Routing BT through freenet seems more viable as speed advantage of "unlimited Internet" doesn't stand to his name anymore. I feel only alternative are home FTP servers.
You can call it piracy because you support charges for information,but its here. Information Freedom is what will shape the internet,and no copy rigths will stop determined users.Crypto societies will spread all information they want.
Its like fighting anarchy,terrorism, the concept of negative numbers,and law of gravity.Information wants to be free(to be known by most,being accesible any wishing so).Stopping spread of any Information Form is futile.
(Fighting terrorism is possible temporarily in limited fashion,but eradicating the concept is impossible) on topic: BitTorrent is now filtered/shaped,and that despite being one-third of traffic. I don't see how they(wb) can provide they "service" to those loyal customers,with ISP interfering.
Unintentional 'progress' in game design. text was good for what? scrolling stories,but as medium it doesn't makes dialogue shine(emotions and intonation are left behind). Its like posting chatlogs. Though i always prefer text then to listen to NPCs for 1000th time about the evils of the world.
The genre of modern games is dominated by 3d,Voice acting,elaborate rendering and atmosphere,realistic characters and film like detail.Text speech looks arhaic in the context.
And since elections can swing either way, parties tend to push for short-term policies not always aimed at the long-term benefit of the society. Because short-term results are what gets rewarded and noticed. How would you respond to that?
Where there is no choice,any policy goes.Who you can complain when the party and the state are one? No alternatives,no political diversity, global conformism to one ideology. Dissent and criticism are vital to democracy(as free speech),it helps to keep the goverment in check. In china you can't change your goverment, Its all communist.You been educated and indoctrinated to serve the system and your previcious posts show this really well.
Funny, Singapore is pretty much a one party state - nonsense People choose that party,unlike chinese "implied control".it Should be noted in many democracies,One dominant party may holds goverment for decades if popular( Japan wouldn't be called one-party state? Totalitarian? ).
The problem with multi-party democracy, as I see it, is the allocation of so many resources in the process of pitching the party to the people.
That doesn't seem significant in comparision to state economy,unlike global propoganda efforts by totalitarian goverments,which control the media and (most of) information outlets and spend as they wish. You speaking of election campaigns which are monitored and any abuse would get blown to scandal proportions and cause a huge backlash in their credibility.
Better Physics and better graphics(rendering,resolution,etc) don't make your game better on their own. Better content(original story/graphics/sounds,context and extensive info) and better gameplay mechanics(rules,stats,actions,game design points,game features,atmosphere) is more significant. Engines aren't the game,just a tool.
Its not a flaw to no want to learn unecessary stuff,Its common sense the reason cars require trainign is that Cars aren't advanced yet to be computer guided(GPS,voice command and maps based).Are Computers advanced enough? Perhaps not voice-guided and/or direct interfaced to our brains with understanding AI which executes thought commands,but we're getting closer. Professionals always need to know most of their domain,users rarely.
'usability' should not translate to dumbing the system down to the point you cant get anything useful THe falw is that the 'way' if making something useful is too complex,and non-intuitive.
All technological progress(in usability) simplifies life,reduces human interaction and labor,automates processs formerly requiring a trained human and switches to computer control.It essentialy reduces work-time.
What you propose is that Computers are unique and would be exempt from simplification,requiring training and hard learnign curves to operate. It the current state of progress,i admit, we should look further into a information age where time is valued much more then today.Free time. Would you spend it on learning or you prefer computer to understand you instantly? That is the end of usability curve.We can't progress to higher productivity with layer of complexity usual software reqiure(even Notepad has deficiences:).Numerious path are going to be explored:the move from keyboard/Screen/Speaker interface to integrated wearable headsets,direct interface to human thought(hopefully not implants),global wireless networks,free knowledge databases and portals with capacity to record memories,new information channels based on virtual reality,persistent user-modifiable worlds.I don't think this be really interesting if you had to learn C++ to use vs just "talking" to computer. (this might be a forward to the future argument,it just show my point on usability,that is progress making)
Modern KDE is closer to windows in usability,though it only a shell,linux itself remains user-hostile arcane and exceddingly complex to learn.
