Do the people you are sending these disks to know how to change the boot order in the BIOS? If not make sure you include detailed instructions. Other than that it sounds like a great idea.
Some car-rental companies sneak riders into their contracts saying that you have to pay extra $$$ every time you excede the speed limit.
So they charge you more when you signed the contract agreeing to the conditions. Always read everything before you sign. If you do not agree with the conditions don't sign it. Take your business somewhere else. They are not violating your rights in any way, shape, or form.
Wow. They let you use computers in jail? I wish they let us use computers in the prison I am in.
You may ask how I am typing this. This is very simple.
1. I have created a time machine in prison using a plastic fork and toilet paper. I traveled to the future and read your post. I then read my reply to your post and copied it down on a piece of paper.
2. I then proceeded to travel to the present time. I am currently writing my future comment.
3. Thats about it. Right now I am going to drive to jail and break myself out. Hey wait that's the reason I am in jail. I was caught aiding the escape of a convict. I am going to attempt a Double Jeopardy defense but I already know it won't work.
It wasn't a mistake in the terms of me having control of the system I administer. It's more of a situation that I feel like I always have to watch my back. I am no longer the fall man most of the time. I still make mistakes but at least I know what I did.
The big mistake was me challenging his authority. I believe my boss knew he created the problems by his actions and now knows that I know he created the problems (if that makes sense.:) He hardly talks to me now and I think I am seen as a threat.
In an IT department with only five people, myself included, an IT manager really isn't needed. In the past there have been talks of cutting his dedicated position and giving the manager responsibility to someone else in the department. Since I have been there the longest I would be the most likely to get the manager responsibility.
First this is not a plot created by Republicans. Since this is/., this part of the article was not mentioned in the summary:
In Sandoval County, three Rio Rancho residents said they had a similar problem, with opposite results. They said a touch-screen machine switched their presidential votes from Bush to Kerry.
The article did not mention how many voting problems have occured thus far. If hundreds or even thousands of people are experiencing problems voting New Mexico I would say something is wrong.
My personal opinion is that elections involving Federal positions should be overseen and administered by a Federal body. All PAPER ballots should have the same design. Rules for absentee ballots, early voting, ect. would be created by this body made up of three representatives from each state. One Democrat, one Republican, and one third party.
I must admit that I consider myself conservative when it comes to government however elections are crucial to democracy (or in the case of President a Republic.) The Federal government must be involved in Federal elections even though I cringe when the Federal government gets more power.
I guess it's not like he could get caught infringing on Apple's trademark. The only way he could get caught would be to post a description and links to pictures on a well known website. He shouldn't get in any troub...oh, nevermind. Good luck.
Sadly I am the blame guy at my job, AKA, the bitch.
It goes like this at my job. I am "in charge" of network security and maintaining our Microsoft and Linux servers. You would think that my office would be located at the central office where all the servers are. This is not the case. Instead my boss, the IT manager, is located at the central office. Whenever he thinks something is not working right he makes changes to our production servers during business hours. My boss has no training in IT security. He's an MBA that has limited knowlege in security but thinks he knows more than he does.
Here's how most situations go. One person calls and complains that the finance database is slow or our inventory database is not working correctly. My boss then logs into the server and makes changes without documenting anything or telling me. You can image what happens next. Yeah, I get blamed for problems that occured after he changed something. I then have to go back and try to trace what he did. I know I can't ask what changes he made since that might seem like I am blaming him for the problem he created.
After going through this senario four times I decided to remove his login to our production servers. Big mistake.
I got a call from my boss two days later asking why he couldn't login to our production servers. I had prepared ahead of time and had a story made. I told him that I had noticed someone was logging in to our production servers and making changes during business hours which is against our IT policy. I went on saying that the changes made during these logins were responisble for the problems. I then told him for better security I should keep his account off the production servers so that the person who was making changes could no longer do so. He then said, "In the future could you please let me know when you make changes so we can be on the same page." I told him that I always documented the changes I made in the server logbook. I told him that I would reactivate his account with a different password. Since then he has not made any changes to the system.
I agree with all of your points but there are two more important hurdles that I believe will prevent a manned mission to Mars during my lifetime. (I am 20 years old.)
Gravity: We need gravity to keep our muscle mass and bones strong. Considering these astronauts will experience no gravity for six months each way I do not see how this will be possible. Life on the space station for this period of time can not be used as evidence that it is possible to for extended hibernation space travel. Astronauts on the space station spend hours each day exercising in order to delay the breakdown of muscle and bone. I don't think a manned mission to Mars will be possible until we can "create" gravity.
