I know what you mean. I would rather have a 3 or 4 MP image, 1 frame per second, than 30 FPS of crap. I am not sure why nobody has made a network enabled "still" camera yet with built in motion detection. I would think there would be a good market for it.
My dream device would be a 4 MP camera with very good low-light, built in motion detection, web control, weather resistant, POE (injector included), and the ability to scp the pictures (push) to any machine, 1 FPS, for under $300 or so. It should be possible now.
True, they are mostly HID or mass storage devices (plus DVD writer). But aren't those exactly the types of devices that are going to be used the most on something like the EEE? I don't see the need to plug a USB "video card" into the EEE. It has it's own display and already supports an external VGA port:) Ditto with a USB "sound card".
I am sure there are going to be people trying to plug in things that don't "just work" as the original comment went. But most of the stuff won't "just work" under MS-Windows (or Mac-OS) either... the user has to find and install "drivers" and then some type of application to use it with. Granted, they will have much greater odds of success under MS-Windows (and perhaps MacOS- although there is no MacEEE) than under the Linux version of the EEE, but it certainly isn't effortless or magic.
What an irrelevant statement! My Linux laptop runs MS-Windows just as easily with VirtualBox. And VirtualBox is both free AND open source (AND pre-integrated in my Linux distro).
A more interesting question or statement would have been to ask if MS-Windows running in a virtual machine under Mac-OS can use the multitouch pad on the Apple laptop.
Despite the lack of mention in the article mentioned, Linux does make use of the multitouch on the EEE too. I think that is far more newsworthy.
>Usability is something MacOS hammers Linux into the ground for right now.
Usibility in Linux is just fine. I have seen lots of people use it with no problems.
>Hardware add-ons just fscking work, which is far more than can be said for Linux.
Um, I can walk out RIGHT NOW and lay my hands on hardware designed for MS-Windows and watch it fail miserably under Mac-OS. That doesn't prove much. If your point is that Mac-OS supports more hardware than Linux, I would agree. If your point is that Linux has little or no hardware compatability or is "too hard" to use with hardware, I strongly disagree.
On the EEE that my MS-Windows-user neighbor bought (and didn't even know it was Linux based), I brought over a dozen different things and plugged them into that machine and they all worked perfectly, instantly. This included two keyboards, wireless mice, an ipod, an external DVD drive, a pocket USB hard drive, an SD card, a USB memory stick, and my camera. None required any user intervention AT ALL to use, other than to plug it in and wait a second.
Wouldn't the article be just as accurate to say it is the first commercially sold Linux laptop to support multitouch?
I think it is interesting that such technology would first show up in something (non-Apple) primarily designed to run Linux, not MS-Windows.
>Last I checked, Mandriva was proprietary. It may have a free version, but it depends on proprietary software. Right?
It doesn't depend on anything proprietary. There are specifically released "ONE" versions that have no binary anything if that is what you want. Of course, most people just don't care. They would rather everything work well:)
Yes, but no more so than Mandriva 2008.1. I installed it this past weekend and it is about as slick as I have seen any Linux installation thus far. Everything just "works", and works well. It is gorgeous, fast, easy to use, seamlessly knit together, simple to update, loaded with helpful admin tools, and full of packages.
It is nice to know there are many decent choices for a high quality Linux desktop experience!
No, actually, you would be "European American". Despite what so many people seem to forget, Africa is a *continent* not a country.
And yes, I would demand that I be called "European American" if the other term used were "Africian American". And "white" if the other term were "black". And "Caucasian" if the other term were "Negro".
Then why is it that "Africian Americans" refer to "European Americans" as "white"? Do you think Caucasians are any more "white" than Negros are "black"?
I think what irritates people the most about the term "Africian American" is not that it is not particularly accurate, but that it conveys some special social standing that is not equally applied to all other racial groups.
There is some great conspiracy by European Americans to suppress black game developers? Good grief...
When flipped around, it seems inappropriate to use "European Americans" in the same sentence as "black" doesn't it? So why is it somehow proper to use the term "Africian American" in the same sentence as "white"? I support equality in freedom, terminology, and even game development opportunities!
