a RH9->FC1 with little pain, but FC1->FC2 broke RPM. This isn't the first time I've had simliar problems.... back in RH7.3 or Mandrake 7 days I had the same problems. RPM seems to be progressively getting better at handling dependencies and upgrades, but it isn't perfect yet.
I admit, I'm a new gentoo user... I'll see if portage breaks down, but so far it's been great
'because people can get it, legally or illegally' is not a good defense against the cost.
People who use pirated software don't get updates, security patches (sometimes), support, and of course run the risk of getting sued.
Also getting Windows installed on your Dell by default sucks in more ways than one:
- no free upgrade to next version of Windows
- still have to buy anti-virus software
- probably have to buy anti-spyware/adware software
- don't forget the dozens of apps you need to buy and install because default windows has like nothing on it and don't say outlook express, because that's crazy talk!
10x as much free software for Windows than for all other OSs combined is a hefty claim.
;)
Can you show me the windows version of freshmeat or whatever where I can browse all of this great free software?
Don't tell me to google for anything either, because I don't want to sift through a bunch of expensive applications. I want to go to one easy place and find great quality software. Also, linux projects that support windows and linux don't count
I have been graced with having an updated Gentoo box with Gnome 2.6, of course my XP box at work, and an iMac for my girlfriend.
Mac has a lot of usability improvements, but it still has some weird gotchas. For example, I didn't know you could click the apple logo icon in the menu bar. I knew file, but I expected apple to have something like 'start' instead of just an icon. Also, no right-clicking is a big change fo most windows users (my gf is a big right clicker, she immediately got a new mouse).
one thing I have noticed is that Gnome is becoming increasingly more usable. Not to start a gnome vs OSX or vs other linux desktops or vs windows flameware, but when I click or right-click, or mouse over something in Gnome, I seem to get a lot more choices that I want to pick than in other desktops -- *generally speaking*
I'm interested in seeing how the desktop evolves and how different products/projects start addressing usability more and more.