Games are traditionally something that people do in order to relax and have fun. A game that teaches chemistry? It doesn't exactly sound like something I'd want to have a multiplayer deathmatch in...
Don't forget that videogames are a business. The developers make what the market wants (at least, that's the theory).
It IS ready for grandma to use. She wants to go onto the internet? She clicks on Firefox - same in Windows as in Linux. Email? She clicks on Thunderbird - same, again, under both OSes. Word processing? Open Office is the same again - and a newbie can't tell the difference between it and Office, which might come installed on a Windows system.
Newbies want ease of use. My father, after running into some viruses, asked me to "do whatever you want, as long as I can go onto the internet, do my email and not worry about viruses." One install of SuSE later (about three months ago), he's happy. NOTE: I *did* have a bit of a time getting his Canon scanner and printer running smoothly, though!
Of course, newbies also see all kinds of software on the net - screensavers, Bonzo Buddy, you name it - that they fell somehow fills a void in their lives. Having Linux on their system might not be a bad idea in this case.:)
That said, I'm not a big Linspire fan and agree that some other distribution could have been used instead.
All you have to do to switch to Windows is buy a new PC. They all come with it installed out of the box. They also come with all the software most people need either already installed or available to buy at your local Best Buy/Circuit City.
Windows is installed on machines from Best Buy/etc, but the main problem lies with what else is installed: A trial version of antivirus software (Norton, etc). Once it runs out, complete newbies don't know what to do. I've seen quite a few computers with year-old (or worse) virus databases. People who aren't good with computers aren't going to know about downloading Avast, AVG or any other kind of free antivirus software that can easily replace their expired trial software.
Also, admin privileges are usually on by default in these pre-installed versions of Windows. This, plus outdated antivirus databases, means lots of trouble for a new user.
Is it really THAT hard to even scan through the article before posting a "This is BS" post? TFA has a whole paragraph about partitioning, including:
"Your only choice of file system is FAT32 or NTFS, and although you can create as many partitions as you like, you can only format the one partition - the partition you select for the Windows installation. Obviously, this gives you no chance to create a separate home or boot partition, or even a swap partition. Apparently Windows automatically creates a swap file for you on the main partition."
For whatever reason, the summary doesn't reflect this (and, as you noticed, says the opposite), but we're here to discuss articles and not summaries, right?
"Because the vulnerability exists within a faulty Windows component, security experts warn that Windows users who eschew Internet Explorer in favor of alternative Web browsers, such as older versions of Firefox and Opera, can still get their PCs infected if they agree to download a file from a site taking advantage of the flaw."
I have a problem with this: "To keep the $100 laptops from being widely stolen or sold off in poor countries, he expects to make them so pervasive in schools and so distinctive in design that it would be 'socially a stigma to be carrying one if you are not a student or a teacher.'"
This kind of machine is a geek's dream. Most of us, I'm sure, *will* get our hands on them as soon as they're available, which means that we will be fueling a black market.
This whole idea will not benefit poor children if the machines aren't available to those of us in Western Europe/North America, and other developed areas. Others have come up with the "sponsor" idea before, where I buy the computer for $300 (legally) and end up footing the bill for two poor kids to get the computer for free somewhere. I get a bargain geeky toy, poor third world kids get the chance to come onto Slashdot themselves. Everybody wins and the black market gets the steam taken out of it.
Social stigma or not, I'll be walking around with one of these no more than a month after release. Sorry, poor kids, but I was born a geek and I'll die a geek - and they'll be prying my cold, dead fingers from your $100 laptop.
He said "typical developed country". The USA isn't exactly typical among the rest of the developed world, taking into account medicine, education, everybody-else-in-the-world-hating-you, leader's IQ and so on.
Here are a few more typical developed countries' life expectancy rates:
Canada 79.96
UK 78.27
Germany 78.54
France 79.44
So it appears the poster's comment was true when talking about typical countries...
Slashdot Mirror
Games are traditionally something that people do in order to relax and have fun. A game that teaches chemistry? It doesn't exactly sound like something I'd want to have a multiplayer deathmatch in...
Don't forget that videogames are a business. The developers make what the market wants (at least, that's the theory).
