I've emailed Apple asking for 20% refund on all my downloads, but I won't hold my breath!
With all due respect, why should they give you a 20% refund? They didn't trick you. They didn't lie about what the songs cost. They simply charged a price and you chose to pay it
Now certainly you have a right to complain and say it's unfair that they charge difference prices in different countries. But I certainly don't think there's a valid argument for getting a even a partial refund.
I'm using a cheap-o WinTV Go card. Nothing special or weird about the setup as far as I can tell. I'll have to give it another try with that transcoding bit in mind.
Really? Where have they stopped saying Rendezvous and started saying it's OpenTalk? Not that I don't believe you, but the OS X product page is unchanged: http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/rendezvous/
Personally I've never been able to make MythTV perform well. I have a 1 GHz Athlon with 384 MB of RAM and all I can really manage to do is watch TV. Anything else, and it gets slow and hangs. I'm not dissing the MythTV project because it seems really nice and I'd love to be able to run it. But the system I tried it on certainly didn't seem to up the task.
As much as I'd like to aviod Windows for a PVR system, I'll be ecstatic if this project works for me.
Exactly, I have to third just how spot-on this comment is. Part of my job is tech support and I often go on-site to deal with peoples' computer problems. I talk to people who literally do think Google or Yahoo! is their browser. Or when I say I'm going to restart their computers they ask me to back up first because they think I mean reinstall or reformat.
In fact, I recently helped an older couple who checks their MSN email both in Outlook Express and in the Hotmail interface. They think each interface is tied to a different address simply because they look different. I tried to explain but they just didn't get it. At least I showed them Firefox and they seemed interested as long as they could keep using their same "browser"^H^H^H^Hsearch engine. I did check back with them later and was asked why they couldn't get the Google Toolbar to install. I pointed out that it already had a search field and popup blocking, which made them happy enough. Whatever, as long as they keep using it. *sigh*
I'll also add that the installer walks you through the process pretty well. It does assume you know some basic stuff about Linux but if you can handle a Gentoo install I'm sure you could just dive in and install Debian without any manual. Just find out what "apt-get does and you're pretty much set.
You're not wrong, but I think the real point was that Gentoo's not going to get any users outside of the existing Linux elite as long as you are expected to even know what a kernel is. I've installed Gentoo myself and it is a nice system for those you know what they're doing. But most people want something that "just works" without knowing anything about this stuff.
They'll want something like Red Hat's Anaconda installer, where all you have to really know is which hard disk you want to install on. If you think the existing install process is good enough, so be it. It is perfectly fine for many people. But we can't expect the user base to grow beyond certain a certain size without it.
It really depends on the hardware. There are just too many possible combinations. My experience differs from yours...
In my experience you can install Win2K or XP on a given computer and typically need at least one driver, whether it's video, audio, network or something else. But boot a Knoppix liveCD on the same system and everything works immediately.
Troll? There's nothing untrue about the parent post even if it was not worded very delicately. The only reason a tech-savvy person should use IE is for testing websites they develop.
Indeed. And a very important point. The path to a good future for the Internet and computing as a whole is open standards. This is good for, but does not require, open source.
Open-source is a good and noble cause but nobody is going to win the war for open computing based on GNU/Zealotry alone. It plays an important role but even more important are standards that let all members work on equal footing.
For example, Safari is not purely open-source but it has foundations there and on the whole is very friendly to the standards. In the grand scheme of having a better, more open Internet, another Safari is just as good for us all as another Firefox user. (Here, for the sake of honesty, I admit I'm a rabid Apple fan, though Mozilla is actually my primary browser.):)
In short, it's not about the license as much as it is the standards (or lack thereof) that the software supports.
It's encouraging to see a story about someone who has actually made the switch to some sort of OSS as opposed to someone talking about it. I don't mean to imply that the other places considering the switch were insincere, but it's a lot easier to take seriously when you've eliminated the possibility that it was just a stunt to get reduced prices on MS Office. Nice work, Haarlem!
time and time again people have shown that no matter how badly they're treated, they'll hang on to bad relationships (including bad business relationships) without thinking of how bad it could really get.
Of course! How else could you explain why people still use Microsoft stuff?:P
Their website says they'll send the machine with both Mac OS and Linux installed if you want. They probably just ship the bundled OS X discs to you anyway if you don't opt to have both installed.
