This has to be one of the better articles I have read. The way it's written can certainly get a newbie's attention, and possibly make them think.
Whereas Windows and Mac OS are intended in part to shield users from their machines, Linux forces people to grapple with their relationship to technology...
...Which is a Good thing. I see people coming into where I work (A well known computer retailer), not knowing a damn thing about computers, but they want one anyway. They don't care to learn about the machine either. Weeks, Days, sometimes HOURS after they buy the computer, they call the store (That's where I come in) and describe a problem that a quick check in the user's guide would solve. Windows, and it's friends, have made computer users lazy. Back in the days of owning a Commodore, it was something great to own a computer. You had something, and knew things that not everyone had even the slightest grasp on. These days, Joe Average is out there shopping for the latest Pentium III computer to do word processing, send e-mail, and play an occasional game of Solitaire.
With Linux, you're forced to drive the car without the hood. Everything is working, and in front of your face. Something in the kernel needs to be changed to suit your needs? Fine. Dig around in the code, add the changes, and recompile. With Windows: Dammit, I really hate these redraw schemes, and I can probably make them faster. Bah, Too bad. Live with it. And you know what? Most users do. They take windows, with all it's bugs, and all it's inefficencies, and use it anyway. Why? Because it's too much trouble to do anything about it.
These are the times, more than before, where I miss the days of the Commodore. Not necessarily for the technology, but for the spirit. I used to sit for days on end, and write programs in BASIC, just for the sake of doing it. There were tons of disk utilities out there, but by god, I wrote about 20 more, and you know what? Those 20 were more suited to MY needs than any of the hundreds of others that were available. That idea is brought back with Linux. (Although I need to work a lot more on my C. I need to get started on a Disk Utility.)
Gee, and coincidently, The Internet is about 35-40 year old conceptual technology, and in actuality about 25 years old in use. What are you doing here? Get off this old crap technology.
It needs to be understood that Winmodems were designed to run under Windows ONLY (which means they CAN run under other operating systems, they're not designed to.) and because of the lack of a UART chip, the modem's functions are done in software. That software is A) For Windows, and B) different for every winmodem. Since it's not reasonable to write drivers for every winmodem on the market (just the popular ones maybe?), a good foundation is a good start. Let the companies/manufacturers worry about the rest.
There's a difference. Librettos do not run Windows CE. A Libretto is an x86 unit, while most CE devices are SH-3 or MIPS. Anything that will run on a standard PC will run on a libretto, Including Linux. That's not the case with a CE device.
Now that UCITA has passed, Open Sourced software will become more important, and in turn, a properly put together license (GPL) is absolutely necessary. The end user is going to want a License that isn't overbearing, and yet still offers consumer protection (to an extent.) Licenses such as the Microsoft EULA include consumer protection titles, but it's mostly to cover Microsoft's (or the respective company's) ass, and release liability.
One set of infamous documents that has definitely caught many eyes, and invoked many reactions is the so-called "Halloween Documents." While this may not be as relevant as other documents out there, it definitely contributes to the knowledge on the inner workings of how Microsoft deals with outside threats to market share, and what these threatening products were.
Somehow, I think 10-15 years down the line, these documents will prove to be very interesting.
The road Ahead, Mr. Gates? I see Linux..... -Accipiter
Just an idea, but instead of getting your kids interested in Linux just for 3D games, how about showing them some other aspects of Linux. Get them into programming, show them why Linux is good. Teach them how to use it. Don't just sit them in front of a game and declare them "interested in Linux." because that would be inaccurate. They're interested in the game, not the OS.
Computers aren't just for games, people. You want games only? Buy a console.
The company will contribute work to beef up the Linux operating system so it supports SGI's ccNUMA architecture, SGI's take on a method for designing services that allows a manufacturer to cram hundreds of processors into one machine. The credibility of NUMA (non-uniform memory access) as a concept has risen in light of IBM's plans to acquire NUMA server maker Sequent, he added.
This seems to me to be a very general statement, hinting at the idea that SGI will support Linux all around, which would be a Good Thing(tm). They're working on getting Linux to support their architecture (more drivers...whee!), and they're trying pretty well to make Linux more accepted. That's backed up by this statement:
"We think Linux is important," Belluzzo said. "We think it's the operating system of the Internet. The opportunity is to make Linux more powerful, which we intend to do."
DMBBS by Angelo. God, has it really been that long?
ARCHON Rocked. Defender of the crown was a bad-ass game too. (The shadows on the walls during the sword fight were AWESOME.) Beachhead II was a great game, karateka (if a bit slow), Strip Poker (heh, ever seen digitized graphics in 16 color?)
I'm gonna have to boot up my Commodore again, and just mess around. For old times sake.
One thing I noticed about the article - The gentleman in the photograph seated atop the Commodore 1702 monitor, and telling how he basks in the glow of his C64....is actually sitting on the display of a booted Commodore 128. How do I know? I own 2.:)
(Behind his head is what appears to be the C64, unless it's a 128 in C64 mode.) If you look carefully, you can pick out the 1541, the 1541C, and a 1581. (Commodore fanatics like me will know what I'm talking about. P.S.: I own all the same equipment.)