"If a user is going to use a powerful tool like Word or VI, they need to spend time learning to use it." Software design today deviates from standards of usability towards arcane monsters full of kludges and design failures,making their features largely unused.What is Wrong with VI? With Word?
A better tool would combine the Notepad simplicity with features VI/Word provides in properly named cascaded context menu with intuitive global configuration.This is true usability, not arcane text commands(Vi) or myriads of dialog boxes and menus(Word).
Simplicity Equals Better Interface: A single StraightForward interface for all features application has is the key (i.e. like cascaded Context menus). A intuitive configuration takes a One separate menu with all settings. Properly naming and providing context-sensitive help(Inside the application, a manual or a book i must search for bits of info is unproductive) is very important for beginners, Who unlikely to understand terminology,jargon or tech abbreviations documentation uses.
Extending the program: Making the program scriptable is major feature which saves much time(though it must be simple and intuitive to use(page long text macros aren't one of them)), macros and defined shortcuts improve productivity(a Macro menu,along with Configuration is very useful to categorize actions\settings). Another thing that makes really great programs is ability to customize the interface for your needs,which makes usability skyrocket in certain cases( a type of draggable toolbar is example of this,but editing what program(Active state of work inside it actually) looks like is even more powerful(plugins without plugins)).Extensions and scripts/plugins that allow new features to integrate into the program are great in increasing productivity if users can create them from scratch,using only their knowledge of program itself.
Slashdot doesn't have no Conspiracies policy.It a weblog. WHy you expect Quality from a weblog? I expect a Quality discussion,but stories can be crap,i stopped caring about that long ago.
Actually this one of really good stories and i like to see what he was interviewed about.Its not green aliens and anti-gravity bullshit(which can't be stored on public computers by any sane aliens) but how he hacked into NASA,they seem to have abysmal security if i can put trojans there just by knowing Nasa ips.lol Every script kiddie on the planet can.
OK as an exception i'll reply,to get you informed.But i don't usually reply to such conglomerate of justifcations,just because you DOn't Understand My Replies. If people would take time to read them throughly it might get somewhere,but don't:they ignore the content and start to criticize specific points which are'nt important,only leaving the abstract concepts i introduce and points as examples of such concepts in action.
Windows never had such arcane commands as Unix does,never requires you to mount devices to use,Never had requiremnets of compiling a new kernel with new drivers, never had installation too complex to click-through in ten seconds. Windows is much easier.Thats the point. The concept of software design for users to be as intuitive and friendly never been the basis of design in unix world.
" consistency does not extend to efficiency" is a lie.You save much more time if you know what you're doing versus manual configuration and setup. You need manuals to administer linux systems,while windows can be used by children.I agree linux is making some progress in usability it still far from being equivalent in term of user--friendliness and ease-of-use.
In linux you must configure alot of stuff to work properly,in windows all such configurations are working by default.Every windows driver/program/game never require more then couple of clicks to start working. They don't require recompiling,configuring,proper set of libraries(which you must use exclusively),emulation or software rendering/mode,new devices,and patches for some specific configuration("workaround"). Lost productivity and time while searchign fro linux solution,scavenger hunts for bits on info on forums,flustrating documentation,horrible syntax make linux alienating to most people. Its doesn't matter anymore if you program has all the features and ten times more speed,if its takes too much effort and time to use it - it fails to do it job and any marginally more usable program will dominate the field. Each unintuitive feature,extra step and manual effort deduce from productive work.If i spend more time and much effort and gain a substandard result i will not use the program anymore i switch to alternative.
This what makes "brilliant" solutions fail outside the crowd intimately familair with the subject. All non-professionals find the solution too alien and awkward to use and require a Re-training to be productive.While an alternative already exist this seems frankly a waste of time and effort. Not to mention any program on linux has equivalent in windows domain and not vice-versa.I don't expect more quality from windows programs then linux. I expect usability, Vi VS Notepad is the epitomes of software design in different worlds. A world of hackers and world of users.What is "easy and intuitive" and require a minute of learning to grasp
like text editors: vi controls for example, will seem alien and complex to larger untrained audience,which view Notepad as very easy to understand,Click File menu,Save or:w filename:q.Obviously notepad wins.Unix loses(at this point a notepad port seems reasonable but it ALREADY exist on my platform and i have better programs to use e.g. Metapad).
