Torvalds says the same thing about Windows. I suggest that creators and active developers of open-source operating systems should start using rival systems to learn and carry over the best practices. This is quite common in industry and the attitude displayed in these quotes show arrogance and ignorance.
Linus isn't alone in his project, other do use Windows and they have the power to suggest things. Beside, you don't see much of the kernel when you use Windows.
The difference is that Linus admit he don't know much about other systems and don't badmouth them.
This is not the experience retail customer expect from Dell and their ISP. You unpack the system, connect the cables, power up, and you're good to go in under thirty minutes.
They could install whatever they want, the same way Linux distros will install whatever they want on it. So you could buy a Dell laptop with Firefox installed by default for instance.
Download Firefox, burn it on a CD, buy the new computer, install Firefox.
Most people don't start from a cold start when they buy a new computer, there's plenty of stuff you need to move from your old computer to your new one.
The real solution IMHO would be to remove all the bundled apps and include an "extra" CD with Windows that would hold all those, plus the latest (at the time of shipping) blessed binaries (plus source for OSS apps) of all the competitors. That way, you would put the CD in and have a choice. It would have an autostart, be easy to install and the description of each app would be written by the vendor.
They should also be requiered to put a link to the latest version of their competitor on the download page of the latest version of their products.
I hardly ever use a word processor anymore (exept to open files sent to me by friends). I use Scribus for stuff that need design like pamphlets or resumes and LyX for the rest.
My sister won't touch anything that doesn't look like MS Office however.
Because I was leaving for a year of traveling and couldn't bring my computer (linux box), I lended it to my younger sister. Usually, she needs a reinstall every 3 weeks (don't ask me how she manage that) which I have to perform. She always hated computers.
After one year of using Linux, she loves computers (she still is as much technically clueless though). She only use the Windows box (unplugged from the net) to use MS Office (couldn't get her to try OpenOffice for more than ten minutes, she would complain "this is not like word" all the time).
She is going to Uni this fall and guess what she'll use on her new computer ? That right : Linux and Office via Crossover.
I hope she will switch completely when OOo 2.0 will be out.
Turns out internet->library security is dangerous whether they fingerprint or not, as getting a library card requires (at least where I live) a good deal of personal information.
The libraries I visited so far never asked for a library card to use the computers. Some will ask for up to a dollar an hour to use the computers, some won't charge anything.
The last library I went to had free unfiltered Internet access and would proudly write it on every terminal.
The only library card I ever got was with little private information (name and phone number).
I live in Canada though and never been to a library on the other side of the border.
As he states - it is a one-way algorithm. If I have your barcode off your library card, I cannot reconstruct your name, SSN, birthdate, and all that without going into the library's database. With the number-sequence that this system creates, I cannot reconstruct your fingerprint at all. I cannot reconstruct any of the data previously mentioned without going into the database. So, instead of creating a random number with the unix timestamp as a seed, they are creating a random number with your fingerprint as a seed. What is so shocking about that?
What is so shocking about this is that I don't trust them. How can I be sure that they are telling me the truth and my entire fingerprint isn't stored in the system ?
How can I be sure that the system haven't been cracked and someone hasn't intercepted the picture of my fingerprint before the 15 points were extracted and the rest discarded ?
How can I be sure that they still only take 15 points or that another organization that jumped in the bandwaggon is also only using 15 points ? Read the fucking licensing agreemend before each time I put my thumb there ?
I work for a small buisness. I don't Spam. But I do advertise via email. How is this not evil? Well I know that a customer is having problem with X and my previous solution was to expensive for them to fix. A week later I found a cheaper solution that stills works. So I email the customer saying Hey I found a better solution to the problem and it only costs $y
It is not spam if you have a previous business relationship with them and if you comply if they tell you they are not interested anymore by your solutions.
Every single law I saw was ok if they are your customers.
P.S.: If you want to send mails to potential customers than it becomes spam, you should try viral marketing instead (make your customers e-mail their friends).
I'm travelling around Canada since 8 months now and met tons of people from every province (and one territory). So far, I haven't met anyone who was pronouncing "aboot".
So unless everyone who pronounce it that way is hidden in Yukon and Nunavut, it's "about".
Exactly. People will say "Hey this is [insert big company name], they can afford to give those [insert appropriate number of cents] to me !"
Or it could become a more powerful weapon than boycotts.
But I don't agree that it could be too much an hassle, people would write automated tools to collect the money.
Sorry but you should have RTFA. The sender sign up to a service that can collect money if the recipient think it is spam. How can that not count as technical ?
Stuff translated with babelfish might be funny on Slashdot but don't use it in any serious project. This post is even more hilarious if you actually speak french.
P.S.: Why is that modded insightful instead of funny ? It's barely understandable with that translation.
And if they anticipated it, they probably thought it would just give them extra publicity.
Re:Once a spyware co always a spyware co...
on
John Dvorak Hypes Skype
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· Score: 2, Insightful
Skype isn't standard and Skype isn't technically better than other similar apps. What Skype got however is that you just click next a few time to install it and there is no config to change. This is the easiest VoIP app available.
While I would be able to learn another one, people I speak to could not.
And it's cross-platform which is also very convenient since most people I talk to don't run Linux.
File sharing is critically important to the industry because it is becoming the only way that people can find new music that they like.
This is exactly why they want to stop it. Are people really going to take a chance and buy an unknown album at today's rate ? Probably not.
What are they going to do ? They will buy what they know. Which mean what they heard on radio or saw on TV.
Who control radio and TV ? Big corporation.
With P2P (and projects like Indy), artists don't need big bucks anymore to promote their albums, which mean you could end up buying stuff from them instead of those who control medias.
