It's worse than that. I can't see how it can possibly work to try and install packages that were originally packaged for a different distribution. Sooner, rather than later, you are going to run into problems with packages not installing because files clash with files from other packages. Plus, the thing looks like an absolute nightmare to set up and use.
Autopackage has the right idea. Create a packaging format which will be compatible with all distros. Then the writers of each application can create a single package, which can be easily installed anywhere.
The idea is right. Linux needs a unified installer. This way is the wrong way to solve it. Autopackage has it right.
I've been reading all these comments with a bit of difficulty, because I don't understand this "rebate" system. Are you saying that when you buy an item, you get a form to send back to the shop and they send you a cheque back?
If so, there's probably a good reason why you don't see this practice in the UK. Consumer law states that the advertised price is the price you pay when you purchase the item. So this includes VAY/sales tax. If an item cost $50 with a $10 rebate in the US, it would be advertised at $40 but you'd have to hand over something like $55 in total. In the UK, if an item is advertised at 40, that's what you pay. It doesn't make sense for a retailer to try and make a product look cheaper in that way.
Colossus, and indeed the rest of the Bletchley Park operation was a tremendous example of war-time ingenuity.
I would urge all UK-based \.ers to go and visit Bletchley Park as soon as possible. It's an amazing day out. It's just sad that the UK government doesn't appear to recognise the historical significance of BP and spend whatever is required to restore the site. Hut 6 and Hut 1, where most of the decoding was done are practically falling down these days.
So many people think typical boardgames are like Risk, Monopoly or Scrabble. This is because they don't know any better. Before designing a game, familiarise yourself with the best games that are currently available. If nothing else, they will likely make the shortcomings of your design obvious.
I would recommend the following: Settlers of Catan, El Grande, Tigris & Euphrates, Carcassonne, Ra, Puerto Rico, Bohnanza, Through The Desert, Tikal, Age of Steam, Amun Re, Medici, Loewenhertz etc, etc.
If you have any interest in boardgames, the mechanics of some of these games will open your eyes.
My wife also works for the NHS. She knows nothing about computers, but loves the KDE environment that I've set up for at home. On the other hand, she doesn't like the Windows that she occasionally uses at home. It's a shame that Sun's Java Desktop is GNOME based!
As others have pointed out, no staff will be installing software, or mucking about with config files. That's the IT department's job.
Let's see...
Weasliest Organisation? American.
Weasliest Company? American.
Weasliest Individual? American.
Weasliest Country?....France.
Huh? What did France do, except try and prevent America from making a colossal blunder?
Bingo!
The software can't know without any degree of certainty whether it is patched or not. So this data is sent back for *all* installations. The software company then checks product ID numbers against those which were registered.
So even legitimate copies of this software are sending their customer's details back. *That* has to be a problem.
Perhaps you missed the entire point of this discussion, but the US definition of "monopoly" is about as useful as a condom dispenser in the Vatican. What matters is whether the EU considers that Microsoft has a monopoly. Although the USA often acts as if it's laws apply throughout the world, the reality is that it will have to invade a few more countries yet before that is the case.
Sorry, Sheetrock, you're completely wrong with your solution to spam. It's not a freedom of speech issue any more than shouting "fire!" in a crowded theatre is a freedom of speech issue. How about the freedom to not have to listen? If you were to restrict each spmmer to one spam per person per day, you'd still end up with an inbox full of spam. There are 6 billion people on this planet. If only a 1000 of them were spammers - that's still 1000 items of spam a day.
The Bayesian filter is only a stopgap as well. The spam still gets sent, clogging up mail servers and a whole load of bandwidth. The only long term solution is to stop spam at source, and I don't really have an answer how to do that.
There are a few suggestions: 1) Dump SMTP. Replace it with a secure version that doesn't allow spammers to hide behind an anonymous address. 2) Make spamming illegal, punishable by large fines, and *enforce it* 3) Authorities need to recognise spam as a seriousproblem and deal with it. If someone sent out a destructive virus, it would take the FBI about 2 days to track them down. The same approach needs to be taken with spam. 4) Make it an offence to *buy* from a spammer. Call it an accessory to a crime, or something.
I've always hated that term "up to". It usually means the exact opposite of what people assume it to mean. For instance, a shop is having a sale. "Up to 50% off!" screams the poster in the window. Why would they want to put an upper limit on the sale? It might mean that nothing is actually reduced in price at all, for all I know.
Surely the "at least" term is more descriptive. I'm much more impressed with a sale which advertises "Everything at least 30% off!"
Slashdot Mirror
I thought the NYT was supposed to be a quality paper!?
Anybody else actually attempting this? I've got about 2/3rds of the names, with most of them matched up. I think I've got the hard 1/3 to do..
Sportsdot looks good, but it's completely US-centric. Try SportsFilter as well.
