Stories about blog entries about video game scandals that appear on Slashdot are even more boring.
Seriously though, the outrage over GTA's sex game (or should I say 'Crude Polygon Stacking Game') is purely politcal, not moral. A sex scene in an adult video game is to be expected. From TFA: "...sex in a GTA game - should we really be shocked by that? Frankly, I'd be more shocked to discover that Rock Star hadn't considered such a feature."
This whole 'scandal' reminds me of the scene in The People vs. Larry Flint where Flint is before a crowd asking which is more obscene: scenes of people being tortured and beaten, or scenes of people having sex? Sure, there was a brief uproar when GTA came out, but people eventually accepted the violent content and went on with their lives. But sex? Oh dear Lord, whatever will we do? Grow up.
"If you guys want Linux to be as widely used as Windows and OSX you have to standardize."
Standardize what? The look? The feel? The administration tools?
Yes, standardizing all three of those things would be a good start.
"a standard set of applications."
Applications? What's unstandard about the avaliable linux desktop applications?
Linux: vi, emacs, pico, gedit, OpenOffice.org, etc. Which one should I use to type up a grocery list? The problem is that I could use any of those programs to write a grocery list, and most if not all of those programs come preloaded with most Linux distros. But they all use very different interfaces. Everything from big differences like GUI/non-GUI and the coice of KDE/Gnome/Enlightenment/(all the others) to little things like different toolbar icons for nearly every program makes Linux different and ugly. And different = difficult. Not to mention installing new software. Will I have to compile the source? Will there be a text-based script to run? Will a nice GUI pop up and guide me? Do I have the right permissions to install this software?
Windows: I could use Notepad to type my grocery list... maybe Wordpad if I need fancy formatting and colors. The icons in Wordpad are the same as almost every other Windows program. I know which button is the "Save" button, and which will create a new document. If I want to use a different program, I could download one and install it easily because 99% of Windows programs use Windows Installer or InstallShield. No messy text-based installers, no headaches.
The problem is choice (I didn't intend to quote The Matrix, really). Consumers are mostly clueless when it comes to computers. Those of you who work in a retail environment will likely agree with me there. They don't want half a dozen different programs that do essentially the same thing. They want one program that does what they need to do and nothing more. They aren't interested in learning something new or using something that's ugly.
I realize Linux supporters want people to move away from Microsoft and towards F/OSS (I do too, believe it or not), but you can only push people so far so fast. They won't go out of their way to learn something new, or use something that's ugly or inconsistent. You have to make the transition easy.
Windows and the word solid shouldn't be put into the same sentance unless that sentance is: "Windows is very much unlike a solid terd since it barly ever holds together while afloat"
Saying something like that is a great way to lose any credibility your comment might have.
Here's the deal: The makers of Linux distributions want people to embrace Linux, but they refuse to embrace the average person. The won't budge an inch. They won't emulate Windows concepts, just because it's Windows and it's "evil".
I'm tech-literate, yet I choose to use Windows for everyday stuff like web browsing, email, chatting, research, word processing, etc. No, I don't use some obscure Windows-only program daily. Linux can do everything I need it to do, but I don't use it because it's ugly, inconsistent and a pain to use. It's fine for my home's file server, but I wouldn't make one of my family members use Linux if you paid me.
This comment will probably get modded down as a troll or flaimbait, but it is not intended as either. It's intended as constructive criticism. I want Linux to be a kick-ass operating system that my grandmother can use, but as of right now, it has a long way to go.
As soon as this news item was posted on slashdot, people began bashing the Australian government for only supporting Windows (or writing "protest emails" like the submitter did). It was as if they were saying, "How dare they insult us Linux/Mac users? They are supporting evil Microsoft and alienating all us geeks." They made it Windows-only because they looked at the numbers, plain and simple. Windows is what the vast majority of taxpayers find easiest to use, because it's what they are used to. Most taxpayers use Windows. It is more popular than Linux/MacOS. Before I continue, I fully realize this comment will be modded into the depths of Hell.
The government's goal is not to convert people to Linux/Mac/OSS, or even to support that minority. Their goal is to cut down on massive amounts of paperwork and make it easier for most people to pay their taxes. The quickest and cheapest way to do that is by releasing a Windows program to pay taxes, duh. Someone even suggested taking this matter to the courts, comparing it to handicapped/women's rights.
"Your honor, I don't want to use Windows because it sucks and MS is evil, and I don't want to use the traditional paper system because I'm an elitist computer-literate citizen. Therefore, the government should be required to release a Mac/Linux version of the tax software." The response would be: Tough luck, use paper. You're lucky to have a computerized system to begin with.
Here are some things to remember:
Just because eTax is Windows-only doesn't mean Australia is waging a war on Linux/Mac. It doesn't mean they are "supporting global monopolies". They are casting the widest net with the least cost, which unfortunately is something government rarely attempts.