I'd love to vote for a third party as well but not when there is so much at stake (IMHO) and the election is so close! While I understand and appreciate the sentiment behind your comment, I am of the opinion that Bush really really has to go. If I vote for Kerry it helps make this happen.
Now in your opinion I may have just sold out to the two-party system. Maybe I did. But the emergence of a strong third party is something that will have to happen over time while removing Bush from office is something that has to happen today.
It's news because it's a bug in software that most people use but will probably remain unfixed for anyone running Windows earlier than XP SP2. And I'm sure it helps that this is software that is not particularly popular with this crowd.;)
IMHO there's nothing wrong with using Fedora. I am a bit annoyed at these stereotypes myself, even though they are a joke.
You have to consider how the distribution is going to be used. Currently Fedora and Debian are my two favorites because they both "just work", but one does so as a desktop system while the other does as as server (if you already have some idea which packages you need and how to configure them.)
I disliked Red Hat in the past but began liking their stuff around the release of Fedora Core 1. It seems to have the most polished and consistent interface across different UI toolkits (though it'd be hard to beat a stock all-KDE setup on those terms.) I have installed some of the more geekish systems as a deskop machine, but in the end I like something that just works and for the desktop Fedora does that well (maybe that's the Mac user in me rearing its head -- my main computer is a 12" PowerBook.)
Anyway, the point is we don't need to get so uptight over these things. They're different tools to match different people's working styles for different jobs.
I too wanted people to use an alternative browser on our public machines at work. But at the same time I didn't want to mislead people with an IE icon pasted onto Firefox. So instead I tried making a shortcut simply called "Internet" with a generic globe icon on it. And it worked! Now nobody goes digging in the applications for IE, but I'm also not tricking anyone into thinking it is Explorer. It doesn't necessarily promote Firefox to the average user (who wouldn't know Firefox was "The Internet" without this shortcutr), but the ones who actually would be savvy enough to know the difference can still see which browser it is by looking at the title bar easily enough.
Oops! Should have reviewed my post more carefully. Edited version:
You make a good point, but it is a bit misleading for the original post to say Apple products are not a good value when they just talk about a $6,000 system they got 10+ years ago. He may still feel Macs are not a good value, but I doubt that was the cheapest system available at the time, and a $6,000 machine is a far cry from today's $799 eMac.:)
You make a good point, but it is a bit misleading for the original post to say Apple products are not a good value when they just talk about is a $6,000 system they got 10+ years ago. He may still feel Macs are a good value, but I doubt that was the cheapest system available at the time, and a $6,000 machine is a far cry from today's $799 eMac.:)
Slashdot Mirror
Now certainly you have a right to complain and say it's unfair that they charge difference prices in different countries. But I certainly don't think there's a valid argument for getting a even a partial refund.
I'm using a cheap-o WinTV Go card. Nothing special or weird about the setup as far as I can tell. I'll have to give it another try with that transcoding bit in mind.
Really? Where have they stopped saying Rendezvous and started saying it's OpenTalk? Not that I don't believe you, but the OS X product page is unchanged: http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/rendezvous/
(Note: I'm not the original poster.)
Personally I've never been able to make MythTV perform well. I have a 1 GHz Athlon with 384 MB of RAM and all I can really manage to do is watch TV. Anything else, and it gets slow and hangs. I'm not dissing the MythTV project because it seems really nice and I'd love to be able to run it. But the system I tried it on certainly didn't seem to up the task.
As much as I'd like to aviod Windows for a PVR system, I'll be ecstatic if this project works for me.
Exactly, I have to third just how spot-on this comment is. Part of my job is tech support and I often go on-site to deal with peoples' computer problems. I talk to people who literally do think Google or Yahoo! is their browser. Or when I say I'm going to restart their computers they ask me to back up first because they think I mean reinstall or reformat.
In fact, I recently helped an older couple who checks their MSN email both in Outlook Express and in the Hotmail interface. They think each interface is tied to a different address simply because they look different. I tried to explain but they just didn't get it. At least I showed them Firefox and they seemed interested as long as they could keep using their same "browser"^H^H^H^Hsearch engine. I did check back with them later and was asked why they couldn't get the Google Toolbar to install. I pointed out that it already had a search field and popup blocking, which made them happy enough. Whatever, as long as they keep using it. *sigh*
I'll also add that the installer walks you through the process pretty well. It does assume you know some basic stuff about Linux but if you can handle a Gentoo install I'm sure you could just dive in and install Debian without any manual. Just find out what "apt-get does and you're pretty much set.