If Vi didn't convince you to not stop using it you already spend time and effort to learn it syntax,likrly becoming such a "hacker" but this doesn't makes you any more productive then notepad users. Its a dead domain-specific knowledge i never want to absorb into my mind. I don't want to learn worthless abstractions to unnecessary complex level.I prefer to work in clear,concise and simple domains where i don't need to learn each time i try new features.
Vi is dead,but it remains an exhibit of software design.Artifact of old woirld where Computer Science classes were mandatory to use computers.New software must either work for everyone or remain a hacker widget.You can't make the secon
Wiki isn't exactly wher you create content.Its place to reference content. Many people are making the mistake of writing something and get discarded on counts of Original Research/Bad Grammar/Wrong Wiki-style/POV.
Writing content on wikipedia is like making site from slashdot comments. Hopefully wiki get decentralized in the futute into a wiki-network with each node has pros working in specific fields of view as admins and moderators and everyone is welcome to write.
You can't moderate outside of Slashdot. And you don't know that this "just another mecha anime" has a complex plot involving the mental state of person and psychological development in few simple steps,developed further in each episode. Its not Science Fiction,as most of Star Trek doesn't revolve about warp drive mechanics(it pure technobabble) and future tech(speculative plot devices).
Read a wiki article at least before you post. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_Genesis_Evangeli on And you don't see the last episodes as end,there is "proper" ending The End of Evangelion and Revival of Evangelion. This series never meant to appeal to female audience (the emphasis on cuteness is absent),and there little humor/comedy.Its a drama.
"The writers for the show obviously through from the start that they were going to write a grand epic." The Atmosphere of every anime show is "overrated"/"overdramatized"/"too much cute"/"too emotional" just because author wants to make the audience feel the story as touching to his/her heart. As for grand epics,you don't expect pokemon to deliver philosophical dillemas and Dbz dramatize teenage love,but both fall in their genre. Neon Genesis Evangelion is breaking through these norms and genres,its not striving to make you feel its fake and fantasy but to add a layer of realism. Evangelion deals with authority and trust,how people socialize and what motivates them do in relationships. It doesn't criticize otaku as much as it criticizes what we view social interaction as(though their interaction is somewhat impaired by their personality and psychological disorders) game of control and social/peer pressure,to exlore how people deal with social interaction and what purpose society,authority and peers project into individual.Author manages to make the drama matter to the viewer,the devices of the plot make highlights into darker emotions inspiring the show as whole,the whole realism layer is standing on mythology and self-references(clearly centered on Angels),bringing little original creations,just showing these pseudo-informational features as backdrop to real story - interactions of self and society,Determinism vs Individuality and free will.Movies are conceptually better then last episodes, and not for the weak of mind of course. Its a clear distincyion os what happens in a movie is much more intense and dramatized(then TV series itself),following plot twists very fast. It going to have an impression,showing once again author knows how to influence his anime to be absorbed and "felt" vs fanservice garbage that plays the audiences desires.And evangelion is not about fanservice,its a thriller-esque romance(although it doesn't show at first,this aspect is what makes great influence to motivation of all characters and developed gradually in relationships of Eva pilots) mixed with drama packaged into a mecha anime. The apocalyptic,methodic unfolding of attacks really charges the atmosphere(I assume that must inluence perception of series as Epic,Science-Fiction or Future Fantasy). People make wrong choices(acting dependant on approval and judgement of others),and what is wrong from the current perspective wasn't such yesterday,author make us grasp the concept of conformity very clear - what is to break free from values that you get from society and make own decisions,practically a temptation of personal rebellion restrained in the personality of Shinji.What is influencing a person to view the world from a harsher,psychologically broken pessimism,looking past the ordinary and into deeper understanding of events(what happens inside the Evas minds and what they pilot,who is Gendo Ikari,and how is everything inter-connected ). Ignorance is never bliss(Eva pilots work becuase they feel it was the right thing,they trust the organization),it just shows up as bits of truth make the world much different then what it seems to be,d
This technology should be broadly outlawed as restricted implants:They are not necessary,unlike heart implants for . Arguing about using this technology on animals as reference isn't changes the fact they are technically "slaves" of the owner who implants them. We are not "slaves".If some mindless sheep likes to be tagged its not a reason for legalization. This implant = trading your freedoms,privacy and health for dubious promises of "better life".
