Come on. The impact slashdot posters have on the future of open source is minimal. As long as open source is useful it will not "go down the tubes". If a little bit of flaming is all it takes to kill a movement, then the movement probably deserves to die.
Contact was a poorly made mainstream film
on
EDtv
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· Score: 2
Contact is about as subtle as a sledgehammer and too interested in sending a "message" to the viewer instead of telling an interesting story.
How could you not wince when Foster's character left the inquiry at the end of the movie to find a new group of zealots screaming at her? Wow, that's like, really deep, dude. Like, she was with that priest dude? And like she didn't believe in God and stuff? And now nobody belives in her alien story. Like wow, man... that's like sooooo ironic, dude.
This movie had potential but it was FAR too heavyhanded. Too long, too self-indulgent... as an example, it included Zemeckis using a speech of Clinton's because he could, not because it served the movie. Zemeckis must have been so happy when Clinton gave his "life on Mars" speech. "Wow! I can use this!"
It was also funny how they got a Tyrell (from Blade Runner) lookalike to play the multi-billionaire with access to Mir. The only original character in this movie was Foster's and she wasn't very interesting.
Okay, time to end the disjointed rant. I hated Contact. Sure, the opening shot was great. But if the other 150 minutes of the movie suck, I think the movie as a whole sucks. Call me crazy.
It's probably easier for him to find the bugs with thousands of people banging on the system. Also easier to find out what people would prefer, because they can comment on the proceedings. I think it's better than having him test a system, iron out all the bugs, then move it live only to find that the average slashdotter hates the system.
I've found slashdot to be perfectly useable while he's been toying with the features, anyway. And it's kind of cool to see the site change as per Rob's whim. It's not like any of us has money invested in the site, so who cares if it's a little buggy? We get to be involved in the evolution of the comment system! I think it's worth it...
Hyperbole...we are entitled to criticize.
on
Assorted Katz Hype
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· Score: 1
No one is getting burnt at the stake here. Jon Katz willingly puts his name on poorly written articles (which are either book promos or rehashes of articles previously posted on newstrolls) and welcomes feedback. It should be expected that he will be criticized. Katz is a big boy -- he can take it.
Things would get pretty boring around here if all the comments praised what was written. It's healthier (and more interesting) if folks on both sides offer their opinions.
Assign each moderator an arbitrary number, then display the appropriate number(s) in the header of a moderated article. Then the slashdot readers can ferret out the moderators who are biased for or against certain posters. And, like you say, it would make it easier to report abuse.
Additionally you could have a separate page tracking all the moderators by number with all sorts of fun stats. Find out which moderators are more active than others, which are slackers, which prefer certain articles, etc. At the very least it would prove an interesting diversion.
The only downside I can see are the number flames that would undoubtedly ensue. "Fsck you, 319! Who the hell do you think you are???" Actually, maybe that would be amusing. For sophomoric folks like me, anyway.
This is pretty funny. When people flame Katz for being a bad writer, everyone gets real upset. But when Katz himself flames one of the easiest targets in the world for being a bad writer, he's the man.
I wonder if the same folks who have been defending Katz during the flame wars are going to stick up for Gates <smirk>
If you don't like Gates, don't read the book. That's the logic you folks use, right?
Personality of the author dictates usage?
on
Feature:Free Linux
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· Score: 1
Before I use software, I research the author(s) to see if my personality meshes with his/hers/theirs. If it doesn't, I have to use something else -- no matter how good the sofware is.
That's just the way I am. Idealism for the sake of idealism. Peace, my brothers.
When it comes to this particular flame, you're right. I just think the folks who flame flamers are kind of wasting their time - but when I mock the flamers who flame the flamers I'm wasting *my* time, too.
Oh well.
I'm sure the Katz flames will continue despite the new filtering features. A certain % of people seem to enjoy it...so they will always read and always complain. Probably best to ignore them.
Why bother even putting the time in to BITCH about the BITCHING about the Katz's writing, if you dont like it, dont even OPEN it. Easy enough. Its called a right to free speech.
This guy has had months to figure out how to install linux. He had a group of rabid linux users at his disposal if he needed help. The result? He gave up.
There are three ways you can look at this:
1) For the average person, installing linux is simply not possible - even with the purchase of assorted books and hundreds of linux geeks acting as free consultants.
2) Katz is a quitter who wasn't really that serious about installing linux on his machine.
3) Both of the above.
No matter how you slice it, this is kind of depressing. On the bright side (as others have pointed out) if Katz had to install Windows from scratch he might have had the same problems. Oh, the joys of conjecture...
Personally, I don't think Linux is that hard to install. I managed to do it (with advice from a die-hard user) in a couple of hours. I have had no formal computer training of any sort. Ironically enough, I _did_ go to journalism school.
Once again I have to question Katz's role here. I don't think the average person would fail to install linux over a 2 month period given the resources that Katz has had. I think he is doing the linux community a grave disservice by making the installation process look a lot harder than it really is.
