So, would a soccer mom having an off-road SUV be comparable to one using Windows Server 2003 on her home computer?;)
Having Linux be packaged for different things is no different than having Windows packaged for different things. We all know it's the same core technology under Server 2003 and XP.
Linux distributions are more like the same type of car coming with a different set of standard features. You can easily turn a server installation into a workstation installation - it's just more convenient if it comes that way. Of course this analogy fails for some really specialized distributions, but...
I think Microsoft's problem is their standard package is some sort of odd Sport Utility Beatle that is mediocre at off-road driving AND transporting 16-year-old-girls-with-new-licenses.
It seems a lot of software companies take this approach of 'throwing junk in' until they have a bloated mess, because it costs more to start over from scratch and design a good product. Well-designed, componentized software will most always win in the long run for a variety of reasons. Maybe that's why Microsoft is taking so long with Longhorn?
Regardless, Microsoft needs to make its standard offering much more slimmed down, and then divert their packages from there. They were headed in the right direction with Windows 2000, but then screwed it all up with XP.
When enough 'common' people can crack a DRM system, it's time for a new one, and this will happen ad infintum. The pro-DRMers want a nuclear solution - they want to control us like cattle indefinitely. If the anti-DRMers won, copying could easily get out of control to the point where major sales are being lost.
People are going to keep saying "DRM is evil and eventually it will be obsolete" and other people are going to keep saying "DRM is necessary and eventually it will be uncrackable and utopian." That's how the world works, so long as one side does not tip the scale too much.
The truth of the matter is, we'll probably just end up with an unsatisfying middle ground for a very long time. Nobody is going to "learn" a thing.
The author is also making a library called libp2kmoto in case you want to do it without KDE junk installed. It's available for download here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/moto4lin
I've been actually working on my own program based off his work and a few other sources (Yes, I plan on releasing it once I actually make it usable). If you're a true geek and you've got a Motorola phone, I highly recommend having fun learning the p2k protocol.
Actually, it's like having a servant who replaces all the ads in your newspaper with generic brand ads.
Remember, the actual viewing is taking place on YOUR computer. Assuming someone would install this adware on purpose or knowingly, this might be considered 'good' for the consumer.
The actual web site has no say in HOW you interpret their page. If it happens to be your client software interprets their page with different ads, so be it.
Yes, we all hate adware, but the ruling makes sense even if the court used a dumb analogy.
There is evolutionary need for an individual organism to adapt, there is evolutionary need to communicate, and so the organism adapts to the communications methods required of it.
Remember, humans have always been the greatest predator of humans (not in the eating-predator sense, but the killing-predator sense). Adapting to this environment is most likely why our cognitive abilities have reached the level they are at. I could speculate and go in-depth about pre-human environments and tribal settings, but I think you are capable of using evolution to explain your own question.
Hey, do you remember playing StarCraft, Empire Earth, or any other strategy game where there are flying transports? Do you remember having hundreds of towers all around your perimiter and then the enemy flew in a shitload of units and you died because you had nothing protecting the middle? Yeah.
Apparently, inciting fear and blowing things out of proportion is what gets people mod points.
The only real threats to Windows users are: Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, and whatever server packages Microsoft makes.
The only time a Windows user needs a firewall is right after installation to quickly get the Windows Updates. A third party software firewall isn't going to help in that case, but a router or hardware firewall will.
The only time a Windows user needs virus protection is when they are downloading pr0n.vbs off of Kazaa or using Outlook Express. I've yet to see a 'real' virus in Windows; their prevalence has been blown out of proportion by antivirus companies to make a buck.
The only time a Windows user needs anti-spyware tools is when they install freeware/shareware left and right without research or thinking, or when they're using Internet Explorer.
There are tons of people who have used Windows without any protection whatsoever, but because of their expertise in managing their system, they haven't had a problem.
I ran Windows for 10 years, and never had one of these 'real' problems. I only ran trusted binaries, and binaries I didn't trust, well, I disassembled them and saw for myself.