Baltika
Newbies want ease of use. My father, after running into some viruses, asked me to "do whatever you want, as long as I can go onto the internet, do my email and not worry about viruses." One install of SuSE later (about three months ago), he's happy. NOTE: I *did* have a bit of a time getting his Canon scanner and printer running smoothly, though!
Of course, newbies also see all kinds of software on the net - screensavers, Bonzo Buddy, you name it - that they fell somehow fills a void in their lives. Having Linux on their system might not be a bad idea in this case. :)
That said, I'm not a big Linspire fan and agree that some other distribution could have been used instead.
Baltika
Windows is installed on machines from Best Buy/etc, but the main problem lies with what else is installed: A trial version of antivirus software (Norton, etc). Once it runs out, complete newbies don't know what to do. I've seen quite a few computers with year-old (or worse) virus databases. People who aren't good with computers aren't going to know about downloading Avast, AVG or any other kind of free antivirus software that can easily replace their expired trial software.
Also, admin privileges are usually on by default in these pre-installed versions of Windows. This, plus outdated antivirus databases, means lots of trouble for a new user.
Baltika
Is it really THAT hard to even scan through the article before posting a "This is BS" post? TFA has a whole paragraph about partitioning, including:
"Your only choice of file system is FAT32 or NTFS, and although you can create as many partitions as you like, you can only format the one partition - the partition you select for the Windows installation. Obviously, this gives you no chance to create a separate home or boot partition, or even a swap partition. Apparently Windows automatically creates a swap file for you on the main partition."
For whatever reason, the summary doesn't reflect this (and, as you noticed, says the opposite), but we're here to discuss articles and not summaries, right?
Baltika
"Because the vulnerability exists within a faulty Windows component, security experts warn that Windows users who eschew Internet Explorer in favor of alternative Web browsers, such as older versions of Firefox and Opera, can still get their PCs infected if they agree to download a file from a site taking advantage of the flaw."
Baltika
This kind of machine is a geek's dream. Most of us, I'm sure, *will* get our hands on them as soon as they're available, which means that we will be fueling a black market.
This whole idea will not benefit poor children if the machines aren't available to those of us in Western Europe/North America, and other developed areas. Others have come up with the "sponsor" idea before, where I buy the computer for $300 (legally) and end up footing the bill for two poor kids to get the computer for free somewhere. I get a bargain geeky toy, poor third world kids get the chance to come onto Slashdot themselves. Everybody wins and the black market gets the steam taken out of it.
Social stigma or not, I'll be walking around with one of these no more than a month after release. Sorry, poor kids, but I was born a geek and I'll die a geek - and they'll be prying my cold, dead fingers from your $100 laptop.
Baltika
I don't want to ruin any surprises, so ROT-13 this to find out the secret messages.
Fvqr N
GUVF VF GUR OREZHQN GEVNATYR, BIRE. FYBJ QBJA. GNETRG 50 ZVYRF BSS FBHGU SYBEVQN, N TVNAG CLENZVQ NG BPRNA OBGGBZ.
Fvqr O
GUVF VF GUR OREZHQN GEVNATYR, BIRE. YBBX BHG! GUR PLYVAQEVPNY BOWRPG WHFG YVXR GUR BAR RKCYBQRQ BIRE FVOREVN NAQ PENFURQ VAGB GHATHFXN VA 1908, UNF WHFG PBZR VAGB GUR FBYNE FLFGRZ.
Two words: Windows ME?
The first screenshot is what KDE looks like when the Predator is using it.
BaltikaTroika
BaltikaTroika
BaltikaTroika
BaltikaTroika
BaltikaTroika
Here are a few more typical developed countries' life expectancy rates:
Canada 79.96
UK 78.27
Germany 78.54
France 79.44
So it appears the poster's comment was true when talking about typical countries...
(Numbers also from the CIA Factbook.)
BaltikaTroika
Yeah, like that time his wife was complaining about his hairpiece while she was lounging outside near the swimming pool...
BaltikaTroika
BaltikaTroika
According to Nationmaster.com, there are between 4 and 20 Nature Conservancy staff, US Fish and Wildlife staff (July 2003 est.) on the island.
That's the population - less than 20 people!
Why would they have a currency? Who prints the money, the US Fish and Wildlife guys? Do they scratch numbers on seashells or something?
I've got 67 million dollars of my own homemade money, too.