Ever tried using GIMP in Ion? It's a pain in the arse.
Yes, there is FloatWS, but that defeats the entire purpose of using Ion.
I find that lately I prefer using KolourPaint to GIMP. It plays nicer with Ion, and it actually has some tools that GIMP lacks...basic things, such as a line tool or a rectangle tool. Both of which I needed for something I've been working on.
I'd love to have a PPC machine to dick around with, and the fact that Apple is dropping PPC is probably going to make me get up off my arse and buy one before it's too late (well, when I get the money, that is...).
Granted, when I do buy a PPC Mac, it'll almost certainly be a Mac Mini, not a Power Mac, but the Mini will be just as obsolete as the Power Mac in two years...
Agreed. Apple seems to be shooting at the low-end (iMac, Mac Mini) and at the high-end (Power Mac), and completely ignoring the mid-range.
The only options for desktop Macs are either an underpowered iMac or Mac Mini, or an overpowered Power Mac. As cool as a dual G5 sounds, the price is a major turn off. The only desktop Mac that I'm really interested in buying is the Mini--while the specs are lower than even the iMac, the form factor is much more attractive (the bigger draw for me is actually the ability to use a CRT monitor, not the size, but that's still very nice).
The only Macs that are realy balanced are the laptops, especially the 12" PowerBook. I came very close to buying a 12" PowerBook when I was shopping for a laptop a few months ago, and the only reason I bought a Toshiba instead was that I felt the Toshiba had better Linux support.
I don't play MMOs anymore, but looking back, I enjoyed UO more than any other MMO.
Back in the day, it was...simple. The system was simple, and the graphics were simple. The designers adhered to the KISS principle, and it worked. Despite, or perhaps because of its simplicity, UO had the most immersive world of any MMORPG. It was the only MMO where you didn't absolutely have to be a combatant. It was possible to have a pure crafter character, for example.
UO felt like a world. Every other MMO felt like just another game.
However, UO has been ruined by the last few expansion packs. The game officially started sucking with Age of Shadows, and everything after that was just as bad. That wasn't the beginning of the end though--you could tell things were bad when they castrated the game's text with their horrible localisation system, and brought in the pathetic Third Dawn 3D Client that no one used because it sucked so much. Yes, the 2D graphics were far superior to the 3D garbage that the UO developers tried to introduce, and failed miserably.
Funny, as I'm the exact opposite. I've never owned a standalone DVD or VCD player, as I prefer to just watch them on my computer, and a tuner card sounds good just because I'd like to be able to watch my VHS tapes on my computer (I almost never watch American TV, so my main use would be just to hook up my VCR). I absolutely hate the idea of having to use different devices for different things. I'd prefer to just use my computer for everything.
Oh, and that guy is a moron, regardless. There are only three reasons why he does this: he doesn't know that most video cards have S-Video and/or Composite outputs, he's too cheap to get a decent video card with S-Video and/or Composite outputs (hell, the GeForce2 MX 400 I used to have before I got my current card had an S-Video port, and that was a shitty card), or his TV only supports coax and he's too cheap to get an RF modulator.
You don't want a region-free player. Rather, you want an infinitely region-switchable player (players that can switch more than 5 times are illegal, but I'm sure you'll be able to get some normal players hacked, and I wouldn't be surprised if you can import one from Taiwan or Hong Kong).
Some DVDs ask the player what the player's region code is. If it says it's region-free, it won't play. Again, you want a player that has regions, but you want it to be able to switch regions whenever you tell it to, as many times as you tell it to.
This, and similar issues (namely the fact that you can't fast-forward through certain things), is a large part of the reason why I generally dislike DVDs, and prefer VCDs. I can't really tell the difference in quality, so the only real advantages DVDs have for me are capacity and the ability to toggle subtitles.
Gail Simone comes to mind. She's very funny, with a twisted sense of humour, but she can also write serious stories pretty well. She wrote Agent X and the last few issues of Deadpool, and is currently writing DC's Villains United limited series.
If you're looking for older writers, I'd recommend Louise Simonson. She had an awesome run on X-Factor in the 80s.
If you're willing to dig around for back issues of CrossGen comics (which is now sadly out of business, due to upper management not paying people when they should have), Barbara Kesel wrote some of their best stuff, including Meridian, my favourite CG book.
