"Next time, wipe before you pull things out of your ass."
My point is very true I know many people now that have Macs that have more difficulty selling them then if they were PCs. This would seem to be apparent since the PC market dominates the Mac market by over 90% and usually higher demand means that it is easier to sell. Also notice how I said in most cases and not all.
Administering Linux is not that much more costly than administering Macs, both are very easy to setup and are very stable. I have a Windows XP computer here and a Linux one and I find them to be just as stable as a Mac(Windows XP needs some configuration first due to its default settings). Administering Windows would be the cheapest as that there is an abundance of Windows admins.
" Easy to support, easy to maintain, hard for kids to ruin by adding viruses and spyware. Who cares about market share, this is an educational institution."
Linux is no more difficult to support than a Mac, it is much more configurable and is completely free. Grade 6 users, which the laptops are for in the article, do not need to be installing software and with Linux most of them will not know how and they will not have permissions to do so anyways. Viruses also are not a concern with Linux and there still is spyware that can be installed on Linux or Macs if either one is not configured properly. The market share was an example of dominance of the PC market compared to the Macs that is all. Since your final argument was that this is is an educational institution maybe they should use an Operating system that is prevelant in the real world. For example Windows or Linux, Linux which seems to be developing and moving in on Windows. Macs are much more costly and due to the recent advancement in PCs in the last few years including software, and also the port of many Mac software products to the PC, Macs are really not neccessary unless you are doing graphic design, digital editing or in related fields. This is also coming into question as well as many studios in Hollywood any other places are starting to use Linux since it is Open Source and can make immediate changes to the code without waiting for support.
Anyways I guess it all a matter of preference but I prefer Linux and I don't like being locked into a very select few hardware suppliers when there are many very good third party peripherals for PCs.
"As a taxpayer however, I want the best return on my investment."
Then you should not go with Macs or Windows, you should go with Linux since it has all the features that would be neccessary for the students to use and is free. This also would allow them to lockdown and only install certain parts of the OS that would be neccessary for school work. I have also read studies similar to the one you use as an example that say the opposite about resell value. In many cases the users also have a harder time selling the Macs due to the fact that they are used by very few people. Apple is less than 10% of the OS market and this would also restrict them to be locked into a hardware deal with Apple(the PC market has many great third party peripherals while Apple has very few and is not going to get many more). Furthermore the majority of students have a Windows PC at home and may have difficulty in using things that they have created at home on the Mac. All in all, I would stay away from any Mac purchase, there is nothing that these students need a Mac for and there a quite a few reasons to stay away from it. Windows would probably be the best fit since it is so prevelant and this is probably what the students are used to, however I would prefer them to use Linux because it is more cost effective and can be configured to fit there specific needs much more than the other two. Remember that the students only need basic computer applications and that they are not going to be doing anything that is going to stretch the hardware or require a Mac, if your going to go away from what the users are used to you might as well go to the one that is more configurable and free.
"What would be your choice for middle school classrooms with minimal sys admin?"
I would have them using the Dell laptops with probably Redhat Linux. This is because it would be very cost effective for them and Redhat is an easy first step into the Linux world. The fees running a full Microsoft lab is getting to be two expensive and is not a neccesity. Everything that needs to be accomplished by these students is capable of running on Linux.
This is a great idea and another really good use of the web. Once it is the later stages of the project this really could lead to a lot of advancements in research in the areas that apply. Here are a few other links I found interesing on this topic:
"Great. Make sure you delete all those MP3s on your hard drive."
First of all I have very few mp3s on my hard drive, and in my post I should have been clearer that my problem was with the funding of such projects and people. In this case I feel I am right as I don't think that artists should receive these grants or any kind of special funding. To use this model to music I don't think that the artists there deserve to get an excessive amount of funding either. Most artists are not accomplishing anything that is truly important and this definately holds true in todays music industry. I feel that the grants and funding could be given to people that have more important work to do, ie. Medicine, research etc.. Furthermore with that said, if people want to purchase there work and support them that way, that is a different issue and one which I have no problem with.
"And ultimately, I think the point everyone who DIDN'T READ THE ARTICLE is missing is that this is a PRIVATE foundation giving these grants out. It's their money. If they want to give a grant for a blacksmith to study the expressiveness of metal, it's THEIR MONEY to give. If they wanted to give a grant to study the number of cats that walk by a given house in a year, same deal."
I believe I did read the article and you claiming that myself or others that are reading this haven't is obviously irrelevant. Most of the people that are reading this also did realize that this is a private foundation and that they are free to give there money to whomever they choose. However I am free to comment on it, as are the others who have, that I think that the money could be spent in better places.