The government has better things to do than cater to everyone who uses an OS 90% of people don't use. Sorry, there are much more important things out there.
They didn't rule out support for other operating systems in the future. They even suggested alternatives for now (Wine, etc).
It's better to release a test version on one OS than maintain three test versions for three different operating systems. Give them time.
What they should be doing is using a shared DSL/cable 3 or 4mbit account. Throw up a linux box as a firewall (and to monitor bandwidth), and it's easy to scale up and load balance connections as required.
That's exactly what I was thinking. With Comcast and other providers offering residential downstreams of 4Mbps at $40-$50/month, it seems natural to go that route. But remember, we may not have all the facts. For example, the city might be bound by a contract with the local Telco, who insisted they lease a Tx line.
...perhaps it's done by an over-priced consultancy charging (because it's the city) $300/hr...
Over-priced consulting companies really make me angry. I have seen several people I know (some in my own family) hire companies that are obviously overcharging for basic services. They also do things like use overly-expensive equipment. Of course, given the opportunity I would probably charge the same rates, but still...;-)
The article left me with a few questions, since I'm not an Orlando resident. Unfortunately I don't get "Local 6 News" up here in Massachusetts:-)
How much was the service advertised? I mean, besides the orange signs, did they make an effort to inform local businesses' employees of the free WiFi access? How about local shops, cafes, restaurants, etc.?
What made up the $1,800/month price tag? Was all of that put towards a dedicated line? Maybe they should have scaled down the bandwidth (and the price), increasing it as needed.
Why did the pilot program get extended in the first place? Did they simply hope more people would use it as time went on?
If you have tons of money to spend, and aren't attracted at all by the AthlonX2 then get this chip; however, at this point in the game we'd have a hard time giving a full recommendation to anyone to spend close to or over $1000 on a chip that isn't dual core.
I realize the price will go down over time, but seriously, who is going to buy this chip? Ok, I know some gamers with too much money on their hands will buy it, but it's still going to be surpassed when the dual cores start gaining ground, especially in gaming (think Christmas '05). Until I saw the pricetag I thought this might be an option for my next build, but not anymore. There are other options, at much lower prices.
Blackberry Inc. is a multinational conglomerate--with home offices in Southeast Asia--specializing in the growing, harvesting and exporting of blackberries to countries all over the world. The reported $1.4 billion in brand sales reflects the worlds growing appetite for blackberries and foods containing blackberries, such as blackberry pie.
...Apple has increased its brand value by 38 percent in the last four years, largely on the popularity of its iPod digital media device...
While it's nice to see Apple growing in popularity, I am concerned about Apple in general. The growth has been spurred on largely by sales of the iPod. That was fine a year or two ago, but with dozens of competing products introduced each year at significantly lower prices, how long can this growth really last? Won't the market become saturated with lower priced, average quality products?
Why buy an iPod when you can get a good player for much less money? Just because it's an iPod? Apple's share of the home computer markey is still quite low, and I can see their share of the MP3 player market going in that same direction. Add their shift to Intel into the mix and the situation is really questionable.
I'm no business expert, so feel free to correct me.
This question may seem completely unrelated to the story, but I'll ask anyway. Why is Windows shown so little on TV, while the Mac is shown so much? If you watch a commercial where a website is shown on a computer screen, it's almost always a Mac interface. Are the producers afraid MS will sue? If so, why aren't they afraid Apple will sue? Or do they just like Macs better in Hollywood?
Which formula should I use the next time I make a joke about government overspending? Sorry, I just pulled that number out of my ass... I should have expected someone on slashdot would actually call me on it. Way to kill the joke. I hope at least a couple people chuckled before you killed it. You probably kill clowns in your spare time too, don't you?
A lot of good that would have done the writers. After all, would a joke about the 22,514th be as funny as one about the 40,000th digit? I think not! That's what makes The Simpsons such a high quality show. They don't stop at 22,514 like those savants do.
They would send 10,000 C&D letters to the people who posted the mirrors; 10,000 C&D letters to their ISPs; and 10,000 C&D letters to the web hosts. Of those 30,000 letters, over 29,990 letters would be effective at getting the mirrors removed. The remaining 10 people/ISPs/hosts will be sent letters explaining the massive cost of taking on a company as big as X (Sony).
Or maybe the DMCA will just be ruled unconstitutional...at which point hell will freeze over.
Money crushes all. The DMCA crushes all.
Like many of you, I am reminded of my old high school security expoits. I took a C++ course in my junior year. I already knew C++ and was just taking it for transcript purposes, so I wrote little side projects during class instead of actually following along with the lesson. One of these projects was a Windows 98 password logger with the option of logging the user/pass to a file, FTP site, or email address. Within a week of installing it on just one school library computer, I had a password-protected database of student, teacher and administrator usernames and passwords available to me online. I told a couple friends about it, and one got caught changing his grades. He didn't rat me out though, thank God!
