...To the developers, at least, marketshare is absolutely irrelevant to their efforts....
That maybe true to those dedicated souls who give time and effort for free to develop the software, but not for the companies who make the hardware. They have to provide support for their products. Building up an entire support team for such a small share of units sold is disproportionately expensive and will not be done by anyone who wants to make a profit. For all products, with computers no exception, most people look to the manufacturer to address an eventual problem. Ordinary users are not sophisticated enough to determine whether the problem is with the software or with the hardware. They will instinctively call the manufacturer of the computer box and expect help. Giving this help will cost a manufacturer a sizable bundle of money.
....I'm sorry, but subscribing to the idea that the [doctor/lawyer/whatever] is [God/infallible] which you are advocating is dumb...
Where did you ever get the idea that these or any professionals are perfect or infallible? Our society pays them more than plumbers or computer technicians because human lives are directly involved in the performance of their jobs. The consequences of incompetence or heaven forbid, malicious behavior of such professionals can be much more severe than your failure to fix your Lawyers computer or a plumber's failure to properly make your toilet flush again.
...I expect him to bring me his computer and not screw around with it himself...
If a lawyer brings you his computer, do you get as much per hour to fix it as he gets to represent you in a lawsuit? Do doctors and lawyers get paid much more because the work they do is much more important? When you get accused of a crime, you really need a lawyer and if you get seriously ill you really need a doctor, but who really needs a computer? That is why it is a good idea to trust professionals, especially when the consequences of not doing so can be extremely high.
...I don't have to worry about a dotbomb taking out half my stuff when it folds without warning...
You also don't have to worry about the local police, the FBI, CIA, KGB, Gestapo, NSA, or other acronym agency easily accessing your data without in most cases getting a court order to come crashing into your house and confiscate your computer.
Just ask Netflix. There are millions of DVD players and America's living rooms and around the world. There are even a few Blu-Ray high definition players sold each year. Most people's high-speed Internet connections are not good enough to consistently transmit a DVD quality picture. Besides that, most non-geeks still watch their movies on a device called a television set which is connected to no network. I think that the average/.er will be retired on Social Security, before DVD will disappear.
A few spectacular meltdowns of popular Internet services will likely slow if not stop cloud computing. Until super high-speed Internet connections become as reliable as POTS, PCs as we know them will pretty much remain with us. There was talk already 10 years ago about thin clients and "the network is the computer". Even 30 years ago I remember people standing around the water cooler because of the mainframe was down. I for one, will never put all my computing eggs into the Internet basket.
...The average Joe may not care where the OS is stored....
Not only that, but average Joe may not know that there is such a thing as an operating system. They just buy computers like they buy a refrigerator or television to use a computer what their friends tell them what they use theirs for. Of all computers on the market today, only Apple sells a complete integrated computer appliance. It comes complete with hardware and ALL software, not only to consume content, but also for those who wish to CREATE content for themselves or others. Those who create content will definitely want to have a real computer not dependent on anything a third-party might provide over the Internet.
....And what will Johnny User do with that computer when the network is down?....
1. rip a music CD to computer 2. update ipod with the music 3. play a DVD 4. rip a DVD and process DVD for iPod 5. write emails for sending later 6. transfer photos from still camera to computer 7. edit and arrange photos in iPhoto for slide show with music from iTunes 8. copy video of child's first steps to computer 9. edit video adding sounds and effects with iMovie 10. burn to DVD for grandparents with iDVD 11......use your imagination for more.....
All this and more can be done out of the box with a standard Macintosh computer with no need for a network connection or purchasing expensive third party software. Notice that most of the items of the above list involves CREATING content, rather than merely consuming it off the network. Creating content is hard work but very satisfying.
.....Democrats got paid by business more than the Republicans.....
That sounds very reasonable to me, since Republicans are generally wealthier than Democrats and don't need money as badly. However, is there any proof that this is true, that Democrats get paid off more than Republicans? I suspect it is an individual thing and cannot be said across the board for either party.
....you're paying a significant amount more than you would for equivalent hardware from somewhere else;...