Couldn't agree with you more. Putting money into art is a large mistake and eventual waste of that money. There are many areas of research that actually acomplish something that are substantially under funded or that would benefit from this money. Art has never saved anyones life or accomplished anything of any worth for that matter. And to the other poster that said art was popular among non-geeks, I have to argue that most people do not care in the slightest about art and this is shown as there are fewer and fewer worthy museums every year and the large ones mostly have to have funding by the government or external sources as they are not attracting enough people to even support there own costs. I have never heard art classified as popular among non-geeks. Most art exhibits/ exhibitions don't even attract as many people as your average high school football game in the US. I'm not saying that artists should stop doing what they are doing however what there doing for the majority of them is a hobby and should be considered as nothing more and definately does not deserver to be in the ranks of the other professions or accomplishments mentioned.
Its good to see another company steeping up and trying to protect people from the RIAA. The more companies that do this the better, this issue is getting a lot of attention and with more companies fighting back the attention will continue to grow. No matter what, when this is in the news the RIAA continues to look terrible and creates more and more enemies. Many of the people that they are suiing are parents of children who have done the downloading and this really upsets and hits home for many American households. When this started off it was just mainly people interested in legal matters and people that are interested in computers that were following the story. As it continues it has really started to affect the average person as the lawsuits are so prevelant and directed at anyone. There are also many political groups now who are trying to step in and fight the RIAA. In my opinion all the companies fighting the RIAA and all the negative press against them is another step forward. I think that the current buisness model that they are using is going to have to change or those that can change it will step up and do so. Many people around the world have been brought up in an era of downloading music and will never purchase there cds at there current prices again. What happens to the RIAA if they stop the downloaders(which they never will) and no one goes back to purchasing there cds. Making this many enemies is never a good thing for an association that relies on purchases from the people that they have upset.
"I know you were hoping for help in justifying the, expensive, mistake you made. Should have bought a PowerBook. "
Wrong. You made the right choice, I have a laptop with similar specs to the user in the other post and it would rock your PowerBook. First of all your 2 seconds that it takes to boot is how long it takes to bring it out of standby mode which Windows XP and most Linux distros can also do just as fast. I have used Linux and Windows XP extensively and do not get blue screens or have any problems with the OS and unlike what all Mac users say I do not have to reboot often. A properly configured Linux computer can easily stay on just as long as a properly configured Mac. Furthermore if you want to enjoy the majority of games and applications you need a PC and not Mac. I only see Macs as being superior if you are a high end graphics artist or film editor and that is purely because it is faster at crunching these numbers. But with all the disadvantages that come with a Mac and that most people are only shaving milliseconds or seconds off a render, as long as you are comparing it with a new high end PC, most people would prefer a PC computer. This is clearly shown as Apple amounts for less than 10% of the Operating System market. Also being locked into there hardware sucks, there are many very good quality and 3rd party peripheral maker for PCs and this will never happen for Apple.
"My sister hasn't turned off her iMac in months. My iBook is always on and instantly wakes from sleep. You don't reboot a Mac nearly as often as you would a PC."
That depends on what OS you are using on the PC, I run Linux and very rarely need to reboot and it has no problem waking up from the sleep mode(its called Lock Screen in Gnome).
They may want to make there OS as stable as Apple or Linux before they try to advertise it all over the place in television shows. On numerous occassions I have seen M$ computers on TV at there trademark blue screen. This has happened on several shows including Howard Stern and CNN. I have also seen this on electronic billboards. M$ obviously needs to take a break from there marketing tactics and get back to programming, this is obvious as there is a constant threat of new vulnerabilities in there software due to the poorly laid out architecture.
I am in the exact same situation where I only use Windows to play my games. If I could play my games under Linux I would, however there are only several Linux games and those are not the games I have. I have looked into other ways to play my games under Linux however due to performance constraints I have to use Windows to play the newer games. Many people suggest Wine or Wine X however they don't run with all games and you will notice that some features in the games do not work properly. Unfortunately for the time being it seems like we are going to have to boot to Windows to play most games. Definately an unfortunate situation.
I have also found this with MPlayer, that it seems to do more work then neccessary. I have ripped a couple of my purchased dvds and they seem to drop frames when using MPlayer, however I have tried them using Xine, Divx Player 5.0, Windows Media Player and Quicktime with the 3ivx plugin and they don't drop the frames.