I miss those days... not the classes or the bull students went through, just messing around on the school's network without them even knowing it. Another side project was a sick implementation of Life.
...users get a box with a propietary OS and software preinstalled for online banking, spam filtering, virus detection...
Damn! Until I read that, I was thinking about writing a virus for the proprietary OS that will be used by a handful of old people in Belgium. Seriously, what viruses could they be guarding against? Maybe I'm missing something; I usually am.
SunnComm is suing the student for "falsely" damaging their reputation? First, it wasn't falsely damaged. The student did not lie about anything as far as I can tell.
Second, suing the student would be like Ford suing people that said the tires on their SUVs exploded a couple years back. "Our product failed, so we're going to sue our customers." Was Ford's reputation false damaged? No, it was justly damaged.
Make some enemies online, and make sure they know your email address. You will magically be subscribed to every porn, viagra, and Nigerian mailing list on the planet.
It seems simple enough: lie to your customer. I work in retail, and I do it all the time.
"Do I really need the gold-plated USB cable?"
"Yes, of course you do, sir. It will provide better connetivity!"
"Even for simply printing?"
"Of course! You will notice the gold-plating right away!"
So I sell him the USB cable we mark up 2325%--not joking...we pay $1.29 and the customer pays $29.99--and send him on his merry way. Granted, that's retail and not IT, but try it. It can work for you too!
Afterthought: It could nip you later on, but for a couple days you can be stress free...and the next day, unemployeed! The choice is yours, and yours alone!
I wish you people would stop bashing SCO! They are obviously just trying to keep up with the latest trend of giant companies suing their customers and potential customers. They are just trying to be like every other company on the block. If your friend walked down the street in a pair of the newest Nike's, wouldn't you want a pair too? This case is no different! They are just trying to gain acceptance from the RIAA, MPAA etc.
Slashdot Mirror
Stories about blog entries about video game scandals that appear on Slashdot are even more boring.
Seriously though, the outrage over GTA's sex game (or should I say 'Crude Polygon Stacking Game') is purely politcal, not moral. A sex scene in an adult video game is to be expected. From TFA: "...sex in a GTA game - should we really be shocked by that? Frankly, I'd be more shocked to discover that Rock Star hadn't considered such a feature."
This whole 'scandal' reminds me of the scene in The People vs. Larry Flint where Flint is before a crowd asking which is more obscene: scenes of people being tortured and beaten, or scenes of people having sex? Sure, there was a brief uproar when GTA came out, but people eventually accepted the violent content and went on with their lives. But sex? Oh dear Lord, whatever will we do? Grow up.
OSX should just feature the Windows Key+L shortcut.
Windows: I could use Notepad to type my grocery list... maybe Wordpad if I need fancy formatting and colors. The icons in Wordpad are the same as almost every other Windows program. I know which button is the "Save" button, and which will create a new document. If I want to use a different program, I could download one and install it easily because 99% of Windows programs use Windows Installer or InstallShield. No messy text-based installers, no headaches.
The problem is choice (I didn't intend to quote The Matrix, really). Consumers are mostly clueless when it comes to computers. Those of you who work in a retail environment will likely agree with me there. They don't want half a dozen different programs that do essentially the same thing. They want one program that does what they need to do and nothing more. They aren't interested in learning something new or using something that's ugly.
I realize Linux supporters want people to move away from Microsoft and towards F/OSS (I do too, believe it or not), but you can only push people so far so fast. They won't go out of their way to learn something new, or use something that's ugly or inconsistent. You have to make the transition easy. Saying something like that is a great way to lose any credibility your comment might have.
Here's the deal: The makers of Linux distributions want people to embrace Linux, but they refuse to embrace the average person. The won't budge an inch. They won't emulate Windows concepts, just because it's Windows and it's "evil".
I'm tech-literate, yet I choose to use Windows for everyday stuff like web browsing, email, chatting, research, word processing, etc. No, I don't use some obscure Windows-only program daily. Linux can do everything I need it to do, but I don't use it because it's ugly, inconsistent and a pain to use. It's fine for my home's file server, but I wouldn't make one of my family members use Linux if you paid me.
This comment will probably get modded down as a troll or flaimbait, but it is not intended as either. It's intended as constructive criticism. I want Linux to be a kick-ass operating system that my grandmother can use, but as of right now, it has a long way to go.
The government's goal is not to convert people to Linux/Mac/OSS, or even to support that minority. Their goal is to cut down on massive amounts of paperwork and make it easier for most people to pay their taxes. The quickest and cheapest way to do that is by releasing a Windows program to pay taxes, duh. Someone even suggested taking this matter to the courts, comparing it to handicapped/women's rights.
