Slashdot should get an award for "innovation in censorship" for its moderation system that (usually) succeeds in blocking posts like the parent from being seen by most people.
Wasn't Microsoft in trouble with the DOJ because they have been using their monopoly in one market (desktop OS) to build monopolies in other markets? If they are serious about this, and not just trying to hurt Apple, it sounds like more of the same, and I hope the government does something this time.
people really do click those ads! I've always tuned them out, so I wondered if they could really make money with them. Apparently they've been quite profitable. I hope they keep things the way they are.
If you choose to run Slackware, wouldn't you know how to do this?
Not necessarily. I'm running Slackware 9 right now and I love it, but I've only been using Linux for a few months. I've never compiled anything besides my CS class projects, especially a kernel. I have never made any hardware changes after installing Linux, since I wouldn't know where to begin configuring it. Yeah, I could RTFM, but I have about a thousand other things to do for school and work, and I just want to be able to use my computer. I can do that without knowing much about the internal workings of Linux. Basically, don't assume that anyone using Linux is an expert - that's the kind of response that turns newbies away faster than Linux itself.
I haven't overclocked in a while, but I've always had the impression that AMD chips were more popular than Intel chips among overclockers, maybe because of the price difference - for a couple hundred dollars less, you can make them perform better than the equivalent Pentium. I think many, if not most of the people on the OCWorkBench forum use Athlons (as do I).
"Microsoft's 64-bit Windows operating systems represent an inflection point leading to higher performance and greater efficiency for businesses and consumers."
So, are they admitting their previous versions sucked?
Fact : *Bush is dying
It is official; CNN confirms: *Bush is dying One more crippling bombshell hit the already beleaguered *Bush community when IDC confirmed that *Bush market share has dropped yet again, now down to less than a fraction of 1 percent of all servers. Coming on the heels of a recent CNN survey which plainly states that *Bush has lost more market share, this news serves to reinforce what we've known all along. *Bush is collapsing in complete disarray, as fittingly exemplified by failing dead last in the recent Sys Admin comprehensive networking test.
You don't need to be a Aaron Brown to predict *Bush's future. The hand writing is on the wall: *Bush faces a bleak future. In fact there won't be any future at all for *Bush because *Bush is dying. Things are looking very bad for *Bush. As many of us are already aware, *Bush continues to lose market share. Red ink flows like a river of blood.
George W Bush is the most endangered of them all, having lost 93% of its core developers. The sudden and unpleasant departures of long time George W Bush developers Dick Cheney and Colin Powell only serve to underscore the point more clearly. There can no longer be any doubt: George W Bush is dying.
Let's keep to the facts and look at the numbers.
Iraq leader Saddam Hussein states that there are 7000 users of Iraq. How many users of Dubya are there? Let's see. The number of Iraq versus Dubya posts on Usenet is roughly in ratio of 5 to 1. Therefore there are about 7000/5 = 1400 Dubya users. North Korea posts on Usenet are about half of the volume of Dubya posts. Therefore there are about 700 users of North Korea. A recent article put George W Bush at about 80 percent of the *Bush market. Therefore there are (7000+1400+700)*4 = 36400 George W Bush users. This is consistent with the number of George W Bush Usenet posts.
Due to the troubles of Washington, abysmal sales and so on, George W Bush went out of business and was taken over by Iraq who sell another troubled OS. Now Iraq is also dead, its corpse turned over to yet another charnel house.
All major surveys show that *Bush has steadily declined in market share. *Bush is very sick and its long term survival prospects are very dim. If *Bush is to survive at all it will be among OS dilettante dabblers. *Bush continues to decay. Nothing short of a miracle could save it at this point in time. For all practical purposes, *Bush is dead.
Fact: *Bush is dying
"Outside" - I've heard of this phenomenon - it's like the most incredible game ever created. Ridiculus resolution and color depth, lifelike textures and terrain, a staggering polygon count, fully dynamic lighting, and a skybox that acts just like a real sky! I hear it's totally interactive too - you can talk with people, use any object, drive vehicles, eat food, there are complete, functioning economic and political systems in place... I wish I could remember where I've seen it. Time to turn to Google, I guess.
I used Lindows just this past Saturday. I installed it on my computer where it lived for roughly 30 minutes while I rushed in a panic to download and burn Slackware 9.0. Lindows is now gone forever, and I'm in Slack Heaven.
