"This is without any plugins/extensions installed except flash."
and there's your keyword. i had opera grow memory usage overnight and almost always - over weekend. when i removed flash plugin, it just never had the problem. it was so bad that i had to do a cold reboot of the machine (note, this is linux...). it was enough to enable flash plugin once, and that would almost guarantee unusable machine after some time.
even though problem is less severe with latest flash plugin version (no machine lockups so far), i still prefer keeping plugins disabled, as there have been some weird memory usage increases while having it enabled.
i am hoping that one day wine would run all the old games - mostly because it's not that long before new hardware would not be win98 compatible and old one broken down...
wine is not there yet, but some of the nice old titles actually run quite nicely.
The ability to restructure a document (the big missing feature in the Navigator)
hmm. what did you mean by that ? you can promote & demote chapters, change their levels and so on from navigator. or is that some other kind of restructuring you want to be able to do from the navigator ?
is the automatic download really a good feature ? most users expect the software to ask where to save a file, so just tossing them all on a desktop is quite silly... at least create Desktop/Downloads or "Firefox Downloads". cluttering the desktop seems to be one of those misunderstood usability "improvements"
"did you try amarok ?" yes, but that doesn't mount the ipod. it supports the ipod great once it's mounted (although I haven't quite figured out how to just play my damned music, rather than having to add it to a playlist, which takes FOREVER), but I have to explicitly mount the ipod first.
ok, then device mounting should be performed by your distribution (using magic aka udev/hal etc:) ). i haven't used much distributions with automount, so can't tell anything more about it. i'm sure though, you should be able to recieve support about this from your distribution.
as for amarok, there are a couple of concepts that help you really enjoy it's features, so i'd suggest joining in #amarok on irc or see amarok forums. people are generally helpful in there:)
"there is an option to preload an instance of konq upon startup," that's not exactly what I want. I don't want a window open, I just wish that KDE itself had konq built in. so when you fire up a filebrowsing window, it just pops up instead of having to wait for it to load. and if you fire up a second window, it would just appear, too. kinda like the Finder, you know? even windows explorer isn't quite that snappy.
nope, the parameter really preloads konq instance in memory, but does not open a window. so you might try that parameter, i guess it's exactly what you want. note that it takes slightly more memory upon startup, and it might get swapped out if you extensively use machine without opening konqueror.
"yep, there is "restore volumes on login"" ah ha! thanks! I didn't see that. however, that box IS checked by default (as it should be). and, shouldn't kmix actually be part of the sound control panel?
well, hard to tell... i mostly just leave kmix/system volumes at some default (usually at 90%:) ) and change volume in specific applications. you could check that there is nothing about this reported in kde bugzilla & report particular problems/suggested changes. with the move to kde4 there might be abigger chance for all kinds of changes/improvements (or not, if everybody is busy with other things;) )
there's phonon project (http://phonon.kde.org/), but it might just cover backend/api parts.
you insert a device (ipod), but it doesn't mount. you have to explicitly mount it
did you try amarok ? i don't have ipod, but they supposedly are supported pretty well...
no mp3 playback out of the box (probably strictly an [k]ubuntu issue)
mostly - patent problems. not something that can be solved immediately. moving to open formats is the way.
sluggish filesystem browsing (it takes a while to launch konqueror to start viewing the filesystem. that should be loaded on boot so it fires instantly)
there is an option to preload an instance of konq upon startup, probably not enabled in kubuntu. i'm not using konq much, mostly only for picture browsing, so i don't know how fast it would be for everyday tasks.
doesn't remember the system volume between reboots (easy enough to fix, coding wise)
hmm. isn't there a checkbox in kmix settings to save/restore volume settings ? yep, there is "restore volumes on login".
package manager really needs a more advanced user to utilize properly. it should have a function to view popular packages and more robust categorizing of packages (you really need to know exactly what you're looking for in order to install it)
oh well, there are different package managers and i haven't actually used the ones deployed by *ubuntu. but i'd say they are an improvement over shuffling through the web, doenloading random stuff and installing it;)
slow boot time, then really slow login time (relative to OSX, at least; I'm really not familiar with windows boot time)
valid claim, these things are being worked on to decrease the boot time. for example, kde login time supposedly was reduced in the latest version. i havn't measured the difference, as this is not a very important point for me:)
most apps still feel cluttered. the GUI toolkits don't really help with designing clean looking interfaces. maybe web-based apps really are the answer! (not)
most apps still are better than windows apps... and then there's gnome where you get almost no options at all;) besides, kde (and it's apps') interface is constantly improved - but not by simply eliminating options, but carefully deciding how they can be joined together or app improved so the option is indeed not needed anymore.
