- easier to use
- ports system
- init scripts
- easy updating with cvsup and make *world
- filesystem layout
- stable, secure
- kernel config
- separation between base system and add-on software
- license
First of all, if you're using FreeBSD chances are you know how to configure an X11 environment. It's easy. Also, you have your choice of window managers; not everyone will choose KDE. Package management is already extremely easy with ports, especially with portupgrade. I definitely agree that FreeBSD with an official GUI would be awesome (the opposite approach of Windows, where the interface would simply be a frontend for scripts), but for a half-hearted attempt there's not much of a demographic.
These articles claiming that Linux will be the number one operating system are always unsubstantiated. What does number one mean anyway? If we're talking about user base, Linux hasn't made a dent in the home user base, and there are plenty of other unix variants that are used for business networks. The so-called "vacuum" that which the author refers is not exclusive to Linux. Several OSes can fill the spot of Linux in any environment. In fact, there are better alternatives, like FreeBSD (less restrictive license, easier learning curve, etc). It's hard to take this article seriously when the author is only promoting GNU.
For each new so-called innovative input device, whether modifications to a mouse or an obscure headset, are any of them necessary or practical? First, what is this "awkward stretch required for using a mouse"? I've been at my computer for 10 years straight and I've never experienced this phenomenon. The last time I checked, productivity at a computer is mostly a mental state, so having a special mouse/keyboard won't help you at all. If you're really experiencing strain problems at your computer, you might want to change hobbies.
I'm sure this has been said at least 10 times already, but there is absolutely no incentive for game developers and publishers to make games for Linux. First, the market is too small. How many people have a Linux gaming machine as their desktop? Not many. Those that do are probably working on a PC 2-5 years old. Second, available Linux distributions/desktops are still FAR from ready for a layman (a large % of gamers) despite what Slashdot articles lead you to believe. Conclusion? It's a tiny market that's not growing. I'll repeat what I've learned throughout the years about which OS is right for you. If you want gaming, use Windows or a Mac. If you're doing server stuff use FreeBSD. If your needs fall somewhere between or you simply don't know any better, use Linux.
Normally, I would disagree. The merits of voting for a candidate should outweigh the merits of voting against one. However, in extreme cases (now) you really do have to vote against a candidate. It's time to worry about preserving the state rather than choosing the best candidate for the job (who, practically speaking, will never get elected--so be ideological and throw away your vote, or vote Kerry and know you're doing something useful).
In order to understand how this scenario could work out to the advantage of gamers, first we should look at Valve's history and how Steam/Half-Life 2 fit in with Vivendi.
Half-Life - universally praised for its gameplay and solid (at the time) editing tools. PC Gamer awarded it the highest score ever
Team Fortress Classic - excellent multiplayer add-on that extended the game's life
Counter-Strike - Valve's involvement with CS has been mediocre at best, from 'updating' maps and player models to altering traditional (and fun) parts of its gameplay
Deathmatch Classic - A decent re-make of Quake DM--almost as good as the original--but Valve really should have been working on Half-Life 2 instead of this free and largely unnoticed mod
Steam - a really, really unnecessary system that makes it difficult to run LANs, extract game content for editing, or install custom skins, maps, etc. Plus it still doesn't prevent cheating.
Given the current trend of Valve, I'd say the best thing they can do is drop Steam altogether and release Half-Life 2 just like the original. And maybe 4 or 5 Gold Editions or something.
This possibility could be to Valve's advantage. They haven't released anything worthwhile since Team Fortress Classic and no one I know likes Steam at all.
This exploit has been around for at least two years. I've heard of people getting owned through AIM direct connections in particular. While I'm sure it would be fun to play around with, I suspect most programs wouldn't be vulnerable anyways (Microsoft products aside).
Actually, there is a solid rationale for pointing at Republicans first. Our current president--the Republican incumbent--has already deceived the American people on numerous occasions. Additionally the legitimacy of the 2000 election (which was in Bush's and Republicans' favor) is still debated today.
Brazil should have made top ten if for anything because of its visual and somewhat frightening view of the future. Of the best sci-fi movies Brazil is one of the least outdated (technology wise). Its theme, very similar to 1984, I suspect will always be relevant.
Anyone who's actually learned how to type should be able to achieve 60 wpm without too much trouble. Stubbornness is the largest reason for not learning how to type (although its quite easy). While for 99% of people fast typing isn't necessary, it is a useful skill that will increase one's productivity.