Except a 4000+ and a 3200+ are the exact same chip.
Actually, they're not quite the same chip. AMD has a number of cores that are all sold under the "Athlon 64" brand. Here's a quick rundown of them (I'm not going over mobile parts, though--this list is pretty complex already):
ClawHammer - 130nm single-core processor with 1MB of L2 cache. Some ClawHammers (2800+, 3000+, 3500+) have half the L2 disabled, meaning that they're effectively Newcastles with a larger die size. ClawHammer is available in 2800+, 3000+, 3200+, 3400+, 3500+, 3700+, and 4000+ versions, and all currently-available Socket 939 Athlon 64 FX processors (FX-53 and FX-55). ClawHammers are mostly Socket 754, except for the 3500+, 4000+, and both FX models, which are all Socket 939.
Newcastle - 130nm single-core processor with 512KB of L2 cache. Newcastles sold to consumers always have the full cache enabled, but HP once sold a machine with a 3300+ model that had half the cache disabled. Newcastle is available in 2800+, 3000+, 3200+, 3300+, 3500+, and 3800+ versions. The 3500+ and 3800+ are Socket 939-only, and the others are Socket 754 (some might also have 939 versions, but I'm not sure).
Winchester - 90nm single-core processor with 512KB of L2 cache. Winchester is available in 3000+, 3200+, and 3500+ versions. All Winchesters are Socket 939.
Venice - 90nm single-core processor with 512KB of L2 cache, built using the "E3" stepping which supports SSE3 (ClawHammer/Newcastle/Winchester only support SSE2) and has a more optimised memory controller. Venice is available in 3000+, 3200+, 3500+, and 3800+ versions. All Venices are Socket 939.
San Diego - 90nm single-core processor with 1MB of L2 cache, built using the "E4" stepping, which is identical to the "E3" (SSE3, better memory controller), except for the amount of cache. One San Diego model (3500+) has half the L2 disabled, making it effectively a Venice with a larger die size. San Diegos are available in 3500+, 3700+, and 4000+ versions, and the upcoming Athlon 64 FX-57 (to be released during Q3 this year) will be a San Diego. All San Diegos are Socket 939.
Manchester - 90nm dual-core processor with 1MB of L2 cache (512KB per core). Manchester is sold as the Athlon 64 X2, models 4200+ and 4600+. All Manchesters are Socket 939.
Toledo - 90nm dual-core processor with 2MB of L2 cache (1MB per core). Toledo is sold as the Athlon 64 X2, models 4400+ and 4800+. All Toledos are Socket 939.
Feel free to check out Wikipedia's list of Athlon 64 processors for more information. I've been editing and expanding that page for a while now, and I think I've finally got it to the point where it's mostly complete.
After buying an Ultra X-Connect last year, there's no way I'd be able to go back to a conventional power supply. I love the modular design.
It's about time someone else came out with a modular PSU. Hopefully, Ultra and Hiper will be able to push modular power supplies to the point where they completely drive conventional crap out of the market.
The GPL exists so as to subvert copyright. By creating the GPL, RMS intended to turn copyright against itself. The GPL itself is an act of disrespect to copyright.
That all depends on how you're typing in the first place.
I have no problems typing GHz. I hold the Shift key with my left pinky, hit 'G' with my left index finger, hit 'H' with my right index finger, let go of Shift, and press 'z' with my left index finger. The only time I make any sort of flub while typing GHz is when I either let go of Shift too soon or hold it down too long.
If you have problems typing GHz, you should really reconsider how you type.
Ageed. Oddly enough, that's very much like what my panel layout looked like when I used to use KDE. Of course, I don't have a taskbar anymore, as I'm a happy Ion user now.
I didn't start to appreciate KDE's flexibility until I made my custom panel layout, which, as I said, was very similar to yours. There are a few differences (the biggest one being that my side panel was top-aligned, not bottom-aligned), but the basic idea is the same.
Let's see...they're making Windows POS Edition not run on any Athlon or Pentium 4, and only those two processors.
It says nothing about the Sempron or Pentium M. Socket-754 Semprons are roughly as powerful as Athlon XPs, and Pentium Ms beat the hell out of Pentium 4s. Yet, they're more worried about keeping a out a group of processors that include the original 500 MHz Athlon and the shitty Prescott.
