You raise some good points but your analysis is somewhat flawed.
"For vendor, the true cost far exceeds ~$10 because of support. Hordes of people call vendor tech support lines because of problems with Windows, whether such problems are viruses, spyware, or other operating system defects."
Granted Linux doesn't suffer from viruses and other malware, what makes you think (at this point in time) their support lines wouldn't be flooded with questions about how to do X. Hardware fails too regardless of the installed OS.
"For user, the true cost far exceeds ~$10 because one typically must factor in the cost of antivirus, perhaps antispyware too. Not to mention the time spent dealing with these programs, or time spent dealing with spyware and virus infections. Oh, and that doesn't include the cost of whatever proprietary software you'll need to get Windows to do anything truly useful."
Antivirus: AVG - free
Antispyware: AdAware SE, Spybot, MS's tool - free
CD Burning: usually comes free with your CD/DVD burner.
productivity tools: Open Office - free
Photo editing - GIMP for Windows if you wish, there are lots of other free alternatives.
Most of the software on my Windows box was free and the times I needed to purchase something, it came with free technical support, easy upgrades and a nice streamlined interface that sometimes only a commercial vendor can provide.
So I guess, for me, Windows is "effectively free".
It may be "average" but that doesn't make it right. I wouldn't work for a company that was cutting benefits for the sake of the CEO. There are obvious signs sometimes that the company does not have the employees best interest in mind. Myself...I work for a company in which I feel valued and the practice business in an ethical manner. I'm not sure what our CEO makes but they provide for me well in a monetary and "peace of mind" way. I hope I never end up in a company that doesn't value my work or merely respect me as a fellow human being. Perhaps I'm lucky?!?
" Oh and you can flash the BIOS from within Windows, although that gives me the creeps, too."
Only an anecdote but....I've flashed the BIOS hundreds if not thousands of times from within Windows without a problem whatsoever. I would not hesitate to do it with my own machine. These were all Dell laptops by the way.
In my opinion, wider adoption means it's on my mother's laptop, my grandma's computer and all my friends are using it. They are not part of the linux "community" becuase the have no desire to be. They want something that just *works*.
Linux is still for the geeks and probably will be for a long time until some sort of concensus can be made. Linux has a long way to go before it becomes "widely adopted".
As for you mentioning it is not like Windows, why can't it be? As far as ease of use goes, Windows has Linux beat (granted Windows itself is beyond a lot of people's comprehension). As an antecdote, I installed Mandrake on a Latitude D600 and (as a Linux newb) found it nearly impossible to get my wireless working. Granted, I've heard that problem has been taken care of and Suse has something similar to a Window's control panel (finally) I think they are other things that are just not easy enough for an early adopter to do. Anyway, I'm rambling now but those are my.02 from a failry adept Windows user.
The OP sickens me. It's not what the government is doing that worries me. It is the PRINICPLE of the matter that worries me. The OP IS a coward and dare I say, a bit ignorant. Like someone else mentioned, these actions taken by our government put us on a very slippery slope...one that as a nation we need to avoid.
The unwarranted wire taps are illegal and not necessary. Not one, NOT ONE of the hijackers on 9/11 slipped through our intelligence gathering because we were unable to get a warrant to monitor their communications. They have special courts on call 24/7 that can issue these warrants in almost no time. The whole excuse about not being able to get warrants is a joke.
You sir (the OP) deserve neither liberty or freedom.
After some quick googling, I found that only 15-25% of American households actually have broadband internet access. That makes the 10% number sound a lot better huh? Also consider that quite a few Xbox owners also owned a PS2.
This is a wild guess but I would say roughly 30-40% of Xbox owners with broadband decided to subscribe to Xbox live.
MS has a huge headstart on Sony. Granted, Sony has been able to sit back and see where MS went wrong, they still have a lot of work to do. Trying to diminish the impact Xbox LIVE had on gamers who chose to enjoy their service is only denying the inevitable. There will always be room for good single player games but personally, the computer is boring and not challenging. Humans are much tougher opponents.