I liked the idea of ratings until I realized that outside of Québec shops refuse to sell you games if you aren't old enough and movie theaters do likewise.
Slashdot Mirror
Linus isn't alone in his project, other do use Windows and they have the power to suggest things. Beside, you don't see much of the kernel when you use Windows.
The difference is that Linus admit he don't know much about other systems and don't badmouth them.
They could install whatever they want, the same way Linux distros will install whatever they want on it. So you could buy a Dell laptop with Firefox installed by default for instance.
Download Firefox, burn it on a CD, buy the new computer, install Firefox.
Most people don't start from a cold start when they buy a new computer, there's plenty of stuff you need to move from your old computer to your new one.
The real solution IMHO would be to remove all the bundled apps and include an "extra" CD with Windows that would hold all those, plus the latest (at the time of shipping) blessed binaries (plus source for OSS apps) of all the competitors. That way, you would put the CD in and have a choice. It would have an autostart, be easy to install and the description of each app would be written by the vendor.
They should also be requiered to put a link to the latest version of their competitor on the download page of the latest version of their products.
It's what Spamgourmet is for.
I hardly ever use a word processor anymore (exept to open files sent to me by friends). I use Scribus for stuff that need design like pamphlets or resumes and LyX for the rest.
My sister won't touch anything that doesn't look like MS Office however.
Because I was leaving for a year of traveling and couldn't bring my computer (linux box), I lended it to my younger sister. Usually, she needs a reinstall every 3 weeks (don't ask me how she manage that) which I have to perform. She always hated computers. After one year of using Linux, she loves computers (she still is as much technically clueless though). She only use the Windows box (unplugged from the net) to use MS Office (couldn't get her to try OpenOffice for more than ten minutes, she would complain "this is not like word" all the time). She is going to Uni this fall and guess what she'll use on her new computer ? That right : Linux and Office via Crossover. I hope she will switch completely when OOo 2.0 will be out.
The libraries I visited so far never asked for a library card to use the computers. Some will ask for up to a dollar an hour to use the computers, some won't charge anything.
The last library I went to had free unfiltered Internet access and would proudly write it on every terminal.
The only library card I ever got was with little private information (name and phone number).
I live in Canada though and never been to a library on the other side of the border.
What is so shocking about this is that I don't trust them. How can I be sure that they are telling me the truth and my entire fingerprint isn't stored in the system ?
How can I be sure that the system haven't been cracked and someone hasn't intercepted the picture of my fingerprint before the 15 points were extracted and the rest discarded ?
How can I be sure that they still only take 15 points or that another organization that jumped in the bandwaggon is also only using 15 points ? Read the fucking licensing agreemend before each time I put my thumb there ?
I work for a small buisness. I don't Spam. But I do advertise via email. How is this not evil? Well I know that a customer is having problem with X and my previous solution was to expensive for them to fix. A week later I found a cheaper solution that stills works. So I email the customer saying Hey I found a better solution to the problem and it only costs $y It is not spam if you have a previous business relationship with them and if you comply if they tell you they are not interested anymore by your solutions. Every single law I saw was ok if they are your customers. P.S.: If you want to send mails to potential customers than it becomes spam, you should try viral marketing instead (make your customers e-mail their friends).
And I thought that it was the zed instead of zee that gave us away :)
Know anybody who actually say "eh?", I haven't met one either.
I'm travelling around Canada since 8 months now and met tons of people from every province (and one territory). So far, I haven't met anyone who was pronouncing "aboot".
So unless everyone who pronounce it that way is hidden in Yukon and Nunavut, it's "about".
Exactly. People will say "Hey this is [insert big company name], they can afford to give those [insert appropriate number of cents] to me !" Or it could become a more powerful weapon than boycotts. But I don't agree that it could be too much an hassle, people would write automated tools to collect the money.
Sorry but you should have RTFA. The sender sign up to a service that can collect money if the recipient think it is spam. How can that not count as technical ?
I like ctrl-pgup and ctrl-pgdn for navigating between tabs.
Borland use winelibs in their Linux Delphi/C++ Builder version called Kylix so they don't have to rewrite all the Windows native code.
By suing the Wine folks, they'd shoot themselves in the foot.
Stuff translated with babelfish might be funny on Slashdot but don't use it in any serious project. This post is even more hilarious if you actually speak french.
P.S.: Why is that modded insightful instead of funny ? It's barely understandable with that translation.
Just don't whitelist any website. No one will be able to pass as one of your white listed sites if you don't have any.
While waiting for 1.0.4, just save the extensions you want to download on your hard disk and use "File / Open File" to install the extension.
Problem solved.
For your second wish, it's already possible : http://www.xpde.com/
Maybe yes, maybe no.
And if they anticipated it, they probably thought it would just give them extra publicity.
Skype isn't standard and Skype isn't technically better than other similar apps. What Skype got however is that you just click next a few time to install it and there is no config to change. This is the easiest VoIP app available.
While I would be able to learn another one, people I speak to could not.
And it's cross-platform which is also very convenient since most people I talk to don't run Linux.
This is exactly why they want to stop it. Are people really going to take a chance and buy an unknown album at today's rate ? Probably not.
What are they going to do ? They will buy what they know. Which mean what they heard on radio or saw on TV.
Who control radio and TV ? Big corporation.
With P2P (and projects like Indy), artists don't need big bucks anymore to promote their albums, which mean you could end up buying stuff from them instead of those who control medias.
So what ?
Longhorn isn't out either.
These should be suggestions !
It's probably just because they hate cryptography. Is it still a criminal offense to encrypt your own files in france ?
Stealing ? Apple *paid* Xerox.