I haven't played around with MPlayer that much so maybe its something that I can change in the configuration. Currently I am looking for the best movie player for Linux. I am currently using Xine and am quite happy with that however I have noticed a few issues, does anyone have any reasons that another movie player is better for linux. I tried MPlayer on my Linux OS a little while ago and it was dropping some frames. The computer is not that fast however using Xine the movies usually play quite well. All suggestions will be appreciated.
"Thankfully, though, Lightwave has a neat little SDK. So somebody could write a plugin that says "first render this model in this pose here, then move the model over to where the second guy is supposed to be and render it over there, rinse and repeat...". I think it's called instancing. Instead of having 1,000 monsters in RAM, you just have one."
Yes the feature you are talking about is called instancing I believe. Seems to be a really useful took to have availalble to you. Here is a link that I found interesting on the subject.
"Seems to me, all the RIAA has done thus far is made itself look like the big, bad, wolf to the non-geek person."
The RIAA definately have made themselves out to be the bad guy here and have been publicly made a mochery of. However the one thing that I don't see happening is that the majority of people out there are going to be concerned enough to stop purchasing music by them or affiliates of them. Unfortunately most people I talk to about this don't pay much attention to the news relating to this and definately are not wanting to boycott the RIAA. Music sales may be a little lower lately but not that much that they have to be extremely worried. They are pursuing these lawsuits out of greed and the only thing that may change this is if they have a large decline in cd sales, which as of so far is yet to be seen. If they start to have a boycott/revolt within the mainstream population against them then they will have no choice but to change there buisness plan and rethink the idea of lawsuits being the best way to correct there current situation.
"They told me that the wireless gear wouldn't talk to the modem, they told me that my Debian workstation wouldn't be supported, they told me that the BOC wouldn't talk to me, they told me that I needed training, they told me that it wasn't done and it wouldn't work, they told me that I'd void my warranty, they told me so many stories..'"
Of course they are not going to help you develop any kind of system like the one that this guy has made. Most ISPs are not going to have enough time to work with people that are going to take there internet connection a little overboard, somewhat like this. If they were going to spend time like this on everyone that wanted to do something like this they would be flooded with calls and it would be unaffordable, as they do not got extra funding for a huge increase in support calls. Most of the ISPs in my area don't even support *nix at all.
From a diffent perspective though great job to the guy for making this it is a very impressive accomplishment and I would feel pretty stupid if I was the guy now telling him that he needed training. I would love to get something like this going for myself so I could travel more and always communicate really easily with work. If this system was made more practical it would be put to use by many people. There do seem to be other implementations of this, some mentioned in the full article, however they all seem to be very expensive.
Learning to market ourselves would definately help the bottom line for all the geeks around the world. We could all ban together to form an empire like no other. Would it be good, now thats an answer I just can't give you.
No problem I have similar negative reactions to posts all the time. And in terms of the US and Canada I love both countries I just feel as if we are both being led in the wrong direction by our leaders. Thanks for the response, cheers.
"first of all, you seem to have a gripe with the people who are running the United States."
I definately do not agree with many of the policies that the current administration of the United States hold, however I was mainly pointing out your blaming my country and Australia for the current situation in this industry. In your original post you did call Canada and Australia a bum fuck place.
"Don't you recall hearing something of the America's 2000 election fiasco?"
I do recall this very well however in the end he is still your current president and the person that leads your country into the world, at least for the moment.
"You evidently have not worked in film. Producers don't give a damn to story in comparison to the bottom line."
I do not work in film however I know people that do and they definately do search for location on more than cost alone. Serving the plot always has to be important as if the movie is not accurate to how it should be portrayed it most likely will not sell as well as they want, if this was not true they can definately find cheaper places than Canada and Australia to go and file a movie. Cost is a large factor of course as they want to cut costs to increase there bottomline but it is not the only one.
"It's the art departments job to make the locale look the part." This is true but it is within reason so the locale does make in essence some difference. Especially in some of the new films today where they build large life like models of parts of the movie world, an example of this would be both the Lord of the Rings films.
"Funny, I never knew that the government ran the entertainment industry."
The point I was making was one about the greed of the actors and actresses, them being paid such large amounts of money does in the end hurt the people on the set thats making minimum wage. And I was not saying that this is only true in the United States, this is something that happens all over the world.
"And I agree with you in regards to our own companies selling us out. Listen - I don't like the free market system. I never said I did. I don't like our manufacturing jobs being shipped out to other countries. Especially to places in China where sweatshops have become an artform. But i'm not running this country. Big business currently is doing it, and I have to live with the results of it."
I agree with you here.
