That's not Google's fault, it's the fault of the phone manufacturers
More likely the fault of the wireless carriers... they don't want people doing WiFi tether without getting their piece of the pie (30% surcharge in the case of the $99 everything plan on Sprint!!!)
There is one issue with the Ubuntu Software Center; it doesn't always get everything you need. In my case, I wanted to set up Eclipse with the Android ADT plugin. The version of Eclipse that gets installed via the Software Center is missing a ton of dependencies that the ADT plugin needs, and trying to manually get all these dependencies led me down a rabbit hole. The only pain free solution that worked for me was a manual installation of Eclipse, by downloading the 'fully-loaded' version from the eclipse site.
Then again, the average joe probably has no need or desire to install Eclipse in the first place, so maybe that software center isn't such a bad idea.
I agree with that assessment. I'm a happy win7 user, but I have OSX and Ubuntu on the same machine. Despite being a technically minded person who knows a few things about operating systems (and Linux in particular), I have run into some headaches with Ubuntu - most recently I upgraded to Lucid and everything went smooth except that my wireless card stopped working. I can't say I ever had this issue with Windows or even OSX (which is running on non-Apple hardware!).
On the other hand, for basic internet web browsing/email/light-word-processing, Ubuntu works great for this, and if it can save you $100 by not having to pay the Microsoft tax, then there's little reason not to go this route. A friend of mine has an older laptop that was running Windows, but one day XP took a big dump on him. It turns out the hard disk was starting to fail, with a large number of bad sectors. I tried some software tools to regenerate/repair the bad sectors, and had some success, but then when I went to re-install XP it simply refused to install because of the disk condition. Ubuntu, on the other hand, installed without any problems and now just complains that the hard disk is not healthy and that I should back up any important data. He's been running like this for almost a year with no real issues; just using the laptop for light web browsing duty. Even more surprising to me was the fact that this laptop was a Sony Vaio, and Ubuntu worked right out of the box. My previous experience with Sony systems, even with Windows, is that there was a proprietary driver for just about everything, and they weren't easy to locate.
For us downloading and installing are simple as can be, but to a non-techie it's just a fog of gibberish and confusing steps
For me, a techie, I think the App Store and Android Marketplace make downloading a fog of gibberish and confusing steps. All I can think about is the underlying file structure of the downloaded content, and paranoia of malware (at least Apple sort of has a leg up on Android, requiring approval of apps prior to making them available to the masses, but on the other hand Android is more open and will give me some access to the filesystem), but that's the problem with being a techie. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. I really wish I didn't think this way.
Now I just ordered an Android phone a few days ago (expecting delivery tomorrow!!!) and I'm really interested in learning the platform. What worries me is that I can't just be content using things the way they are - I need to know HOW everything works. It's a sickness.
I'll gladly make the sacrifice of "reduced reception when you hold your phone a certain way" as opposed to the alternative of having an external antenna or one that protrudes above the handset and isn't integrated.
I just bought a new Android-based phone (still awaiting delivery) and through my research learned that Android really isn't "open platform." My primary reason for wanting an Android-based phone over an iPhone was the belief that it's open and I can anything I want, or anything I write myself - I discovered this isn't the case. To truly open it up, it needs to be hacked, just like the iPhone. It appears that the main reason is that the carriers still want control over what can be done on their networks. Fortunately there's a huge community dedicated to a truely open platform. It's only a matter of time before the eFuse gets DeFuseD.
It's much more common in rural areas, or at least it used to be. Prior to $3 a gallon gas, I could pump first before paying at any station in my hometown. Once gas topped $3 a gallon however there was a large increase in driveoffs; and nearly every one of them was prosecuted. Apparently those rural people in my hometown don't realize that CCTV cameras are everywhere, and that police can look up your license plate number and find out where you live.
Agreed, however there are some exceptions. A group of friends of mine in college were technical majors (not engineering, but IT/IS) and were big time party boys who didn't put much effort into their work; just barely getting by with a grade good enough to pass.
I'm put the effort in, and got rewarded with a serious engineering career. Meanwhile they all work for a quirky flash game developer making a lot more money than me and having tons of fun practically every day. Now I don't know what will happen to them when that startup goes belly-up, but it seems they're in a better position than I am. Jealous? Yeah, a bit.
That problem with everyone needing the latest gadgets, big cars, and spending money isn't just limited to the USA. There's an increasing number of people in China who are doing the same exact thing.