Oh, I don't know.... I think the meaning is the nearly same. Just don't focus on the literal word "pain". Getting enjoyment from irritating, inconveniencing, harrassing, embarrasing, or angering others seems sadistic to me. Some of the worst hurting and injury doesn't necessarily come from physical/nerve-based pain.
Mandriva 2007.1 + Firefox 1.5 + Flash 9.0 The site loads and says "click to login" and nothing happens when you click. So their site is a *major* yawn...
And a 4th: Watching full HD video on systems that will never have an "approved" player, such as Linux, and BSD, and other systems based on those such as MythTV, FreeVo, etc.
Do people REALLY believe the data will be deleted in 24 hours and used only to compare for boarding?
HA! They will be screened against databases and probably stored "forever", if not by the airport, by some aspect of the government. What proof would anyone have such data would not be abused now nor in the future?
I find unsolicited phone calls *FAR* more annoying that any other type of junk communication. It forces me to take action- to look, or to shut the phone up from reminding me of a missed call or junk voicemail. Junk Email doesn't do that. Junk Snailmail doesn't do that.
I think all such calls should be illegal as an invasion of privacy. Robot or human. And enforcement should be swift and severe.... set up a system where you can dial a special number and it automatically reports the last call you got as an illegal junk call.
And while on the topic, I wonder if putting you number on such a list does nothing but GUARANTEE junk calls by less-reputable places who just take the do not call list as a wonderful, free list of phone numbers?
>As it stands, when someone sends me a.docx, I need MS Word to read it
That is absolutely false. I have been opening "docx" files under Linux and OpenOffice for a long time. Oh, and by the way, now you can also open/convert.pptx and.xlsx
In reality, it DOESN'T "Blow OpenOffice Away". It does have some additional features, and parts of it are quite nice. But that is a faaaaaaaaaar cry from blowing it away. From my observations:
OpenOffice does 100% of what at least 70% of all users want and need for that type of software, at least 90% of what at least 80% of users want and need, at least 80% of what at least 90% of users want and need, and at least 70% of what 100% of users want and need.
And it does it for $0 to obtain it. And $0 to upgrade it. And it does it on all major platforms. And it does it without lockin or proprietary file formats.
As OO continues to get better and better, Microsoft is getting angrier and more nervous.
Um, because it *is* a slippery slope. That doesn't mean it is inevitable. But it is very possible, especially when you see similar things happening all the time.
Want an example? Seat belt laws. Here:
* Nobody has the right to tell us what to do with our bodies in our cars. * OK, well, we will just pass the law for minors. * OK, well, we will require belts for adults, but not enforce it. * OK, well, now we will enforce it, but only if stopped for something else. * Now they can pull you over ONLY for not wearing your seatbelt.
That is *exactly* what happened in Virginia. And when the first legislation was mentioned, I called it a slippery slope. And it was.
The problem is that it is a "slippery slope" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slippery_slope ). At what point does such a device go from being a discount for having one to penalty for not having one? At what point does it go from being an option to a requirement? At what point does it then evolve into something used for times that were not accident related but for any violations? At what point do corporations and governments start monitoring the data without your consent or even knowing.
I see the "slippery slope" proved real all the time. In the 21st century, privacy should be one of our biggest concerns. Never before have so many devices kept track of people- who they are, what they buy, where they go, what they believe, who they associate with, etc. No matter what the original intensions, each new piece of datum collected about people has the potential of being abused. It is human nature, and history has confirmed it.
Slashdot Mirror
I know what you mean. I would rather have a 3 or 4 MP image, 1 frame per second, than 30 FPS of crap. I am not sure why nobody has made a network enabled "still" camera yet with built in motion detection. I would think there would be a good market for it.
My dream device would be a 4 MP camera with very good low-light, built in motion detection, web control, weather resistant, POE (injector included), and the ability to scp the pictures (push) to any machine, 1 FPS, for under $300 or so. It should be possible now.