Look, if you're stupid enough to use Internet Explorer, Outlook, or any other retarded Microsoft product that is not an operating system, yeah, use every protection resource you have. If you're stupid enough to run all sorts of files from untrusted sources, or if you're stupid enough to think a 5kb script file is that hot mp3 you want, then yes, you need protection. If you don't understand how to disable system services and startup applications, then yes, you need protection. If you're stupid enough, if you're stupid enough, if you're stupid enough. Get the point?
It's like TLC says: don't go chasing waterfalls, please stick to the lakes and rivers that you are used to.
And for the record, I now use Linux, but not for security reasons. It Just Works. There's none of the ass-backwards tweaking that Windows needs to work properly.
Actually, I've seen people do that. Back in the days of ICQ and WinNuke, everyone thought setting up their own servers on their dial-up modems was the coolest thing ever. A guy I knew was actually convinced that he had an IRC server running on 127.0.0.1... no he was not messing with me.
Linux will capture developers first... Then everyone else has to follow for the software. And the support.
Linux will not capture the average user first, but when the average user needs help/cool software in 5-10 years, and none of the average user's nerd friends/children can help, this is where conversion will happen.
In the first case, I could see a dumb compiler actually using the NOT operation and then testing for zero, whereas in the second case you're just testing for zero explicitly.
Then again, I could see a dumber compiler testing against zero twice in the second case.
But these aren't really concerns with the good compilers available to us today, so just use which is clearer.
Honestly, I wish C had perl's 'unless' operator for these cases, because the ! is just aesthetically unpleasing.
How about letting an international body figure out when intervention is needed and deploy international troops in that case (UN anyone?).
Rwanda. Despite the UN swearing to intervene in genocide after what happened during WW2, everyone sat with their thumbs up their asses during the genocide in Rwanda. They merely refused to refer to it as genocide. Nobody wanted to commit troops or funds, and now they all say "sorry" and pretend to feel guilty.
I'm not justifying unilateral decisions of the US, but sometimes unilateral decisions are necessary, no matter which country.
Eventually, non-windows-specific applications took over my Windows desktop. Firefox, Thunderbird, OpenOffice... NVidia drivers were an incentive as well. The only thing I miss is Visual Studio.
I had Windows basically partitioned like a Unix system, and had GNU console tools installed. I'd been familiar with Unix consoles from various sources.
So to answer the question, "What Keeps You Off Windows?"... lack of flexibility and active development. Things that keep me away from Windows:
- Half-assed console implementation
- Lack of console administrating options
- Administrator doesn't have half the priveledges that root has (I don't like being told what to do, I'm the boss)
- Wacky default filesystem layout with spaces in the names of important folders (Program Files, My Documents,...)
- Many applications cannot initialize their own settings, so you need to run the installer to get them to work
- If something bothers me, I'm less likely to whip out the hex editor and disassembler than I am to modify sourcecode.
- Closed source applications in general have slow development cycles, leaving bugs and annoyances open for months.
- I never paid for Windows anyway so I'm a horrible person to use it.
- The only upgrade option for professional workstations is an operating system designed for teenage girls (Windows XP). Forcing Windows 2003 into a workstation only goes so far.
- Proprietary software tends to be made without the end user in mind. Or, at least the kind of end user I am.
I only stayed with Windows long enough for open solutions to catch up to a usable level, which I believe they've now attained for a computer hobbyist/programmer (maybe not quite the average Joe just yet, but Mandrake 10 is damn close).
My school's computers wouldn't let me install/uninstall mozilla plugins for whatever reason so I had to modify the userContent.css myself.
Just a fyi for anyone who doesn't/can't install plugins, there's always the hard route.
Usually when the internet goes out, I take my handgun and go play Quake outside with the neighborhood kids. I am very good at it because my trackball mouse is shaped like a revolver.
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So, would a soccer mom having an off-road SUV be comparable to one using Windows Server 2003 on her home computer? ;)
Having Linux be packaged for different things is no different than having Windows packaged for different things. We all know it's the same core technology under Server 2003 and XP.
Linux distributions are more like the same type of car coming with a different set of standard features. You can easily turn a server installation into a workstation installation - it's just more convenient if it comes that way. Of course this analogy fails for some really specialized distributions, but...
I think Microsoft's problem is their standard package is some sort of odd Sport Utility Beatle that is mediocre at off-road driving AND transporting 16-year-old-girls-with-new-licenses.