"I suggest you stop believing your own predjudices about Americans, and start actually meeting them. Your post seems to hijack the topic at hand in an attempt to espouse your views of my people and country. Fine. That's your right. But if you took to the time to take your head out of your backside, you'd realize that you and I probably share a lot of views. But its so damn fun kick an American. Isn't it?"
What prejudices about the Americans exactly are you talking about. I pointed out that some of you, not all(not even the majority) are quick to point the blame(blaming Canada and Australia for movies being shot elsewhere), to other countries when the system you are working with seems currently to be the problem. I was also not saying that our system is showing to be superior because I think it is clear we all are dealing with many of the same problems especially the United States and Canada.
"But if you took to the time to take your head out of your backside, you'd realize that you and I probably share a lot of views."
Never said we didn't share views I just don't agree with you on this one. I don't believe like you do that other countries such as Canada and Australia are resposible for why movie producers are deciding to shoot films in other countries. I also disagree on your original point about how Canada and Australia are "bum fuck places".
Have you ever been to a math class before? No, its not minimum wage its about $4.16 an hour. However if your going to do this I doubt your really in it for the money.
Interestingly enough the RIAA has filed a lawsuit against the student for copyright infringment as they think that the Bongos sounded a little to familar to another song that they believe they have the copyright for. They also are lead to believe that the user has not bought this cd and is holding other copyrighted mp3s on his computer in which they have already scanned completely and are holding all evidence in secret until his official military tribunal. SCO also has filed a lawsuit against him as they claim that he is also using a version of Linux that has some of there Legacy Unix code in it. Since finding out that this user was not using an M$ product, Microsoft has been pushing the defense department to move on this individual as they feel that he is a threat to national security and as the story winds down he is now being held in Guantanamo Bay as an enemy combatant awaiting military tribunal for connection to worldwide terrorism.
That interview proves that spammers are the lowest form of humans in the Universe. I consider them on the same level as that guy from the pop tarts commercial with the slogan "Baaaaaammmmmmmmmmm". Just saw that commercial damn I hate that one, if pop tarts ever got into spam I don't know what I would do.
Thats definately a good one that most current software probably wouldn't get however, having everyone figure out these combinations that the current spammers haven't figured out is not the best way to go about resolving the problem.
"I can tell you that piracy isn't so much hurting the trade"
Why can you tell us that, I know lots of people that don't go to the movies or rent movies as frequently due to the fact they can download it very quickly and easily. Seems like the MPAA also share this thought since they have done research on this and if it wasn't a problem they really would have no need to waste millions of there dollars on dealing with it.
"as is shooting gigs in Canada, Austrailia, and other bum fuck places where they get their crew for peanuts."
Funny both places that you mentioned have less poverty, and a higher minimum wage rate. The cost of the crew in Canada would possibly be cheaper currently only because of the exchange rate however the cost of the crew is not the cost that is eating away at there enormous budget. The reason they leave your country is due to the taxation and the cost of permits that they need to acquire from YOUR goverment in order to make there movies.
Furthermore , don't blame other countries for the fact that most actors and actresses used in these movies(mostly Americans), have over priced themselves so much that in order for the studios to afford to make the movie, with a large name actor or actresses, they have to find other ways to cut costs. You can pay actors, actresses and athletes ridiculous amounts of money however you can't provide health care, employment and a place to live for so many of your own people.
Also many dominant movie companies, most which are also American, are only concerned with there own selfish interest and the outcome of the movie and are not as concerned about the people in the United States who missed out on a camera man job. Most of these people are also from the United States so it is there own country that they are turning there back on, not the fault of Canada or Australia. Many movies are shot in other places in the world as they take place in other places in the world and it would better serve to advance the plot of the movie. The United States is also so highly dense with population that they cannot always just shoot a movie anywhere as they are effecting too many other people, moving to other countries is often very practical and the only way that the movie is going to be created as the director and producer would like.
"That's the main threat for American cinema workers.Not Kazaa"
Wrong again, the main threat for American cinema workers is currently the cost of your actors and the government in which you voted in. I love the United States and visit quite often but so many of you are quick to point the finger at someone else for your own internal problems and laziness(the only country in the world that you can possibly sue McDonalds because it is making you fat). Also why do you fell like you should not have to compete with the rest of the world. We are living in a free market system if you can not keep companies in your country then you must be doing something wrong and maybe you should look at that internally. You seem to love the free market system when you are on top of it, however seem to fear competition like no other.
Anyways, thanks for coming out and trying to post something intelligent maybe next time you will get it somewhat near the truth.
Slashdot Mirror
"Next time, wipe before you pull things out of your ass."
