IMHO the "polish" gap is narrowing rapidly. I use Fedora with KDE4 for my primary personal desktop, and feel the latest release (12) was every bit as usable and "polished" as the Windows 7 beta I tested a few months back, perhaps more so in some ways. And if you factor in ease of installation and out-of-the-box utility, Fedora has beaten current versions of Windows hands-down for the last several releases. Please note: I haven't paid for a retail version of Windows in many, many moons, so I have no idea if the final version of 7 has more "polish" than the beta.
Perhaps it's the Slashdotters, not Slashdot itself, that should be providing the spell check. The number of otherwise smart people I see that haven't mastered spelling is simply astounding. Perhaps if we promoted teachers based on merit instead of seniority...
It is where I work, company policy is very invasive. For example, because I drive a company vehicle, I'm required to report any accidents or traffic violations in which I'm involved, including those which occur off-duty in my personal vehicle. Employees failing to disclose such incidents are subject to discipline, up to and including termination. There is no freedom when you work for the private sector.
I married my favorite geek 19 years ago, and here are a few of the things I've learned:
Be considerate.
Shut up and listen when she wants to talk.
Respect her opinion.
She's smarter than you are, get over it.
It's more important to be friends than lovers (sex is fun, but no foundation for a marriage).
Give her the remote before you fall asleep.
If she prefers Windows (or a Mac or a different Linux distro), let it go.
Very few things are important enough to argue with your spouse about.
Money is the biggest marital stressor, to avoid this, live well within your means.
Settle disagreements quickly.
Even geeky girls like tasteful jewelry.
Make time to take her out on a date at least once a week.
Don't be an insensitive clod.
Holy shit! $499 for a 1.5 meter network cable? Looks like Denon has managed to out-monster Monster. I wonder how many idiots have ponied up for this boondoggle?
Most contractors want to do the job right, but disputes can arise, especially when there are no written specifications. What were the terms of the contract, did it include cable specs? If you spell it out up front and the contractor provides the wrong material, installs it incorrectly, etc., they have to fix it or you don't have to pay because they failed to satisfy the terms of the contract. Wait, let me guess... you already paid them? Prior to acceptance? Wait, let me guess again... you didn't perform a formal acceptance? Well how stupid is that! Guess this one's on you.
Oh trust me, the OP was correct. I've been calling them "Interruptible Power Supply" for years. There isn't a UPS made that can even come close to the reliability of a DC system with multiple rectifiers, battery strings and distribution paths on a common bus. The Telecom industry has been the using this setup for a century, and it routinely exceeds five nines of reliability. I still don't understand why the data center world hasn't embraced this technology wholesale, given the nearly universal availability of switchmode DC/DC converters. The added complexities involved in inverters and paralleling of AC sources are the UPS systems' Achilles heel. A DC/DC system with batteries would mesh nicely with wind and/or solar generators for third-world applications.
Easy! Use Linux. Not only is antivirus not needed, but it's free (as in libre and beer)! Most distros can also do much more than draw BMP files and typer TXT files out of the box. For a typical SOHO user, additional software isn't required.
Jail is supposed to be punitive & reflective, not fun or interesting. There are plenty of worthwhile jobs in prison... laundry, cook, librarian, janitor, license plate stamper, etc.
The "give us your poor and downtrodden" doctrine was written at a time before the bleeding-heart liberal Democrats (thinly-disguised Socialists) handed out entitlements like candy. Immigrants were expected to become part of society and pull their weight by working, paying taxes, and participating in the community. Now, many (not all) take advantage of the available entitlements, bring their own society with them, and remain isolated. Many work "under the table", yet send their children to public schools, and expect favorable access to secondary education. They have learned how to "game the system", and our invertebrate politicians are too spineless to put an end to it. If we (the voters) continue to allow this behavior, within a century the USA will resemble a colder version of Central and South America, rather than the leading economic power it is today.
Enforcing the concept of mandatory homework is pointless and wasteful for some. Homework is for people who require practice and repetition. Speaking from experience, I learn primarily through observation, and I'm a quick study. After paying attention at lectures and reading the study text, I could usually skip the repetitive task of homework, and still score 98% or better on a chapter test, and 95% on the semester final. For me, homework was counterproductive, and squandered time could be better spent on something else; work, downtime, sleep. I often resented the repeitive learners that tended to slow down the pace of the class.