It sounds like you answered your own dilemna...Bittorrent. Blizzard ditributes WoW patches this way and alot of the bandwidth costs are offloaded onto the consumer. I've maxed out my cable connection (around 1.5-2Mb/s, YMMV) on real popular torrents (linux distributions are a good example). I've been able to download multi-gig programs in a matter of minutes. Pretty cool although not having a physical copy bothers me a bit.
"The problem with Live is the 2 million users... they're all asshats."
Well...good thing they have a friends list and I can avoid most of the asshats you speak of. Additionally, the 360's Live service now gives you more options when it comes to rating a player's behavior online. So for me, it's not an issue.
If all your making are "economical web PCs" I think your money would be better spent on a newer platform. You can get an AMD/nforce2 mobo for probably around the same price of an old P3.....and memory costs for PC100/PC133 are almost as much if not more than the types of memory used in newer mobos. Plus, 160gb is alot for an internet machine. It's a good amount for the average media pc but an internet pc, IMO, can get by easily with a 40-80gb hard drive (depending on price and availability.
I agree with the poster above. I want to see the larger capacities this can bring us.
Well, I feel bad for you because you're not goint to be able to enjoy the 360's HD output. A TV with a 4:3 aspect ratio can't display a true 1080i rez (1920x1080). You must have one of those "E"DTV's, which is not Hi Def.
I would say that if these events have happened twice in two years and again in another 13, from a time sample of 60,000years, then the orbit is rather unstable. Unless, it's normal for planets to just all of a suddent shift orbit like that.
I am going to agree with another poster here and say.....you elitest prick. By your logic I should be SOL if my $15k Honda doesn't last as long as my $100k Mercedes.
If I'm taking pictures of my baby's first steps, I don't care if the white balance is off....or the resolution is so good, I can make a wall-size poster of the picture.
Sure...let me blow a whole months salary so I can capture my kids first birthday. And you're way off base with your reasoning as it relates to this article. It was a manufacturing defect!! It happens with goods regardless of the cost. Now, go get in your supersonic Leer Jet and fly away where no one has to hear your nonsense.
You missed my point. By definition, becuase it is a *right* in the US to be able to bear arms, I do not need to exhibit any knowledge of actually operating a gun in order to own one. OTOH, in order to hunt with that gun on state owned property, I need to prove that I know how to operate that weapon safely by passing a test in order to obtain a hunting license. Same with a car. If I own a hundred acres of land I can drive on it all I want but in order to take that vehicle onto public land, I need to exhibit some knowledge of traffic laws and safety. I never said it was good. Think of all the rights in your country and you will see that they don't require prior knowledge to exercise those rights. I hope that clears things up.
Wow!!! This is ironic...your name WrongByDefinition fits to a T here. Your use of the word right in your post strikes me as a bit odd. The difference between a right and a privelage (as taught to me in school) is that a right doesn't require any proof of knowledge to acquire that right. So by definition, NO, the UN does not have a right to govern the internet as they have not proven that they are capable of doing so.
Some examples....
owning a gun (in the US atleast, requires no knowledge to obtain. I can walk into any gun shop and assuming I'm not a felon, I can buy a gun without even knowing which end the bullet comes out from. Sounds a bit silly, but it's a right in the US.
Voting....I as an American citizen can vote for whoever I like even if the only reason is I liked the tie he was wearing in the last debate.
Obtaining a drivers license is a privelage....I must prove to the state that I am aware of the traffic laws and know how to operate a vehicle.
Those are just a few examples but I just wanted to point out that the UN by no means has a right to govern the internet. Aside from that I agree with your other comments. I dare to say capitalism has lost control but I wouldn't have it any other way, we just need more checks and balances. That's a whole other subject though.
Points taken. I guess us common folk will never find the real answer....something that frustrates me greatly. As much as I would like to know what we are doing The Right Thing, it's hard to trust 100% in an orginization that has proven time and again they can't be trusted.
One more thing.....about the F16 footage. What makes you so sure they were not fighters? Source? The footage was shot at night and I don't know of any civilians in their right mind who would rome around "mob style" in a KNOWN battle zone. All non-combatants were ordered to leave the town. Give me a break. Give me a good source or some evidence that these were indeed civilians and I'll hush up.