Maybe you're lucky, or maybe I'm unlucky, but I've had five Maxtor drives and they all went bad. One is still mostly readable and in use, but hopefully not for long. On the other hand, I've had 6 Western Digital Drives in the same time and only 1 has died so far, of a bad motor. I only have 1 Seagate, but its almost 10 years old and still running as reliably as the day I got it. I guess everyone had different luck with different brands. Anyway, I plan to use SCSI drives exclusively in the systems I build from now on, as I really don't think any IDE drives are built as well as they were a decade ago. 6/12 drives surviving in a period of ten years or so is not acceptable, as far as I'm concerned.
Back in my high school electronics class, we used to etch our PCBs in acid, and when the teacher was out of the room, we'd put things like pennies and copper wire in the tray just for kicks. Milling the boards is probably a lot more efficient and safer, but doesn't sound like as much fun.
Though Tron is often alluded to here on Slashdot, I've never actually met another person who has seen it. When people ask what my favorite movie is and I answer Tron, they always ask what it is about. When I try to explain it, the typical response is, "that's stupid." I guess you have to be a geek to appreciate it.
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This is just the kind of thinking that is preventing Linux from becoming mainstream. Programmers/hackers like to be able to configure every tiny little aspect of their software, but the average user doesn't care about this - he just wants to use the computer to do his work. Windows, despite all its technical problems, gives the user a simple, intuitive interface that is exactly the same on any Windows computer. Linux people may claim they want to win users away from Microsoft, but to do this, Linux must be as easy to use as Windows. This means having an interface that is well-organized, functional enough that a CLI is never needed (but not bloated), and most important, consistent across all Linux systems. As long as Linux programmers continue to design the system to meet only their own needs, average users will not be able to handle it.
Slashdot should get an award for "innovation in censorship" for its moderation system that (usually) succeeds in blocking posts like the parent from being seen by most people.
Wasn't Microsoft in trouble with the DOJ because they have been using their monopoly in one market (desktop OS) to build monopolies in other markets? If they are serious about this, and not just trying to hurt Apple, it sounds like more of the same, and I hope the government does something this time.
people really do click those ads! I've always tuned them out, so I wondered if they could really make money with them. Apparently they've been quite profitable. I hope they keep things the way they are.
If you choose to run Slackware, wouldn't you know how to do this?
Not necessarily. I'm running Slackware 9 right now and I love it, but I've only been using Linux for a few months. I've never compiled anything besides my CS class projects, especially a kernel. I have never made any hardware changes after installing Linux, since I wouldn't know where to begin configuring it. Yeah, I could RTFM, but I have about a thousand other things to do for school and work, and I just want to be able to use my computer. I can do that without knowing much about the internal workings of Linux. Basically, don't assume that anyone using Linux is an expert - that's the kind of response that turns newbies away faster than Linux itself.
I haven't overclocked in a while, but I've always had the impression that AMD chips were more popular than Intel chips among overclockers, maybe because of the price difference - for a couple hundred dollars less, you can make them perform better than the equivalent Pentium. I think many, if not most of the people on the OCWorkBench forum use Athlons (as do I).
Probably true, but it would still be cool to get one of these.
Maybe it's really Groundhog Day - oh wait, that's over too.
"Microsoft's 64-bit Windows operating systems represent an inflection point leading to higher performance and greater efficiency for businesses and consumers."
So, are they admitting their previous versions sucked?
Fact : *Bush is dying It is official; CNN confirms: *Bush is dying One more crippling bombshell hit the already beleaguered *Bush community when IDC confirmed that *Bush market share has dropped yet again, now down to less than a fraction of 1 percent of all servers. Coming on the heels of a recent CNN survey which plainly states that *Bush has lost more market share, this news serves to reinforce what we've known all along. *Bush is collapsing in complete disarray, as fittingly exemplified by failing dead last in the recent Sys Admin comprehensive networking test. You don't need to be a Aaron Brown to predict *Bush's future. The hand writing is on the wall: *Bush faces a bleak future. In fact there won't be any future at all for *Bush because *Bush is dying. Things are looking very bad for *Bush. As many of us are already aware, *Bush continues to lose market share. Red ink flows like a river of blood. George W Bush is the most endangered of them all, having lost 93% of its core developers. The sudden and unpleasant departures of long time George W Bush developers Dick Cheney and Colin Powell only serve to underscore the point more clearly. There can no longer be any doubt: George W Bush is dying. Let's keep to the facts and look at the numbers. Iraq leader Saddam Hussein states that there are 7000 users of Iraq. How many users of Dubya are there? Let's see. The number of Iraq versus Dubya posts on Usenet is roughly in ratio of 5 to 1. Therefore there are about 7000/5 = 1400 Dubya users. North Korea posts on Usenet are about half of the volume of Dubya posts. Therefore there are about 700 users of North Korea. A recent article put George W Bush at about 80 percent of the *Bush market. Therefore there are (7000+1400+700)*4 = 36400 George W Bush users. This is consistent with the number of George W Bush Usenet posts. Due to the troubles of Washington, abysmal sales and so on, George W Bush went out of business and was taken over by Iraq who sell another troubled OS. Now Iraq is also dead, its corpse turned over to yet another charnel house. All major surveys show that *Bush has steadily declined in market share. *Bush is very sick and its long term survival prospects are very dim. If *Bush is to survive at all it will be among OS dilettante dabblers. *Bush continues to decay. Nothing short of a miracle could save it at this point in time. For all practical purposes, *Bush is dead. Fact: *Bush is dying
Of course, this is April Fool's Day...