Oh well, I will keep dreaming!
True, they are mostly HID or mass storage devices (plus DVD writer). But aren't those exactly the types of devices that are going to be used the most on something like the EEE? I don't see the need to plug a USB "video card" into the EEE. It has it's own display and already supports an external VGA port :) Ditto with a USB "sound card".
I am sure there are going to be people trying to plug in things that don't "just work" as the original comment went. But most of the stuff won't "just work" under MS-Windows (or Mac-OS) either... the user has to find and install "drivers" and then some type of application to use it with. Granted, they will have much greater odds of success under MS-Windows (and perhaps MacOS- although there is no MacEEE) than under the Linux version of the EEE, but it certainly isn't effortless or magic.
What an irrelevant statement! My Linux laptop runs MS-Windows just as easily with VirtualBox. And VirtualBox is both free AND open source (AND pre-integrated in my Linux distro).
A more interesting question or statement would have been to ask if MS-Windows running in a virtual machine under Mac-OS can use the multitouch pad on the Apple laptop.
Despite the lack of mention in the article mentioned, Linux does make use of the multitouch on the EEE too. I think that is far more newsworthy.
>Usability is something MacOS hammers Linux into the ground for right now.
Usibility in Linux is just fine. I have seen lots of people use it with no problems.
>Hardware add-ons just fscking work, which is far more than can be said for Linux.
Um, I can walk out RIGHT NOW and lay my hands on hardware designed for MS-Windows and watch it fail miserably under Mac-OS. That doesn't prove much. If your point is that Mac-OS supports more hardware than Linux, I would agree. If your point is that Linux has little or no hardware compatability or is "too hard" to use with hardware, I strongly disagree.
On the EEE that my MS-Windows-user neighbor bought (and didn't even know it was Linux based), I brought over a dozen different things and plugged them into that machine and they all worked perfectly, instantly. This included two keyboards, wireless mice, an ipod, an external DVD drive, a pocket USB hard drive, an SD card, a USB memory stick, and my camera. None required any user intervention AT ALL to use, other than to plug it in and wait a second.
Wouldn't the article be just as accurate to say it is the first commercially sold Linux laptop to support multitouch? I think it is interesting that such technology would first show up in something (non-Apple) primarily designed to run Linux, not MS-Windows.
>Last I checked, Mandriva was proprietary. It may have a free version, but it depends on proprietary software. Right?
:)
It doesn't depend on anything proprietary. There are specifically released "ONE" versions that have no binary anything if that is what you want. Of course, most people just don't care. They would rather everything work well
>Hardy Heron Making Linux Ready for the Masses?
Yes, but no more so than Mandriva 2008.1. I installed it this past weekend and it is about as slick as I have seen any Linux installation thus far. Everything just "works", and works well. It is gorgeous, fast, easy to use, seamlessly knit together, simple to update, loaded with helpful admin tools, and full of packages.
It is nice to know there are many decent choices for a high quality Linux desktop experience!
No, actually, you would be "European American". Despite what so many people seem to forget, Africa is a *continent* not a country.
And yes, I would demand that I be called "European American" if the other term used were "Africian American". And "white" if the other term were "black". And "Caucasian" if the other term were "Negro".
Term equity. It is only fair.
Then why is it that "Africian Americans" refer to "European Americans" as "white"? Do you think Caucasians are any more "white" than Negros are "black"?
I think what irritates people the most about the term "Africian American" is not that it is not particularly accurate, but that it conveys some special social standing that is not equally applied to all other racial groups.
There is some great conspiracy by European Americans to suppress black game developers? Good grief...
When flipped around, it seems inappropriate to use "European Americans" in the same sentence as "black" doesn't it? So why is it somehow proper to use the term "Africian American" in the same sentence as "white"? I support equality in freedom, terminology, and even game development opportunities!
Oh, I don't know.... I think the meaning is the nearly same. Just don't focus on the literal word "pain". Getting enjoyment from irritating, inconveniencing, harrassing, embarrasing, or angering others seems sadistic to me. Some of the worst hurting and injury doesn't necessarily come from physical/nerve-based pain.