Only the techies on Slashdot or techies in general look at the purchase of a computer in terms of hardware and separate software. Most ordinary people buy a computer as a complete device, much like a television or refrigerator. That is the biggest reasons why Linux is not going anywhere on the desktop. People who understand quality and are willing to pay for it are still buying considerable numbers of higher priced, complete integrated computer systems from Apple. If you would look at the financials of all computer makers, you would see that Apple is doing better than any of the others where it counts for any business, making money. The people who only consider price, buy rock bottom computers good enough to surf the net. In contrast, people whose time is precious and who consider value and wish to create as well as consume content, pay gladly extra for that, shoveling tons of money into Apple's cash registers.
When a user is tricked into or deliberately installs a bad program, such a Trojan requiring user interaction is unavoidable by any technical means. There is no and never has been any drive by self replicating installation of any malicious programming for Macintosh. So far, ALL successful hacks, without a single exception, for Macs have required user cooperation or physical access to the machine. Nothing, has ever been found on the Internet or even in some security companies lab that can infect a computer running OSX in the same self replicating way, as for example the recent and still rampaging Conficker worm raging on millions of Windows machines to this day.
How about someone who wants to do more than consume content, such as surf the web or possibly write an e-mail once in awhile? How easy is it to edit, publish and print photographs from a camera without needing to buy some expensive, hard to learn software, if it exists at all to run under Linux? How about if someone wishes to a send a DVD of a child's music recital to the grandparents? Any Macintosh computer will do all this out of the box, without having to purchase any additional software. There are also a number of quilting applications available for Macs.
Only if you are a/. reading hobbyist who loves to spend their time futzing with computers just for fun. The Butchers, bakers and jewelery makers, in short all others besides lovers of computer technology, always have better uses for their time and to not want to assemble a computer kit. Usually even a pre-assembled computer running Windows needs inordinate attention to do a simple task such as, for example, edit photos taken with a digital camera. A user has to choose from a large selection of often expensive programs, hopefully pick a suitable one that is affordable, then install the program and learn how to use it. With Linux, solving such a simple problem is even more of an uphill struggle.
Apple's computers are more expensive, but well worth the money to a non-technical user wanting to do what I have written above. There are people this world who want to do more with their computers than simply consume pre-made content such as surfing the web and reading e-mails.
I have a friend who is a silversmith, making exquisitely designed jewelry. She wanted to take pictures to market her creations on the web. She had a reasonably decent Windows computer with XP on it, but was completely frustrated by the amount of time it took to do this even though she had spent a considerable amount of money on the extra software that she needed to buy. I recommended a Macbook Pro laptop, but initially she balked at the for her especially large price tag. I convinced her to save her pennies and finally she came to me with a smile on her face telling me she had bought her Macbook Pro. She is now able to take digital pictures of her jewelry work and publish them easily on the web. She did not have to buy any additional software.
....If it had just 10% market share, AV software would be necessary, and you are already foolish not to run a firewall...
It amazes me how many people have swallowed the market share security argument for non-Windows operating systems. OSX has about 10% market share and yet no viruses. I do agree about the need for a firewall however.
Linux, being open source, does not have a central controlling agency and because of this suffers from too many cooks spoil the stew syndrome. Linux programmers are like an orchestra of skilled musicians but no conductor. Both Windows and MacOS X have a central authority to decide what gets left out what gets put in. These programmers put in the features that they would like to see, but not necessarily what the joe consumer type customers would really like to have. This makes programmer centric orientation makes Linux a cool, flexible operating system for geeks and nerds such as found here on/.
To you really believe that any human being can devise a test that will ensure the competence of another? Especially how the run-of-the-mill driving test, prevents incompetent drivers from getting behind the wheel of a car./sarcasm
How many doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers and other so-called tested and degreed people are there in this world who are anything but competent. Yes, they passed the required tests and even have a fancy certificate and some letters in front of or behind their name, but can any test be a guarantee of competence? What kind of tests do you propose to administer to people before you let them own a computer connected to the Internet?
I agree, that Microsoft could do more to make it more difficult for computer criminals without making it much more difficult for users. In the end though, how does anyone resolve the conflict between security and ease-of-use? Microsoft chose ease-of-use before computer networking gave cyber criminals remote access to computers. Linux and Apple are small maneuverable boats compared to Microsoft's supertanker. These smaller more nimble computer vessels were and are able to change course much more quickly into a more secure path.
Unlike a toaster or a television, software is intrinsically different because it can be easily copied by a customer. Because of this basic fact, treating software as a material good is unrealistic. If software companies were required by law to give a refund for anything but a severe bug that prevented the software from totally working at all, many users would ask for a refund and then continue using the copied software, mindful of not activating or working around the bug.