It's bad enough that they're trying to lock out high-end processors (which is sickening and deplorable). It's laughable that they're not locking out processors that are just as good as the ones they're locking out.
Actually, the 17" Powerbook is the only big laptop I can stand. Why? Because Apple actually put some effort into the design. Compare a 17" Powerbook to any 17" x86 laptop out there, and you'll notice that the Powerbook is much smaller. It's thinner too--hell, it's even thinner than my 14" thin-and-light Toshiba.
It also weighs less than most 17" x86 laptops. Try lifting one...it's only about 6-7 pounds or so, which is light for a 17" laptop. I say "or so" because I just compared one to my laptop, which weighs just under 5 pounds, and the Powerbook was only slightly heavier.
Granted, if I were getting an Apple, I'd probably get a 12" Powerbook instead, but I'd gladly take a 17" Powerbook over any other 17" laptop any day.
Seriously. What use is there for a monster like that? If you want something like that, just get a desktop.
I, for one, am happy with my thin and light Centrino notebook. It's weighs 4.9 pounds, is 12 inches wide, 10 inches deep, and 1 inch tall, with a 14.1" XGA screen. It's incredibly portable...I carry it with me most places I go, it fits nicely on my lap, I can hand it off to someone to show them something on the screen. I can't do any of those with a DTR brick.
I was somewhat skittish about buying a machine with an Intel processor (part of the reason why I started looking at it in the first place is that the only notebooks with an AMD processor and decent specs were DTR bricks), but my fears were unfounded--I have to say that this machine is perfect. It even runs Linux like a dream.
Actually, if the G4's IPC is similar to the Pentium III, then the G4 is far, far better than an equivalently clocked Pentium 4. The Pentium 4 has one of the worst IPCs of all time.
The Pentium III (especially Tualatin) has a much, much higher IPC than the Pentium 4. In fact, the Pentium 4 was ridiculed early on because the Pentium 4 was easily outperformed by Pentium IIIs that ran at hundreds of MHz lower. Pentium 4s only started outperforming Pentium IIIs when Intel started ramping up the P4's clock speed like mad, pushing it past 2 GHz in a few months, and past 3 GHz not much later than that.
Also, the Pentium M is very similar to the Pentium III when it comes to architecture--the PM is basically just a jacked-up PIII with lots of cache and lower power consumption. Right now, we have 1.8 GHz Pentium Ms beating the crap out of 3 GHz Pentium 4s. Why? The P4's NetBurst architecture just plain blows.
Although I do agree that the grandparent is wrong--it's just that the only time a G4-to-x86 comparison is valid is when you're comparing a G4 to a Pentium M or Athlon 64 (especially the Pentium M, as the G4 is a 32-bit CPU).
Also in that genre is a '70s tokusatsu (Japanese live-action) show called Kaiketsu Zubat. No, it has nothing to do with Pokemon--Kaiketsu Zubat is an awesome superhero show from 1977 set in a "modern western"-type setting. It takes place in modern Japan, but the characters dress and act as if it were a western. It's not really sci-fi, but it does combine a western motif with a modern setting.
Joss Whedon currently writes one of the core X-Men books, Astonishing X-Men. He's also an old-school X-Men fan, with a real love of the medium, so there being a Firefly comic doesn't surprise me.
Specifically, they're pretentious snobs who refuse to admit that they're reading comic books, so they force themselves to only read them in big, thick books. They're simply ashamed of what they are.
They're also one of the reasons why I tend not to bother with most comics message boards. I've found that I enjoy comics much more when I just read them by myself and stay away from all the snobs on the Internet.
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Ever tried using GIMP in Ion? It's a pain in the arse.
Yes, there is FloatWS, but that defeats the entire purpose of using Ion.
I find that lately I prefer using KolourPaint to GIMP. It plays nicer with Ion, and it actually has some tools that GIMP lacks...basic things, such as a line tool or a rectangle tool. Both of which I needed for something I've been working on.
Me.
I'd love to have a PPC machine to dick around with, and the fact that Apple is dropping PPC is probably going to make me get up off my arse and buy one before it's too late (well, when I get the money, that is...).