That's exactly what I thought when I watched footage [indymedia.org.uk] of a US helicopter slice several farmers apart while one of the pilots says "He's wounded. Hit him!".
What makes you so sure they were farmers? Did you know them? I can't argue much with your other comments as I the little research I just did pretty much came to the same conclusions. But the fact that you have no idea whether those guys were farmers or actually setting up an IED which most places I just checked seem to believe (both US and non US sites) makes me believe your reasoning is skewed regardless of evidence, or lack thereof given. Anyway, while you may be right, the world is filled with corruptness and that whole post is flaimbait but mostly offtopic. I am not denying your comments validity but it is not constructive to this discussion. That's all.
Slashdot Mirror
"For vendor, the true cost far exceeds ~$10 because of support. Hordes of people call vendor tech support lines because of problems with Windows, whether such problems are viruses, spyware, or other operating system defects."
Granted Linux doesn't suffer from viruses and other malware, what makes you think (at this point in time) their support lines wouldn't be flooded with questions about how to do X. Hardware fails too regardless of the installed OS.
"For user, the true cost far exceeds ~$10 because one typically must factor in the cost of antivirus, perhaps antispyware too. Not to mention the time spent dealing with these programs, or time spent dealing with spyware and virus infections. Oh, and that doesn't include the cost of whatever proprietary software you'll need to get Windows to do anything truly useful."
Antivirus: AVG - free
Antispyware: AdAware SE, Spybot, MS's tool - free
CD Burning: usually comes free with your CD/DVD burner.
productivity tools: Open Office - free
Photo editing - GIMP for Windows if you wish, there are lots of other free alternatives.
Most of the software on my Windows box was free and the times I needed to purchase something, it came with free technical support, easy upgrades and a nice streamlined interface that sometimes only a commercial vendor can provide.
So I guess, for me, Windows is "effectively free".
It may be "average" but that doesn't make it right. I wouldn't work for a company that was cutting benefits for the sake of the CEO. There are obvious signs sometimes that the company does not have the employees best interest in mind. Myself...I work for a company in which I feel valued and the practice business in an ethical manner. I'm not sure what our CEO makes but they provide for me well in a monetary and "peace of mind" way. I hope I never end up in a company that doesn't value my work or merely respect me as a fellow human being. Perhaps I'm lucky?!?
Only an anecdote but....I've flashed the BIOS hundreds if not thousands of times from within Windows without a problem whatsoever. I would not hesitate to do it with my own machine. These were all Dell laptops by the way.
Linux is still for the geeks and probably will be for a long time until some sort of concensus can be made. Linux has a long way to go before it becomes "widely adopted".
As for you mentioning it is not like Windows, why can't it be? As far as ease of use goes, Windows has Linux beat (granted Windows itself is beyond a lot of people's comprehension). As an antecdote, I installed Mandrake on a Latitude D600 and (as a Linux newb) found it nearly impossible to get my wireless working. Granted, I've heard that problem has been taken care of and Suse has something similar to a Window's control panel (finally) I think they are other things that are just not easy enough for an early adopter to do. Anyway, I'm rambling now but those are my .02 from a failry adept Windows user.
What that heck is that supposed to mean anyway?!? I guess at a game developers conference it fits into the context.
The unwarranted wire taps are illegal and not necessary. Not one, NOT ONE of the hijackers on 9/11 slipped through our intelligence gathering because we were unable to get a warrant to monitor their communications. They have special courts on call 24/7 that can issue these warrants in almost no time. The whole excuse about not being able to get warrants is a joke.
You sir (the OP) deserve neither liberty or freedom.
What makes you (and a few others in this topic) so sure that OS X (or its successor) will not someday require HDCP in order to play HD content?
This is a wild guess but I would say roughly 30-40% of Xbox owners with broadband decided to subscribe to Xbox live.
MS has a huge headstart on Sony. Granted, Sony has been able to sit back and see where MS went wrong, they still have a lot of work to do. Trying to diminish the impact Xbox LIVE had on gamers who chose to enjoy their service is only denying the inevitable. There will always be room for good single player games but personally, the computer is boring and not challenging. Humans are much tougher opponents.