Anyone who really _wants_ to install linux and is willing to invest the time to learn how to do it isn't going to have a problem. It is not easy, but it is not that hard, either. You just need a lot of patience.
All IMO of course. Caveats - I am not a linux expert, nor am I a particularly good journalist... and I really don't know how hard installation would be for the non-geek in its natural habitat. Take with grain of salt.
Wow, comparing licensing fees with genocide. That's a first.
If hardware ends up costing too much people won't buy it. They'll stick with other standards or adopt cheaper ones. And, (get this!) no one will die. Pretty cool, huh?
Clever people can get jobs through the back door. There is an art to landing a job - going through the "proper channels" is for the mindless robots who went to college just because mommy and daddy told them to.
Intelligence, networking skills, experience, and persistence are all you need, although luck certainly helps. God help you if you think perusing job ads is the best way to find the spots. By the time the ad is placed the employer probably already knows who he wants to hire. Our industry is an exception - but demand outstrips the supply by so much that it's *real* simple to get a tech job w/o a degree if you're smart and don't act like a reject in the interview. C'mon, man - most of the people I know who work in tech are college dropouts. How exactly did they get hired if that piece of paper is so precious? They might not be working at Microsoft, but guess what? They don't want to work for Microsoft. Plenty of folks are happy working at smaller companies that just want skilled people any way they can get them.
There are plenty of good, well paying companies out there that aren't public, and don't have shareholders to answer to. Pretty amazing, huh? My company is one of them.
L. Ron
P.S. Anyone who goes to college to get the bucks and not to learn ain't someone to admire IMHO. Geniuses who make a point by using profanity with the caps lock depressed aren't too cool either. But I guess your point was that you don't need to be sophisticated as long as you have the piece of paper, right?
Slashdot Mirror
I dunno, I think Bender is funnier than Homer already. The "meat bag" line was beautiful.
You're right about the spock thing, of course.
Come on. The impact slashdot posters have on the future of open source is minimal. As long as open source is useful it will not "go down the tubes". If a little bit of flaming is all it takes to kill a movement, then the movement probably deserves to die.
Contact is about as subtle as a sledgehammer and too interested in sending a "message" to the viewer instead of telling an interesting story.
How could you not wince when Foster's character left the inquiry at the end of the movie to find a new group of zealots screaming at her? Wow, that's like, really deep, dude. Like, she was with that priest dude? And like she didn't believe in God and stuff? And now nobody belives in her alien story. Like wow, man... that's like sooooo ironic, dude.
This movie had potential but it was FAR too heavyhanded. Too long, too self-indulgent... as an example, it included Zemeckis using a speech of Clinton's because he could, not because it served the movie. Zemeckis must have been so happy when Clinton gave his "life on Mars" speech. "Wow! I can use this!"
It was also funny how they got a Tyrell (from Blade Runner) lookalike to play the multi-billionaire with access to Mir. The only original character in this movie was Foster's and she wasn't very interesting.
Okay, time to end the disjointed rant. I hated Contact. Sure, the opening shot was great. But if the other 150 minutes of the movie suck, I think the movie as a whole sucks. Call me crazy.
It's probably easier for him to find the bugs with thousands of people banging on the system. Also easier to find out what people would prefer, because they can comment on the proceedings. I think it's better than having him test a system, iron out all the bugs, then move it live only to find that the average slashdotter hates the system.
I've found slashdot to be perfectly useable while he's been toying with the features, anyway. And it's kind of cool to see the site change as per Rob's whim. It's not like any of us has money invested in the site, so who cares if it's a little buggy? We get to be involved in the evolution of the comment system! I think it's worth it...
No one is getting burnt at the stake here. Jon Katz willingly puts his name on poorly written articles (which are either book promos or rehashes of articles previously posted on newstrolls) and welcomes feedback. It should be expected that he will be criticized. Katz is a big boy -- he can take it.
Things would get pretty boring around here if all the comments praised what was written. It's healthier (and more interesting) if folks on both sides offer their opinions.
If Wood is interested, we should snag him. Great article.
Assign each moderator an arbitrary number, then display the appropriate number(s) in the header of a moderated article. Then the slashdot readers can ferret out the moderators who are biased for or against certain posters. And, like you say, it would make it easier to report abuse.
Additionally you could have a separate page tracking all the moderators by number with all sorts of fun stats. Find out which moderators are more active than others, which are slackers, which prefer certain articles, etc. At the very least it would prove an interesting diversion.
The only downside I can see are the number flames that would undoubtedly ensue. "Fsck you, 319! Who the hell do you think you are???" Actually, maybe that would be amusing. For sophomoric folks like me, anyway.
Too bad I can't afford to use it :)
Maybe I'll start using it and send the bill to Gingrich.
>They're building landing strips for gay martians!