Granted, when I do buy a PPC Mac, it'll almost certainly be a Mac Mini, not a Power Mac, but the Mini will be just as obsolete as the Power Mac in two years...
Agreed. Apple seems to be shooting at the low-end (iMac, Mac Mini) and at the high-end (Power Mac), and completely ignoring the mid-range.
The only options for desktop Macs are either an underpowered iMac or Mac Mini, or an overpowered Power Mac. As cool as a dual G5 sounds, the price is a major turn off. The only desktop Mac that I'm really interested in buying is the Mini--while the specs are lower than even the iMac, the form factor is much more attractive (the bigger draw for me is actually the ability to use a CRT monitor, not the size, but that's still very nice).
The only Macs that are realy balanced are the laptops, especially the 12" PowerBook. I came very close to buying a 12" PowerBook when I was shopping for a laptop a few months ago, and the only reason I bought a Toshiba instead was that I felt the Toshiba had better Linux support.
Eh, that's how I've always pronounced it, based on what I've heard about German pronunciation.
I don't play MMOs anymore, but looking back, I enjoyed UO more than any other MMO.
Back in the day, it was...simple. The system was simple, and the graphics were simple. The designers adhered to the KISS principle, and it worked. Despite, or perhaps because of its simplicity, UO had the most immersive world of any MMORPG. It was the only MMO where you didn't absolutely have to be a combatant. It was possible to have a pure crafter character, for example.
UO felt like a world. Every other MMO felt like just another game.
However, UO has been ruined by the last few expansion packs. The game officially started sucking with Age of Shadows, and everything after that was just as bad. That wasn't the beginning of the end though--you could tell things were bad when they castrated the game's text with their horrible localisation system, and brought in the pathetic Third Dawn 3D Client that no one used because it sucked so much. Yes, the 2D graphics were far superior to the 3D garbage that the UO developers tried to introduce, and failed miserably.
Funny, as I'm the exact opposite. I've never owned a standalone DVD or VCD player, as I prefer to just watch them on my computer, and a tuner card sounds good just because I'd like to be able to watch my VHS tapes on my computer (I almost never watch American TV, so my main use would be just to hook up my VCR). I absolutely hate the idea of having to use different devices for different things. I'd prefer to just use my computer for everything.
Oh, and that guy is a moron, regardless. There are only three reasons why he does this: he doesn't know that most video cards have S-Video and/or Composite outputs, he's too cheap to get a decent video card with S-Video and/or Composite outputs (hell, the GeForce2 MX 400 I used to have before I got my current card had an S-Video port, and that was a shitty card), or his TV only supports coax and he's too cheap to get an RF modulator.
You don't want a region-free player. Rather, you want an infinitely region-switchable player (players that can switch more than 5 times are illegal, but I'm sure you'll be able to get some normal players hacked, and I wouldn't be surprised if you can import one from Taiwan or Hong Kong).
Some DVDs ask the player what the player's region code is. If it says it's region-free, it won't play. Again, you want a player that has regions, but you want it to be able to switch regions whenever you tell it to, as many times as you tell it to.
This, and similar issues (namely the fact that you can't fast-forward through certain things), is a large part of the reason why I generally dislike DVDs, and prefer VCDs. I can't really tell the difference in quality, so the only real advantages DVDs have for me are capacity and the ability to toggle subtitles.
I mean holy shit, spending 4 hours a day playing video games is something a high-schooler does.
Wow, some people actually like to have fun, and you attack them for it.
You're a horrible person.
Don't forget that Kusoragi was the shithead who said that the PS3 isn't a gaming device, and that the PSX and PS2 weren't gaming devices either.
He's a moron. Just ignore him.
Gail Simone comes to mind. She's very funny, with a twisted sense of humour, but she can also write serious stories pretty well. She wrote Agent X and the last few issues of Deadpool, and is currently writing DC's Villains United limited series.
If you're looking for older writers, I'd recommend Louise Simonson. She had an awesome run on X-Factor in the 80s.
If you're willing to dig around for back issues of CrossGen comics (which is now sadly out of business, due to upper management not paying people when they should have), Barbara Kesel wrote some of their best stuff, including Meridian, my favourite CG book.