....should not be allowed to own and operate any of those items....
Do you propose to issue driver's licenses for computers? Do you not understand that when another human being wishes to inflict harm in any area of life, no laws and the most draconian penalties can entirely prevent that? How do driver's licenses prevent crimes such as drive-by shootings or car hijackings?
If somebody wants to steal YOUR car, they will get it, no matter how many locks and other security devices you install. All you can really hope for is that a casual thief will steal your neighbor's car which has a simpler locks. Traditionally, Windows computers have simpler locks than those running OS X or Linux. There are also way more Windows computers than any of the others combined. Theoretically it would be possible to build houses like bank vaults which would be very expensive and I doubt you would want to live in one. In the same way it would cost a lot and nobody would want to use a totally secure computer.
....Windows just isn't "good enough". 99+% of all malware is microsoft specific....
From the malware viewpoint, Windows is nearly perfect if you disconnect it from all networks. There was of course some malware which was transmitted on floppies, but it's spread was necessarily limited.
A car engine that is perfectly OK will malfunction if someone comes along and puts water or sugar in the gas tank. If a vandal comes along and slashes the brand-new tires you just bought, will any tire store replace the slashed tires? Probably not, but your car insurance company might pay for the damage. Maybe everyone should have the option of buying computer malfunction insurance, especially as caused by external attacks by criminals. Because it is very hard and/or expensive to build a burglar proof house, that is why most homeowner policies have some sort of insurance against theft. It is hard to build a computer that does not contain vulnerabilities to skilled hackers.
Of course, for software that crashes all on its own with a BSOD, or blatantly malfunctions in another way, the seller of such software should be required to fix the problem or give a refund plus possibly a limited indemnification for a demonstrated loss.
.... I think this follows from the greater complexities of software...
It is likely that it is less than greater complexity but that it is impossible to guarantee even relatively simple software to be bug free. A big difference is that software itself is immaterial although it is stored in and operated on material devices. It is essentially nothing more than a series of thoughts and imaginations contrived in such a way that properly designed computer hardware can run, in order to produce a useful result for humans.
A good engine design for example can be looked at by a knowledgeable mechanical engineer who can give a rather solid critique of whether the engine will actually perform as designed. One programmer reading another programmer's code, especially if it is not well commented, will not be able to be nearly as sure about the quality of the program before it has actually tested. When the engine is running, it produces certain vibrations and sounds in addition to the desired output of a certain amount of power at any given RPM. A trained mechanic or engineer can often tell a hidden flaw in the engine simply by the sounds it makes. An executing software program gives no such clues, but will continue to run until it crashes or gives an obvious wrong answer.
If it should ever come about that software is held to the same quality standards as an engine or automobile for example, software would be very expensive, because of the large investment necessary to extensively test software. Because of this testing expense, complicated software such as an operating system would raise the price of software by at least a factor of 10-50.
....You are never going to have to worry about losing unrecoverable data when your workstation hard drive take a crap....
Users of OSX with its time machine back up system have the freedom to put their files anywhere in their user space and have a backup on the network Time capsule drive of all files. Surely there must be software available for Windows, albeit at extra cost, that does this backup also.
....Now multiply that times 5 if you started out with OS X 10...
Except that your stock seven year old PC would likely not run VISTA at all, without a hefty hardware upgrade if that were possible. The user of a G4 PowerBook that came out in 2002 shipped with OSX10.2, may choose the installation of the current OSX10.5 without any hardware upgrades. Successive iterations of OSX work better and have more features on the same old hardware. This is definitely not the case with Microsoft, where succeeding operating systems traditionally have taken more powerful hardware because they would not run at all or glacially slow. Of course with either Macintosh or Windows, most users do not upgrade to a more recent operating system, but to simply buy a new computer.
....what happened to Megan Meyers while certainly evil, was not apparently illegal....
But it was within the power of her parent(s) or guardian rather than the law. By not knowing or caring what she was doing in cyberspace, they shirked their responsibility of parental oversight and are directly responsible for the tragic outcome. If you want to know the truth of parental irresponsibility, talk to any teacher in any school and they will confirm this. Too many parents or abdicate their responsibility to know intimately what is going on in the lives of their kids. Doing this, takes time and effort over other goals such as career and a higher standard of living. It means spending time with your children.