Most experienced computer users type around 100 wpm rather than 60 wpm, which is an enormous increase compared to 15-30 wpm hunt-peckers.
I'd like to see Internet Explorer become obselete as much as the next guy, but the more IE continues to develop--as they inevitably be forced to do if this plugin is released--the more competition there will be on the browser market.
That's a Good Thing.
"In my first year of studies, we had a VAX running VMS. It was a horrible operating system, certainly not an environment that made you say, 'Gee, I'd like to have this at home, too.'" - Just For Fun
From using Internet Explorer on a recent Longhorn build, my prediction is that Microsoft plans to add more features rather than support web standards. Thus far they've added Firefox/Opera-esque features like a download manager, pop-up blocking, and a "Clear Browsing Records" menu option. Perhaps tabbed browsing is next? It looks like they will keep adding options until IE is comparable to its competitors, but with regards to web standards I doubt Microsoft will have interest.
While less than 1% still use Netscape 4.x for most sites, the combined percentage of people using old browsers will always outweigh the number of people who absolutely need the accessible features of w3 standards.
Until people stop browsing with Netscape Navigator 4.07, standards will be impossible to enforce. The new IE won't change anything.
As any designer knows, CSS-based designs are awesome and advantageous in so many ways compared to traditional table presentation. However, while enforcing compatability you sacrifice the visual quality of the site (for old browsers), and most businesses would rather single out handicapped people than certain browsers (makes sense % wise).
The only thing everyone agrees on is that the migration AWAY from Internet Explorer would be the best for web standards.
We shouldn't overlook driver support. That was my main problem I had when I tried switching my main PC over to Linux. The following caused me trouble with a standard Slack 9.0 install:
- Radeon 9800 / OpenGL
- Turtle Beach Santa Cruz
- HP LaserJet 6L (I know this is easy to setup, but I had trouble configuring CUPS)
- mouse scroll wheel
Should I have to hunt on Google for two weeks to get all these working properly? I wouldn't want to--and the majority of Windows users wouldn't either.
Slashdot Mirror
- easier to use - ports system - init scripts - easy updating with cvsup and make *world - filesystem layout - stable, secure - kernel config - separation between base system and add-on software - license
First of all, if you're using FreeBSD chances are you know how to configure an X11 environment. It's easy. Also, you have your choice of window managers; not everyone will choose KDE. Package management is already extremely easy with ports, especially with portupgrade. I definitely agree that FreeBSD with an official GUI would be awesome (the opposite approach of Windows, where the interface would simply be a frontend for scripts), but for a half-hearted attempt there's not much of a demographic.
These articles claiming that Linux will be the number one operating system are always unsubstantiated. What does number one mean anyway? If we're talking about user base, Linux hasn't made a dent in the home user base, and there are plenty of other unix variants that are used for business networks. The so-called "vacuum" that which the author refers is not exclusive to Linux. Several OSes can fill the spot of Linux in any environment. In fact, there are better alternatives, like FreeBSD (less restrictive license, easier learning curve, etc). It's hard to take this article seriously when the author is only promoting GNU.
Another awkwardly named software company.. when will they learn to at least pronounce it first?
For each new so-called innovative input device, whether modifications to a mouse or an obscure headset, are any of them necessary or practical? First, what is this "awkward stretch required for using a mouse"? I've been at my computer for 10 years straight and I've never experienced this phenomenon. The last time I checked, productivity at a computer is mostly a mental state, so having a special mouse/keyboard won't help you at all. If you're really experiencing strain problems at your computer, you might want to change hobbies.
I'm sure this has been said at least 10 times already, but there is absolutely no incentive for game developers and publishers to make games for Linux. First, the market is too small. How many people have a Linux gaming machine as their desktop? Not many. Those that do are probably working on a PC 2-5 years old. Second, available Linux distributions/desktops are still FAR from ready for a layman (a large % of gamers) despite what Slashdot articles lead you to believe. Conclusion? It's a tiny market that's not growing. I'll repeat what I've learned throughout the years about which OS is right for you. If you want gaming, use Windows or a Mac. If you're doing server stuff use FreeBSD. If your needs fall somewhere between or you simply don't know any better, use Linux.
Normally, I would disagree. The merits of voting for a candidate should outweigh the merits of voting against one. However, in extreme cases (now) you really do have to vote against a candidate. It's time to worry about preserving the state rather than choosing the best candidate for the job (who, practically speaking, will never get elected--so be ideological and throw away your vote, or vote Kerry and know you're doing something useful).
