Perhaps Windows users shouldn't be regarded as users at all, but more as as Disneyesque automatons fiddling with powerpoint clipart. You can lose yourself in Windows for hours, patching here, crashing there. It's great fun if you like that sort of thing. But if you need to serve a million web pages or operate an email infrastructure you're still likely to be able to do it faster and better by sticking with the UNIX devil you know.
So this agreement says they have to document their server protocols - I'll believe that when I see it. But what about the (constantly changing) proprietary file formats used by Word & Office?
Those formats have become ubiquitous and there can be no competition/innovation in this area unless their formats are COMPLETELY documented so others can write software that use it just as well. There are several other, cheaper, word processors I like but cannot use because I have to exchange.doc files with others and the file conversion is never quite right.
This agreement is pointless and fails to address the most important reasons Microsoft remains a monopoly.
Go use a Mac from 1984, and try to do a normal routine of opening documents, editing, saving, copying files, etc.
Now use one from 2000. There's a HELL of a difference in terms of what those two OS's are capable of doing!
I still would classify this as fine-tuning. It's not like the difference between CLI vs. GUI.
Define "everyone else." No, really! Do you mean the management types?
They would be my first target for sure! I am quasi-management myself (but still code) and find it frustrating to get things done dealing with other managers who hide behind email all day. I'm also probably jaded from using enlightenment for the last couple years.
I'm definitely oversimplifying the issue; probably anyone who reads this website qualifies as someone who needs their desktop to work, but I'm betting the majority of office staff (especially managers) do not need to sit and stare at a screen all day and they'd probably be better off for it. (as would the company)
And I really believe that some time in the next 10-20 years you will see the desktop computer go away except for those who do the content-generating/coding - people will have some other, much more convenient way of accessing information from the net or whatever takes its place. Until then, I cringe every time someone spouts off about the sexy new eyecandy on their desktop.
If I really thought about it I'd probably come up with some better way to make my point, but I've sat here long enough.;)
Face it: None of these interfaces offer any significant benefit over the xerox standard from 20 years ago, it just adds more layers of goo to make it look pretty. It doesn't really help people's productivity, in fact at some point it starts to get in the way.
If you look around your office now you'll see nearly everyone hunched over their computer staring at the screen. Sure, coders (like myself) need their command-lines and 7-button mice, and secretaries need to type spreadsheets and memos, but does everyone else need to sit around like this?
No real change will happen in productivity until people get off their asses and do some real work, talk to people face to face. Maybe when PDA's become powerful enough the desktop computer will get tossed and people will start getting things done again. Until then, a slicker interface just glues them to the seat even more.
It's worth noting that while the CRTC regulates fees to a max of $50/mo, I have not seen DSL or cable high-speed internet advertised for more than $40/mo (ie. just over $25US) in the GTA.
Having lived in Toronto I can say that the population there is far from "homogeneous" wrt to ethnic origin. It's probably closest to the major U.S. cities in that respect of any in Canada. However, when I say that I'm not speaking specifically of the inner-city areas that are usually the most dangerous. Toronto's core is actually quite livable for just about anyone compared to say... Detroit? or Buffalo? (the two closest major U.S. cities) Yes there are SOME of the same problems, but the violent crime rate in Toronto is a factor of 10 less than Detroit for the same population.
Your view on "assimilation" is typically american, but in Canada the melting-pot ideal is not the objective. Without the pressure to assimilate, those with different cultures are happier and get along with others better. There is also a sense of respect for those with differences, and sometimes THAT itself is the most difficult thing for immigrants to grasp... But if there are any common Canadian traits, that is one of them.
And yes I've lived the U.S. for a fair part of my life as well so I've seen both sides first-hand.
Actually, debian packages are both incredibly powerful and simple to make - by far the best package management scheme out there, especially when combined with apt. If you want a basic package it is basically one step more than tar and more features scale up the complexity only slightly.
Others I've "experienced": Digital setld (simple but also featureless) AIX lpp (bang head on wall several times) Solaris pkgadd (a close 2nd but no apt-equivalent) RPM (featurefull but complex) SLP (you gotta be joking)
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One thing at a time, my friend...