"Outside" - I've heard of this phenomenon - it's like the most incredible game ever created. Ridiculus resolution and color depth, lifelike textures and terrain, a staggering polygon count, fully dynamic lighting, and a skybox that acts just like a real sky! I hear it's totally interactive too - you can talk with people, use any object, drive vehicles, eat food, there are complete, functioning economic and political systems in place... I wish I could remember where I've seen it. Time to turn to Google, I guess.
I used Lindows just this past Saturday. I installed it on my computer where it lived for roughly 30 minutes while I rushed in a panic to download and burn Slackware 9.0. Lindows is now gone forever, and I'm in Slack Heaven.
Maybe you're lucky, or maybe I'm unlucky, but I've had five Maxtor drives and they all went bad. One is still mostly readable and in use, but hopefully not for long. On the other hand, I've had 6 Western Digital Drives in the same time and only 1 has died so far, of a bad motor. I only have 1 Seagate, but its almost 10 years old and still running as reliably as the day I got it. I guess everyone had different luck with different brands. Anyway, I plan to use SCSI drives exclusively in the systems I build from now on, as I really don't think any IDE drives are built as well as they were a decade ago. 6/12 drives surviving in a period of ten years or so is not acceptable, as far as I'm concerned.
it's how you use it!
Back in my high school electronics class, we used to etch our PCBs in acid, and when the teacher was out of the room, we'd put things like pennies and copper wire in the tray just for kicks. Milling the boards is probably a lot more efficient and safer, but doesn't sound like as much fun.
Though Tron is often alluded to here on Slashdot, I've never actually met another person who has seen it. When people ask what my favorite movie is and I answer Tron, they always ask what it is about. When I try to explain it, the typical response is, "that's stupid." I guess you have to be a geek to appreciate it.
You forgot:
- Profit!!!
...and it was like, beep beep beep... and it was, like, gone...
Or, as someone pointed out a while back, use:
username: slashdot_coward
password: slashdot_coward
Look Ma, I'm a lumberjack!
*mows down 10,000 warriors*
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5. LIMITATION ON REVERSE ENGINEERING, DECOMPILATION, AND DISASSEMBLY. You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the Product, except and only to the extent that it is expressly permitted by applicable law notwithstanding this limitation.
6. TERMINATION. Without prejudice to any other rights, Microsoft may cancel this EULA if you do not abide by the terms and conditions of this EULA, in which case you must destroy all copies of the Product and all of its component parts.
7. CONSENT TO USE OF DATA. You agree that Microsoft and its affiliates may collect and use technical information you provide as a part of support services related to the Product. Microsoft agrees not to use this information in a form that personally identifies you.
8. NOT FOR RESALE SOFTWARE. Product identified as "Not for Resale" or "NFR," may not be resold, transferred or used for any purpose other than demonstration, test or evaluation.
9. ACADEMIC EDITION SOFTWARE. To use Product identified as "Academic Edition" or "AE," you must be a "Qualified Educational User." For qualification-related questions, please contact the Microsoft Sales Information Center/One Microsoft Way/Redmond, WA 98052-6399 or the Microsoft subsidiary serving your country.
10. EXPORT RESTRICTIONS. Export-Restricted Encryption. If the Product is identified as "North America Only Version," the following terms apply: The Product contains strong encryption and cannot be exported outside of the United States (including Puerto Rico, Guam and all other territories, dependencies and possessions of the United States) or Canada without a U.S. Commerce Department export license or an applicable license exception. You agree that you will not directly or indirectly export or re-export the Product (or portions thereof), other than to Canada, without first obtaining an export license or determining that a license exception is applicable. For additional information see . Exportable Encryption. If the Product is not identified as "North America Only Version," the following terms apply: You agree that you will not export or re-export the Product (or portions thereof) to any country, person or entity subject to U.S. export restrictions. You specifically agree not to export or re-export the Product (or portions thereof): (i) to any country subject to a U.S. embargo or trade restriction; (ii) to any person or entity who you know or have reason to know will utilize the Product (or portions thereof) in the production of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons; or (iii) to any person or entity who has been denied export privileges by the U.S. government. For additional information see .