There is already an English word for that. It is "sadist".
"Griefer", however, is not a [accepted] word.
No, that is Acrobat *READER*. You can look only... no touch (edit).
OpenOffice already has the ability to export Impress presentations in Flash :)
Mandriva 2007.1 + Firefox 1.5 + Flash 9.0 The site loads and says "click to login" and nothing happens when you click. So their site is a *major* yawn...
And a 4th: Watching full HD video on systems that will never have an "approved" player, such as Linux, and BSD, and other systems based on those such as MythTV, FreeVo, etc.
Do people REALLY believe the data will be deleted in 24 hours and used only to compare for boarding?
HA! They will be screened against databases and probably stored "forever", if not by the airport, by some aspect of the government. What proof would anyone have such data would not be abused now nor in the future?
The insanity continues...
Sorry, try this link instead:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9050474362583451279
Money isn't currently backed by anything but debt. See this video for a real shocker:
http://www.moneyasdebt.net/
I find unsolicited phone calls *FAR* more annoying that any other type of junk communication. It forces me to take action- to look, or to shut the phone up from reminding me of a missed call or junk voicemail. Junk Email doesn't do that. Junk Snailmail doesn't do that.
I think all such calls should be illegal as an invasion of privacy. Robot or human. And enforcement should be swift and severe.... set up a system where you can dial a special number and it automatically reports the last call you got as an illegal junk call.
And while on the topic, I wonder if putting you number on such a list does nothing but GUARANTEE junk calls by less-reputable places who just take the do not call list as a wonderful, free list of phone numbers?
>As it stands, when someone sends me a .docx, I need MS Word to read it
.pptx and .xlsx
That is absolutely false. I have been opening "docx" files under Linux and OpenOffice for a long time.
Oh, and by the way, now you can also open/convert
http://download.novell.com/Download?buildid=GuM6LMM9SR4
http://www.oooninja.com/2008/01/openxml-translator-odf-converter-11.html
In reality, it DOESN'T "Blow OpenOffice Away". It does have some additional features, and parts of it are quite nice. But that is a faaaaaaaaaar cry from blowing it away. From my observations:
OpenOffice does 100% of what at least 70% of all users want and need for that type of software,
at least 90% of what at least 80% of users want and need,
at least 80% of what at least 90% of users want and need, and
at least 70% of what 100% of users want and need.
And it does it for $0 to obtain it. And $0 to upgrade it. And it does it on all major platforms. And it does it without lockin or proprietary file formats.
As OO continues to get better and better, Microsoft is getting angrier and more nervous.
Um, because it *is* a slippery slope. That doesn't mean it is inevitable. But it is very possible, especially when you see similar things happening all the time.
Want an example? Seat belt laws. Here:
* Nobody has the right to tell us what to do with our bodies in our cars.
* OK, well, we will just pass the law for minors.
* OK, well, we will require belts for adults, but not enforce it.
* OK, well, now we will enforce it, but only if stopped for something else.
* Now they can pull you over ONLY for not wearing your seatbelt.
That is *exactly* what happened in Virginia. And when the first legislation was mentioned, I called it a slippery slope. And it was.
The problem is that it is a "slippery slope" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slippery_slope ). At what point does such a device go from being a discount for having one to penalty for not having one? At what point does it go from being an option to a requirement? At what point does it then evolve into something used for times that were not accident related but for any violations? At what point do corporations and governments start monitoring the data without your consent or even knowing.
I see the "slippery slope" proved real all the time. In the 21st century, privacy should be one of our biggest concerns. Never before have so many devices kept track of people- who they are, what they buy, where they go, what they believe, who they associate with, etc. No matter what the original intensions, each new piece of datum collected about people has the potential of being abused. It is human nature, and history has confirmed it.
I have to agree. Give me a break! I don't see Mandriva, Fedora, or Suse postings for every freaking Alpha and Beta. Really, Ubuntu isn't THAT special.