It seems that there are many politicians out there who think that every societal problem can be solved by passing another law. We have more laws on the books today than ever before, yet the behavior of selfish people is more evident than ever, by rampant lawbreaking. God himself carved 10 straightforward laws into stone and gave them to mankind through Moses, but nobody keeps these. Jesus Christ boiled these 10 down to only two. It is quite obvious that it takes more than a huge pile of laws to make law-abiding people.
....I've certainly never heard of one student getting a restraining order against another student....
I certainly have heard of parents protecting their children by getting a restraining order or taking whatever steps are necessary to protect their children. The business of protecting the children belongs primarily to their parents and begins with knowing what their children are doing in cyberspace and elsewhere. They can then nip such harassment in its beginning stages by forbidding their children to communicate with the abuser. Problem solved, the state need not intervene with its heavy hand.
The parent(s) of Megan Meier were negligent by being ignorant or uncaring what their daughter was experiencing online. If they had intervened at the beginning of this whole episode, there would have not been such a tragic ending.
....This law would make trolling a criminal offence...
This law would also make old-fashioned hellfire and damnation preaching a criminal offense if it were done electronically. According to what is written in the Bible, Revelation 21:8, all LIARS will burn forever in hell. Since nobody tells the truth all the time, that means such a preacher could offend everybody severely, ensuring that many would be emotionally upset. There are many other biblical statements which would also be construed to be offensive and emotionally upsetting and therefore earn such a preacher a prison sentence under this proposed law.
The problem can't be fixed this way because there are no such things as black holes. There is a line in the article that says:
->However, not much tangible evidence supports the theory.-
Mathematical simulations are fun to watch especially when turned into colorful videos, but in this case have no relationship to reality. No direct evidence of a black hole has ever been found neither have their cousins dark energy and dark matter.
So sorry to disappoint you, no black hole will come along and fix humanity's problems.
Slashdot Mirror
...To the developers, at least, marketshare is absolutely irrelevant to their efforts....
That maybe true to those dedicated souls who give time and effort for free to develop the software, but not for the companies who make the hardware. They have to provide support for their products. Building up an entire support team for such a small share of units sold is disproportionately expensive and will not be done by anyone who wants to make a profit. For all products, with computers no exception, most people look to the manufacturer to address an eventual problem. Ordinary users are not sophisticated enough to determine whether the problem is with the software or with the hardware. They will instinctively call the manufacturer of the computer box and expect help. Giving this help will cost a manufacturer a sizable bundle of money.
....I'm sorry, but subscribing to the idea that the [doctor/lawyer/whatever] is [God/infallible] which you are advocating is dumb...
Where did you ever get the idea that these or any professionals are perfect or infallible? Our society pays them more than plumbers or computer technicians because human lives are directly involved in the performance of their jobs. The consequences of incompetence or heaven forbid, malicious behavior of such professionals can be much more severe than your failure to fix your Lawyers computer or a plumber's failure to properly make your toilet flush again.
...I expect him to bring me his computer and not screw around with it himself...
If a lawyer brings you his computer, do you get as much per hour to fix it as he gets to represent you in a lawsuit? Do doctors and lawyers get paid much more because the work they do is much more important? When you get accused of a crime, you really need a lawyer and if you get seriously ill you really need a doctor, but who really needs a computer? That is why it is a good idea to trust professionals, especially when the consequences of not doing so can be extremely high.
...I don't have to worry about a dotbomb taking out half my stuff when it folds without warning...
You also don't have to worry about the local police, the FBI, CIA, KGB, Gestapo, NSA, or other acronym agency easily accessing your data without in most cases getting a court order to come crashing into your house and confiscate your computer.
...What's a DVD?...
Just ask Netflix. There are millions of DVD players and America's living rooms and around the world. There are even a few Blu-Ray high definition players sold each year. Most people's high-speed Internet connections are not good enough to consistently transmit a DVD quality picture. Besides that, most non-geeks still watch their movies on a device called a television set which is connected to no network. I think that the average /.er will be retired on Social Security, before DVD will disappear.