But...it's on your cell phone. That is so 2k6.
It sounds like you answered your own dilemna...Bittorrent. Blizzard ditributes WoW patches this way and alot of the bandwidth costs are offloaded onto the consumer. I've maxed out my cable connection (around 1.5-2Mb/s, YMMV) on real popular torrents (linux distributions are a good example). I've been able to download multi-gig programs in a matter of minutes. Pretty cool although not having a physical copy bothers me a bit.
Well...good thing they have a friends list and I can avoid most of the asshats you speak of. Additionally, the 360's Live service now gives you more options when it comes to rating a player's behavior online. So for me, it's not an issue.
I think your sig says it best. Just kidding but I had to go for it.
That's a pretty confident statement. You talk as if it is already out and have it running right now
Yes....I messed up....please don't hurt me.
I agree with the poster above. I want to see the larger capacities this can bring us.
Hmmm....it appears you're right. I am curious what the actual horizontal line resolution of that TV is.
Well, I feel bad for you because you're not goint to be able to enjoy the 360's HD output. A TV with a 4:3 aspect ratio can't display a true 1080i rez (1920x1080). You must have one of those "E"DTV's, which is not Hi Def.
I would say that if these events have happened twice in two years and again in another 13, from a time sample of 60,000years, then the orbit is rather unstable. Unless, it's normal for planets to just all of a suddent shift orbit like that.
hehe....you haven't seen my microwave!!
If I'm taking pictures of my baby's first steps, I don't care if the white balance is off....or the resolution is so good, I can make a wall-size poster of the picture.
Sure...let me blow a whole months salary so I can capture my kids first birthday. And you're way off base with your reasoning as it relates to this article. It was a manufacturing defect!! It happens with goods regardless of the cost. Now, go get in your supersonic Leer Jet and fly away where no one has to hear your nonsense.
You missed my point. By definition, becuase it is a *right* in the US to be able to bear arms, I do not need to exhibit any knowledge of actually operating a gun in order to own one. OTOH, in order to hunt with that gun on state owned property, I need to prove that I know how to operate that weapon safely by passing a test in order to obtain a hunting license. Same with a car. If I own a hundred acres of land I can drive on it all I want but in order to take that vehicle onto public land, I need to exhibit some knowledge of traffic laws and safety. I never said it was good. Think of all the rights in your country and you will see that they don't require prior knowledge to exercise those rights. I hope that clears things up.
Some examples....
owning a gun (in the US atleast, requires no knowledge to obtain. I can walk into any gun shop and assuming I'm not a felon, I can buy a gun without even knowing which end the bullet comes out from. Sounds a bit silly, but it's a right in the US.
Voting....I as an American citizen can vote for whoever I like even if the only reason is I liked the tie he was wearing in the last debate.
Obtaining a drivers license is a privelage....I must prove to the state that I am aware of the traffic laws and know how to operate a vehicle.
Those are just a few examples but I just wanted to point out that the UN by no means has a right to govern the internet. Aside from that I agree with your other comments. I dare to say capitalism has lost control but I wouldn't have it any other way, we just need more checks and balances. That's a whole other subject though.
Points taken. I guess us common folk will never find the real answer....something that frustrates me greatly. As much as I would like to know what we are doing The Right Thing, it's hard to trust 100% in an orginization that has proven time and again they can't be trusted.
One more thing.....about the F16 footage. What makes you so sure they were not fighters? Source? The footage was shot at night and I don't know of any civilians in their right mind who would rome around "mob style" in a KNOWN battle zone. All non-combatants were ordered to leave the town. Give me a break. Give me a good source or some evidence that these were indeed civilians and I'll hush up.
What makes you so sure they were farmers? Did you know them? I can't argue much with your other comments as I the little research I just did pretty much came to the same conclusions. But the fact that you have no idea whether those guys were farmers or actually setting up an IED which most places I just checked seem to believe (both US and non US sites) makes me believe your reasoning is skewed regardless of evidence, or lack thereof given. Anyway, while you may be right, the world is filled with corruptness and that whole post is flaimbait but mostly offtopic. I am not denying your comments validity but it is not constructive to this discussion. That's all.