The Era of the Commodore, and machines in the same time period was great. This was a time where owning a computer wasn't too common. This was a time where the most advanced computers in schools were Apple IIgs's. This was a time where writing programs in BASIC was looked at by friends as "Oh man, that's FRESH!" Frankly, I miss those times. Computers back then gave people like me the chance to be different. To be into something that not everyone else was. These days, idiots left and right are buying computers, most of the time not even knowing WHY. At least back then, people who owned computers knew what to do with them and how. There were BBS's (I ran a Commodore BBS for a few years with my brother) where people could talk to one another, and usually, everyone lived in the same city and got together in person every so often. The rapid advances in technology, and the explosion of the internet have blurred all that. We are in an age that computers are nothing special anymore, and being able to use one is less important. That is why it is even more important to cherish those years where computing was special. It still is, but in a very different way. That's why those memories, those machines, and that time is remembered. And I remember fondly.
The Video Toaster for Amiga. THAT was a HELL of a unit. I swear, so many people don't believe it, but the Amiga was a machine WELL ahead of it's time, and can even compete with some of today's machines.
Regardless of being a parody, The Onion is one of the best journalistic websites on the internet today. The articles (while humorous) are very well written, and add that tinge of humor to make it all around quality. Many "funny" websites try to be TOO funny, but the Onion is different. It gives the feel of a real newspaper, and at the same time delivers a funny slap in the face.
God, let's hope AOL doesn't buy them. It'll turn into bloatware so fast, your head will spin.
AOL Instant Messenger for BeOS AOL version 5.0 for BeOS AOL Winamp for BeOS
America Online wouldn't know how in the hell to handle an operating system under their brand name. (Hell, they can't even get being an ISP right.) They'll shove so much crap into it, it won't be the lean, clean OS it is now.
Step 1.) Read Slashdot. Step 2.) Watch Slashdot for updates on BeOS technology. Step 3.) When you see a significant technological breakthrough from Be, Get greedy, go postal, and buy up all remaining stock in Be. Step 4.) After the general public gets wind of that "significant technological breakthrough", sell of your stock at double+ price. Step 5.) Donate money to Slashdot, Myself, The FSF, Myself, and anyone else you care to give generously to. (Myself included. Hey, It was MY IDEA!)
Amazingly, not less than 2 minutes after I wrote my comment, a co-worker asked me "Do you watch Save by the Bell?" And of course, I told him "I don't watch TV." Needless to say, I received "The Look." Absolutely Incredible.
Me being the avid internet user I am, can honestly say I watch virtually NO television. The only show I watch is Frasier, and I catch 2 back to back episodes every weekday morning. THe rest of the time, I'm on the internet or at work. It's not that I have no time for TV, it's just that I direct my time to other activities. Television is, and never has been an important factor in my life (Unlike my mother who goes ballistic if she misses her soap operas), and I'm happy it's not. People say "did you see X last night?" or "I missed X the other day, did you happen to catch it?" And when I tell them "I don't watch TV" they look at me as if to say "Well, What do you watch?"
They're designed to work in low to no gravity. If we had one here, it would just sit on the table and stare at you. (You COULD mount it in a bracket and force it to use it's fan to cool you on a hot summer day, but somehow, that seems kinda cruel.)
One tends to wonder if the astronauts can resist taking a NASA armband, using it as a blindfold, grabbing a support rail, and just blindly swinging at these things. (Watch out for the O^2 tanks!) Considering they're probably 8 Million dollars each, I doubt that'll happen.
As for being able to fix minor problems, erm, How? will they have little arms? Or will it have logic capabilities that can determine the problem, and remotely output it to a monitor so the ASTRONAUTS can fix it? (In that case, the article is a bit misleading.)
In any case, what the astronauts REALLY need is one of those Big-ass Lost-in-Space utility Robots. Then they can put the blindfold on the big guy, and have HIM swat at these PSAs.
With a subject such as yours, what's a person's motivation for reading the comment?
"Subject" means just that. The SUBJECT of your post. People despise first posters, so why would someone "bother to read the entire post", if the subject is something that is A) Blatent stupidity, and B) not related to the comment and/or discussion?
Slashdot Mirror
It's still on the main page, too.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
Whereas Windows and Mac OS are intended in part to shield users from their machines, Linux forces people to grapple with their relationship to technology...
...Which is a Good thing. I see people coming into where I work (A well known computer retailer), not knowing a damn thing about computers, but they want one anyway. They don't care to learn about the machine either. Weeks, Days, sometimes HOURS after they buy the computer, they call the store (That's where I come in) and describe a problem that a quick check in the user's guide would solve. Windows, and it's friends, have made computer users lazy. Back in the days of owning a Commodore, it was something great to own a computer. You had something, and knew things that not everyone had even the slightest grasp on. These days, Joe Average is out there shopping for the latest Pentium III computer to do word processing, send e-mail, and play an occasional game of Solitaire.