A few spectacular meltdowns of popular Internet services will likely slow if not stop cloud computing. Until super high-speed Internet connections become as reliable as POTS, PCs as we know them will pretty much remain with us. There was talk already 10 years ago about thin clients and "the network is the computer". Even 30 years ago I remember people standing around the water cooler because of the mainframe was down. I for one, will never put all my computing eggs into the Internet basket.
...The average Joe may not care where the OS is stored....
Not only that, but average Joe may not know that there is such a thing as an operating system. They just buy computers like they buy a refrigerator or television to use a computer what their friends tell them what they use theirs for. Of all computers on the market today, only Apple sells a complete integrated computer appliance. It comes complete with hardware and ALL software, not only to consume content, but also for those who wish to CREATE content for themselves or others. Those who create content will definitely want to have a real computer not dependent on anything a third-party might provide over the Internet.
....And what will Johnny User do with that computer when the network is down?....
1. rip a music CD to computer
2. update ipod with the music
3. play a DVD
4. rip a DVD and process DVD for iPod
5. write emails for sending later
6. transfer photos from still camera to computer
7. edit and arrange photos in iPhoto for slide show with music from iTunes
8. copy video of child's first steps to computer
9. edit video adding sounds and effects with iMovie
10. burn to DVD for grandparents with iDVD
11......use your imagination for more.....
All this and more can be done out of the box with a standard Macintosh computer with no need for a network connection or purchasing expensive third party software. Notice that most of the items of the above list involves CREATING content, rather than merely consuming it off the network. Creating content is hard work but very satisfying.
.....Democrats got paid by business more than the Republicans.....
That sounds very reasonable to me, since Republicans are generally wealthier than Democrats and don't need money as badly. However, is there any proof that this is true, that Democrats get paid off more than Republicans? I suspect it is an individual thing and cannot be said across the board for either party.
....it's still better to choose the party of least corruption ....
Which by definition is NEVER the party in power at the moment.
....you're paying a significant amount more than you would for equivalent hardware from somewhere else; ...
Only the techies on Slashdot or techies in general look at the purchase of a computer in terms of hardware and separate software. Most ordinary people buy a computer as a complete device, much like a television or refrigerator. That is the biggest reasons why Linux is not going anywhere on the desktop. People who understand quality and are willing to pay for it are still buying considerable numbers of higher priced, complete integrated computer systems from Apple. If you would look at the financials of all computer makers, you would see that Apple is doing better than any of the others where it counts for any business, making money. The people who only consider price, buy rock bottom computers good enough to surf the net. In contrast, people whose time is precious and who consider value and wish to create as well as consume content, pay gladly extra for that, shoveling tons of money into Apple's cash registers.
....There are OSX malware...
When a user is tricked into or deliberately installs a bad program, such a Trojan requiring user interaction is unavoidable by any technical means. There is no and never has been any drive by self replicating installation of any malicious programming for Macintosh. So far, ALL successful hacks, without a single exception, for Macs have required user cooperation or physical access to the machine. Nothing, has ever been found on the Internet or even in some security companies lab that can infect a computer running OSX in the same self replicating way, as for example the recent and still rampaging Conficker worm raging on millions of Windows machines to this day.
....an obscure quilting application...
How about someone who wants to do more than consume content, such as surf the web or possibly write an e-mail once in awhile? How easy is it to edit, publish and print photographs from a camera without needing to buy some expensive, hard to learn software, if it exists at all to run under Linux? How about if someone wishes to a send a DVD of a child's music recital to the grandparents? Any Macintosh computer will do all this out of the box, without having to purchase any additional software. There are also a number of quilting applications available for Macs.
....Building your own rig is generally cheaper ...
Only if you are a /. reading hobbyist who loves to spend their time futzing with computers just for fun. The Butchers, bakers and jewelery makers, in short all others besides lovers of computer technology, always have better uses for their time and to not want to assemble a computer kit. Usually even a pre-assembled computer running Windows needs inordinate attention to do a simple task such as, for example, edit photos taken with a digital camera. A user has to choose from a large selection of often expensive programs, hopefully pick a suitable one that is affordable, then install the program and learn how to use it. With Linux, solving such a simple problem is even more of an uphill struggle.
Apple's computers are more expensive, but well worth the money to a non-technical user wanting to do what I have written above. There are people this world who want to do more with their computers than simply consume pre-made content such as surfing the web and reading e-mails.