My point is very true I know many people now that have Macs that have more difficulty selling them then if they were PCs. This would seem to be apparent since the PC market dominates the Mac market by over 90% and usually higher demand means that it is easier to sell. Also notice how I said in most cases and not all.
Administering Linux is not that much more costly than administering Macs, both are very easy to setup and are very stable. I have a Windows XP computer here and a Linux one and I find them to be just as stable as a Mac(Windows XP needs some configuration first due to its default settings). Administering Windows would be the cheapest as that there is an abundance of Windows admins.
" Easy to support, easy to maintain, hard for kids to ruin by adding viruses and spyware. Who cares about market share, this is an educational institution."
Linux is no more difficult to support than a Mac, it is much more configurable and is completely free. Grade 6 users, which the laptops are for in the article, do not need to be installing software and with Linux most of them will not know how and they will not have permissions to do so anyways. Viruses also are not a concern with Linux and there still is spyware that can be installed on Linux or Macs if either one is not configured properly. The market share was an example of dominance of the PC market compared to the Macs that is all. Since your final argument was that this is is an educational institution maybe they should use an Operating system that is prevelant in the real world. For example Windows or Linux, Linux which seems to be developing and moving in on Windows. Macs are much more costly and due to the recent advancement in PCs in the last few years including software, and also the port of many Mac software products to the PC, Macs are really not neccessary unless you are doing graphic design, digital editing or in related fields. This is also coming into question as well as many studios in Hollywood any other places are starting to use Linux since it is Open Source and can make immediate changes to the code without waiting for support.
Anyways I guess it all a matter of preference but I prefer Linux and I don't like being locked into a very select few hardware suppliers when there are many very good third party peripherals for PCs.
"As a taxpayer however, I want the best return on my investment."
Then you should not go with Macs or Windows, you should go with Linux since it has all the features that would be neccessary for the students to use and is free. This also would allow them to lockdown and only install certain parts of the OS that would be neccessary for school work. I have also read studies similar to the one you use as an example that say the opposite about resell value. In many cases the users also have a harder time selling the Macs due to the fact that they are used by very few people. Apple is less than 10% of the OS market and this would also restrict them to be locked into a hardware deal with Apple(the PC market has many great third party peripherals while Apple has very few and is not going to get many more). Furthermore the majority of students have a Windows PC at home and may have difficulty in using things that they have created at home on the Mac.
All in all, I would stay away from any Mac purchase, there is nothing that these students need a Mac for and there a quite a few reasons to stay away from it. Windows would probably be the best fit since it is so prevelant and this is probably what the students are used to, however I would prefer them to use Linux because it is more cost effective and can be configured to fit there specific needs much more than the other two. Remember that the students only need basic computer applications and that they are not going to be doing anything that is going to stretch the hardware or require a Mac, if your going to go away from what the users are used to you might as well go to the one that is more configurable and free.
"What would be your choice for middle school classrooms with minimal sys admin?"
I would have them using the Dell laptops with probably Redhat Linux. This is because it would be very cost effective for them and Redhat is an easy first step into the Linux world. The fees running a full Microsoft lab is getting to be two expensive and is not a neccesity. Everything that needs to be accomplished by these students is capable of running on Linux.
"Great. Make sure you delete all those MP3s on your hard drive."
First of all I have very few mp3s on my hard drive, and in my post I should have been clearer that my problem was with the funding of such projects and people. In this case I feel I am right as I don't think that artists should receive these grants or any kind of special funding. To use this model to music I don't think that the artists there deserve to get an excessive amount of funding either. Most artists are not accomplishing anything that is truly important and this definately holds true in todays music industry. I feel that the grants and funding could be given to people that have more important work to do, ie. Medicine, research etc.. Furthermore with that said, if people want to purchase there work and support them that way, that is a different issue and one which I have no problem with.
"And ultimately, I think the point everyone who DIDN'T READ THE ARTICLE is missing is that this is a PRIVATE foundation giving these grants out. It's their money. If they want to give a grant for a blacksmith to study the expressiveness of metal, it's THEIR MONEY to give. If they wanted to give a grant to study the number of cats that walk by a given house in a year, same deal."
I believe I did read the article and you claiming that myself or others that are reading this haven't is obviously irrelevant. Most of the people that are reading this also did realize that this is a private foundation and that they are free to give there money to whomever they choose. However I am free to comment on it, as are the others who have, that I think that the money could be spent in better places.