User-friendliness alone doesn't help if you don't provide better or equivalent features.People who switch systems need a strong argument to switch.Does emulation(a often neglected topic) provides them? Is it faster? Can't you a point in migrating and configuting a new system when your old system is working fine and has all the software you need. Linux needs to be exceptional and far better to be a incentive,something to outclass any windows machine possible.Windows comes preinstalled,by default and supported by all.
View it as "Upgrade from windows".to upgrade,you need something better to convince users to upgrade.Significantly better!(and there people still use win95 and 3.11 IIRC,i feel myself that i won't change from win98 in the next ten years.i can't see any incentives)
FOSS= Free Open Source Software. a freeware that is open-sourced,i.e. you can write your own version,becuase author provides you with his source code (and usually comments).
see recent Changes,it lacks the forum features to sticky threads,or move them to top of forum when you reply. There is forum notifications too (a subscriber get a private message/email when his thread gets replied to). Wikis are (essentialy) an advanced type of self-moderating forum with a different feature set(history,free moderation,editability,etc) and minimum restrictions.
If you need collaboration use a web forum. If you need collaboaration on content creation use a wiki. Mail is for personal exchanges and is very primitive.Instant messaging/IRC/webchat already outdoes it by a wide margin. Only sites that insist on registration require email adresses for verification, or mere formality.Email is a thing of the past along with usenet.It will eventually be superseded by something like webmail integrated into forum or chat(private messages on forums already exhibit similar features,though they are different and lack several features of email,adressing schemes being one of them ).
some future Metaforum with various integrated tools,will provide all services of the web(webpages(with separate format then threads),forum,p2p integration(a tracker),inter-forum mail(by a agrred upon scheme),web chat(a feature reduced,realtime text channell/thread),calendar,file database,and content management features(wiki,cvs,sql)).
No, only programmers who live to program,Technomagi of their own world. Such people dedicate all possible time to get better at programming and their programs. A programming Otaku,feels like he needs to be a 'Good Programmer' at any cost. Most programmers of course just work for money and many hate the job,writing and debuging pages of code,arguing on implementations and drinking coffee. Good Programmers are rare and they usually the type i described,this "stereotype" isn't changing any time soon(it is applies to specialists in many areas outside programming,though usually hobbies: amateur perpeetuum mobile constructors and such 'crazy' people,mathemathicians in active research,radical philosophers,etc). I wonder if they dream in C++
some people who refuse such ads and start block site hosting images in hosts files.Or maybe visit less popular but ad-free pages that have the same content if they don't know how to block.99% of content on web isn't important enough to manually add filters for,imagien if it will have mandatory Firefox ads. just block such sites as ads(adding to hosts file):
127.0.0.1 www.spreadfirefox.com
You don't have to know computer at hacker level to use them.They are designed to be simple and user-friendly. You don't have to compile your kernel when you need new drivers you just install them.You don't make &&.configure && make install,becuase its simpler to click on Install.exe/Install binary. User-friendliness reduces time it takes to accomplish something(windows always capitalizes on it,linux often neglects it). Every little extra effort makes using the computer more painful(especially for newbies.I recall i had to search for registry tricks and config. files settings to set it up right(on win98))
Oh, a reformed Grammar Nazi. See this situation is: Eye for an eye.They don't feel their own karma knocking on the door.They make their site hostile to foreign(as in unrecognized,non compliant) browsers. And the results are predictable. The correct path is to be friendly to all visitors. Information loses "academic"/"reputation" value if presented wrong,like a malformed grammar in a post and its criticism(Microsoft IE supporting it,along with majority) vs Users stopping replying becuase of criticism of grammar(Open Standards propoenenents advocating correct usage) . Thats like if i started a website in 1337-speak,it will have a audience that understands it but other people will get filtered and waste no time there. That the direction of this