Except a 4000+ and a 3200+ are the exact same chip.
Actually, they're not quite the same chip. AMD has a number of cores that are all sold under the "Athlon 64" brand. Here's a quick rundown of them (I'm not going over mobile parts, though--this list is pretty complex already):
ClawHammer - 130nm single-core processor with 1MB of L2 cache. Some ClawHammers (2800+, 3000+, 3500+) have half the L2 disabled, meaning that they're effectively Newcastles with a larger die size. ClawHammer is available in 2800+, 3000+, 3200+, 3400+, 3500+, 3700+, and 4000+ versions, and all currently-available Socket 939 Athlon 64 FX processors (FX-53 and FX-55). ClawHammers are mostly Socket 754, except for the 3500+, 4000+, and both FX models, which are all Socket 939.
Newcastle - 130nm single-core processor with 512KB of L2 cache. Newcastles sold to consumers always have the full cache enabled, but HP once sold a machine with a 3300+ model that had half the cache disabled. Newcastle is available in 2800+, 3000+, 3200+, 3300+, 3500+, and 3800+ versions. The 3500+ and 3800+ are Socket 939-only, and the others are Socket 754 (some might also have 939 versions, but I'm not sure).
Winchester - 90nm single-core processor with 512KB of L2 cache. Winchester is available in 3000+, 3200+, and 3500+ versions. All Winchesters are Socket 939.
Venice - 90nm single-core processor with 512KB of L2 cache, built using the "E3" stepping which supports SSE3 (ClawHammer/Newcastle/Winchester only support SSE2) and has a more optimised memory controller. Venice is available in 3000+, 3200+, 3500+, and 3800+ versions. All Venices are Socket 939.
San Diego - 90nm single-core processor with 1MB of L2 cache, built using the "E4" stepping, which is identical to the "E3" (SSE3, better memory controller), except for the amount of cache. One San Diego model (3500+) has half the L2 disabled, making it effectively a Venice with a larger die size. San Diegos are available in 3500+, 3700+, and 4000+ versions, and the upcoming Athlon 64 FX-57 (to be released during Q3 this year) will be a San Diego. All San Diegos are Socket 939.
Manchester - 90nm dual-core processor with 1MB of L2 cache (512KB per core). Manchester is sold as the Athlon 64 X2, models 4200+ and 4600+. All Manchesters are Socket 939.
Toledo - 90nm dual-core processor with 2MB of L2 cache (1MB per core). Toledo is sold as the Athlon 64 X2, models 4400+ and 4800+. All Toledos are Socket 939.
Feel free to check out Wikipedia's list of Athlon 64 processors for more information. I've been editing and expanding that page for a while now, and I think I've finally got it to the point where it's mostly complete.
This PSU is a Good Thing.
After buying an Ultra X-Connect last year, there's no way I'd be able to go back to a conventional power supply. I love the modular design.
It's about time someone else came out with a modular PSU. Hopefully, Ultra and Hiper will be able to push modular power supplies to the point where they completely drive conventional crap out of the market.
Prolog?
Talk about making up bullshit.
The GPL exists so as to subvert copyright. By creating the GPL, RMS intended to turn copyright against itself. The GPL itself is an act of disrespect to copyright.
The only hypocrisy is in your mind.
That all depends on how you're typing in the first place.
I have no problems typing GHz. I hold the Shift key with my left pinky, hit 'G' with my left index finger, hit 'H' with my right index finger, let go of Shift, and press 'z' with my left index finger. The only time I make any sort of flub while typing GHz is when I either let go of Shift too soon or hold it down too long.
If you have problems typing GHz, you should really reconsider how you type.
Well, there was an NT4 port to PPC a while back, so I assume that MS is partially basing this version of Windows on their old PPC port.
Ageed. Oddly enough, that's very much like what my panel layout looked like when I used to use KDE. Of course, I don't have a taskbar anymore, as I'm a happy Ion user now.
I didn't start to appreciate KDE's flexibility until I made my custom panel layout, which, as I said, was very similar to yours. There are a few differences (the biggest one being that my side panel was top-aligned, not bottom-aligned), but the basic idea is the same.
Let's see...they're making Windows POS Edition not run on any Athlon or Pentium 4, and only those two processors.