11. LIMITED WARRANTY FOR SOFTWARE PRODUCTS ACQUIRED IN THE US AND CANADA. Microsoft warrants that the Product will perform substantially in accordance with the accompanying materials for a period of ninety days from the date of receipt. If an implied warranty or condition is created by your state/jurisdiction and federal or state/provincial law prohibits disclaimer of it, you also have an implied warranty or condition, BUT ONLY AS TO DEFECTS DISCOVERED DURING THE PERIOD OF THIS LIMITED WARRANTY (NINETY DAYS). AS TO ANY DEFECTS DISCOVERED AFTER THE NINETY (90) DAY PERIOD, THERE IS NO WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND. Some states/jurisdictions do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty or condition lasts, so the above limitation may not apply to you. Any supplements or updates to the Product, including without limitation, any (if any) service packs or hot fixes provided to you after the expiration of the ninety day Limited Warranty period are not covered by any warranty or condition, express, implied or statutory. LIMITATION ON REMEDIES; NO CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES. Your exclusive remedy for any breach of this Limited Warranty is as set forth below. Except for any refund elected by Microsoft, YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, if the Product does not meet Microsoft's Limited Warranty, and, to the maximum extent allowed by applicable law, even if any remedy fails of its essential purpose. The terms of Section 13 below ("Exclusion of Incidental, Consequential and Certain Other Damages") are also incorporated into this Limited Warranty. Some states/jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you. This Limited Warranty gives you specific legal rights. You may have others which vary from state/jurisdiction to state/jurisdiction. YOUR EXCLUSIVE REMEDY. Microsoft's and its suppliers' entire liability and your exclusive remedy shall be, at Microsoft's option from time to time exercised subject to applicable law, (a) return of the price paid (if any) for the Product, or (b) repair or replacement of the Product, that does not meet this Limited Warranty and that is returned to Microsoft with a copy of your receipt. You will receive the remedy elected by Microsoft without charge, except that you are responsible for any expenses you may incur (e.g. cost of shipping the Product to Microsoft). This Limited Warranty is void if failure of the Product has resulted from accident, abuse, misapplication, abnormal use or a virus. Any replacement Product will be warranted for the remainder of the original warranty period or thirty (30) days, whichever is longer. Outside the United States or Canada, neither these remedies nor any product support services offered by Microsoft are available without proof of purchase from an authorized international source. To exercise your remedy, contact: Microsoft, Attn. Microsoft Sales Information Center/One Microsoft Way/Redmond, WA 98052-6399, or the Microsoft subsidiary serving your country.
LIMITED WARRANTY FOR SOFTWARE PRODUCTS ACQUIRED OUTSIDE THE US AND CANADA. FOR THE LIMITED WARRANTIES AND SPECIAL PROVISIONS PERTAINING TO YOUR PARTICULAR JURISDICTION, PLEASE REFER TO YOUR WARRANTY BOOKLET INCLUDED WITH THIS PACKAGE OR PROVIDED WITH THE SOFTWARE PRODUCT PRINTED MATERIALS.
12. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES. The Limited Warranty that appears above is the only express warranty made to you and is provided in lieu of any other express warranties (if any) created by any documentation or packaging. Except for the Limited Warranty and to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Microsoft and its suppliers provide the Product and support services (if any) AS IS AND WITH ALL FAULTS, and hereby disclaim all other warranties and conditions, either express, implied or statutory, including, but not limited to, any (if any) implied warranties, duties or conditions of merchantability, of fitness for a particular purpose, of accuracy or completeness of responses, of results, of workmanlike effort, of lack of viruses, and of lack of negligence, all with regard to the Product, and the provision of or failure to provide support services. ALSO, THERE IS NO WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF TITLE, QUIET ENJOYMENT, QUIET POSSESSION, CORRESPONDENCE TO DESCRIPTION OR NON-INFRINGEMENT WITH REGARD TO THE PRODUCT. 13. EXCLUSION OF INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL AND CERTAIN OTHER DAMAGES. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS OR CONFIDENTIAL OR OTHER INFORMATION, FOR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, FOR PERSONAL INJURY, FOR LOSS OF PRIVACY, FOR FAILURE TO MEET ANY DUTY INCLUDING OF GOOD FAITH OR OF REASONABLE CARE, FOR NEGLIGENCE, AND FOR ANY OTHER PECUNIARY OR OTHER LOSS WHATSOEVER) ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY RELATED TO THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE PRODUCT, THE PROVISION OF OR FAILURE TO PROVIDE SUPPORT SERVICES, OR OTHERWISE UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH ANY PROVISION OF THIS EULA, EVEN IN THE EVENT OF THE FAULT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF CONTRACT OR BREACH OF WARRANTY OF MICROSOFT OR ANY SUPPLIER, AND EVEN IF MICROSOFT OR ANY SUPPLIER HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
14. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND REMEDIES. Notwithstanding any damages that you might incur for any reason whatsoever (including, without limitation, all damages referenced above and all direct or general damages), the entire liability of Microsoft and any of its suppliers under any provision of this EULA and your exclusive remedy for all of the foregoing (except for any remedy of repair or replacement elected by Microsoft with respect to any breach of the Limited Warranty) shall be limited to the greater of the amount actually paid by you for the Product or U.S.$5.00. The foregoing limitations, exclusions and disclaimers (including Sections 11, 12 and 13 above) shall apply to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, even if any remedy fails its essential purpose. 15. NOTE ON JAVA SUPPORT. THE PRODUCT MAY CONTAIN SUPPORT FOR PROGRAMS WRITTEN IN JAVA. JAVA TECHNOLOGY IS NOT FAULT TOLERANT AND IS NOT DESIGNED,MANUFACTURED, OR INTENDED FOR USE OR RESALE AS ONLINE CONTROL EQUIPMENT IN HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTS REQUIRING FAIL-SAFE PERFORMANCE, SUCH AS IN THE OPERATION OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES, AIRCRAFT NAVIGATION OR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL, DIRECT LIFE SUPPORT MACHINES, OR WEAPONS SYSTEMS, IN WHICH THE FAILURE OF JAVA TECHNOLOGY COULD LEAD DIRECTLY TO DEATH, PERSONAL INJURY, OR SEVERE PHYSICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE. Sun Microsystems, Inc. has contractually obligated Microsoft to make this disclaimer.
16. U.S. GOVERNMENT LICENSE RIGHTS. All Product provided to the U.S. Government pursuant to solicitations issued on or after December 1, 1995 is provided with the commercial license rights and restrictions described elsewhere herein. All Product provided to the U.S. Government pursuant to solicitations issued prior to December 1, 1995 is provided with "Restricted Rights" as provided for in FAR, 48 CFR 52.227-14 (JUNE 1987) or DFAR, 48 CFR 252.227-7013 (OCT 1988), as applicable.
17. APPLICABLE LAW. If you acquired this Product in the United States, this EULA is governed by the laws of the State of Washington. If you acquired this Product in Canada, unless expressly prohibited by local law, this EULA is governed by the laws in force in the Province of Ontario, Canada; and, in respect of any dispute which may arise hereunder, you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal and provincial courts sitting in Toronto, Ontario. If this Product was acquired outside the United States, then local law may apply.
18. ENTIRE AGREEMENT. This EULA (including any addendum or amendment to this EULA which is included with the Product) are the entire agreement between you and Microsoft relating to the Product and the support services (if any) and they supersede all prior or contemporaneous oral or written communications, proposals and representations with respect to the Product or any other subject matter covered by this EULA. To the extent the terms of any Microsoft policies or programs for support services conflict with the terms of this EULA, the terms of this EULA shall control.
19. The Product is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws and treaties. Microsoft or its suppliers own the title, copyright, and other intellectual property rights in the Product. The Product is licensed, not sold.
a "PC," perhaps?
...and if you use it, it kills YOU!
(Especially in Soviet Russia.)
*realizes what has just been said*
*dies*
This is just the kind of thinking that is preventing Linux from becoming mainstream. Programmers/hackers like to be able to configure every tiny little aspect of their software, but the average user doesn't care about this - he just wants to use the computer to do his work. Windows, despite all its technical problems, gives the user a simple, intuitive interface that is exactly the same on any Windows computer. Linux people may claim they want to win users away from Microsoft, but to do this, Linux must be as easy to use as Windows. This means having an interface that is well-organized, functional enough that a CLI is never needed (but not bloated), and most important, consistent across all Linux systems. As long as Linux programmers continue to design the system to meet only their own needs, average users will not be able to handle it.