Money: If NASA continues to receive the funding it is currently getting, we will never go to Mars or even return to the Moon. Congress does not see the purpose of space travel. Until we are forced to go to Mars (mass extinction due to astroid, global warming, ect, ect, ect.) this will not change. I don't think any huge earth changing events will happen during my lifetime that will force us to pack up and move.
I work for my local school district as a PC tech. We have 12 primary, 2 secondary, 1 high school, and a central office. All network traffic from the primary and secondary schools plus the central office is routed to the high school over ISDN lines to the high school. There we have 4 T1s.
All of our schools except for the high school have always had slow internet connections due to the ISDN line. We don't have the budget to install T1s for all of our buildings. In the past I had suggested using a Squid proxy at each remote building to save on traffic going to the High School. He said he had never hear of this "Squid" thing and asked me about it. I told him it was a free proxy web cache server that runs on Linux. He sounded interested until I mentioned the words free and Linux. Instead my boss, after I warned him many times, decided to buy an underpowered 3com webcache appliance and put it at the high school. The appliance was rated for a medium sized business (100-500 computers) Our district has over 3000 computers, 1000 of which are at the high school. Even at the high school this device is not adequate. As a result, network performance has not improved anywhere and has decreased at the high school due to the bottleneck. Did I mention the cost of this device was $11,500.
After one of the computer labs of the high school was upgraded we had a surplus of 30 350 Mhz computers. During the summer we are usually installing new labs and installing new servers because all of the childeren are gone. Since all of the labs and servers and been installed there wasn't much more for me to do. My boss asked me to strip down the 30 computers and save any usable parts. I was to then recycle the parts that were not needed. I asked my boss if I could use 14 computers to test software on. Without questioning me he said yes.
For the next week I installed Trustix Linux on the 14 computers along with Squid, configured as transparent, and Sarg. Originally each computer had 128 MB RAM and a 6 GB hard drive. I decided to up the memory to 256 and install a second hard drive in each computer. One drive has the OS installed on it and the other drive is for the cached content.
After testing each machine I installed them at the schools. School started and the proxies worked great. My boss got a call from a Principal at one of the secondary schools. He asked how our department came up with the money to upgrade our network. My boss told him we hadn't upgraded anything as far as the network goes. He told me about this call during lunch that day and I told him it was because of the Squid proxy servers I had installed over the summer. He said to me with a confused look on his face, "Oh, ok. Well next time you want to install something let me know first." After lunch I showed him Sarg. He was impressed with all of the information available. I think in the future he may be more open to open source software. (Firefox will be my next project!)
If you have read to this point I thank you. The lesson I learned from this situation was that free open source software is looked down upon by some IT managers or those who make the final decisions. The common wisdom by some is since it's free it must not be good. This concept is hard for a Linux user like myself to grasp. I knew all along that a free and scalable alternative was available but my boss still decided to buy the 3com because it was expensive. It must be good if you have to pay for it right?
Would you trust internet access provided by Starbucks?
I would trust internet access from Starbucks because it is a business. It does not enforce the law or make laws. Starbucks does not have the power to rightfully or wrongfully fine or imprison me.
How many spammers live in San Francisco? How many will move there?
Great question and I have more.
1. What are the restrictions on the internet access? (Bandwidth limits, censorship, ect.)
2. What will be the final cost to taxpayers?
3. How will this "free" service affect the local broadband providers?
Now for the rant.
Call me paranoid but I don't trust internet access provided by the government. 1984 would always be in the back of my mind when I am looking for information (pron) on the internet.
Now for cost. Who exactly will be using this service? The answer is people with computers. This is not in any way helping the homeless. If you have a wireless enabled computer you can probally afford internet access. Since this is publicly funded everyone who pays taxes will be paying for it. This includes those making minimum wage just trying to survive.
I'm sure when asked the Mayor will say that people don't have to use this service. They can always pay for internet access but why would you want to do that when I am giving it to you for "free?" I have a feeling that this government provided service will drive out private alternatives. So much for choice.
...and a recovery is when George Bush is out of work.
I know you are not serious when you say this. The president has virtually no control over the economy. The Federal Reserve has the greatest control. After the Feds comes the Legislative branch. The Executive branch does not create the budget and spend money.