initiave: First you criticize,then you close off to non-elite,and create you virtual closed world(i.e. banning IE ).Forcing users to adopt something they don't want(Lets face it Firefox banners are silly.I judge them as ads(i use opera)) makes them seek alternatives.Its price of publicity, you either get more publicity if you conform to users interests or less if restrict usage or access. I recall few sites block IE and alot require IE only(this can be used with spoofing client id).While text based,plain HTML works everywhere,IE is still holds majority in browser market, and "correct standards" change each year,with new technology coming to dominate the web.IE is written for new technology,user friendliness second,standards third.Its horrible choice (by default its very insecure) but for trusted sites its adequate. Standards,Grammar and Rules are only effective if you have support,and its not for everyone.Pushing your Standards,Grammar and Rules may get you negative results(such as disregard and hostility) especially when you deviate from mainstream. Its like enforcing your values(Perfect English,Perfect HTML,Perfect Conformism(to laws,rules,etc)) vs most people attitude "it works,don't break it".Its just not worth the energy if You can't convince everyone that your values are superior.Your Values may have little value for others and important to like-minded people. That why people don't care about your browser/os/grammar superiority.Its just doesn't have the same value to them. [typical OS argument]
Linux maybe a large part of your life and you value it performance/superiority/features/programs very high,but most people(and myself) just use the computer to specific tasks and care little about the OS but get upset if their game would not work on linux(which you will probably advise to get linux games or try emulation).
Just for your information,You Can Interpret historical evidence just like bible, no one stops you. There is a difference though: History is established by scientific research. If you want to undermine some deeply held stereotype,theory or interpretation you need to present the evidence in your Point of View and explain logically how A leads to B and Causes C(or any inference chain) without using Your Point of View as Evidence or Inference tool.If the evidence is flawed it does
nothing to credibility of logic that being used(except if evidence relies on logic fallacies). Is the work Without motive and determination? Hardly anything can be said to be neutrally motivated. (in this case,removing the weight of stigma of having Egypt as slave society and Evil Empire and portraying it in more positive light.)
How can non-experts be right? Only experts can challenge experts! (thats what i get thrown at in forum debates,heh) Its just fails to acknowledge people who determine who is expert or who is not have biases and lack full understanding on scope of knowledge non-experts have.
Egyptian civilization is better studied a specific Discipline of Egyptology is dealing with it. there is active research on south american civilizations today,though less organized.
It is to be notable that Kofun structures(Tombs of Japanese Emperors and aristocrats of 3-5th centuries) are also large(by volume) and have little publicity/research in comparison.
Some structures are just popular and egyptian pyramids are sort of common point on which you can compare. They (been known to)Existed for enough time(since about 27Th century BC) to be a common point of reference.Information requires time to become significant,even in internet age(getting faster recognition though).
As for racism/superiority/etc its just not releveant today,like that Egypt wasn't a primitive slave state based on agriculture and polytheism(which it seems roughly,in modern times.). Proper Research isn't based on prejudiced conceptions.The idea that people thousands of years ago might be inferior/primitive and undeserving of attention by science is wrong and primitive itself.Its like deliberately ignoring the world features(its isn't wrong by itself,such things are common in daily life(such as who reads to read the Egyptian papyri today),but for archeology/history is mistake of core principles).
We need history whatever the subject is, more information helps to see the complete picture in greater detail. A few articles on archeology are always in demand on slashdot.
I assure you Slashdotters aren't all like this,thats a stereotype.Besides We see the net news far more often.Its not a closed world. Social activities are overrated and most of us prefer forums and instant messaging as superior medium to share thoughts.Its a personal choice. If you never heard of it,Internet has dating sites too.Not that everyone has to have a girlfriend/boyfriend,it just an option.