overly complex system settings. most things should be hidden in an "advanced" tab since no one is going to fiddle with many of those settings
what exactly are you talking about ? kcontrol ?
still very poor laptop support; although it supports many things on my powerbook, it gets weird when I close the lid, then open it. plus it takes forever to go to sleep when I close it.
report the problem:) most laptop manufacturers are dicks (even more than others:) ). then there's the ego problem with suspend2, which would greatly improve experience for laptop users 9i don't know, *ubuntu might as well patched it in already)
when you boot the live-CD, it really should pop up with a window saying "do you want to install [this]?" and the installer should let you just agree to erase the drive and get going... (for non-tech savvy users)
oh well. this is a very small suggestion that i can't comment much. i am using knoppix now and then, and i would hate if it was trying to get me installing it on the hdd upon each boot;) besides, i'd say it would be much better to place an icon on the desktop which says in large letters "install on the hdd". that can be considered a harmful action, so it should be at least somewhat conscious deciosion.
well... ibm hardware configurator (in their website) does not work with opera (on linux, if that matters). so even companies that embrace alternatives do not always get it right.
aiee:D people are dumb, when you are dumb... sing along with the doors song. at %95/h you work 8 hours a month and you get average wage here. too bad nobody wants to pay that here...
first, don't mix up private property with publicly accessible areas. there is a distinction in laws )at least in most countries:) ).
second, throwing out somebody from a restaurant usually is based on behaviour. i'd like to see you throwing out people based on their skin colour or religious beliefs. or try throwing out disabled people. as, you know, it's your property.
soooo.... could they discriminate against black people ? against white poeple ? against homosexuals ? against lesbians ? against christians ? against muslims ?
it's their site, right ? for a taxi driver, it's his taxi. for a restourant owner it's his restoran. and so on.
probably best to wait until they appear on google videos;> at least they provide avi for download, which i could use (as flash streaming is slow, error prone and sound-less for me)
unless you are paid really well to do windows support... why are you doing it ? some time ago, i was doing free windows support for friends and such. i am not doing it anymore - as a result it is much easier for me (even though now i am partially doin free linux support. but at least a need for support is very, very rare), so my thumbdrive contains a couple of latest software packages for linux - mostly for my own usage, some pictures, some music... i don't have to stuff it up with recovery software, i am free to use it for my own needs;)
wtf ? do you expect rms to personally deal with every project on the world than involves oss/foss ? the local authorities, businesses and citizens are the ones who should evaluate, choose and rate the decisions. which, i suppose, already happens. rms is evangelizing - which is good - but it is not feasible for him to push his preferences, make decisions and overall control processes in whole world.
they could have investigated the situation and decided that the opensource nature would radically promote incentive and ability to explore and learn it field. they might have made estimates and came out with figures that show big savings over a longer period of time. or it could be that actual policy is more sophisticated and longer than the headline.
I encourage you to read the discussion about this as opposed to this singular post.
i partially did. it evolved in personal attacks, lots of repeating and bashing.
Setting a curfew and expecting it to be followed is not overcontrolling.
expecting - yes. but allowing the freedom to submit to rules without direct and visible control can be much, much more beneficial. as all things, in sane amounts:)
Letting my son have his girlfriend in his bedroom as long as they keep the door open is certainly not overcontrolling.
i must admit, this seemed like the worst of the three examples to me. it does not achieve anything (world is bigger than a single room), it probably tells him to avoid these subjects with you and makes him feel overcontrolled, even though you don't see it like that.
But suffice it to say that my views of teenage sexuality are particularly enlightened compared to many of my peers.
that's nice, but it also is somewhat frigtening...
note, i'm not trying to bash you personally (even though it probably looked like that:) ) - it's just that it really seemed to be quite strick control to me. allowing partial self control (which can be reduced if it is not sufficient) can save from a disaster later. the main thing is - what is the message a particular measure sends, what is it supposed to accomplish and what will it accomplish ? to the third example i'd give "have to avoid my parents on this matter", "no irresponsible sexual relationship", "more irresponsible sexual relationship everywhere else there's no all-seeing eye".