If you'd take the time to not only RTFA, but also NSI's response, perhaps you'd give their solution a chance. Speaking as someone who's been screwed out of a domain by front running, I like the idea of being able to go back a couple of days later to purchase a name I previously searched, instead of having to commit on the spot. In fact, I'm so pleased with the idea I might not shop elsewhere.
There's no guarantee the aliens, if SETI finds any, will be friendly. We could very well encounter a warlike, conquering species (think Klingon, Borg, or Goa'uld) and bring about the enslavement or complete eradication of our species. Look at the precedents - not all human social groups are friendly. History is littered with conquerors and madmen, as is the present day. Why should we presume space will be any different? At the very least, we should be wary.
When it comes down to a choice between Bush and Kerry, absolutely. The evil you know is often more tolerable than the one you don't. At least Bush is willing to make decisions and stick by them. It's unfortunate some of them turned out poorly, but I think the problems in the White House really stem from Cheney, Rove and Rumsfeld.
When I framed my previous comment, I was thinking more of Congress than the White House. Obstructionism has crippled our Legislature, allowing the Executive to run amok in some ways.
I don't vote blindly one way or the other. For example, I'll be moving to Pennsylvania soon. Faced with a choice between incumbent Republican Rick Santorum, a religious nut job who wants to intrude on my personal life by making my wife's birth control pills illegal and legislating away my right to die, and Bob Casey, a moderate Democrat who's one of the "handful of others" I wrote of earlier, I'll vote for Casey.
In our political system, you must be a party member to participate in the primaries, which shape the slate of candidates presented in the general election. I'm a fiscal conservative but a social moderate. I agree with some Liberterian views as well, but they're too fringe to consider joining. I mostly identify with traditional Republican ideals, so I've been registered that way for the last two decades. In the primaries, I tend to vote for moderates.
Republicans have abandoned fiscal conservatism. Some Democrats have embraced it recently, but I question their motives and sincerity. What I see from most Dems is poll-chasing and obstructionism. They want to be popular, yet still pander to their left-wing extremist base. They can't have it both ways.
"you can vote for people and hopefully get them into all sort of positions that will give his administration a tough time"
Independents generally don't troll Democratic. Your attitude is precisely why, even though I dislike where the Republican party is going (religious idiocy, hawkishness, inept foreign policy, restriction of domestic freedoms, prioritizing commercial interests above public interests, etc), I won't consider registering Democratic or voting for most Democrats. If the Democratic party would propose and deliver a coherent, workable agenda, instead of attempting to cripple our government through obstructionism and presenting themselves simply as the "we're not Bush" party, I'm sure there are a lot of Republican moderates like myself that would switch.
Embracing centrist views is the only way Democrats will garner enough votes to get elected in force. Bill and Hillary and a handul of others understand this, why don't the rest of you? I'm not pleased with where this country is going, but I simply don't see anyone offering viable alternatives.
So what you're saying is that because US citizens arguably have more freedom than the citizens of some other nations is good enough? I doubt the founding fathers would agree.
How does giving away free (as in beer) software to unskilled, disinterested Joe Sixpack types benefit the community? What can we reasonably expect them to contribute? When was the last time your Aunt Mabel filed a bug report?
At the end of TFA I found the following quote: "Installation by the user is easy..." Imagine that! An acknowledgement that linux installation is easy published in a major media outlet. Hopefully, this will encourage some folks to try linux. Installation of any OS may be beyond the "joe sixpack" crowd, but IMHO, most linux distros' installation routines now rival or exceed Windows' simplicity, and you don't have to type in a long, cryptic CD key;-)
Then you must have a slow connection. With HTTP and FTP, I often find that the server's bandwidth, not mine, is the limiting factor. Thus, it's generally faster for me to download ISOs using bittorrent, which connects to multiple sources, thoroughly saturating my bandwidth. I also like that Bittorrent ensures the data's integrity, so I never get a junk download.
Obviously, you haven't installed a current version of Linux, or used a current version of Knoppix. I run Fedora, CentOS and Kubuntu, and with all three, my desktop and laptop hardware "just works". Digikam recognizes both of my digital cameras when I connect them, unlike Windows, driver installation is not required. Same for my flatbed scanner and all the various USB storage devices, including my USB DVD burner. Speaking of DVDs, I recently installed Windows MCE 2005 for a friend, and would you believe, it won't play encrypted DVDs out of the box? She had to purchase a $20 codec! At least with Linux, all you do use yum or apt to install libdvdcss. I switched four years ago, and never looked back.