Just think of your words.Dose of Reality? How YOU get information? You have the option of watchign TV and listening to radio(completely unbiased sources!).You can't just fly to washington and talk to bush directly or socialize with him.If you read news on internet your whole criticism falls apart(what makes you superior to slashdotters? When you can't get news you search from from the usual media).
Slashdot Mirror
Isn't it just a formality or FISA shares its info to newspapers/media/etc?
Routing BT through freenet seems more viable as speed advantage of "unlimited Internet" doesn't stand to his name anymore.
I feel only alternative are home FTP servers.
You can call it piracy because you support charges for information,but its here.
Information Freedom is what will shape
the internet,and no copy rigths will stop determined users.Crypto societies will spread all information they want.
Its like fighting anarchy,terrorism,
the concept of negative numbers,and law of gravity.Information wants to be free(to be known by most,being accesible any wishing so).Stopping spread of any Information Form is futile.
(Fighting terrorism is possible temporarily in limited fashion,but eradicating the concept is impossible)
on topic:
BitTorrent is now filtered/shaped,and that despite being one-third of traffic.
I don't see how they(wb) can provide they "service" to those loyal customers,with ISP interfering.
Unintentional 'progress' in game design. text was good for what? scrolling stories,but as medium it doesn't makes dialogue shine(emotions and intonation are left behind).
Its like posting chatlogs.
Though i always prefer text then to listen to NPCs for 1000th time about the evils of the world.
The genre of modern games is dominated by 3d,Voice acting,elaborate rendering and atmosphere,realistic characters and film like detail.Text speech looks arhaic in the context.
And since elections can swing either way, parties tend to push for short-term policies not always aimed at the long-term benefit of the society. Because short-term results are what gets rewarded and noticed. How would you respond to that?
Where there is no choice,any policy goes.Who you can complain when the party and the state are one?
No alternatives,no political diversity,
global conformism to one ideology.
Dissent and criticism are vital to democracy(as free speech),it helps to keep the goverment in check.
In china you can't change your goverment, Its all communist.You been educated and indoctrinated to serve the system and your previcious posts show this really well.
Funny, Singapore is pretty much a one party state - nonsense
People choose that party,unlike chinese "implied control".it Should be noted in many democracies,One dominant party may holds goverment for decades if popular( Japan wouldn't be called one-party state? Totalitarian? ).
The problem with multi-party democracy, as I see it, is the allocation of so many resources in the process of pitching the party to the people.
That doesn't seem significant in comparision to state economy,unlike global propoganda efforts by totalitarian goverments,which control the media and (most of) information outlets and spend as they wish.
You speaking of election campaigns which are monitored and any abuse would get blown to scandal proportions and cause a huge backlash in their credibility.
Better Physics and better graphics(rendering ,resolution,etc) don't
make your game better on their own.
Better content(original story/graphics/sounds,context and extensive info) and better gameplay mechanics(rules,stats,actions,game design points,game features,atmosphere) is more significant.
Engines aren't the game,just a tool.
Its not a flaw to no want to learn unecessary stuff,Its common sense
,along with Configuration is very useful to categorize actions\settings).
the reason cars require trainign is that
Cars aren't advanced yet to be computer guided(GPS,voice command and maps based).Are Computers advanced enough?
Perhaps not voice-guided and/or direct interfaced to our brains with understanding AI which executes thought commands,but we're getting closer.
Professionals always need to know most
of their domain,users rarely.
'usability' should not translate to dumbing the system down to the point you cant get anything useful
THe falw is that the 'way' if making something useful is too complex,and non-intuitive.
All technological progress(in usability) simplifies life,reduces human interaction and labor,automates processs formerly requiring a trained human and switches to computer control.It essentialy reduces work-time.
What you propose is that Computers are unique and would be exempt from
simplification,requiring training and
hard learnign curves to operate.
It the current state of progress,i admit, we should look further into a information age where time is valued much more then today.Free time.