I ask my son to see his report card, I don't take his word for it. If he's supposed to be home at midnight, I stay up until he gets home, I don't take his word for it. I make him keep his bedroom door open when he has his girlfriend over to "do homework."
although i am not arguing that absulte ignorance & freedom is a must, this sounds somewhat too restrictive and more looks like a control issue. there are people who like to keep everything under control, especially other people (i know, i am guilty in this...) - but you (or i, or everybody) have to step back somewhat. overcontrolling other people tends to make it worse (and this is true for both teenagers and adults).
first, this makes them less responsible and able to adapt to the world once your control diminishes (which is the idea you should be comfortable with. are you ?). i'd say i have suffered from this and still have some problems with this... no, i don't live in a basement or something;) it's more subtle than living with parents at a relatively old age.
second, once they feel that the control, the power you have over them has lessened - it will be double irresponsibility and doing stupid things - because they have not had the chance to do stupid things in small doses. and this happens together with the first set of problems, making it even worse, as it is harder to clean up after the mess themselves.
now, i'll try to pick on your text a bit;)
I ask my son to see his report card, I don't take his word for it.
this is not an awful thing, given how many interesting things there are to do;) but have you tried taking his word for it a couple if times to show that you can trust him ? you could subtly check at some point later, so if you see that he indeed has told lies to you, you can note that he has betrayed your trust. oh, and being polite helps to tell the truth, even it is not extremly pleasant;)
If he's supposed to be home at midnight, I stay up until he gets home, I don't take his word for it.
he's 16, right ? weeeell... you could control him now and then, but this seems to be somewhat picky.
I make him keep his bedroom door open when he has his girlfriend over to "do homework.
ok, this is just silly:D what, the poor girl has a dog necklace and there is no other place they could meet ? first, you should be able to talk to your kids about sexuality. zealous christianistic denial of sexuality has done enough bad already, no need to drive it further. second, this shows extreme distrust - and makes them both lose respect for you, not to mention you looking silly.
btw, if your son has a computer, he probably is reading all this - and no, i am not him:D
as for the original article... i suppose these things will get cracked, attached to parent's cars and such. probably in the first month, being very generous.
the thing is, it probably should be possible to create a finite number of physical variations that would still be economically feasible. but what about functional, more or less tiny differences that everybody wants in another way ? having the phones with identical interface, fully reprogrammable/reflashable, creating a community around them - i hope that is the future of this field. original company would provide infrastructure, full documentation, original version (with source etc), that everybody could modify and/or rewrite. but the thing that could derive from all this is a firmware that is vibrant, developed (possibly modular so that it can be tailored to everybody's taste) and flexible enough. modifying almost every aspect would be the required feature (in an easy enough way for both users & developers, for example, in config files - that could even be recompiled in binary form before being uploaded to the phone, if so required). so this should allow customising things to a level that is feasible, possibly by differing modules for different branches of too different functionality.
there are small things to consider like super-safe ability to always reflash the thing, accomodating different hardware (so that software module for, let's say camera, can be left off and all the interface & functionality is reconfigured accordingly) and probably a million other things;)
could this ever happen ? unlikely... that would require serious change in thinking of mobile phone manufacturer executives, some initial investment (both financial and "brain power") and a way to market this. if that actually _would_ happen, that would a big change to the better world and so on:)
Cheaper than nothing? 'Cause that's what my company was paying for their Windows support - they just didn't get any. True, this was probably not genius on their part and I argued for getting someone to do maintenance work, but they'd essentially gone maintenance free for 4 or 5 years. They called in Sycom to set it up, then just called them in when stuff broke. Which was not that often.
so, um, was sycom (whatever that is) doing all that work for free ? because it really is possible to get the linux expert doing the same things... better to have somebody maintaining & developing the system, but, as you noted, that is not mandatory if it's a choice between having a good is or none at all;)
i'd like to note that linux is the thing one can surely manage remotely. so basically finding the person is not limited to the neighbourhood. i am sure there are enough qualified linux experts that would love to work remotely - and much cheaper, too.