Slashdot Mirror
IMHO the "polish" gap is narrowing rapidly. I use Fedora with KDE4 for my primary personal desktop, and feel the latest release (12) was every bit as usable and "polished" as the Windows 7 beta I tested a few months back, perhaps more so in some ways. And if you factor in ease of installation and out-of-the-box utility, Fedora has beaten current versions of Windows hands-down for the last several releases. Please note: I haven't paid for a retail version of Windows in many, many moons, so I have no idea if the final version of 7 has more "polish" than the beta.
Guess he/she's not a karma whore...
Flushing is what the MUTE button is for!
The wireless service is provided by AT&T. Says so at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/features/
Perhaps it's the Slashdotters, not Slashdot itself, that should be providing the spell check. The number of otherwise smart people I see that haven't mastered spelling is simply astounding. Perhaps if we promoted teachers based on merit instead of seniority...
It is where I work, company policy is very invasive. For example, because I drive a company vehicle, I'm required to report any accidents or traffic violations in which I'm involved, including those which occur off-duty in my personal vehicle. Employees failing to disclose such incidents are subject to discipline, up to and including termination. There is no freedom when you work for the private sector.
I married my favorite geek 19 years ago, and here are a few of the things I've learned:
Be considerate.
Shut up and listen when she wants to talk.
Respect her opinion.
She's smarter than you are, get over it.
It's more important to be friends than lovers (sex is fun, but no foundation for a marriage).
Give her the remote before you fall asleep.
If she prefers Windows (or a Mac or a different Linux distro), let it go.
Very few things are important enough to argue with your spouse about.
Money is the biggest marital stressor, to avoid this, live well within your means.
Settle disagreements quickly.
Even geeky girls like tasteful jewelry.
Make time to take her out on a date at least once a week.
Don't be an insensitive clod.
Holy shit! $499 for a 1.5 meter network cable? Looks like Denon has managed to out-monster Monster. I wonder how many idiots have ponied up for this boondoggle?
Most contractors want to do the job right, but disputes can arise, especially when there are no written specifications. What were the terms of the contract, did it include cable specs? If you spell it out up front and the contractor provides the wrong material, installs it incorrectly, etc., they have to fix it or you don't have to pay because they failed to satisfy the terms of the contract. Wait, let me guess... you already paid them? Prior to acceptance? Wait, let me guess again... you didn't perform a formal acceptance? Well how stupid is that! Guess this one's on you.
Oh trust me, the OP was correct. I've been calling them "Interruptible Power Supply" for years. There isn't a UPS made that can even come close to the reliability of a DC system with multiple rectifiers, battery strings and distribution paths on a common bus. The Telecom industry has been the using this setup for a century, and it routinely exceeds five nines of reliability. I still don't understand why the data center world hasn't embraced this technology wholesale, given the nearly universal availability of switchmode DC/DC converters. The added complexities involved in inverters and paralleling of AC sources are the UPS systems' Achilles heel. A DC/DC system with batteries would mesh nicely with wind and/or solar generators for third-world applications.
Easy! Use Linux. Not only is antivirus not needed, but it's free (as in libre and beer)! Most distros can also do much more than draw BMP files and typer TXT files out of the box. For a typical SOHO user, additional software isn't required.
Jail is supposed to be punitive & reflective, not fun or interesting. There are plenty of worthwhile jobs in prison... laundry, cook, librarian, janitor, license plate stamper, etc.
The "give us your poor and downtrodden" doctrine was written at a time before the bleeding-heart liberal Democrats (thinly-disguised Socialists) handed out entitlements like candy. Immigrants were expected to become part of society and pull their weight by working, paying taxes, and participating in the community. Now, many (not all) take advantage of the available entitlements, bring their own society with them, and remain isolated. Many work "under the table", yet send their children to public schools, and expect favorable access to secondary education. They have learned how to "game the system", and our invertebrate politicians are too spineless to put an end to it. If we (the voters) continue to allow this behavior, within a century the USA will resemble a colder version of Central and South America, rather than the leading economic power it is today.
Enforcing the concept of mandatory homework is pointless and wasteful for some. Homework is for people who require practice and repetition. Speaking from experience, I learn primarily through observation, and I'm a quick study. After paying attention at lectures and reading the study text, I could usually skip the repetitive task of homework, and still score 98% or better on a chapter test, and 95% on the semester final. For me, homework was counterproductive, and squandered time could be better spent on something else; work, downtime, sleep. I often resented the repeitive learners that tended to slow down the pace of the class.