Perhaps Windows users shouldn't be regarded as users at all, but more as as Disneyesque automatons fiddling with powerpoint clipart. You can lose yourself in Windows for hours, patching here, crashing there. It's great fun if you like that sort of thing. But if you need to serve a million web pages or operate an email infrastructure you're still likely to be able to do it faster and better by sticking with the UNIX devil you know.
So this agreement says they have to document their server protocols - I'll believe that when I see it. But what about the (constantly changing) proprietary file formats used by Word & Office?
.doc files with others and the file conversion is never quite right.
Those formats have become ubiquitous and there can be no competition/innovation in this area unless their formats are COMPLETELY documented so others can write software that use it just as well. There are several other, cheaper, word processors I like but cannot use because I have to exchange
This agreement is pointless and fails to address the most important reasons Microsoft remains a monopoly.
Change your xterm title as well as your prompt to include the hostname of the current machine + dir...
set prompt="%{\033]0;%n\@%m [%~]\a%}[%U%m%u:%B%~%b]%# "
Go use a Mac from 1984, and try to do a normal routine of opening documents, editing, saving, copying files, etc. Now use one from 2000. There's a HELL of a difference in terms of what those two OS's are capable of doing!
;)
I still would classify this as fine-tuning. It's not like the difference between CLI vs. GUI.
Define "everyone else." No, really! Do you mean the management types?
They would be my first target for sure! I am quasi-management myself (but still code) and find it frustrating to get things done dealing with other managers who hide behind email all day. I'm also probably jaded from using enlightenment for the last couple years.
I'm definitely oversimplifying the issue; probably anyone who reads this website qualifies as someone who needs their desktop to work, but I'm betting the majority of office staff (especially managers) do not need to sit and stare at a screen all day and they'd probably be better off for it. (as would the company)
And I really believe that some time in the next 10-20 years you will see the desktop computer go away except for those who do the content-generating/coding - people will have some other, much more convenient way of accessing information from the net or whatever takes its place. Until then, I cringe every time someone spouts off about the sexy new eyecandy on their desktop.
If I really thought about it I'd probably come up with some better way to make my point, but I've sat here long enough.
Face it: None of these interfaces offer any significant benefit over the xerox standard from 20 years ago, it just adds more layers of goo to make it look pretty. It doesn't really help people's productivity, in fact at some point it starts to get in the way.
If you look around your office now you'll see nearly everyone hunched over their computer staring at the screen. Sure, coders (like myself) need their command-lines and 7-button mice, and secretaries need to type spreadsheets and memos, but does everyone else need to sit around like this?
No real change will happen in productivity until people get off their asses and do some real work, talk to people face to face. Maybe when PDA's become powerful enough the desktop computer will get tossed and people will start getting things done again. Until then, a slicker interface just glues them to the seat even more.
It's worth noting that while the CRTC regulates fees to a max of $50/mo, I have not seen DSL or cable high-speed internet advertised for more than $40/mo (ie. just over $25US) in the GTA.
So this is evidently not socialism at work.
Having lived in Toronto I can say that the population there is far from "homogeneous" wrt to ethnic origin. It's probably closest to the major U.S. cities in that respect of any in Canada. However, when I say that I'm not speaking specifically of the inner-city areas that are usually the most dangerous. Toronto's core is actually quite livable for just about anyone compared to say... Detroit? or Buffalo? (the two closest major U.S. cities) Yes there are SOME of the same problems, but the violent crime rate in Toronto is a factor of 10 less than Detroit for the same population.
Your view on "assimilation" is typically american, but in Canada the melting-pot ideal is not the objective. Without the pressure to assimilate, those with different cultures are happier and get along with others better. There is also a sense of respect for those with differences, and sometimes THAT itself is the most difficult thing for immigrants to grasp... But if there are any common Canadian traits, that is one of them.
And yes I've lived the U.S. for a fair part of my life as well so I've seen both sides first-hand.
Actually, debian packages are both incredibly powerful and simple to make - by far the best package management scheme out there, especially when combined with apt. If you want a basic package it is basically one step more than tar and more features scale up the complexity only slightly.
Others I've "experienced":
Digital setld (simple but also featureless)
AIX lpp (bang head on wall several times)
Solaris pkgadd (a close 2nd but no apt-equivalent)
RPM (featurefull but complex)
SLP (you gotta be joking)