It seems a lot of software companies take this approach of 'throwing junk in' until they have a bloated mess, because it costs more to start over from scratch and design a good product. Well-designed, componentized software will most always win in the long run for a variety of reasons. Maybe that's why Microsoft is taking so long with Longhorn?
Regardless, Microsoft needs to make its standard offering much more slimmed down, and then divert their packages from there. They were headed in the right direction with Windows 2000, but then screwed it all up with XP.
When enough 'common' people can crack a DRM system, it's time for a new one, and this will happen ad infintum. The pro-DRMers want a nuclear solution - they want to control us like cattle indefinitely. If the anti-DRMers won, copying could easily get out of control to the point where major sales are being lost.
People are going to keep saying "DRM is evil and eventually it will be obsolete" and other people are going to keep saying "DRM is necessary and eventually it will be uncrackable and utopian." That's how the world works, so long as one side does not tip the scale too much.
The truth of the matter is, we'll probably just end up with an unsatisfying middle ground for a very long time. Nobody is going to "learn" a thing.
And for those who want to do this stuff in Linux, look into http://moto4lin.sf.net/
The author is also making a library called libp2kmoto in case you want to do it without KDE junk installed. It's available for download here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/moto4lin
I've been actually working on my own program based off his work and a few other sources (Yes, I plan on releasing it once I actually make it usable). If you're a true geek and you've got a Motorola phone, I highly recommend having fun learning the p2k protocol.
Actually, it's like having a servant who replaces all the ads in your newspaper with generic brand ads.
Remember, the actual viewing is taking place on YOUR computer. Assuming someone would install this adware on purpose or knowingly, this might be considered 'good' for the consumer.
The actual web site has no say in HOW you interpret their page. If it happens to be your client software interprets their page with different ads, so be it.
Yes, we all hate adware, but the ruling makes sense even if the court used a dumb analogy.
There is evolutionary need for an individual organism to adapt, there is evolutionary need to communicate, and so the organism adapts to the communications methods required of it.
Remember, humans have always been the greatest predator of humans (not in the eating-predator sense, but the killing-predator sense). Adapting to this environment is most likely why our cognitive abilities have reached the level they are at. I could speculate and go in-depth about pre-human environments and tribal settings, but I think you are capable of using evolution to explain your own question.
Hey, do you remember playing StarCraft, Empire Earth, or any other strategy game where there are flying transports? Do you remember having hundreds of towers all around your perimiter and then the enemy flew in a shitload of units and you died because you had nothing protecting the middle? Yeah.
Apparently, inciting fear and blowing things out of proportion is what gets people mod points.
The only real threats to Windows users are: Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, and whatever server packages Microsoft makes.
The only time a Windows user needs a firewall is right after installation to quickly get the Windows Updates. A third party software firewall isn't going to help in that case, but a router or hardware firewall will.
The only time a Windows user needs virus protection is when they are downloading pr0n.vbs off of Kazaa or using Outlook Express. I've yet to see a 'real' virus in Windows; their prevalence has been blown out of proportion by antivirus companies to make a buck.
The only time a Windows user needs anti-spyware tools is when they install freeware/shareware left and right without research or thinking, or when they're using Internet Explorer.
There are tons of people who have used Windows without any protection whatsoever, but because of their expertise in managing their system, they haven't had a problem.
I ran Windows for 10 years, and never had one of these 'real' problems. I only ran trusted binaries, and binaries I didn't trust, well, I disassembled them and saw for myself.
Look, if you're stupid enough to use Internet Explorer, Outlook, or any other retarded Microsoft product that is not an operating system, yeah, use every protection resource you have. If you're stupid enough to run all sorts of files from untrusted sources, or if you're stupid enough to think a 5kb script file is that hot mp3 you want, then yes, you need protection. If you don't understand how to disable system services and startup applications, then yes, you need protection. If you're stupid enough, if you're stupid enough, if you're stupid enough. Get the point?
It's like TLC says: don't go chasing waterfalls, please stick to the lakes and rivers that you are used to.
And for the record, I now use Linux, but not for security reasons. It Just Works. There's none of the ass-backwards tweaking that Windows needs to work properly.