I wouldn't consider it a problem either. I managed to teach my two year old daughter how to install batteries correctly. In her words, the 'nipple' on the battery goes to the +.
I know you're trying to be funny, but Windows 7 isn't all that bad. If you haven't tried it yet, I encourage you to give it a chance. It really isn't that bad, and it's significantly better than any other Microsoft OS (especially Vista).
I'm confident that it could be left running indefinitely without requiring a reboot - the only issue is those pesky updates and security patches that seem to come out about once a week.
I've had many Dell computers over the past 10 years and never had any issues, with the exception of a hard drive failing (but that was a Western Digital component, not Dell). I actually like their hardware (laptops, at least); I find their laptops to be a perfect balance between the 'industrial' feeling Thinkpad/Lenovo and the dumbed-down clunky 'consumer grade' HPs, and more often than not the prices are very competitive if not the lowest around.
Disclaimer: I currently own several Lenovo, HP, Dell, and Apple laptops, so my opinion is based on what I have. I can't argue with the quality and feel of the Apple hardware, but next in line would be the Dells.
Somebody on/. commented a few weeks back about how the guys behind Wikileaks are living like playboys flying first class and staying in top rate hotels.
They're behaving like many nonprofit 'charities' where the execs running them get 'compensated for their services' well in excess of what's used to help their cause.
My first experience with dry ice was during junior high when I was in a summer theater program. We were taking part in a special effects seminar, which happened to be given by the city's fire marshall (he's a big theater nut and runs his own special effects company). We had a bunch of dry ice we were using to create fog on the stage, and I asked him if I could have a little piece to put in a 32oz Gatorade bottle. He smiled at me and said take all you want.
I put it in the bottle, shook it up, set it down on the street behind the theater and ran to a safe cover. I watched for about 30 seconds while the bottle expanded but to my surprise it didn't explode. As I was walking back over by the bottle to check it out, I heard the boom and the bottle disappeared before my eyes! About 30 seconds later the bottle landed on the other side of the street. The normally concave bottom of the Gatorade bottle was completely gone! Those were good times.
The planet simply cannot sustain a growing population indefinitely.
No, but regrettably many economic models and social programs depend on exponential population growth. I have a funny feeling the world is going to be a very different place when I'm an old man, that is of course if a giant asteroid doesn't hit the planet in 2012.
Doesn't the Volt have a gasoline engine? To me, this makes it a better option than the Tesla S. It makes the transition away from gasoline use much easier, at least until charging stations become more common.
The Volt actually looks pretty sweet too. I never thought I'd ever say that about any GM product outside of Cadillac or a Corvette. It's too bad they don't put that kind of design effort into their other cars.
For the immediate future, the S sedan seems like a niche product. Not too many people have $50K to drop on a vehicle that's really only good for a daily commuter (300 mile range and 45 minutes for a 'quick charge' make it impractical for long road trips). I'm not saying there's no market, I'm just pointing out some limitations (mostly the price - I think I can live with a 300 mile range).
Electric vehicles are awesome, and I'm glad that Tesla continues to innovate and improve. Hopefully they can invest this money and get the price down to a reasonable level for the masses within the next decade.
Speaking of tech investments and IPOs, wouldn't it be nice if all the money that flows into Facebook and Zynga could be used for something that would improve the world, like electric vehicles?
She has some friends who are addicted to FarmVille and other facebook games. She thought it was a complete waste of time (as is using facebook) and was getting so many game requests she decided to deactivate her account, and hasn't looked back.
I've heard from some DD-WRT-using friends bragging about how they cranked up the radio power on their router, and read just as many online 'hacking guides' on how to crank up your power for 'better wi-fi reception'. I run Tomato firmware specifically for two reasons: static DHCP and reducing my WiFi radio power. There's no need to broadcast beyond the walls of my relatively small apartment.
TFA and the blog doesn't mention this, however several comments pointed this out: your apps won't get automatically nuked if you download them from alternate sources or directly install the apk - only apps installed via the android marketplace are subject to this.
No reason to get alarmed, however the fact that this is possible makes me very cautious about the android marketplace. I understand Google trying to do good, but in this case it's worse than Apple. What happens when 5000 people download an iPhone application, and then that application gets removed from the app store? Do those 5000 copies stay on the phones they were originally downloaded on?
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LA = Louisana
L.A. = Los Angeles
More likely the fault of the wireless carriers... they don't want people doing WiFi tether without getting their piece of the pie (30% surcharge in the case of the $99 everything plan on Sprint!!!)