You're not wrong, but I think the real point was that Gentoo's not going to get any users outside of the existing Linux elite as long as you are expected to even know what a kernel is. I've installed Gentoo myself and it is a nice system for those you know what they're doing. But most people want something that "just works" without knowing anything about this stuff.
They'll want something like Red Hat's Anaconda installer, where all you have to really know is which hard disk you want to install on. If you think the existing install process is good enough, so be it. It is perfectly fine for many people. But we can't expect the user base to grow beyond certain a certain size without it.
Great! It finished already and I'll leave it open over night to share the bandwidth. :)
It really depends on the hardware. There are just too many possible combinations. My experience differs from yours...
In my experience you can install Win2K or XP on a given computer and typically need at least one driver, whether it's video, audio, network or something else. But boot a Knoppix liveCD on the same system and everything works immediately.
Troll? There's nothing untrue about the parent post even if it was not worded very delicately. The only reason a tech-savvy person should use IE is for testing websites they develop.
Open-source is a good and noble cause but nobody is going to win the war for open computing based on GNU/Zealotry alone. It plays an important role but even more important are standards that let all members work on equal footing.
For example, Safari is not purely open-source but it has foundations there and on the whole is very friendly to the standards. In the grand scheme of having a better, more open Internet, another Safari is just as good for us all as another Firefox user. (Here, for the sake of honesty, I admit I'm a rabid Apple fan, though Mozilla is actually my primary browser.)
In short, it's not about the license as much as it is the standards (or lack thereof) that the software supports.
It's encouraging to see a story about someone who has actually made the switch to some sort of OSS as opposed to someone talking about it. I don't mean to imply that the other places considering the switch were insincere, but it's a lot easier to take seriously when you've eliminated the possibility that it was just a stunt to get reduced prices on MS Office. Nice work, Haarlem!
Their website says they'll send the machine with both Mac OS and Linux installed if you want. They probably just ship the bundled OS X discs to you anyway if you don't opt to have both installed.
I'd love to vote for a third party as well but not when there is so much at stake (IMHO) and the election is so close! While I understand and appreciate the sentiment behind your comment, I am of the opinion that Bush really really has to go. If I vote for Kerry it helps make this happen.
Now in your opinion I may have just sold out to the two-party system. Maybe I did. But the emergence of a strong third party is something that will have to happen over time while removing Bush from office is something that has to happen today.
;)
It's news because it's a bug in software that most people use but will probably remain unfixed for anyone running Windows earlier than XP SP2. And I'm sure it helps that this is software that is not particularly popular with this crowd. ;)
IMHO there's nothing wrong with using Fedora. I am a bit annoyed at these stereotypes myself, even though they are a joke.
You have to consider how the distribution is going to be used. Currently Fedora and Debian are my two favorites because they both "just work", but one does so as a desktop system while the other does as as server (if you already have some idea which packages you need and how to configure them.)
I disliked Red Hat in the past but began liking their stuff around the release of Fedora Core 1. It seems to have the most polished and consistent interface across different UI toolkits (though it'd be hard to beat a stock all-KDE setup on those terms.) I have installed some of the more geekish systems as a deskop machine, but in the end I like something that just works and for the desktop Fedora does that well (maybe that's the Mac user in me rearing its head -- my main computer is a 12" PowerBook.) Anyway, the point is we don't need to get so uptight over these things. They're different tools to match different people's working styles for different jobs.
I too wanted people to use an alternative browser on our public machines at work. But at the same time I didn't want to mislead people with an IE icon pasted onto Firefox. So instead I tried making a shortcut simply called "Internet" with a generic globe icon on it. And it worked! Now nobody goes digging in the applications for IE, but I'm also not tricking anyone into thinking it is Explorer. It doesn't necessarily promote Firefox to the average user (who wouldn't know Firefox was "The Internet" without this shortcutr), but the ones who actually would be savvy enough to know the difference can still see which browser it is by looking at the title bar easily enough.
all the ones with the rumors on them.
I'm a huge Mac fan and even I find this to be a bit scary. There's obsession, but then there's just plain nuts! :)
Interesting, but I just fired up Network Utility and started a scan on their server and nothing happened. Network access remained unaffected.
You make a good point, but it is a bit misleading for the original post to say Apple products are not a good value when they just talk about is a $6,000 system they got 10+ years ago. He may still feel Macs are a good value, but I doubt that was the cheapest system available at the time, and a $6,000 machine is a far cry from today's $799 eMac. :)