I couldn't agree with you more. The totals in Flordia were close. The recounting had to stop at some point. I still can't believe there were groups that tried to interpret what the chad on the ballot meant. I hope this system isn't used this time around. The ballot should be simple. Place an X next to one candidate. If the voter cannot figure out that then their vote should be thrown out.
Really, what prevents Google from making cosmetic changes to Firefox/Mozilla. There is already the built in Google Search. Perhaps they would integrate a Gmail mail client.
That's right. A CD-ROM audio cable counts as hardware and if you read the fine print it is free with Microsoft Software Purchase.
So what's my point here. Well first I know I will probally get modded as a troll because I am defending Microsoft. With that said I use Debian on my old computer. For day to day computing I use Windows XP because it just works. I have never had stability problems, blue screens of death, viruses, spyware, etc. I also have an old iMac that I have OS 10.3 on and have never had any problems with that either. To me, OSX is the perfect blend between usability and stability.
Well you might ask why so many people do have problems with Windows. The answer is simple and it does not involve bugs or holes because all software has flaws. It is created by humans The only problem with Windows is that Microsoft wants it to be everything thus making it weak in all areas. They want it easy to change system settings but also want security. The average user can easily install software however that software could contain viruses, spyware, etc. You can't have your cake and eat it too.
This brings me to OSX. Apple has taken the time to create quality applications and include them with the OS. (iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, Safari) These applications are more than enough for most users. Most users won't need to install additional applications to use an Apple. Microsoft includes half-assed applications in hopes that the majority of users will outgrow them and upgrade to their "professional" line of software. This is a bad business model however I have thought of what would happen if Microsoft did include good programs with Windows. Perhaps another antitrust suit? (BTW, I am not saying that IE is a quality app. It is not!)
With all of this said I now come to Linux. Sure Linux is free in terms of use but some users will need support. The only reason why I tinker with Linux is that I like a challenge. I enjoy learning. The only problem I have with Linux in its current form is that making system changes is more of a complicated project when compared to pointing and clicking on Windows. I don't have the time to research which configuration file to edit to change a setting. When I do have time researching and fixing a problem gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. I have accompished something. Then I realize it took me two hours to fix a problem which would take me much less time on Windows. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy every second of the research because I read from many sources and gain more knowledge plus learn from the experience. The average computer user has no interest in researching a problem for a solution. From what I personally have seen which I will admit is limited, I believe Linux will never be ready for the desktop in the current form it is in. I base this analysis on one factor Linux users currently believe is the best quality of Linux. This factor is choice.
I am now going to write from a Linux noob's point of view. I guess I am a self proclaimed Linux noob so here are the problems with choice.
1. How many distros are out there? The answer I usually get when I ask this question is that every distro counts because it gives users more choices. We all know more choices are better right?
...perfect representation of what the artist intended to create, is there really anything missing?
This is really a matter of personal preference. I am an artist (vocal and trumpet) and feel that music should be a representation of your emotion, feelings, etc. I personally do not like music that is created digitally. (Think drum machine, synthesizer, etc.) I don't mind digital recording as long as conservative compression or no compression is used.
I like tube amps because I feel that they add a certain imperfection that gives music character. The best way I can describe the difference is to compare a tube amp and a solid state amp with this example.
A tube amp is a concert hall. The seats closer to the stage hear a different sound when compared to people sitting in the back. The sound isn't perfect but you are hearing the music directly from the source.
A solid state amp is a concert hall where you are sitting in the "perfect" seat. The instruments/people blend perfectly. There is no emotion since the blending is perfect. You do not think about the music, you just listen.
Of course equipment made today can replicate sound almost exactly but for me that's not what always matters, IMHO.
Slashdot Mirror
does it run Windows?
*Ducks*
*Picks up grenade and throws back*
*Runs for cover*
Do the people you are sending these disks to know how to change the boot order in the BIOS? If not make sure you include detailed instructions. Other than that it sounds like a great idea.
I just want to know how crap like this makes it to Slashdot. You'd think Taco would know better.
You must be new here.
The problem with your argument is that insurance claims are civil claims. You cannot take the 5th in a civil case.
Some car-rental companies sneak riders into their contracts saying that you have to pay extra $$$ every time you excede the speed limit.
So they charge you more when you signed the contract agreeing to the conditions. Always read everything before you sign. If you do not agree with the conditions don't sign it. Take your business somewhere else. They are not violating your rights in any way, shape, or form.
1. Walk to Taco Bell.
2. Buy 2 bean burritos.
3. Walk home.
4. Wait 8-16 hours.
5. Energy in the form of gas.
6. Sell gas to power company.
Repeat steps 1-6.