There is one issue with the Ubuntu Software Center; it doesn't always get everything you need. In my case, I wanted to set up Eclipse with the Android ADT plugin. The version of Eclipse that gets installed via the Software Center is missing a ton of dependencies that the ADT plugin needs, and trying to manually get all these dependencies led me down a rabbit hole. The only pain free solution that worked for me was a manual installation of Eclipse, by downloading the 'fully-loaded' version from the eclipse site.
Then again, the average joe probably has no need or desire to install Eclipse in the first place, so maybe that software center isn't such a bad idea.
I agree with that assessment. I'm a happy win7 user, but I have OSX and Ubuntu on the same machine. Despite being a technically minded person who knows a few things about operating systems (and Linux in particular), I have run into some headaches with Ubuntu - most recently I upgraded to Lucid and everything went smooth except that my wireless card stopped working. I can't say I ever had this issue with Windows or even OSX (which is running on non-Apple hardware!).
On the other hand, for basic internet web browsing/email/light-word-processing, Ubuntu works great for this, and if it can save you $100 by not having to pay the Microsoft tax, then there's little reason not to go this route. A friend of mine has an older laptop that was running Windows, but one day XP took a big dump on him. It turns out the hard disk was starting to fail, with a large number of bad sectors. I tried some software tools to regenerate/repair the bad sectors, and had some success, but then when I went to re-install XP it simply refused to install because of the disk condition. Ubuntu, on the other hand, installed without any problems and now just complains that the hard disk is not healthy and that I should back up any important data. He's been running like this for almost a year with no real issues; just using the laptop for light web browsing duty. Even more surprising to me was the fact that this laptop was a Sony Vaio, and Ubuntu worked right out of the box. My previous experience with Sony systems, even with Windows, is that there was a proprietary driver for just about everything, and they weren't easy to locate.
For me, a techie, I think the App Store and Android Marketplace make downloading a fog of gibberish and confusing steps. All I can think about is the underlying file structure of the downloaded content, and paranoia of malware (at least Apple sort of has a leg up on Android, requiring approval of apps prior to making them available to the masses, but on the other hand Android is more open and will give me some access to the filesystem), but that's the problem with being a techie. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. I really wish I didn't think this way.
Now I just ordered an Android phone a few days ago (expecting delivery tomorrow!!!) and I'm really interested in learning the platform. What worries me is that I can't just be content using things the way they are - I need to know HOW everything works. It's a sickness.
Thanks a lot, now I can't get taps out of my head.
Who cares about page hits? Please don't tell me there Slashdot users who don't use an ad blocker, or don't check the "Ads Disabled" box...
I'll gladly make the sacrifice of "reduced reception when you hold your phone a certain way" as opposed to the alternative of having an external antenna or one that protrudes above the handset and isn't integrated.
I just bought a new Android-based phone (still awaiting delivery) and through my research learned that Android really isn't "open platform." My primary reason for wanting an Android-based phone over an iPhone was the belief that it's open and I can anything I want, or anything I write myself - I discovered this isn't the case. To truly open it up, it needs to be hacked, just like the iPhone. It appears that the main reason is that the carriers still want control over what can be done on their networks. Fortunately there's a huge community dedicated to a truely open platform. It's only a matter of time before the eFuse gets DeFuseD.
It's much more common in rural areas, or at least it used to be. Prior to $3 a gallon gas, I could pump first before paying at any station in my hometown. Once gas topped $3 a gallon however there was a large increase in driveoffs; and nearly every one of them was prosecuted. Apparently those rural people in my hometown don't realize that CCTV cameras are everywhere, and that police can look up your license plate number and find out where you live.
Agreed, however there are some exceptions. A group of friends of mine in college were technical majors (not engineering, but IT/IS) and were big time party boys who didn't put much effort into their work; just barely getting by with a grade good enough to pass.
I'm put the effort in, and got rewarded with a serious engineering career. Meanwhile they all work for a quirky flash game developer making a lot more money than me and having tons of fun practically every day. Now I don't know what will happen to them when that startup goes belly-up, but it seems they're in a better position than I am. Jealous? Yeah, a bit.
That problem with everyone needing the latest gadgets, big cars, and spending money isn't just limited to the USA. There's an increasing number of people in China who are doing the same exact thing.