Would you spend it on learning or you prefer computer to understand you instantly? That is the end of
usability curve.We can't progress to higher productivity with layer of complexity usual software reqiure(even Notepad has deficiences:).Numerious
path are going to be explored:the move from keyboard/Screen/Speaker interface to integrated wearable headsets,direct interface to human thought(hopefully not implants),global wireless networks,free knowledge databases and portals with capacity to record memories,new information channels based on virtual reality,persistent user-modifiable worlds.I don't think this be really interesting if you had to learn C++ to use vs just "talking" to computer.
(this might be a forward to the future argument,it just show my point on usability,that is progress making)
Modern KDE is closer to windows in usability,though it only a shell,linux
itself remains user-hostile arcane and
exceddingly complex to learn.
"If a user is going to use a powerful tool like Word or VI, they need to spend time learning to use it."
Software design today deviates from standards of usability towards arcane monsters full of kludges and design failures,making their features largely unused.What is Wrong with VI? With Word?
A better tool would combine the Notepad simplicity with features VI/Word provides in properly named cascaded context menu with intuitive global configuration.This is true usability,
not arcane text commands(Vi) or myriads of dialog boxes and menus(Word).
Simplicity Equals Better Interface:
A single StraightForward interface for all features application has is the key
(i.e. like cascaded Context menus).
A intuitive configuration takes a One separate menu with all settings.
Properly naming and providing context-sensitive help(Inside the application, a manual or a book i must search for bits of info is unproductive) is very important for beginners,
Who unlikely to understand terminology,jargon or tech abbreviations documentation uses.
Extending the program:
Making the program scriptable is major
feature which saves much time(though
it must be simple and intuitive to use(page long text macros aren't one of them)),
macros and defined shortcuts improve productivity(a Macro menu
Another thing that makes really great programs is ability to customize the interface for your needs,which makes usability skyrocket in certain cases( a type of draggable toolbar is example of this,but editing what program(Active state of work inside it actually) looks like is even more powerful(plugins without plugins)).Extensions and scripts/plugins that allow new features
to integrate into the program are great
in increasing productivity if users can create them from scratch,using only their knowledge of program itself.
Slashdot doesn't have no Conspiracies policy.It a weblog. WHy you expect Quality from a weblog? I expect a Quality discussion,but stories can be crap,i stopped caring about that long ago.
Actually this one of really good stories and i like to see what he was interviewed about.Its not green aliens and anti-gravity bullshit(which can't be stored on public computers by any sane
aliens) but how he hacked into NASA,they seem to have abysmal security if i can put trojans there just by knowing Nasa ips.lol
Every script kiddie on the planet can.
"have blank administrator passwords."
OK as an exception i'll reply,to get you :they ignore the content and start to criticize specific points which are'nt important,only leaving the abstract concepts i introduce and points as examples of such concepts in action.
:w filename :q .Obviously notepad wins.Unix loses(at this point a notepad port seems reasonable but it ALREADY exist on my platform and i have better programs to use e.g. Metapad).
informed.But i don't usually reply to such conglomerate of justifcations,just because you DOn't Understand My Replies.
If people would take time to read them throughly it might get somewhere,but don't
Windows never had such arcane commands as Unix does,never requires you to mount devices to use,Never had requiremnets of compiling a new kernel with new drivers,
never had installation too complex to click-through in ten seconds.
Windows is much easier.Thats the point.
The concept of software design for users
to be as intuitive and friendly never
been the basis of design in unix world.
" consistency does not extend to efficiency" is a lie.You save much more time if you know what you're doing versus manual configuration and setup.
You need manuals to administer linux systems,while windows can be used by children.I agree linux is making some progress in usability it still far from being equivalent in term of user--friendliness and ease-of-use.
In linux you must configure alot of stuff to work properly,in windows all such configurations are working by default.Every windows driver/program/game never require more then couple of clicks to start working.
They don't require recompiling,configuring,proper set of libraries(which you must use exclusively),emulation or software rendering/mode,new devices,and patches for some specific configuration("workaround").
Lost productivity and time while searchign fro linux solution,scavenger hunts for bits on info on forums,flustrating documentation,horrible syntax make linux
alienating to most people.
Its doesn't matter anymore if you program has all the features and ten times more speed,if its takes too much effort and time to use it - it fails to do it job and any marginally more usable program will dominate the field.