"Your honor, I don't want to use Windows because it sucks and MS is evil, and I don't want to use the traditional paper system because I'm an elitist computer-literate citizen. Therefore, the government should be required to release a Mac/Linux version of the tax software." The response would be: Tough luck, use paper. You're lucky to have a computerized system to begin with.
Here are some things to remember:
I realize the price will go down over time, but seriously, who is going to buy this chip? Ok, I know some gamers with too much money on their hands will buy it, but it's still going to be surpassed when the dual cores start gaining ground, especially in gaming (think Christmas '05). Until I saw the pricetag I thought this might be an option for my next build, but not anymore. There are other options, at much lower prices.
Thanks for resolving that.
Blackberry Inc. is a multinational conglomerate--with home offices in Southeast Asia--specializing in the growing, harvesting and exporting of blackberries to countries all over the world. The reported $1.4 billion in brand sales reflects the worlds growing appetite for blackberries and foods containing blackberries, such as blackberry pie.
Why buy an iPod when you can get a good player for much less money? Just because it's an iPod? Apple's share of the home computer markey is still quite low, and I can see their share of the MP3 player market going in that same direction. Add their shift to Intel into the mix and the situation is really questionable. I'm no business expert, so feel free to correct me.
This question may seem completely unrelated to the story, but I'll ask anyway. Why is Windows shown so little on TV, while the Mac is shown so much? If you watch a commercial where a website is shown on a computer screen, it's almost always a Mac interface. Are the producers afraid MS will sue? If so, why aren't they afraid Apple will sue? Or do they just like Macs better in Hollywood?
Which formula should I use the next time I make a joke about government overspending? Sorry, I just pulled that number out of my ass... I should have expected someone on slashdot would actually call me on it. Way to kill the joke. I hope at least a couple people chuckled before you killed it. You probably kill clowns in your spare time too, don't you?
They would send 10,000 C&D letters to the people who posted the mirrors; 10,000 C&D letters to their ISPs; and 10,000 C&D letters to the web hosts. Of those 30,000 letters, over 29,990 letters would be effective at getting the mirrors removed. The remaining 10 people/ISPs/hosts will be sent letters explaining the massive cost of taking on a company as big as X (Sony). Or maybe the DMCA will just be ruled unconstitutional...at which point hell will freeze over. Money crushes all. The DMCA crushes all.
Look for a notebook with a magnesium case. I've found they dissipate heat quite well, compared to notebooks with plastic cases.
Like many of you, I am reminded of my old high school security expoits. I took a C++ course in my junior year. I already knew C++ and was just taking it for transcript purposes, so I wrote little side projects during class instead of actually following along with the lesson. One of these projects was a Windows 98 password logger with the option of logging the user/pass to a file, FTP site, or email address. Within a week of installing it on just one school library computer, I had a password-protected database of student, teacher and administrator usernames and passwords available to me online. I told a couple friends about it, and one got caught changing his grades. He didn't rat me out though, thank God! I miss those days... not the classes or the bull students went through, just messing around on the school's network without them even knowing it. Another side project was a sick implementation of Life.
...users get a box with a propietary OS and software preinstalled for online banking, spam filtering, virus detection...
Damn! Until I read that, I was thinking about writing a virus for the proprietary OS that will be used by a handful of old people in Belgium. Seriously, what viruses could they be guarding against? Maybe I'm missing something; I usually am.
Amen to that...even though this is off-topic. It had to be said. YANKEES SUCK!!!!
SunnComm is suing the student for "falsely" damaging their reputation? First, it wasn't falsely damaged. The student did not lie about anything as far as I can tell. Second, suing the student would be like Ford suing people that said the tires on their SUVs exploded a couple years back. "Our product failed, so we're going to sue our customers." Was Ford's reputation false damaged? No, it was justly damaged.
Make some enemies online, and make sure they know your email address. You will magically be subscribed to every porn, viagra, and Nigerian mailing list on the planet.
It seems simple enough: lie to your customer. I work in retail, and I do it all the time.
"Do I really need the gold-plated USB cable?"
"Yes, of course you do, sir. It will provide better connetivity!"
"Even for simply printing?"
"Of course! You will notice the gold-plating right away!"
So I sell him the USB cable we mark up 2325%--not joking...we pay $1.29 and the customer pays $29.99--and send him on his merry way. Granted, that's retail and not IT, but try it. It can work for you too!
Afterthought: It could nip you later on, but for a couple days you can be stress free...and the next day, unemployeed! The choice is yours, and yours alone!
I wish you people would stop bashing SCO! They are obviously just trying to keep up with the latest trend of giant companies suing their customers and potential customers. They are just trying to be like every other company on the block. If your friend walked down the street in a pair of the newest Nike's, wouldn't you want a pair too? This case is no different! They are just trying to gain acceptance from the RIAA, MPAA etc.