4. Vista will be revealed to be as buggy and spyware prone as every other MS OS, for the same reason -- it's developed by the same braindamaged marketdroids who brought us all the others. Microsoft is lucky most of us have no other choice.
You know, I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and I've got to say that the fault lays mostly on the application developers.
I've had to work in an environment where "just make the user an admin" is not an option, and it's incredible how hard it is to get apps to play nicely, usually for the most boneheaded of reasons.
Just the other day I got a Nikkon camera for Christmas (D80 - YAY!!!), and I read the instructions for the software that comes with it. Sure enough, the instructions state "Log on to an account with administrator priveleges when installing, using, or uninstalling PictureProject" (emphasis mine). WTF!?!?
It is application developers like this that have laid waste to security in the Windows environment...
If I want to spend serious time doing something, then I'll build a boat.
I guess you didn't bother to actually read my post.
My point is that the time it takes to get a laptop working with something like debian is a single, fixed investment in time that pales in comparison to the total amount of time that you are going to use the laptop, and once you've made that investment, the payoff is less time spent keeping the system working in the long-term.
I'm not talking about "serious time" along the lines of "building a boat", and that comparison shows that you are completely missing the point.
I'm pretty sure that over the time that you have the laptop, you will spend more time fucking around dealing with the shortcomings of your Windows pre-install than the initial investment of time in getting Linux to work with your laptop.
The time investment is just more noticeable because it is all at once, up front, when you just want it to work - NOW.
Like I said before, the culture of insisting on instant gratification over long-term gain is the root of a lot of problems in our society. Not that I expect that you will actually invest a few minutes into considering the point I am trying to get across...
I don't really care why it works or does not work. I just want it to work.
Fair enough, you are in the majority.
But I think people put too much emphasis on this aspect. Getting everything to work is a one-time task, especially on a laptop.
Personally, if it takes a couple of days of futzing around and *learning* to get my system working, that's fine, it's a one-time cost. Once it's working, you forget about the relatively short amount of time it took to get it working. A couple of days of learning about my system is a pretty small investment when I'm going to be using the system for years. It's a matter of perspective.
I prefer the long-term stability and the fact that I am never going to have to do a full re-install on my system because it is getting bloated, or there is just no other way of keeping it working.
A system like debian is very deterministic. If something doesn't work, there is an identifiable reason and a way to fix it.
I think the overwhelming desire for instant gratification is the root of a lot of problems in our society, but again, you are in the majority, no question about it.
Writing an AAC file to a CD is pretty much a prefect digital copy.
Yes it is reasonably good digital copy of the less than perfect digital copy of the original that you would have gotten if you bought the original CD. It doesn't take an audiophile to tell the difference between an AAC and the original.wav file. So, to start with, Apple is selling you a less than perfect digital copy of the original song.
However, when you "rip to CD", that reasonably good digital copy of the AAC takes over 10 times as much storage space as the AAC that you bought from Apple.
So my point that there is a cost (increased storage space) associated with ripping to CD still stands. And if you re-encode to MP3 to avoid the storage space cost, there is a cost (degradation), and I would argue strongly that at that point you definitely don't have to be an audiophile to tell the difference between the original CD and the twice-encoded MP3 that comes out the other end of the process.
I'm impressed that they were smart enough to let people burn ordinary audio CDs from their iTunes, even knowing that people could just turn around and make those CDs into DRM free MP3s or OGGs.
I keep hearing this, but it isn't really a freebie.
They allow this because it isn't a "perfect digital copy", it is more akin to taping an album onto a cassette.
Apple starts with the full-quality original digital file (.wav).
Then they encode it (which lowers the quality from the original), and they sell it to you for $.99.
Then you burn to a CD, which creates a perfect copy (.wav) of the lower quality file that they sold you.
Then you encode to mp3, which creates a lower quality copy of the lower quality file that Apple sold you.
They don't mind because there is a generational loss involved, unless you encode the CD to FLAC. But even then you only have a perfect copy of an imperfect copy of the original that takes up 5-10 times as much storage space as the lower-quality file that they sold you. It's not the freebie that so many people tout, there is generational loss and/or storage bloat as an associated cost of transferring music you "purchased" to your "unauthorized" systems.
The ideal solution for a newbie comes pre-installed.
Absolutely.
The whole difficulty with Linux is getting it set up and working. This is where Linux's reputation for "requiring a PhD in computer science" comes from.
From what I've seen, once the system is up and configured, it's pretty easy for just about anyone to use.