"Make the customer think they are right, then sell them something they don't need."
I will never pay for an MPAA movie in theater or on DVD again.
If you really want to be official don't ever watch an MPAA movie again.
Wow. They let you use computers in jail? I wish they let us use computers in the prison I am in.
You may ask how I am typing this. This is very simple.
1. I have created a time machine in prison using a plastic fork and toilet paper. I traveled to the future and read your post. I then read my reply to your post and copied it down on a piece of paper.
2. I then proceeded to travel to the present time. I am currently writing my future comment.
3. Thats about it. Right now I am going to drive to jail and break myself out. Hey wait that's the reason I am in jail. I was caught aiding the escape of a convict. I am going to attempt a Double Jeopardy defense but I already know it won't work.
It wasn't a mistake in the terms of me having control of the system I administer. It's more of a situation that I feel like I always have to watch my back. I am no longer the fall man most of the time. I still make mistakes but at least I know what I did.
:) He hardly talks to me now and I think I am seen as a threat.
:)
The big mistake was me challenging his authority. I believe my boss knew he created the problems by his actions and now knows that I know he created the problems (if that makes sense.
In an IT department with only five people, myself included, an IT manager really isn't needed. In the past there have been talks of cutting his dedicated position and giving the manager responsibility to someone else in the department. Since I have been there the longest I would be the most likely to get the manager responsibility.
Office politics, you got to love it
First this is not a plot created by Republicans. Since this is /., this part of the article was not mentioned in the summary:
In Sandoval County, three Rio Rancho residents said they had a similar problem, with opposite results. They said a touch-screen machine switched their presidential votes from Bush to Kerry.
The article did not mention how many voting problems have occured thus far. If hundreds or even thousands of people are experiencing problems voting New Mexico I would say something is wrong.
My personal opinion is that elections involving Federal positions should be overseen and administered by a Federal body. All PAPER ballots should have the same design. Rules for absentee ballots, early voting, ect. would be created by this body made up of three representatives from each state. One Democrat, one Republican, and one third party.
I must admit that I consider myself conservative when it comes to government however elections are crucial to democracy (or in the case of President a Republic.) The Federal government must be involved in Federal elections even though I cringe when the Federal government gets more power.
lawyers in 3...2...1...
I guess it's not like he could get caught infringing on Apple's trademark. The only way he could get caught would be to post a description and links to pictures on a well known website. He shouldn't get in any troub...oh, nevermind. Good luck.
Sadly I am the blame guy at my job, AKA, the bitch.
It goes like this at my job. I am "in charge" of network security and maintaining our Microsoft and Linux servers. You would think that my office would be located at the central office where all the servers are. This is not the case. Instead my boss, the IT manager, is located at the central office. Whenever he thinks something is not working right he makes changes to our production servers during business hours. My boss has no training in IT security. He's an MBA that has limited knowlege in security but thinks he knows more than he does.
Here's how most situations go. One person calls and complains that the finance database is slow or our inventory database is not working correctly. My boss then logs into the server and makes changes without documenting anything or telling me. You can image what happens next. Yeah, I get blamed for problems that occured after he changed something. I then have to go back and try to trace what he did. I know I can't ask what changes he made since that might seem like I am blaming him for the problem he created.
After going through this senario four times I decided to remove his login to our production servers. Big mistake.
I got a call from my boss two days later asking why he couldn't login to our production servers. I had prepared ahead of time and had a story made. I told him that I had noticed someone was logging in to our production servers and making changes during business hours which is against our IT policy. I went on saying that the changes made during these logins were responisble for the problems. I then told him for better security I should keep his account off the production servers so that the person who was making changes could no longer do so. He then said, "In the future could you please let me know when you make changes so we can be on the same page." I told him that I always documented the changes I made in the server logbook. I told him that I would reactivate his account with a different password. Since then he has not made any changes to the system.
I agree with all of your points but there are two more important hurdles that I believe will prevent a manned mission to Mars during my lifetime. (I am 20 years old.)
Gravity: We need gravity to keep our muscle mass and bones strong. Considering these astronauts will experience no gravity for six months each way I do not see how this will be possible. Life on the space station for this period of time can not be used as evidence that it is possible to for extended hibernation space travel. Astronauts on the space station spend hours each day exercising in order to delay the breakdown of muscle and bone. I don't think a manned mission to Mars will be possible until we can "create" gravity.