If you'd take the time to not only RTFA, but also NSI's response, perhaps you'd give their solution a chance. Speaking as someone who's been screwed out of a domain by front running, I like the idea of being able to go back a couple of days later to purchase a name I previously searched, instead of having to commit on the spot. In fact, I'm so pleased with the idea I might not shop elsewhere.
There's no guarantee the aliens, if SETI finds any, will be friendly. We could very well encounter a warlike, conquering species (think Klingon, Borg, or Goa'uld) and bring about the enslavement or complete eradication of our species. Look at the precedents - not all human social groups are friendly. History is littered with conquerors and madmen, as is the present day. Why should we presume space will be any different? At the very least, we should be wary.
Human nature.... who wants to be on the losing team?
When it comes down to a choice between Bush and Kerry, absolutely. The evil you know is often more tolerable than the one you don't. At least Bush is willing to make decisions and stick by them. It's unfortunate some of them turned out poorly, but I think the problems in the White House really stem from Cheney, Rove and Rumsfeld.
When I framed my previous comment, I was thinking more of Congress than the White House. Obstructionism has crippled our Legislature, allowing the Executive to run amok in some ways.
I don't vote blindly one way or the other. For example, I'll be moving to Pennsylvania soon. Faced with a choice between incumbent Republican Rick Santorum, a religious nut job who wants to intrude on my personal life by making my wife's birth control pills illegal and legislating away my right to die, and Bob Casey, a moderate Democrat who's one of the "handful of others" I wrote of earlier, I'll vote for Casey.
In our political system, you must be a party member to participate in the primaries, which shape the slate of candidates presented in the general election. I'm a fiscal conservative but a social moderate. I agree with some Liberterian views as well, but they're too fringe to consider joining. I mostly identify with traditional Republican ideals, so I've been registered that way for the last two decades. In the primaries, I tend to vote for moderates.
Republicans have abandoned fiscal conservatism. Some Democrats have embraced it recently, but I question their motives and sincerity. What I see from most Dems is poll-chasing and obstructionism. They want to be popular, yet still pander to their left-wing extremist base. They can't have it both ways.
"you can vote for people and hopefully get them into all sort of positions that will give his administration a tough time"
Independents generally don't troll Democratic. Your attitude is precisely why, even though I dislike where the Republican party is going (religious idiocy, hawkishness, inept foreign policy, restriction of domestic freedoms, prioritizing commercial interests above public interests, etc), I won't consider registering Democratic or voting for most Democrats. If the Democratic party would propose and deliver a coherent, workable agenda, instead of attempting to cripple our government through obstructionism and presenting themselves simply as the "we're not Bush" party, I'm sure there are a lot of Republican moderates like myself that would switch.
Embracing centrist views is the only way Democrats will garner enough votes to get elected in force. Bill and Hillary and a handul of others understand this, why don't the rest of you? I'm not pleased with where this country is going, but I simply don't see anyone offering viable alternatives.
So what you're saying is that because US citizens arguably have more freedom than the citizens of some other nations is good enough? I doubt the founding fathers would agree.
How does giving away free (as in beer) software to unskilled, disinterested Joe Sixpack types benefit the community? What can we reasonably expect them to contribute? When was the last time your Aunt Mabel filed a bug report?
At the end of TFA I found the following quote: "Installation by the user is easy..." Imagine that! An acknowledgement that linux installation is easy published in a major media outlet. Hopefully, this will encourage some folks to try linux. Installation of any OS may be beyond the "joe sixpack" crowd, but IMHO, most linux distros' installation routines now rival or exceed Windows' simplicity, and you don't have to type in a long, cryptic CD key ;-)
And kill the "slashdot effect"? Where's the fun in that?
Then you must have a slow connection. With HTTP and FTP, I often find that the server's bandwidth, not mine, is the limiting factor. Thus, it's generally faster for me to download ISOs using bittorrent, which connects to multiple sources, thoroughly saturating my bandwidth. I also like that Bittorrent ensures the data's integrity, so I never get a junk download.
Obviously, you haven't installed a current version of Linux, or used a current version of Knoppix. I run Fedora, CentOS and Kubuntu, and with all three, my desktop and laptop hardware "just works". Digikam recognizes both of my digital cameras when I connect them, unlike Windows, driver installation is not required. Same for my flatbed scanner and all the various USB storage devices, including my USB DVD burner. Speaking of DVDs, I recently installed Windows MCE 2005 for a friend, and would you believe, it won't play encrypted DVDs out of the box? She had to purchase a $20 codec! At least with Linux, all you do use yum or apt to install libdvdcss. I switched four years ago, and never looked back.