I would say that there is an advantage to something like Debian, where the concept is to get -all- software from a central repository. I think a lot of "dependency hell" comes from getting your programs from all over the place, instead of one consistant repository.
That said, I think a live distribution (ala Knoppix) is a good start for the newbie, as long as they don't want to install anything else.
None of that works in Windows "out of the box". Try formatting your disk, take a stock XP disk, load it up and see what you can do with it. All you get is a fucking OS, crappy drivers, and minimal functionality.
You've got to chase down a bunch of proprietary drivers if you want your laptop to work. Yes, the sound as well. Out of the box, XP sucks.
The only reason you percieve that the "OOB" experience is better is becuase the manufacturer of your laptop has added a ton of stuff to the OOB Windows install to make it work.
Put that much work into say, an etch install, and not only will you have just as good functionality, you will have a buttload of useful apps as well. XP can't touch that.
Not by the Supreme Court, who ruled that you have NO reasonable expectation of privacy in the public sphere.
Um what? Your possessions are still protected by privacy rights. Possessions such as your bags or your vehicles cannot be searched without a warrant or your permission. But actual possession is the key here as in a bag left in a public place could be searched without a warrant, but a bag that you carry or keep near yourself so as to still be exercising control in a public place cannot.
Actually, I don't think so. For instance, your bags are subject to search without a warrant or probable cause if you are on the New York City public transit system...
Just try to buy a PC without Windows installed on it. If you are even able to do it, you won't pay any less for the PC than if Windows were installed on it. That's the Windows Tax. Calling it the Linux tax is just being redundant.
It's easy to get a PC without Windows installed on it, and is it also possible to pay less.
Instead of buying from Dell (or HP or whoever), buy from your local PC shop. They usually will let you choose your components, and will support your hardware. Think locally, not globally.
When I did this, I told them they didn't need to bother with an OS install, I would handle it.
As a result, I got my box quickly, and they gave me a better monitor for the same price as their low-end monitor.
You know, you don't always have to support the corporate bullshit that is going on. There are plenty of small businesses that know the value of their customers, and you can leverage that to your advantage.
Of course it is not always possible (ie., laptops), but sometimes supporting your local economy is a good way of "sticking it to the man".
I say that non-English countries should just do it. If it breaks Standard US or European IE or FireFox by putting the domain name in the address bar, no loss to your country.
It would break a hell of a lot more than just web browsing and email.
Essentially all internet-aware software would have to be updated to avoid breakage.
As an occasional visitor to London, I've got to both agree and disagree with you.
I agree that tracking the signs/restrictions makes things difficult.
However, since the congestion charge came into effect, it is amazing to see the huge increase in bicycle traffic (IMHO, a good thing). It's starting to look more like Bejing than London!
Well of course Windows is going to be in the majority of affected machines... There is a dramatically higher number of people in the world using Windows than any other OS, so... wouldn't it make sense?
As a proud user of Kubuntu, I can relate to/.'s tendency to point out everything that appears to be wrong with Windows... but come on, isn't it a little much to explicitly point it out in this case?
According to their chart, 99.95% of the systems on the botnet run Windows in some form. Unless all other desktop operating systems only have.05% combined market share, maybe there is a correlation between the security of Windows and the botnet problem.
For me, being happy doing my job is worth a lot. I've recently switched from a job that paid a lot, but the environment and management really sucked. Now I'm working part-time, making about 25% of what I was making at the other job but the environment is great.
Life isn't really that long, you need to do what makes you happy, as long as you are not starving. Going to a job you don't like every day is a mistake if there are more personally rewarding alternatives.
Reccommendations - Stuff like "similar artists", "people who purchased this also purchased Y", and so on.
Lower prices than the current status quo. Maybe 1/4 of what they currently charge (25 cents/track, no per-album pricing)
Rather than combating allofmp3 by busting out the lawyers, the solution would have been to compete with them on merit with a similar service.
Sounds like emusic is right down your alley. Sure, it isn't allofmp3, but it pretty much meets your description. On top of their huge selection, the recommendation mechanisms on their web site are very useful.
I'm not sure why you think there aren't that many window managers for Windows. There are at least a dozen. Look up litestep, Talisman, ObjectX, etc..
You are right, there are at least a dozen.
I've never run Windows on my home computer. If I did, I guess I would be know about them, because the default WM for Windows isn't very good. Unfortunately, my employer doesn't allow such modifications on work systems...
You can pretty much configure windows do anything that you can with any X window manager, by the use of third party apps. Windows is designed for the common user, with some attention given to the less popular scenarios, but they provide the API's and hooks to allow developers to create almost any kind of environment they want.