Money: If NASA continues to receive the funding it is currently getting, we will never go to Mars or even return to the Moon. Congress does not see the purpose of space travel. Until we are forced to go to Mars (mass extinction due to astroid, global warming, ect, ect, ect.) this will not change. I don't think any huge earth changing events will happen during my lifetime that will force us to pack up and move.
I work for my local school district as a PC tech. We have 12 primary, 2 secondary, 1 high school, and a central office. All network traffic from the primary and secondary schools plus the central office is routed to the high school over ISDN lines to the high school. There we have 4 T1s.
All of our schools except for the high school have always had slow internet connections due to the ISDN line. We don't have the budget to install T1s for all of our buildings. In the past I had suggested using a Squid proxy at each remote building to save on traffic going to the High School. He said he had never hear of this "Squid" thing and asked me about it. I told him it was a free proxy web cache server that runs on Linux. He sounded interested until I mentioned the words free and Linux. Instead my boss, after I warned him many times, decided to buy an underpowered 3com webcache appliance and put it at the high school. The appliance was rated for a medium sized business (100-500 computers) Our district has over 3000 computers, 1000 of which are at the high school. Even at the high school this device is not adequate. As a result, network performance has not improved anywhere and has decreased at the high school due to the bottleneck. Did I mention the cost of this device was $11,500.
After one of the computer labs of the high school was upgraded we had a surplus of 30 350 Mhz computers. During the summer we are usually installing new labs and installing new servers because all of the childeren are gone. Since all of the labs and servers and been installed there wasn't much more for me to do. My boss asked me to strip down the 30 computers and save any usable parts. I was to then recycle the parts that were not needed. I asked my boss if I could use 14 computers to test software on. Without questioning me he said yes.
For the next week I installed Trustix Linux on the 14 computers along with Squid, configured as transparent, and Sarg. Originally each computer had 128 MB RAM and a 6 GB hard drive. I decided to up the memory to 256 and install a second hard drive in each computer. One drive has the OS installed on it and the other drive is for the cached content.
After testing each machine I installed them at the schools. School started and the proxies worked great. My boss got a call from a Principal at one of the secondary schools. He asked how our department came up with the money to upgrade our network. My boss told him we hadn't upgraded anything as far as the network goes. He told me about this call during lunch that day and I told him it was because of the Squid proxy servers I had installed over the summer. He said to me with a confused look on his face, "Oh, ok. Well next time you want to install something let me know first." After lunch I showed him Sarg. He was impressed with all of the information available. I think in the future he may be more open to open source software. (Firefox will be my next project!)
If you have read to this point I thank you. The lesson I learned from this situation was that free open source software is looked down upon by some IT managers or those who make the final decisions. The common wisdom by some is since it's free it must not be good. This concept is hard for a Linux user like myself to grasp. I knew all along that a free and scalable alternative was available but my boss still decided to buy the 3com because it was expensive. It must be good if you have to pay for it right?
Would you trust internet access provided by Starbucks?
I would trust internet access from Starbucks because it is a business. It does not enforce the law or make laws. Starbucks does not have the power to rightfully or wrongfully fine or imprison me.
How many spammers live in San Francisco? How many will move there?
Great question and I have more.
1. What are the restrictions on the internet access? (Bandwidth limits, censorship, ect.)
2. What will be the final cost to taxpayers?
3. How will this "free" service affect the local broadband providers?
Now for the rant.
Call me paranoid but I don't trust internet access provided by the government. 1984 would always be in the back of my mind when I am looking for information (pron) on the internet.
Now for cost. Who exactly will be using this service? The answer is people with computers. This is not in any way helping the homeless. If you have a wireless enabled computer you can probally afford internet access. Since this is publicly funded everyone who pays taxes will be paying for it. This includes those making minimum wage just trying to survive.
I'm sure when asked the Mayor will say that people don't have to use this service. They can always pay for internet access but why would you want to do that when I am giving it to you for "free?" I have a feeling that this government provided service will drive out private alternatives. So much for choice.
Now...go away and come back when you've work on a real system you pesky immature slashdotter...
Let me know how you did on your spelling test. I hope my little AC gets better than a 50% this time. Remember, worked is spelled workED.
Me fail english, thats unpossible -Ralph Wiggum
Yeah, so paypal.com is having issues loading. Makes sense to slashdot them too!
Any Sys Admin will tell you that extensive testing should be done before going live. I guess we have done our part and "tested" their systems.