I have a friend who is a silversmith, making exquisitely designed jewelry. She wanted to take pictures to market her creations on the web. She had a reasonably decent Windows computer with XP on it, but was completely frustrated by the amount of time it took to do this even though she had spent a considerable amount of money on the extra software that she needed to buy. I recommended a Macbook Pro laptop, but initially she balked at the for her especially large price tag. I convinced her to save her pennies and finally she came to me with a smile on her face telling me she had bought her Macbook Pro. She is now able to take digital pictures of her jewelry work and publish them easily on the web. She did not have to buy any additional software.
....If it had just 10% market share, AV software would be necessary, and you are already foolish not to run a firewall...
It amazes me how many people have swallowed the market share security argument for non-Windows operating systems. OSX has about 10% market share and yet no viruses. I do agree about the need for a firewall however.
Linux, being open source, does not have a central controlling agency and because of this suffers from too many cooks spoil the stew syndrome. Linux programmers are like an orchestra of skilled musicians but no conductor. Both Windows and MacOS X have a central authority to decide what gets left out what gets put in. These programmers put in the features that they would like to see, but not necessarily what the joe consumer type customers would really like to have. This makes programmer centric orientation makes Linux a cool, flexible operating system for geeks and nerds such as found here on /.
....Not competent? Don't operate. Period...
To you really believe that any human being can devise a test that will ensure the competence of another? Especially how the run-of-the-mill driving test, prevents incompetent drivers from getting behind the wheel of a car. /sarcasm
How many doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers and other so-called tested and degreed people are there in this world who are anything but competent. Yes, they passed the required tests and even have a fancy certificate and some letters in front of or behind their name, but can any test be a guarantee of competence? What kind of tests do you propose to administer to people before you let them own a computer connected to the Internet?
I agree, that Microsoft could do more to make it more difficult for computer criminals without making it much more difficult for users. In the end though, how does anyone resolve the conflict between security and ease-of-use? Microsoft chose ease-of-use before computer networking gave cyber criminals remote access to computers. Linux and Apple are small maneuverable boats compared to Microsoft's supertanker. These smaller more nimble computer vessels were and are able to change course much more quickly into a more secure path.
Unlike a toaster or a television, software is intrinsically different because it can be easily copied by a customer. Because of this basic fact, treating software as a material good is unrealistic. If software companies were required by law to give a refund for anything but a severe bug that prevented the software from totally working at all, many users would ask for a refund and then continue using the copied software, mindful of not activating or working around the bug.
....should not be allowed to own and operate any of those items....
Do you propose to issue driver's licenses for computers? Do you not understand that when another human being wishes to inflict harm in any area of life, no laws and the most draconian penalties can entirely prevent that? How do driver's licenses prevent crimes such as drive-by shootings or car hijackings?
If somebody wants to steal YOUR car, they will get it, no matter how many locks and other security devices you install. All you can really hope for is that a casual thief will steal your neighbor's car which has a simpler locks. Traditionally, Windows computers have simpler locks than those running OS X or Linux. There are also way more Windows computers than any of the others combined. Theoretically it would be possible to build houses like bank vaults which would be very expensive and I doubt you would want to live in one. In the same way it would cost a lot and nobody would want to use a totally secure computer.
....Windows just isn't "good enough". 99+% of all malware is microsoft specific....
From the malware viewpoint, Windows is nearly perfect if you disconnect it from all networks. There was of course some malware which was transmitted on floppies, but it's spread was necessarily limited.
A car engine that is perfectly OK will malfunction if someone comes along and puts water or sugar in the gas tank. If a vandal comes along and slashes the brand-new tires you just bought, will any tire store replace the slashed tires? Probably not, but your car insurance company might pay for the damage. Maybe everyone should have the option of buying computer malfunction insurance, especially as caused by external attacks by criminals. Because it is very hard and/or expensive to build a burglar proof house, that is why most homeowner policies have some sort of insurance against theft. It is hard to build a computer that does not contain vulnerabilities to skilled hackers.
Of course, for software that crashes all on its own with a BSOD, or blatantly malfunctions in another way, the seller of such software should be required to fix the problem or give a refund plus possibly a limited indemnification for a demonstrated loss.
.... I think this follows from the greater complexities of software ...