Couldn't agree with you more. Putting money into art is a large mistake and eventual waste of that money. There are many areas of research that actually acomplish something that are substantially under funded or that would benefit from this money. Art has never saved anyones life or accomplished anything of any worth for that matter. And to the other poster that said art was popular among non-geeks, I have to argue that most people do not care in the slightest about art and this is shown as there are fewer and fewer worthy museums every year and the large ones mostly have to have funding by the government or external sources as they are not attracting enough people to even support there own costs. I have never heard art classified as popular among non-geeks. Most art exhibits/ exhibitions don't even attract as many people as your average high school football game in the US. I'm not saying that artists should stop doing what they are doing however what there doing for the majority of them is a hobby and should be considered as nothing more and definately does not deserver to be in the ranks of the other professions or accomplishments mentioned.
Its good to see another company steeping up and trying to protect people from the RIAA. The more companies that do this the better, this issue is getting a lot of attention and with more companies fighting back the attention will continue to grow. No matter what, when this is in the news the RIAA continues to look terrible and creates more and more enemies. Many of the people that they are suiing are parents of children who have done the downloading and this really upsets and hits home for many American households. When this started off it was just mainly people interested in legal matters and people that are interested in computers that were following the story. As it continues it has really started to affect the average person as the lawsuits are so prevelant and directed at anyone. There are also many political groups now who are trying to step in and fight the RIAA. In my opinion all the companies fighting the RIAA and all the negative press against them is another step forward. I think that the current buisness model that they are using is going to have to change or those that can change it will step up and do so. Many people around the world have been brought up in an era of downloading music and will never purchase there cds at there current prices again. What happens to the RIAA if they stop the downloaders(which they never will) and no one goes back to purchasing there cds.
Making this many enemies is never a good thing for an association that relies on purchases from the people that they have upset.
"I know you were hoping for help in justifying the, expensive, mistake you made. Should have bought a PowerBook. "
Wrong. You made the right choice, I have a laptop with similar specs to the user in the other post and it would rock your PowerBook. First of all your 2 seconds that it takes to boot is how long it takes to bring it out of standby mode which Windows XP and most Linux distros can also do just as fast. I have used Linux and Windows XP extensively and do not get blue screens or have any problems with the OS and unlike what all Mac users say I do not have to reboot often. A properly configured Linux computer can easily stay on just as long as a properly configured Mac. Furthermore if you want to enjoy the majority of games and applications you need a PC and not Mac. I only see Macs as being superior if you are a high end graphics artist or film editor and that is purely because it is faster at crunching these numbers. But with all the disadvantages that come with a Mac and that most people are only shaving milliseconds or seconds off a render, as long as you are comparing it with a new high end PC, most people would prefer a PC computer. This is clearly shown as Apple amounts for less than 10% of the Operating System market. Also being locked into there hardware sucks, there are many very good quality and 3rd party peripheral maker for PCs and this will never happen for Apple.
"My sister hasn't turned off her iMac in months. My iBook is always on and instantly wakes from sleep. You don't reboot a Mac nearly as often as you would a PC."
That depends on what OS you are using on the PC, I run Linux and very rarely need to reboot and it has no problem waking up from the sleep mode(its called Lock Screen in Gnome).
They may want to make there OS as stable as Apple or Linux before they try to advertise it all over the place in television shows. On numerous occassions I have seen M$ computers on TV at there trademark blue screen. This has happened on several shows including Howard Stern and CNN. I have also seen this on electronic billboards. M$ obviously needs to take a break from there marketing tactics and get back to programming, this is obvious as there is a constant threat of new vulnerabilities in there software due to the poorly laid out architecture.
I am in the exact same situation where I only use Windows to play my games. If I could play my games under Linux I would, however there are only several Linux games and those are not the games I have. I have looked into other ways to play my games under Linux however due to performance constraints I have to use Windows to play the newer games. Many people suggest Wine or Wine X however they don't run with all games and you will notice that some features in the games do not work properly. Unfortunately for the time being it seems like we are going to have to boot to Windows to play most games. Definately an unfortunate situation.
I have also found this with MPlayer, that it seems to do more work then neccessary. I have ripped a couple of my purchased dvds and they seem to drop frames when using MPlayer, however I have tried them using Xine, Divx Player 5.0, Windows Media Player and Quicktime with the 3ivx plugin and they don't drop the frames.
I haven't played around with MPlayer that much so maybe its something that I can change in the configuration. Currently I am looking for the best movie player for Linux. I am currently using Xine and am quite happy with that however I have noticed a few issues, does anyone have any reasons that another movie player is better for linux. I tried MPlayer on my Linux OS a little while ago and it was dropping some frames. The computer is not that fast however using Xine the movies usually play quite well. All suggestions will be appreciated.