BTW, rule #1 is as follows:
#1. Always make sure you can blame someone else when a problem happens. (I'd hate to be the guy who ran the software update!)
I....can...not.....wait...to..see.this..new....sho w.
...and a recovery is when George Bush is out of work.
I know you are not serious when you say this. The president has virtually no control over the economy. The Federal Reserve has the greatest control. After the Feds comes the Legislative branch. The Executive branch does not create the budget and spend money.
I couldn't agree with you more. The totals in Flordia were close. The recounting had to stop at some point. I still can't believe there were groups that tried to interpret what the chad on the ballot meant. I hope this system isn't used this time around. The ballot should be simple. Place an X next to one candidate. If the voter cannot figure out that then their vote should be thrown out.
Really, what prevents Google from making cosmetic changes to Firefox/Mozilla. There is already the built in Google Search. Perhaps they would integrate a Gmail mail client.
Or perhaps, I'm talking out my ass.
The reason Windows in Retail form is $299 is that you are paying for support.
You can get Windows XP Home for $99. Even less than $99 and it is legal. Look here:
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?desc ription=37-102-141&DEPA=6
And before anyone says, "Look you have to buy hardware because that is the OEM version," take a look at this:
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?desc ription=12-102-104&DEPA=0
That's right. A CD-ROM audio cable counts as hardware and if you read the fine print it is free with Microsoft Software Purchase.
So what's my point here. Well first I know I will probally get modded as a troll because I am defending Microsoft. With that said I use Debian on my old computer. For day to day computing I use Windows XP because it just works. I have never had stability problems, blue screens of death, viruses, spyware, etc. I also have an old iMac that I have OS 10.3 on and have never had any problems with that either. To me, OSX is the perfect blend between usability and stability.
Well you might ask why so many people do have problems with Windows. The answer is simple and it does not involve bugs or holes because all software has flaws. It is created by humans The only problem with Windows is that Microsoft wants it to be everything thus making it weak in all areas. They want it easy to change system settings but also want security. The average user can easily install software however that software could contain viruses, spyware, etc. You can't have your cake and eat it too.
This brings me to OSX. Apple has taken the time to create quality applications and include them with the OS. (iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, Safari) These applications are more than enough for most users. Most users won't need to install additional applications to use an Apple. Microsoft includes half-assed applications in hopes that the majority of users will outgrow them and upgrade to their "professional" line of software. This is a bad business model however I have thought of what would happen if Microsoft did include good programs with Windows. Perhaps another antitrust suit? (BTW, I am not saying that IE is a quality app. It is not!)
With all of this said I now come to Linux. Sure Linux is free in terms of use but some users will need support. The only reason why I tinker with Linux is that I like a challenge. I enjoy learning. The only problem I have with Linux in its current form is that making system changes is more of a complicated project when compared to pointing and clicking on Windows. I don't have the time to research which configuration file to edit to change a setting. When I do have time researching and fixing a problem gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. I have accompished something. Then I realize it took me two hours to fix a problem which would take me much less time on Windows. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy every second of the research because I read from many sources and gain more knowledge plus learn from the experience. The average computer user has no interest in researching a problem for a solution. From what I personally have seen which I will admit is limited, I believe Linux will never be ready for the desktop in the current form it is in. I base this analysis on one factor Linux users currently believe is the best quality of Linux. This factor is choice.
I am now going to write from a Linux noob's point of view. I guess I am a self proclaimed Linux noob so here are the problems with choice.
1. How many distros are out there? The answer I usually get when I ask this question is that every distro counts because it gives users more choices. We all know more choices are better right?
Choice for a Linux noob is not good.
...perfect representation of what the artist intended to create, is there really anything missing?
This is really a matter of personal preference. I am an artist (vocal and trumpet) and feel that music should be a representation of your emotion, feelings, etc. I personally do not like music that is created digitally. (Think drum machine, synthesizer, etc.) I don't mind digital recording as long as conservative compression or no compression is used.
I like tube amps because I feel that they add a certain imperfection that gives music character. The best way I can describe the difference is to compare a tube amp and a solid state amp with this example.
A tube amp is a concert hall. The seats closer to the stage hear a different sound when compared to people sitting in the back. The sound isn't perfect but you are hearing the music directly from the source.
A solid state amp is a concert hall where you are sitting in the "perfect" seat. The instruments/people blend perfectly. There is no emotion since the blending is perfect. You do not think about the music, you just listen.
Of course equipment made today can replicate sound almost exactly but for me that's not what always matters, IMHO.