omg. now you know why outsourcing works in some cases. a linux server can be managed remotely - i hope we all can agree on this one. so somebody managing the environment remotely could charge less. how much lss ? let's see... for ~13$/h one could easily get a good linux specialist here (northern europe, ex-ussr). and that would be like 5 times average wage. of course, this does not give the feeling of assurance that a person is available locally, there are a couple of things that will have to be done by telephone ordering "insert the cd, press enter, remove the cd" etc - but it can be done with a good planning. damn, i would love to do such a job myself:D
indeed. additionally, if the device provides an easy way for customising, they provide sources of applications, build community (share information, provide means of communicating like forum etc) - that could be very, very nice. i never buy my phones for a full price - so far there has not been a device that would not suck in one or another way, and no phone manufacturing company has listened to complaints about usability or problems. if they respond to customer wishes, update & fix the software (building a successful community can relieve them somewhat) - i would really consider getting the device. so far it seems very nice (well, there are things that could be made smaller to save screen space etc) - but what always bothers me about these devices is durability. with all that stuff & large screens, how durable they really are ? of course, it's hard to tell anything about this device as few people have even seen the concept models, but that also seems to be an important factor in decision making.
Slashdot Mirror
"This is without any plugins/extensions installed except flash."
and there's your keyword.
i had opera grow memory usage overnight and almost always - over weekend. when i removed flash plugin, it just never had the problem. it was so bad that i had to do a cold reboot of the machine (note, this is linux...).
it was enough to enable flash plugin once, and that would almost guarantee unusable machine after some time.
even though problem is less severe with latest flash plugin version (no machine lockups so far), i still prefer keeping plugins disabled, as there have been some weird memory usage increases while having it enabled.
i am hoping that one day wine would run all the old games - mostly because it's not that long before new hardware would not be win98 compatible and old one broken down...
wine is not there yet, but some of the nice old titles actually run quite nicely.
"Remember, experienced Unix/open source admins cost twice as much as Windows admins."
;)
it seems you intentionally omitted "experienced" before "Windows admins"
quality windows admins cost much the same as *x admins. it's just that proportionally there are few of those.
The ability to restructure a document (the big missing feature in the Navigator)
hmm. what did you mean by that ?
you can promote & demote chapters, change their levels and so on from navigator.
or is that some other kind of restructuring you want to be able to do from the navigator ?
...unless one controls the other.
is the automatic download really a good feature ? most users expect the software to ask where to save a file, so just tossing them all on a desktop is quite silly...
at least create Desktop/Downloads or "Firefox Downloads".
cluttering the desktop seems to be one of those misunderstood usability "improvements"
openoffice.org has some form options in it's pdf export dialog. i have never used them myself, but maybe that saves you some ram ;)
ok, then device mounting should be performed by your distribution (using magic aka udev/hal etc
as for amarok, there are a couple of concepts that help you really enjoy it's features, so i'd suggest joining in #amarok on irc or see amarok forums. people are generally helpful in there
nope, the parameter really preloads konq instance in memory, but does not open a window. so you might try that parameter, i guess it's exactly what you want. note that it takes slightly more memory upon startup, and it might get swapped out if you extensively use machine without opening konqueror.
well, hard to tell... i mostly just leave kmix/system volumes at some default (usually at 90%
you could check that there is nothing about this reported in kde bugzilla & report particular problems/suggested changes. with the move to kde4 there might be abigger chance for all kinds of changes/improvements (or not, if everybody is busy with other things
there's phonon project (http://phonon.kde.org/), but it might just cover backend/api parts.
did you try amarok ? i don't have ipod, but they supposedly are supported pretty well...
mostly - patent problems. not something that can be solved immediately. moving to open formats is the way.
there is an option to preload an instance of konq upon startup, probably not enabled in kubuntu. i'm not using konq much, mostly only for picture browsing, so i don't know how fast it would be for everyday tasks.
hmm. isn't there a checkbox in kmix settings to save/restore volume settings ? yep, there is "restore volumes on login".
oh well, there are different package managers and i haven't actually used the ones deployed by *ubuntu. but i'd say they are an improvement over shuffling through the web, doenloading random stuff and installing it
valid claim, these things are being worked on to decrease the boot time. for example, kde login time supposedly was reduced in the latest version. i havn't measured the difference, as this is not a very important point for me
most apps still are better than windows apps... and then there's gnome where you get almost no options at all
besides, kde (and it's apps') interface is constantly improved - but not by simply eliminating options, but carefully deciding how they can be joined together or app improved so the option is indeed not needed anymore.