I wonder why there aren't as many good WMs for Windows as there are for X?
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Easily the *best* comment of 2006. Thanks, shawn443, happy new year...
You know, I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and I've got to say that the fault lays mostly on the application developers.
I've had to work in an environment where "just make the user an admin" is not an option, and it's incredible how hard it is to get apps to play nicely, usually for the most boneheaded of reasons.
Just the other day I got a Nikkon camera for Christmas (D80 - YAY!!!), and I read the instructions for the software that comes with it. Sure enough, the instructions state "Log on to an account with administrator priveleges when installing, using, or uninstalling PictureProject" (emphasis mine). WTF!?!?
It is application developers like this that have laid waste to security in the Windows environment...
I guess you didn't bother to actually read my post.
My point is that the time it takes to get a laptop working with something like debian is a single, fixed investment in time that pales in comparison to the total amount of time that you are going to use the laptop, and once you've made that investment, the payoff is less time spent keeping the system working in the long-term.
I'm not talking about "serious time" along the lines of "building a boat", and that comparison shows that you are completely missing the point.
I'm pretty sure that over the time that you have the laptop, you will spend more time fucking around dealing with the shortcomings of your Windows pre-install than the initial investment of time in getting Linux to work with your laptop.
The time investment is just more noticeable because it is all at once, up front, when you just want it to work - NOW.
Like I said before, the culture of insisting on instant gratification over long-term gain is the root of a lot of problems in our society. Not that I expect that you will actually invest a few minutes into considering the point I am trying to get across...
Fair enough, you are in the majority.
But I think people put too much emphasis on this aspect. Getting everything to work is a one-time task, especially on a laptop.
Personally, if it takes a couple of days of futzing around and *learning* to get my system working, that's fine, it's a one-time cost. Once it's working, you forget about the relatively short amount of time it took to get it working. A couple of days of learning about my system is a pretty small investment when I'm going to be using the system for years. It's a matter of perspective.
I prefer the long-term stability and the fact that I am never going to have to do a full re-install on my system because it is getting bloated, or there is just no other way of keeping it working.
A system like debian is very deterministic. If something doesn't work, there is an identifiable reason and a way to fix it.
I think the overwhelming desire for instant gratification is the root of a lot of problems in our society, but again, you are in the majority, no question about it.
Yes it is reasonably good digital copy of the less than perfect digital copy of the original that you would have gotten if you bought the original CD. It doesn't take an audiophile to tell the difference between an AAC and the original .wav file. So, to start with, Apple is selling you a less than perfect digital copy of the original song.
However, when you "rip to CD", that reasonably good digital copy of the AAC takes over 10 times as much storage space as the AAC that you bought from Apple.
So my point that there is a cost (increased storage space) associated with ripping to CD still stands. And if you re-encode to MP3 to avoid the storage space cost, there is a cost (degradation), and I would argue strongly that at that point you definitely don't have to be an audiophile to tell the difference between the original CD and the twice-encoded MP3 that comes out the other end of the process.
I keep hearing this, but it isn't really a freebie.
They allow this because it isn't a "perfect digital copy", it is more akin to taping an album onto a cassette.
Apple starts with the full-quality original digital file (.wav).
Then they encode it (which lowers the quality from the original), and they sell it to you for $.99.
Then you burn to a CD, which creates a perfect copy (.wav) of the lower quality file that they sold you.
Then you encode to mp3, which creates a lower quality copy of the lower quality file that Apple sold you.
They don't mind because there is a generational loss involved, unless you encode the CD to FLAC. But even then you only have a perfect copy of an imperfect copy of the original that takes up 5-10 times as much storage space as the lower-quality file that they sold you. It's not the freebie that so many people tout, there is generational loss and/or storage bloat as an associated cost of transferring music you "purchased" to your "unauthorized" systems.
Absolutely.
The whole difficulty with Linux is getting it set up and working. This is where Linux's reputation for "requiring a PhD in computer science" comes from.
From what I've seen, once the system is up and configured, it's pretty easy for just about anyone to use.
I would say that there is an advantage to something like Debian, where the concept is to get -all- software from a central repository. I think a lot of "dependency hell" comes from getting your programs from all over the place, instead of one consistant repository.
That said, I think a live distribution (ala Knoppix) is a good start for the newbie, as long as they don't want to install anything else.
Funny you should mention Dynix. I don't know what their support is like in the USA, but their UK branch is pathetic...
None of that works in Windows "out of the box". Try formatting your disk, take a stock XP disk, load it up and see what you can do with it. All you get is a fucking OS, crappy drivers, and minimal functionality.