You know what, Stuart? I like you. You aren't like the other people here in the trailer park.
Like, Hockey Night in Canada, Eh.
Beauty.
But it was intersting, right?
Waaahhhh.
I wonder if the same folks who have been defending Katz during the flame wars are going to stick up for Gates <smirk>
If you don't like Gates, don't read the book. That's the logic you folks use, right?
Before I use software, I research the author(s) to see if my personality meshes with his/hers/theirs. If it doesn't, I have to use something else -- no matter how good the sofware is.
That's just the way I am. Idealism for the sake of idealism. Peace, my brothers.
-Sarcasm Boy
What I done wrote there was supposed to be a little iffy. It's like, self-referential and stuff. Uh huh huh. Uh huh huh huh huh.
Gratuitous implementation of multi-syllabic verbiage obfuscates the impoverished, redundant contemplation of a deficient individual.
Oh well.
I'm sure the Katz flames will continue despite the new filtering features. A certain % of people seem to enjoy it...so they will always read and always complain. Probably best to ignore them.
Why bother even putting the time in to BITCH about the BITCHING about the Katz's writing, if you dont like it, dont even OPEN it. Easy enough. Its called a right to free speech.
Come on, Quayle will not get nominated in a million years. It would be suicide for the Republicans. My money is on Texas George Bush.
More like Texas George Bush than Pat Buchanan. Or maybe Lizzy Dole. Pat Buchanan doesn't have a chance in hell
This guy has had months to figure out how to install linux. He had a group of rabid linux users at his disposal if he needed help. The result? He gave up.
There are three ways you can look at this:
1) For the average person, installing linux is simply not possible - even with the purchase of assorted books and hundreds of linux geeks acting as free consultants.
2) Katz is a quitter who wasn't really that serious about installing linux on his machine.
3) Both of the above.
No matter how you slice it, this is kind of depressing. On the bright side (as others have pointed out) if Katz had to install Windows from scratch he might have had the same problems. Oh, the joys of conjecture...
Personally, I don't think Linux is that hard to install. I managed to do it (with advice from a die-hard user) in a couple of hours. I have had no formal computer training of any sort. Ironically enough, I _did_ go to journalism school.
Once again I have to question Katz's role here. I don't think the average person would fail to install linux over a 2 month period given the resources that Katz has had. I think he is doing the linux community a grave disservice by making the installation process look a lot harder than it really is.
Anyone who really _wants_ to install linux and is willing to invest the time to learn how to do it isn't going to have a problem. It is not easy, but it is not that hard, either. You just need a lot of patience.
All IMO of course. Caveats - I am not a linux expert, nor am I a particularly good journalist... and I really don't know how hard installation would be for the non-geek in its natural habitat. Take with grain of salt.
L. Ron
Wow, comparing licensing fees with genocide. That's a first.
If hardware ends up costing too much people won't buy it. They'll stick with other standards or adopt cheaper ones. And, (get this!) no one will die. Pretty cool, huh?
It costs $200 bucks and fits in the Mezzanine ("Perch") slot. So your comments about fantasies and/or lying are baseless. Oops.
The response to Carmack was completely unnecessary and kind of pathetic in its defensiveness. Some "Mac evangelists" need to grow a skin IMO
I'm just happy to see Carmack taking Macs seriously. Now we just gotta relax and hold on for OS X.
My, aren't we cynical.
Clever people can get jobs through the back door. There is an art to landing a job - going through the "proper channels" is for the mindless robots who went to college just because mommy and daddy told them to.
Intelligence, networking skills, experience, and persistence are all you need, although luck certainly helps. God help you if you think perusing job ads is the best way to find the spots. By the time the ad is placed the employer probably already knows who he wants to hire. Our industry is an exception - but demand outstrips the supply by so much that it's *real* simple to get a tech job w/o a degree if you're smart and don't act like a reject in the interview. C'mon, man - most of the people I know who work in tech are college dropouts. How exactly did they get hired if that piece of paper is so precious? They might not be working at Microsoft, but guess what? They don't want to work for Microsoft. Plenty of folks are happy working at smaller companies that just want skilled people any way they can get them.
There are plenty of good, well paying companies out there that aren't public, and don't have shareholders to answer to. Pretty amazing, huh? My company is one of them.
L. Ron
P.S. Anyone who goes to college to get the bucks and not to learn ain't someone to admire IMHO. Geniuses who make a point by using profanity with the caps lock depressed aren't too cool either. But I guess your point was that you don't need to be sophisticated as long as you have the piece of paper, right?
A must read for everyone who is panicking about this Y2K stuff. Very good article. Much fun about "TEOTWAWKI".
Year 2000 Challenge - Automobile Embedded Systems
This guy will give money to anyone who can prove that their car won't start on Jan 1, 2000 due to the Y2K bug
Did anyone read the HotWired article about Gary North's ulterior motives for hyping Y2K? Onward, Christian soldiers...
L. Ron