what exactly are you talking about ? kcontrol ?
report the problem
most laptop manufacturers are dicks (even more than others
oh well. this is a very small suggestion that i can't comment much. i am using knoppix now and then, and i would hate if it was trying to get me installing it on the hdd upon each boot
besides, i'd say it would be much better to place an icon on the desktop which says in large letters "install on the hdd". that can be considered a harmful action, so it should be at least somewhat conscious deciosion.
well... ibm hardware configurator (in their website) does not work with opera (on linux, if that matters).
so even companies that embrace alternatives do not always get it right.
btw, on laptops it would be wise to make swap for hibernation, then some - and reduce swappiness. works quite nicely.
aiee :D
people are dumb, when you are dumb...
sing along with the doors song.
at %95/h you work 8 hours a month and you get average wage here. too bad nobody wants to pay that here...
first, don't mix up private property with publicly accessible areas. there is a distinction in laws )at least in most countries :) ).
second, throwing out somebody from a restaurant usually is based on behaviour. i'd like to see you throwing out people based on their skin colour or religious beliefs. or try throwing out disabled people. as, you know, it's your property.
soooo....
could they discriminate against black people ? against white poeple ?
against homosexuals ? against lesbians ?
against christians ? against muslims ?
it's their site, right ? for a taxi driver, it's his taxi. for a restourant owner it's his restoran. and so on.
probably best to wait until they appear on google videos ;>
at least they provide avi for download, which i could use (as flash streaming is slow, error prone and sound-less for me)
unless you are paid really well to do windows support... why are you doing it ? ;)
some time ago, i was doing free windows support for friends and such. i am not doing it anymore - as a result it is much easier for me (even though now i am partially doin free linux support. but at least a need for support is very, very rare), so my thumbdrive contains a couple of latest software packages for linux - mostly for my own usage, some pictures, some music... i don't have to stuff it up with recovery software, i am free to use it for my own needs
wtf ? do you expect rms to personally deal with every project on the world than involves oss/foss ?
the local authorities, businesses and citizens are the ones who should evaluate, choose and rate the decisions. which, i suppose, already happens.
rms is evangelizing - which is good - but it is not feasible for him to push his preferences, make decisions and overall control processes in whole world.
they could have investigated the situation and decided that the opensource nature would radically promote incentive and ability to explore and learn it field.
they might have made estimates and came out with figures that show big savings over a longer period of time.
or it could be that actual policy is more sophisticated and longer than the headline.
I encourage you to read the discussion about this as opposed to this singular post.
:)
:) ) - it's just that it really seemed to be quite strick control to me. allowing partial self control (which can be reduced if it is not sufficient) can save from a disaster later.
i partially did. it evolved in personal attacks, lots of repeating and bashing.
Setting a curfew and expecting it to be followed is not overcontrolling.
expecting - yes. but allowing the freedom to submit to rules without direct and visible control can be much, much more beneficial. as all things, in sane amounts
Letting my son have his girlfriend in his bedroom as long as they keep the door open is certainly not overcontrolling.
i must admit, this seemed like the worst of the three examples to me. it does not achieve anything (world is bigger than a single room), it probably tells him to avoid these subjects with you and makes him feel overcontrolled, even though you don't see it like that.
But suffice it to say that my views of teenage sexuality are particularly enlightened compared to many of my peers.
that's nice, but it also is somewhat frigtening...
note, i'm not trying to bash you personally (even though it probably looked like that
the main thing is - what is the message a particular measure sends, what is it supposed to accomplish and what will it accomplish ? to the third example i'd give "have to avoid my parents on this matter", "no irresponsible sexual relationship", "more irresponsible sexual relationship everywhere else there's no all-seeing eye".
although i am not arguing that absulte ignorance & freedom is a must, this sounds somewhat too restrictive and more looks like a control issue.
there are people who like to keep everything under control, especially other people (i know, i am guilty in this...) - but you (or i, or everybody) have to step back somewhat. overcontrolling other people tends to make it worse (and this is true for both teenagers and adults).