Actually, I've seen people do that. ... no he was not messing with me.
Back in the days of ICQ and WinNuke, everyone thought setting up their own servers on their dial-up modems was the coolest thing ever. A guy I knew was actually convinced that he had an IRC server running on 127.0.0.1
More like 198 proof Everclear (which is illegal in 4 states).
Linux will capture developers first...
Then everyone else has to follow for the software. And the support.
Linux will not capture the average user first, but when the average user needs help/cool software in 5-10 years, and none of the average user's nerd friends/children can help, this is where conversion will happen.
In the first case, I could see a dumb compiler actually using the NOT operation and then testing for zero, whereas in the second case you're just testing for zero explicitly.
Then again, I could see a dumber compiler testing against zero twice in the second case.
But these aren't really concerns with the good compilers available to us today, so just use which is clearer.
Honestly, I wish C had perl's 'unless' operator for these cases, because the ! is just aesthetically unpleasing.
How about letting an international body figure out when intervention is needed and deploy international troops in that case (UN anyone?).
Rwanda. Despite the UN swearing to intervene in genocide after what happened during WW2, everyone sat with their thumbs up their asses during the genocide in Rwanda. They merely refused to refer to it as genocide. Nobody wanted to commit troops or funds, and now they all say "sorry" and pretend to feel guilty.
I'm not justifying unilateral decisions of the US, but sometimes unilateral decisions are necessary, no matter which country.
...there are linux BitTorrent, usenet, and IRC clients.
Eventually, non-windows-specific applications took over my Windows desktop. Firefox, Thunderbird, OpenOffice... NVidia drivers were an incentive as well.
...)
The only thing I miss is Visual Studio.
I had Windows basically partitioned like a Unix system, and had GNU console tools installed. I'd been familiar with Unix consoles from various sources.
So to answer the question, "What Keeps You Off Windows?"... lack of flexibility and active development.
Things that keep me away from Windows:
- Half-assed console implementation
- Lack of console administrating options
- Administrator doesn't have half the priveledges that root has (I don't like being told what to do, I'm the boss)
- Wacky default filesystem layout with spaces in the names of important folders (Program Files, My Documents,
- Many applications cannot initialize their own settings, so you need to run the installer to get them to work
- If something bothers me, I'm less likely to whip out the hex editor and disassembler than I am to modify sourcecode.
- Closed source applications in general have slow development cycles, leaving bugs and annoyances open for months.
- I never paid for Windows anyway so I'm a horrible person to use it.
- The only upgrade option for professional workstations is an operating system designed for teenage girls (Windows XP). Forcing Windows 2003 into a workstation only goes so far.
- Proprietary software tends to be made without the end user in mind. Or, at least the kind of end user I am.
I only stayed with Windows long enough for open solutions to catch up to a usable level, which I believe they've now attained for a computer hobbyist/programmer (maybe not quite the average Joe just yet, but Mandrake 10 is damn close).
Back in the day, we actually had to convert MP3 to WAV to burn audio cds ... ON WINDOWS! Imagine that!
Whenever I sign up somewhere useless that wants an email address, I use support@real.com
I'd like to think that I am partially responsible for their demise.
Pico wins.
Now maybe I can get reception in my house.
It's too damned cold to go outside to make a cell phone call.
Hay look ma i'm on slashdot's main page! Blah blah blah new invention blah blah. Windows sucksz!!
My school's computers wouldn't let me install/uninstall mozilla plugins for whatever reason so I had to modify the userContent.css myself. Just a fyi for anyone who doesn't/can't install plugins, there's always the hard route.
Anyone who uses Netscape 4 out of his or her own volition is either computer illiterate or really stupid.
And I think this article demonstrates both attributes. What a load of garbage.
There is a very strong case to be made against rewrites, but not by this dolt.
Gee whiz, you could help them instead of complaining.
The reason these systems don't work for blind people is because of friends like you.
Usually when the internet goes out, I take my handgun and go play Quake outside with the neighborhood kids. I am very good at it because my trackball mouse is shaped like a revolver.
...carry the binary groups.
I don't pay for music, porn, movies, or software, and they think they can get me to pay for email?