It says nothing about the Sempron or Pentium M. Socket-754 Semprons are roughly as powerful as Athlon XPs, and Pentium Ms beat the hell out of Pentium 4s. Yet, they're more worried about keeping a out a group of processors that include the original 500 MHz Athlon and the shitty Prescott.
It's bad enough that they're trying to lock out high-end processors (which is sickening and deplorable). It's laughable that they're not locking out processors that are just as good as the ones they're locking out.
Actually, the 17" Powerbook is the only big laptop I can stand. Why? Because Apple actually put some effort into the design. Compare a 17" Powerbook to any 17" x86 laptop out there, and you'll notice that the Powerbook is much smaller. It's thinner too--hell, it's even thinner than my 14" thin-and-light Toshiba.
It also weighs less than most 17" x86 laptops. Try lifting one...it's only about 6-7 pounds or so, which is light for a 17" laptop. I say "or so" because I just compared one to my laptop, which weighs just under 5 pounds, and the Powerbook was only slightly heavier.
Granted, if I were getting an Apple, I'd probably get a 12" Powerbook instead, but I'd gladly take a 17" Powerbook over any other 17" laptop any day.
Seriously. What use is there for a monster like that? If you want something like that, just get a desktop.
I, for one, am happy with my thin and light Centrino notebook. It's weighs 4.9 pounds, is 12 inches wide, 10 inches deep, and 1 inch tall, with a 14.1" XGA screen. It's incredibly portable...I carry it with me most places I go, it fits nicely on my lap, I can hand it off to someone to show them something on the screen. I can't do any of those with a DTR brick.
I was somewhat skittish about buying a machine with an Intel processor (part of the reason why I started looking at it in the first place is that the only notebooks with an AMD processor and decent specs were DTR bricks), but my fears were unfounded--I have to say that this machine is perfect. It even runs Linux like a dream.
Actually, if the G4's IPC is similar to the Pentium III, then the G4 is far, far better than an equivalently clocked Pentium 4. The Pentium 4 has one of the worst IPCs of all time.
The Pentium III (especially Tualatin) has a much, much higher IPC than the Pentium 4. In fact, the Pentium 4 was ridiculed early on because the Pentium 4 was easily outperformed by Pentium IIIs that ran at hundreds of MHz lower. Pentium 4s only started outperforming Pentium IIIs when Intel started ramping up the P4's clock speed like mad, pushing it past 2 GHz in a few months, and past 3 GHz not much later than that.
Also, the Pentium M is very similar to the Pentium III when it comes to architecture--the PM is basically just a jacked-up PIII with lots of cache and lower power consumption. Right now, we have 1.8 GHz Pentium Ms beating the crap out of 3 GHz Pentium 4s. Why? The P4's NetBurst architecture just plain blows.
Although I do agree that the grandparent is wrong--it's just that the only time a G4-to-x86 comparison is valid is when you're comparing a G4 to a Pentium M or Athlon 64 (especially the Pentium M, as the G4 is a 32-bit CPU).
Also in that genre is a '70s tokusatsu (Japanese live-action) show called Kaiketsu Zubat. No, it has nothing to do with Pokemon--Kaiketsu Zubat is an awesome superhero show from 1977 set in a "modern western"-type setting. It takes place in modern Japan, but the characters dress and act as if it were a western. It's not really sci-fi, but it does combine a western motif with a modern setting.
There's a site dedicated to Kaiketsu Zubat, and it has an entry on the IMDB. Oh, and I'll also add that my favourite actor of all time (Hiroshi Miyauchi) plays the main character.
Joss Whedon currently writes one of the core X-Men books, Astonishing X-Men. He's also an old-school X-Men fan, with a real love of the medium, so there being a Firefly comic doesn't surprise me.
Specifically, they're pretentious snobs who refuse to admit that they're reading comic books, so they force themselves to only read them in big, thick books. They're simply ashamed of what they are.
They're also one of the reasons why I tend not to bother with most comics message boards. I've found that I enjoy comics much more when I just read them by myself and stay away from all the snobs on the Internet.
Nope. Shimatta is a Japanese expression equivalent to "dammit". The Japanese word for "shit" is kuso.
Ah, I've taught someone how to swear in another language...my day is now complete.