With Linux, you're forced to drive the car without the hood. Everything is working, and in front of your face. Something in the kernel needs to be changed to suit your needs? Fine. Dig around in the code, add the changes, and recompile. With Windows: Dammit, I really hate these redraw schemes, and I can probably make them faster. Bah, Too bad. Live with it. And you know what? Most users do. They take windows, with all it's bugs, and all it's inefficencies, and use it anyway. Why? Because it's too much trouble to do anything about it.
These are the times, more than before, where I miss the days of the Commodore. Not necessarily for the technology, but for the spirit. I used to sit for days on end, and write programs in BASIC, just for the sake of doing it. There were tons of disk utilities out there, but by god, I wrote about 20 more, and you know what? Those 20 were more suited to MY needs than any of the hundreds of others that were available. That idea is brought back with Linux. (Although I need to work a lot more on my C. I need to get started on a Disk Utility.)
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
BTW: If the PALM is considered a fetish for that reason, Baking soda is light-years ahead.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
Somehow, I think 10-15 years down the line, these documents will prove to be very interesting.
The road Ahead, Mr. Gates? I see Linux..... -Accipiter
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
Computers aren't just for games, people. You want games only? Buy a console.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
This seems to me to be a very general statement, hinting at the idea that SGI will support Linux all around, which would be a Good Thing(tm). They're working on getting Linux to support their architecture (more drivers...whee!), and they're trying pretty well to make Linux more accepted. That's backed up by this statement:
"We think Linux is important," Belluzzo said. "We think it's the operating system of the Internet. The opportunity is to make Linux more powerful, which we intend to do."
Sounds like a plan to me.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
ARCHON Rocked. Defender of the crown was a bad-ass game too. (The shadows on the walls during the sword fight were AWESOME.) Beachhead II was a great game, karateka (if a bit slow), Strip Poker (heh, ever seen digitized graphics in 16 color?)
I'm gonna have to boot up my Commodore again, and just mess around. For old times sake.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
POKE 53281,X changed Foreground
POKE 53280,X changed Foreground
(where X = the cooresponding color on the number keys)
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
(Behind his head is what appears to be the C64, unless it's a 128 in C64 mode.) If you look carefully, you can pick out the 1541, the 1541C, and a 1581. (Commodore fanatics like me will know what I'm talking about. P.S.: I own all the same equipment.)
The Era of the Commodore, and machines in the same time period was great. This was a time where owning a computer wasn't too common. This was a time where the most advanced computers in schools were Apple IIgs's. This was a time where writing programs in BASIC was looked at by friends as "Oh man, that's FRESH!" Frankly, I miss those times. Computers back then gave people like me the chance to be different. To be into something that not everyone else was. These days, idiots left and right are buying computers, most of the time not even knowing WHY. At least back then, people who owned computers knew what to do with them and how. There were BBS's (I ran a Commodore BBS for a few years with my brother) where people could talk to one another, and usually, everyone lived in the same city and got together in person every so often. The rapid advances in technology, and the explosion of the internet have blurred all that. We are in an age that computers are nothing special anymore, and being able to use one is less important. That is why it is even more important to cherish those years where computing was special. It still is, but in a very different way. That's why those memories, those machines, and that time is remembered. And I remember fondly.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
You do that.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
Glad to see 'em back.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
AOL Instant Messenger for BeOS
AOL version 5.0 for BeOS
AOL Winamp for BeOS
America Online wouldn't know how in the hell to handle an operating system under their brand name. (Hell, they can't even get being an ISP right.) They'll shove so much crap into it, it won't be the lean, clean OS it is now.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
Step 1.) Read Slashdot.
Step 2.) Watch Slashdot for updates on BeOS technology.
Step 3.) When you see a significant technological breakthrough from Be, Get greedy, go postal, and buy up all remaining stock in Be.
Step 4.) After the general public gets wind of that "significant technological breakthrough", sell of your stock at double+ price.
Step 5.) Donate money to Slashdot, Myself, The FSF, Myself, and anyone else you care to give generously to. (Myself included. Hey, It was MY IDEA!)
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
Oh well.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
As for being able to fix minor problems, erm, How? will they have little arms? Or will it have logic capabilities that can determine the problem, and remotely output it to a monitor so the ASTRONAUTS can fix it? (In that case, the article is a bit misleading.)
In any case, what the astronauts REALLY need is one of those Big-ass Lost-in-Space utility Robots. Then they can put the blindfold on the big guy, and have HIM swat at these PSAs.
DANGER WILL ROBINSON! **Krack!!**
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
"Subject" means just that. The SUBJECT of your post. People despise first posters, so why would someone "bother to read the entire post", if the subject is something that is A) Blatent stupidity, and B) not related to the comment and/or discussion?
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?