I wouldn't consider it a problem either. I managed to teach my two year old daughter how to install batteries correctly. In her words, the 'nipple' on the battery goes to the +.
I know you're trying to be funny, but Windows 7 isn't all that bad. If you haven't tried it yet, I encourage you to give it a chance. It really isn't that bad, and it's significantly better than any other Microsoft OS (especially Vista).
I'm confident that it could be left running indefinitely without requiring a reboot - the only issue is those pesky updates and security patches that seem to come out about once a week.
I've had many Dell computers over the past 10 years and never had any issues, with the exception of a hard drive failing (but that was a Western Digital component, not Dell). I actually like their hardware (laptops, at least); I find their laptops to be a perfect balance between the 'industrial' feeling Thinkpad/Lenovo and the dumbed-down clunky 'consumer grade' HPs, and more often than not the prices are very competitive if not the lowest around.
Disclaimer: I currently own several Lenovo, HP, Dell, and Apple laptops, so my opinion is based on what I have. I can't argue with the quality and feel of the Apple hardware, but next in line would be the Dells.
Somebody on /. commented a few weeks back about how the guys behind Wikileaks are living like playboys flying first class and staying in top rate hotels.
They're behaving like many nonprofit 'charities' where the execs running them get 'compensated for their services' well in excess of what's used to help their cause.
Your sysadmin (and Iron Maiden) may have it all wrong. -rw---xrw-
I'm gonna have to agree with you on that one. I met a guy once with such a tattoo on his arm, and we had a very interesting discussion.
My first experience with dry ice was during junior high when I was in a summer theater program. We were taking part in a special effects seminar, which happened to be given by the city's fire marshall (he's a big theater nut and runs his own special effects company). We had a bunch of dry ice we were using to create fog on the stage, and I asked him if I could have a little piece to put in a 32oz Gatorade bottle. He smiled at me and said take all you want.
I put it in the bottle, shook it up, set it down on the street behind the theater and ran to a safe cover. I watched for about 30 seconds while the bottle expanded but to my surprise it didn't explode. As I was walking back over by the bottle to check it out, I heard the boom and the bottle disappeared before my eyes! About 30 seconds later the bottle landed on the other side of the street. The normally concave bottom of the Gatorade bottle was completely gone! Those were good times.
No, but regrettably many economic models and social programs depend on exponential population growth. I have a funny feeling the world is going to be a very different place when I'm an old man, that is of course if a giant asteroid doesn't hit the planet in 2012.
Doesn't the Volt have a gasoline engine? To me, this makes it a better option than the Tesla S. It makes the transition away from gasoline use much easier, at least until charging stations become more common. The Volt actually looks pretty sweet too. I never thought I'd ever say that about any GM product outside of Cadillac or a Corvette. It's too bad they don't put that kind of design effort into their other cars.
For the immediate future, the S sedan seems like a niche product. Not too many people have $50K to drop on a vehicle that's really only good for a daily commuter (300 mile range and 45 minutes for a 'quick charge' make it impractical for long road trips). I'm not saying there's no market, I'm just pointing out some limitations (mostly the price - I think I can live with a 300 mile range).
Electric vehicles are awesome, and I'm glad that Tesla continues to innovate and improve. Hopefully they can invest this money and get the price down to a reasonable level for the masses within the next decade.
Speaking of tech investments and IPOs, wouldn't it be nice if all the money that flows into Facebook and Zynga could be used for something that would improve the world, like electric vehicles?
Let me be the first to say I LOVE MY WIFE.
She has some friends who are addicted to FarmVille and other facebook games. She thought it was a complete waste of time (as is using facebook) and was getting so many game requests she decided to deactivate her account, and hasn't looked back.
I've heard from some DD-WRT-using friends bragging about how they cranked up the radio power on their router, and read just as many online 'hacking guides' on how to crank up your power for 'better wi-fi reception'. I run Tomato firmware specifically for two reasons: static DHCP and reducing my WiFi radio power. There's no need to broadcast beyond the walls of my relatively small apartment.
TFA and the blog doesn't mention this, however several comments pointed this out: your apps won't get automatically nuked if you download them from alternate sources or directly install the apk - only apps installed via the android marketplace are subject to this.
No reason to get alarmed, however the fact that this is possible makes me very cautious about the android marketplace. I understand Google trying to do good, but in this case it's worse than Apple. What happens when 5000 people download an iPhone application, and then that application gets removed from the app store? Do those 5000 copies stay on the phones they were originally downloaded on?