first, this makes them less responsible and able to adapt to the world once your control diminishes (which is the idea you should be comfortable with. are you ?). i'd say i have suffered from this and still have some problems with this... no, i don't live in a basement or something
it's more subtle than living with parents at a relatively old age.
second, once they feel that the control, the power you have over them has lessened - it will be double irresponsibility and doing stupid things - because they have not had the chance to do stupid things in small doses. and this happens together with the first set of problems, making it even worse, as it is harder to clean up after the mess themselves.
now, i'll try to pick on your text a bit
I ask my son to see his report card, I don't take his word for it.
this is not an awful thing, given how many interesting things there are to do
but have you tried taking his word for it a couple if times to show that you can trust him ? you could subtly check at some point later, so if you see that he indeed has told lies to you, you can note that he has betrayed your trust. oh, and being polite helps to tell the truth, even it is not extremly pleasant
If he's supposed to be home at midnight, I stay up until he gets home, I don't take his word for it.
he's 16, right ? weeeell... you could control him now and then, but this seems to be somewhat picky.
I make him keep his bedroom door open when he has his girlfriend over to "do homework.
ok, this is just silly
what, the poor girl has a dog necklace and there is no other place they could meet ?
first, you should be able to talk to your kids about sexuality. zealous christianistic denial of sexuality has done enough bad already, no need to drive it further.
second, this shows extreme distrust - and makes them both lose respect for you, not to mention you looking silly.
btw, if your son has a computer, he probably is reading all this - and no, i am not him
as for the original article... i suppose these things will get cracked, attached to parent's cars and such. probably in the first month, being very generous.
the thing is, it probably should be possible to create a finite number of physical variations that would still be economically feasible. but what about functional, more or less tiny differences that everybody wants in another way ?
;)
:)
having the phones with identical interface, fully reprogrammable/reflashable, creating a community around them - i hope that is the future of this field.
original company would provide infrastructure, full documentation, original version (with source etc), that everybody could modify and/or rewrite.
but the thing that could derive from all this is a firmware that is vibrant, developed (possibly modular so that it can be tailored to everybody's taste) and flexible enough. modifying almost every aspect would be the required feature (in an easy enough way for both users & developers, for example, in config files - that could even be recompiled in binary form before being uploaded to the phone, if so required).
so this should allow customising things to a level that is feasible, possibly by differing modules for different branches of too different functionality.
there are small things to consider like super-safe ability to always reflash the thing, accomodating different hardware (so that software module for, let's say camera, can be left off and all the interface & functionality is reconfigured accordingly) and probably a million other things
could this ever happen ? unlikely... that would require serious change in thinking of mobile phone manufacturer executives, some initial investment (both financial and "brain power") and a way to market this. if that actually _would_ happen, that would a big change to the better world and so on
so, um, was sycom (whatever that is) doing all that work for free ? because it really is possible to get the linux expert doing the same things...
better to have somebody maintaining & developing the system, but, as you noted, that is not mandatory if it's a choice between having a good is or none at all
i'd like to note that linux is the thing one can surely manage remotely. so basically finding the person is not limited to the neighbourhood.
i am sure there are enough qualified linux experts that would love to work remotely - and much cheaper, too.
omg. now you know why outsourcing works in some cases. :D
a linux server can be managed remotely - i hope we all can agree on this one.
so somebody managing the environment remotely could charge less. how much lss ? let's see...
for ~13$/h one could easily get a good linux specialist here (northern europe, ex-ussr). and that would be like 5 times average wage.
of course, this does not give the feeling of assurance that a person is available locally, there are a couple of things that will have to be done by telephone ordering "insert the cd, press enter, remove the cd" etc - but it can be done with a good planning.
damn, i would love to do such a job myself
indeed. additionally, if the device provides an easy way for customising, they provide sources of applications, build community (share information, provide means of communicating like forum etc) - that could be very, very nice.
i never buy my phones for a full price - so far there has not been a device that would not suck in one or another way, and no phone manufacturing company has listened to complaints about usability or problems.
if they respond to customer wishes, update & fix the software (building a successful community can relieve them somewhat) - i would really consider getting the device.
so far it seems very nice (well, there are things that could be made smaller to save screen space etc) - but what always bothers me about these devices is durability.
with all that stuff & large screens, how durable they really are ? of course, it's hard to tell anything about this device as few people have even seen the concept models, but that also seems to be an important factor in decision making.