-
Half-Life - universally praised for its gameplay and solid (at the time) editing tools. PC Gamer awarded it the highest score ever
- Team Fortress Classic - excellent multiplayer add-on that extended the game's life
-
Counter-Strike - Valve's involvement with CS has been mediocre at best, from 'updating' maps and player models to altering traditional (and fun) parts of its gameplay
-
Deathmatch Classic - A decent re-make of Quake DM--almost as good as the original--but Valve really should have been working on Half-Life 2 instead of this free and largely unnoticed mod
-
Steam - a really, really unnecessary system that makes it difficult to run LANs, extract game content for editing, or install custom skins, maps, etc. Plus it still doesn't prevent cheating.
Given the current trend of Valve, I'd say the best thing they can do is drop Steam altogether and release Half-Life 2 just like the original. And maybe 4 or 5 Gold Editions or something.This possibility could be to Valve's advantage. They haven't released anything worthwhile since Team Fortress Classic and no one I know likes Steam at all.
This exploit has been around for at least two years. I've heard of people getting owned through AIM direct connections in particular. While I'm sure it would be fun to play around with, I suspect most programs wouldn't be vulnerable anyways (Microsoft products aside).
That I've been modded troll can only mean one thing; Bill O'Reilly AND Rush Limbaugh moderate on Slashdot.
Actually, there is a solid rationale for pointing at Republicans first. Our current president--the Republican incumbent--has already deceived the American people on numerous occasions. Additionally the legitimacy of the 2000 election (which was in Bush's and Republicans' favor) is still debated today.
Brazil should have made top ten if for anything because of its visual and somewhat frightening view of the future. Of the best sci-fi movies Brazil is one of the least outdated (technology wise). Its theme, very similar to 1984, I suspect will always be relevant.
Actually, George Lucas wrote and produced the Indiana Jones series, but Spielberg directed them.
Maybe Spielberg should be the one to direct the new Star Wars?
Anyone who's actually learned how to type should be able to achieve 60 wpm without too much trouble. Stubbornness is the largest reason for not learning how to type (although its quite easy). While for 99% of people fast typing isn't necessary, it is a useful skill that will increase one's productivity. Most experienced computer users type around 100 wpm rather than 60 wpm, which is an enormous increase compared to 15-30 wpm hunt-peckers.
I'd like to see Internet Explorer become obselete as much as the next guy, but the more IE continues to develop--as they inevitably be forced to do if this plugin is released--the more competition there will be on the browser market. That's a Good Thing.
"In my first year of studies, we had a VAX running VMS. It was a horrible operating system, certainly not an environment that made you say, 'Gee, I'd like to have this at home, too.'" - Just For Fun
From using Internet Explorer on a recent Longhorn build, my prediction is that Microsoft plans to add more features rather than support web standards. Thus far they've added Firefox/Opera-esque features like a download manager, pop-up blocking, and a "Clear Browsing Records" menu option. Perhaps tabbed browsing is next? It looks like they will keep adding options until IE is comparable to its competitors, but with regards to web standards I doubt Microsoft will have interest.
While less than 1% still use Netscape 4.x for most sites, the combined percentage of people using old browsers will always outweigh the number of people who absolutely need the accessible features of w3 standards.
Until people stop browsing with Netscape Navigator 4.07, standards will be impossible to enforce. The new IE won't change anything. As any designer knows, CSS-based designs are awesome and advantageous in so many ways compared to traditional table presentation. However, while enforcing compatability you sacrifice the visual quality of the site (for old browsers), and most businesses would rather single out handicapped people than certain browsers (makes sense % wise). The only thing everyone agrees on is that the migration AWAY from Internet Explorer would be the best for web standards.
We shouldn't overlook driver support. That was my main problem I had when I tried switching my main PC over to Linux. The following caused me trouble with a standard Slack 9.0 install: - Radeon 9800 / OpenGL - Turtle Beach Santa Cruz - HP LaserJet 6L (I know this is easy to setup, but I had trouble configuring CUPS) - mouse scroll wheel Should I have to hunt on Google for two weeks to get all these working properly? I wouldn't want to--and the majority of Windows users wouldn't either.
I was trying to be funny :o)~~
public class ConvertedJavaSoftwareEngineer extends SloppySoftwareEngineer extends LazySoftwareEngineer extends SoftwareEngineer