You've got to chase down a bunch of proprietary drivers if you want your laptop to work. Yes, the sound as well. Out of the box, XP sucks.
The only reason you percieve that the "OOB" experience is better is becuase the manufacturer of your laptop has added a ton of stuff to the OOB Windows install to make it work.
Put that much work into say, an etch install, and not only will you have just as good functionality, you will have a buttload of useful apps as well. XP can't touch that.
The last time one of these things happened, we had incredible views of the northern lights even in southern Europe.
So I would suggest keeping an eye on the northern sky tonight, we might be in for a truly entertaining light show!
It's easy to get a PC without Windows installed on it, and is it also possible to pay less.
Instead of buying from Dell (or HP or whoever), buy from your local PC shop. They usually will let you choose your components, and will support your hardware. Think locally, not globally.
When I did this, I told them they didn't need to bother with an OS install, I would handle it.
As a result, I got my box quickly, and they gave me a better monitor for the same price as their low-end monitor.
You know, you don't always have to support the corporate bullshit that is going on. There are plenty of small businesses that know the value of their customers, and you can leverage that to your advantage.
Of course it is not always possible (ie., laptops), but sometimes supporting your local economy is a good way of "sticking it to the man".
Since they are talking about web hosting, it seems like the comparison should not be between MS and Linux, it should be between IIS and Apache.
If you want to compare MS and Linux, then web hosting has nothing to do with it, the question goes back to what server OS has a higher TCO.
Meh, I think the flamebait tag is apropos in this case...
It would break a hell of a lot more than just web browsing and email.
Essentially all internet-aware software would have to be updated to avoid breakage.
That is a lot of software...
As an occasional visitor to London, I've got to both agree and disagree with you.
I agree that tracking the signs/restrictions makes things difficult.
However, since the congestion charge came into effect, it is amazing to see the huge increase in bicycle traffic (IMHO, a good thing). It's starting to look more like Bejing than London!
According to their chart, 99.95% of the systems on the botnet run Windows in some form. Unless all other desktop operating systems only have .05% combined market share, maybe there is a correlation between the security of Windows and the botnet problem.
For me, being happy doing my job is worth a lot. I've recently switched from a job that paid a lot, but the environment and management really sucked. Now I'm working part-time, making about 25% of what I was making at the other job but the environment is great.
Life isn't really that long, you need to do what makes you happy, as long as you are not starving. Going to a job you don't like every day is a mistake if there are more personally rewarding alternatives.
Convenience and selection
Reccommendations - Stuff like "similar artists", "people who purchased this also purchased Y", and so on.
Lower prices than the current status quo. Maybe 1/4 of what they currently charge (25 cents/track, no per-album pricing)
Rather than combating allofmp3 by busting out the lawyers, the solution would have been to compete with them on merit with a similar service.
Sounds like emusic is right down your alley. Sure, it isn't allofmp3, but it pretty much meets your description. On top of their huge selection, the recommendation mechanisms on their web site are very useful.You use an IPS/IDS appliance that goes up to level 7.
Mine goes up to 11.
So far, we of the science majors haven't been able to get together and create (starting from zilch)a single living organic cell with functioning DNA.
Technically, no, but they have created functioning viruses from scratch.
Yes, I know a virus isn't anything nearly as complex as a living cell, but it is a step in that direction.
Yes - shameless UI tweaks borrowed from Firefox and Opera (did we expect anything else?)
One could say a similar thing about FF 2.0.
Restore session after crash and individual tab closing buttons - both have been in Galeon for some time...
While true innovation is admirable, improving by learning from others is also a good thing. The users benefit, the "ecosystem" is improved overall.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
I'm not sure why you think there aren't that many window managers for Windows. There are at least a dozen. Look up litestep, Talisman, ObjectX, etc..
You are right, there are at least a dozen.
I've never run Windows on my home computer. If I did, I guess I would be know about them, because the default WM for Windows isn't very good. Unfortunately, my employer doesn't allow such modifications on work systems...
You can pretty much configure windows do anything that you can with any X window manager, by the use of third party apps. Windows is designed for the common user, with some attention given to the less popular scenarios, but they provide the API's and hooks to allow developers to create almost any kind of environment they want.
I wonder why there aren't as many good WMs for Windows as there are for X?
I, for example, have no use for virtual desktops, and so remove the pager from my desktop, because that's not the way I interface with the computer.
And -that- is what makes KDE/Gnome/etc. superior.
You can configure them to work the way you work, instead of having to change the way you work to conform to the WM.
Here's a good one that addresses the important issues and is less likely to go out of date...