Yes the feature you are talking about is called instancing I believe. Seems to be a really useful took to have availalble to you. Here is a link that I found interesting on the subject.
"Seems to me, all the RIAA has done thus far is made itself look like the big, bad, wolf to the non-geek person."
The RIAA definately have made themselves out to be the bad guy here and have been publicly made a mochery of. However the one thing that I don't see happening is that the majority of people out there are going to be concerned enough to stop purchasing music by them or affiliates of them. Unfortunately most people I talk to about this don't pay much attention to the news relating to this and definately are not wanting to boycott the RIAA. Music sales may be a little lower lately but not that much that they have to be extremely worried. They are pursuing these lawsuits out of greed and the only thing that may change this is if they have a large decline in cd sales, which as of so far is yet to be seen. If they start to have a boycott/revolt within the mainstream population against them then they will have no choice but to change there buisness plan and rethink the idea of lawsuits being the best way to correct there current situation.
"They told me that the wireless gear wouldn't talk to the modem, they told me that my Debian workstation wouldn't be supported, they told me that the BOC wouldn't talk to me, they told me that I needed training, they told me that it wasn't done and it wouldn't work, they told me that I'd void my warranty, they told me so many stories..'"
Of course they are not going to help you develop any kind of system like the one that this guy has made. Most ISPs are not going to have enough time to work with people that are going to take there internet connection a little overboard, somewhat like this. If they were going to spend time like this on everyone that wanted to do something like this they would be flooded with calls and it would be unaffordable, as they do not got extra funding for a huge increase in support calls. Most of the ISPs in my area don't even support *nix at all.
From a diffent perspective though great job to the guy for making this it is a very impressive accomplishment and I would feel pretty stupid if I was the guy now telling him that he needed training. I would love to get something like this going for myself so I could travel more and always communicate really easily with work. If this system was made more practical it would be put to use by many people. There do seem to be other implementations of this, some mentioned in the full article, however they all seem to be very expensive.
"Does anyone know of a marketing-for-geeks HOWTO file anywhere?"
Its not a file but its a small web site but here it is. Marketing For Geeks
Learning to market ourselves would definately help the bottom line for all the geeks around the world. We could all ban together to form an empire like no other. Would it be good, now thats an answer I just can't give you.
No problem I have similar negative reactions to posts all the time. And in terms of the US and Canada I love both countries I just feel as if we are both being led in the wrong direction by our leaders. Thanks for the response, cheers.
You asked thought I would help you out. By the way that post was not off topic it was answering your question perfectly.
Heres your original post: "Man $100 for 24 hrs of work? Is that even minimum wage?"
And in my post you see: "No, its not minimum wage its about $4.16 an hour."
If your gonna ask a question do you not want the answer?
"first of all, you seem to have a gripe with the people who are running the United States."
I definately do not agree with many of the policies that the current administration of the United States hold, however I was mainly pointing out your blaming my country and Australia for the current situation in this industry. In your original post you did call Canada and Australia a bum fuck place.
"Don't you recall hearing something of the America's 2000 election fiasco?"
I do recall this very well however in the end he is still your current president and the person that leads your country into the world, at least for the moment.
"You evidently have not worked in film. Producers don't give a damn to story in comparison to the bottom line."
I do not work in film however I know people that do and they definately do search for location on more than cost alone. Serving the plot always has to be important as if the movie is not accurate to how it should be portrayed it most likely will not sell as well as they want, if this was not true they can definately find cheaper places than Canada and Australia to go and file a movie. Cost is a large factor of course as they want to cut costs to increase there bottomline but it is not the only one.
"It's the art departments job to make the locale look the part." This is true but it is within reason so the locale does make in essence some difference. Especially in some of the new films today where they build large life like models of parts of the movie world, an example of this would be both the Lord of the Rings films.
"Funny, I never knew that the government ran the entertainment industry."
The point I was making was one about the greed of the actors and actresses, them being paid such large amounts of money does in the end hurt the people on the set thats making minimum wage. And I was not saying that this is only true in the United States, this is something that happens all over the world. "And I agree with you in regards to our own companies selling us out. Listen - I don't like the free market system. I never said I did. I don't like our manufacturing jobs being shipped out to other countries. Especially to places in China where sweatshops have become an artform. But i'm not running this country. Big business currently is doing it, and I have to live with the results of it."
I agree with you here.