It is likely that it is less than greater complexity but that it is impossible to guarantee even relatively simple software to be bug free. A big difference is that software itself is immaterial although it is stored in and operated on material devices. It is essentially nothing more than a series of thoughts and imaginations contrived in such a way that properly designed computer hardware can run, in order to produce a useful result for humans.
A good engine design for example can be looked at by a knowledgeable mechanical engineer who can give a rather solid critique of whether the engine will actually perform as designed. One programmer reading another programmer's code, especially if it is not well commented, will not be able to be nearly as sure about the quality of the program before it has actually tested. When the engine is running, it produces certain vibrations and sounds in addition to the desired output of a certain amount of power at any given RPM. A trained mechanic or engineer can often tell a hidden flaw in the engine simply by the sounds it makes. An executing software program gives no such clues, but will continue to run until it crashes or gives an obvious wrong answer.
If it should ever come about that software is held to the same quality standards as an engine or automobile for example, software would be very expensive, because of the large investment necessary to extensively test software. Because of this testing expense, complicated software such as an operating system would raise the price of software by at least a factor of 10-50.
....You are never going to have to worry about losing unrecoverable data when your workstation hard drive take a crap....
Users of OSX with its time machine back up system have the freedom to put their files anywhere in their user space and have a backup on the network Time capsule drive of all files. Surely there must be software available for Windows, albeit at extra cost, that does this backup also.
....Now multiply that times 5 if you started out with OS X 10...
Except that your stock seven year old PC would likely not run VISTA at all, without a hefty hardware upgrade if that were possible. The user of a G4 PowerBook that came out in 2002 shipped with OSX10.2, may choose the installation of the current OSX10.5 without any hardware upgrades. Successive iterations of OSX work better and have more features on the same old hardware. This is definitely not the case with Microsoft, where succeeding operating systems traditionally have taken more powerful hardware because they would not run at all or glacially slow. Of course with either Macintosh or Windows, most users do not upgrade to a more recent operating system, but to simply buy a new computer.
....what happened to Megan Meyers while certainly evil, was not apparently illegal....
But it was within the power of her parent(s) or guardian rather than the law. By not knowing or caring what she was doing in cyberspace, they shirked their responsibility of parental oversight and are directly responsible for the tragic outcome. If you want to know the truth of parental irresponsibility, talk to any teacher in any school and they will confirm this. Too many parents or abdicate their responsibility to know intimately what is going on in the lives of their kids. Doing this, takes time and effort over other goals such as career and a higher standard of living. It means spending time with your children.
It seems that there are many politicians out there who think that every societal problem can be solved by passing another law. We have more laws on the books today than ever before, yet the behavior of selfish people is more evident than ever, by rampant lawbreaking. God himself carved 10 straightforward laws into stone and gave them to mankind through Moses, but nobody keeps these. Jesus Christ boiled these 10 down to only two. It is quite obvious that it takes more than a huge pile of laws to make law-abiding people.
....I've certainly never heard of one student getting a restraining order against another student....
I certainly have heard of parents protecting their children by getting a restraining order or taking whatever steps are necessary to protect their children. The business of protecting the children belongs primarily to their parents and begins with knowing what their children are doing in cyberspace and elsewhere. They can then nip such harassment in its beginning stages by forbidding their children to communicate with the abuser. Problem solved, the state need not intervene with its heavy hand.
The parent(s) of Megan Meier were negligent by being ignorant or uncaring what their daughter was experiencing online. If they had intervened at the beginning of this whole episode, there would have not been such a tragic ending.
....This law would make trolling a criminal offence...
This law would also make old-fashioned hellfire and damnation preaching a criminal offense if it were done electronically. According to what is written in the Bible, Revelation 21:8, all LIARS will burn forever in hell. Since nobody tells the truth all the time, that means such a preacher could offend everybody severely, ensuring that many would be emotionally upset. There are many other biblical statements which would also be construed to be offensive and emotionally upsetting and therefore earn such a preacher a prison sentence under this proposed law.
no place else that had free video.
....Nothing a rogue black hole can't fix,....
The problem can't be fixed this way because there are no such things as black holes. There is a line in the article that says:
->However, not much tangible evidence supports the theory.-
Mathematical simulations are fun to watch especially when turned into colorful videos, but in this case have no relationship to reality. No direct evidence of a black hole has ever been found neither have their cousins dark energy and dark matter.
So sorry to disappoint you, no black hole will come along and fix humanity's problems.