True. But at least we don't get the downside of actually having to live in America.
Perhaps you'd have been a bit more tactful if your country had been the target of IRA bombs?
It's worse than that. I can't see how it can possibly work to try and install packages that were originally packaged for a different distribution. Sooner, rather than later, you are going to run into problems with packages not installing because files clash with files from other packages. Plus, the thing looks like an absolute nightmare to set up and use. Autopackage has the right idea. Create a packaging format which will be compatible with all distros. Then the writers of each application can create a single package, which can be easily installed anywhere. The idea is right. Linux needs a unified installer. This way is the wrong way to solve it. Autopackage has it right.
I've been reading all these comments with a bit of difficulty, because I don't understand this "rebate" system. Are you saying that when you buy an item, you get a form to send back to the shop and they send you a cheque back? If so, there's probably a good reason why you don't see this practice in the UK. Consumer law states that the advertised price is the price you pay when you purchase the item. So this includes VAY/sales tax. If an item cost $50 with a $10 rebate in the US, it would be advertised at $40 but you'd have to hand over something like $55 in total. In the UK, if an item is advertised at 40, that's what you pay. It doesn't make sense for a retailer to try and make a product look cheaper in that way.
Driver on the PS was definitely so much fun that you could forgive it's little quirks. Since then, GTA 3 came along and raised the bar.
Speak for yourself!
I would urge all UK-based \.ers to go and visit Bletchley Park as soon as possible. It's an amazing day out. It's just sad that the UK government doesn't appear to recognise the historical significance of BP and spend whatever is required to restore the site. Hut 6 and Hut 1, where most of the decoding was done are practically falling down these days.
I also recommend BSW, although I only play Puerto Rico on there. Believe me, if you like Settlers, Puerto Rico is even better.
So many people think typical boardgames are like Risk, Monopoly or Scrabble. This is because they don't know any better. Before designing a game, familiarise yourself with the best games that are currently available. If nothing else, they will likely make the shortcomings of your design obvious. I would recommend the following: Settlers of Catan, El Grande, Tigris & Euphrates, Carcassonne, Ra, Puerto Rico, Bohnanza, Through The Desert, Tikal, Age of Steam, Amun Re, Medici, Loewenhertz etc, etc. If you have any interest in boardgames, the mechanics of some of these games will open your eyes.
My wife also works for the NHS. She knows nothing about computers, but loves the KDE environment that I've set up for at home. On the other hand, she doesn't like the Windows that she occasionally uses at home. It's a shame that Sun's Java Desktop is GNOME based! As others have pointed out, no staff will be installing software, or mucking about with config files. That's the IT department's job.
Let's see... Weasliest Organisation? American. Weasliest Company? American. Weasliest Individual? American. Weasliest Country? ....France.
Huh? What did France do, except try and prevent America from making a colossal blunder?
Huh? Simple answer - just upgrade every other release.
Bingo! The software can't know without any degree of certainty whether it is patched or not. So this data is sent back for *all* installations. The software company then checks product ID numbers against those which were registered. So even legitimate copies of this software are sending their customer's details back. *That* has to be a problem.
Perhaps you missed the entire point of this discussion, but the US definition of "monopoly" is about as useful as a condom dispenser in the Vatican. What matters is whether the EU considers that Microsoft has a monopoly. Although the USA often acts as if it's laws apply throughout the world, the reality is that it will have to invade a few more countries yet before that is the case.
Sorry, Sheetrock, you're completely wrong with your solution to spam. It's not a freedom of speech issue any more than shouting "fire!" in a crowded theatre is a freedom of speech issue. How about the freedom to not have to listen? If you were to restrict each spmmer to one spam per person per day, you'd still end up with an inbox full of spam. There are 6 billion people on this planet. If only a 1000 of them were spammers - that's still 1000 items of spam a day.
The Bayesian filter is only a stopgap as well. The spam still gets sent, clogging up mail servers and a whole load of bandwidth. The only long term solution is to stop spam at source, and I don't really have an answer how to do that.
There are a few suggestions:
1) Dump SMTP. Replace it with a secure version that doesn't allow spammers to hide behind an anonymous address.
2) Make spamming illegal, punishable by large fines, and *enforce it*
3) Authorities need to recognise spam as a seriousproblem and deal with it. If someone sent out a destructive virus, it would take the FBI about 2 days to track them down. The same approach needs to be taken with spam.
4) Make it an offence to *buy* from a spammer. Call it an accessory to a crime, or something.
I've always hated that term "up to". It usually means the exact opposite of what people assume it to mean. For instance, a shop is having a sale. "Up to 50% off!" screams the poster in the window. Why would they want to put an upper limit on the sale? It might mean that nothing is actually reduced in price at all, for all I know. Surely the "at least" term is more descriptive. I'm much more impressed with a sale which advertises "Everything at least 30% off!"