"I suggest you stop believing your own predjudices about Americans, and start actually meeting them. Your post seems to hijack the topic at hand in an attempt to espouse your views of my people and country. Fine. That's your right. But if you took to the time to take your head out of your backside, you'd realize that you and I probably share a lot of views. But its so damn fun kick an American. Isn't it?"
What prejudices about the Americans exactly are you talking about. I pointed out that some of you, not all(not even the majority) are quick to point the blame(blaming Canada and Australia for movies being shot elsewhere), to other countries when the system you are working with seems currently to be the problem. I was also not saying that our system is showing to be superior because I think it is clear we all are dealing with many of the same problems especially the United States and Canada.
"But if you took to the time to take your head out of your backside, you'd realize that you and I probably share a lot of views."
Never said we didn't share views I just don't agree with you on this one. I don't believe like you do that other countries such as Canada and Australia are resposible for why movie producers are deciding to shoot films in other countries. I also disagree on your original point about how Canada and Australia are "bum fuck places".
That was truly mind bending. I don't know where that came from but its pretty funny.
"Is that even minimum wage?"
Have you ever been to a math class before?
No, its not minimum wage its about $4.16 an hour. However if your going to do this I doubt your really in it for the money.
Interestingly enough the RIAA has filed a lawsuit against the student for copyright infringment as they think that the Bongos sounded a little to familar to another song that they believe they have the copyright for. They also are lead to believe that the user has not bought this cd and is holding other copyrighted mp3s on his computer in which they have already scanned completely and are holding all evidence in secret until his official military tribunal. SCO also has filed a lawsuit against him as they claim that he is also using a version of Linux that has some of there Legacy Unix code in it. Since finding out that this user was not using an M$ product, Microsoft has been pushing the defense department to move on this individual as they feel that he is a threat to national security and as the story winds down he is now being held in Guantanamo Bay as an enemy combatant awaiting military tribunal for connection to worldwide terrorism.
That interview proves that spammers are the lowest form of humans in the Universe. I consider them on the same level as that guy from the pop tarts commercial with the slogan "Baaaaaammmmmmmmmmm". Just saw that commercial damn I hate that one, if pop tarts ever got into spam I don't know what I would do.
Thats definately a good one that most current software probably wouldn't get however, having everyone figure out these combinations that the current spammers haven't figured out is not the best way to go about resolving the problem.
"I can tell you that piracy isn't so much hurting the trade"
Why can you tell us that, I know lots of people that don't go to the movies or rent movies as frequently due to the fact they can download it very quickly and easily. Seems like the MPAA also share this thought since they have done research on this and if it wasn't a problem they really would have no need to waste millions of there dollars on dealing with it.
"as is shooting gigs in Canada, Austrailia, and other bum fuck places where they get their crew for peanuts."
Funny both places that you mentioned have less poverty, and a higher minimum wage rate. The cost of the crew in Canada would possibly be cheaper currently only because of the exchange rate however the cost of the crew is not the cost that is eating away at there enormous budget. The reason they leave your country is due to the taxation and the cost of permits that they need to acquire from YOUR goverment in order to make there movies.
Furthermore , don't blame other countries for the fact that most actors and actresses used in these movies(mostly Americans), have over priced themselves so much that in order for the studios to afford to make the movie, with a large name actor or actresses, they have to find other ways to cut costs. You can pay actors, actresses and athletes ridiculous amounts of money however you can't provide health care, employment and a place to live for so many of your own people.
Also many dominant movie companies, most which are also American, are only concerned with there own selfish interest and the outcome of the movie and are not as concerned about the people in the United States who missed out on a camera man job. Most of these people are also from the United States so it is there own country that they are turning there back on, not the fault of Canada or Australia. Many movies are shot in other places in the world as they take place in other places in the world and it would better serve to advance the plot of the movie. The United States is also so highly dense with population that they cannot always just shoot a movie anywhere as they are effecting too many other people, moving to other countries is often very practical and the only way that the movie is going to be created as the director and producer would like.
"That's the main threat for American cinema workers.Not Kazaa"
Wrong again, the main threat for American cinema workers is currently the cost of your actors and the government in which you voted in. I love the United States and visit quite often but so many of you are quick to point the finger at someone else for your own internal problems and laziness(the only country in the world that you can possibly sue McDonalds because it is making you fat). Also why do you fell like you should not have to compete with the rest of the world. We are living in a free market system if you can not keep companies in your country then you must be doing something wrong and maybe you should look at that internally. You seem to love the free market system when you are on top of it, however seem to fear competition like no other.
Anyways, thanks for coming out and trying to post something intelligent maybe next time you will get it somewhat near the truth.