Each unintuitive feature,extra step and
manual effort deduce from productive work.If i spend more time and much effort and gain a substandard result i will not use the program anymore i switch to alternative.
This what makes "brilliant" solutions fail outside the crowd intimately familair with the subject. All non-professionals find the solution too alien and awkward to use and require a Re-training to be productive.While an alternative already exist this seems frankly a waste of time and effort.
Not to mention any program on linux has equivalent in windows domain and not vice-versa.I don't expect more quality from windows programs then linux.
I expect usability, Vi VS Notepad is the epitomes of software design in different worlds. A world of hackers and world of users.What is "easy and intuitive" and
require a minute of learning to grasp
like text editors:
vi controls for example, will seem alien and complex to larger untrained audience,which view Notepad as very easy to understand,Click File menu,Save or
If Vi didn't convince you to not stop using it you already spend time and effort to learn it syntax,likrly becoming such a "hacker" but this doesn't makes you any more productive then notepad users.
Its a dead domain-specific knowledge i never want to absorb into my mind.
I don't want to learn worthless abstractions to unnecessary complex level.I prefer to work in clear,concise and simple domains where i don't need to
learn each time i try new features.
Vi is dead,but it remains an exhibit of software design.Artifact of old woirld where Computer Science classes were mandatory to use computers.New software
must either work for everyone or remain
a hacker widget.You can't make the secon
Wiki isn't exactly wher you create content.Its place to reference content.
Many people are making the mistake of writing something and get discarded on counts of Original Research/Bad Grammar/Wrong Wiki-style/POV.
Writing content on wikipedia is like making site from slashdot comments.
Hopefully wiki get decentralized in the futute into a wiki-network with each node has pros working in specific fields of view as admins and moderators and everyone is welcome to write.
You can't moderate outside of Slashdot.
,to exlore how people deal with social interaction and what purpose society,authority and peers project into individual.Author manages to make the drama matter to the viewer,the devices of the plot make highlights into darker emotions inspiring the show as whole,the
And you don't know that this "just another mecha anime" has a complex plot involving the mental state of person and
psychological development in few simple steps,developed further in each episode.
Its not Science Fiction,as most of Star Trek doesn't revolve about warp drive mechanics(it pure technobabble) and future tech(speculative plot devices).
Read a wiki article at least before you post.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_Genesis_Evangeli on
And you don't see the last episodes as end,there is "proper" ending The End of Evangelion and Revival of Evangelion.
This series never meant to appeal to female audience (the emphasis on cuteness is absent),and there little humor/comedy.Its a drama.
"The writers for the show obviously through from the start that they were going to write a grand epic."
The Atmosphere of every anime show is "overrated"/"overdramatized"/"too much cute"/"too emotional" just because author wants to make the audience feel the story as touching to his/her heart.
As for grand epics,you don't expect pokemon to deliver philosophical dillemas and Dbz dramatize teenage love,but both fall in their genre.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is breaking through these norms and genres,its not
striving to make you feel its fake and fantasy but to add a layer of realism.
Evangelion deals with authority and trust,how people socialize and what motivates them do in relationships.
It doesn't criticize otaku as much as it criticizes what we view social interaction as(though their interaction is somewhat impaired by their personality and psychological disorders) game of control and social/peer pressure
whole realism layer is standing on mythology and self-references(clearly centered on Angels),bringing little original creations,just showing these pseudo-informational features as backdrop to real story - interactions of self and society,Determinism vs Individuality and free will.Movies are conceptually better then last episodes, and not for the weak of mind of course.
Its a clear distincyion os what happens in a movie is much more intense and dramatized(then TV series itself),following plot twists very fast.
It going to have an impression,showing once again author knows how to influence his anime to be absorbed and "felt" vs fanservice garbage that plays the audiences desires.And evangelion is not about fanservice,its a thriller-esque romance(although it doesn't show at first,this aspect is what makes great influence to motivation of all characters and developed gradually in relationships of Eva pilots) mixed with
drama packaged into a mecha anime. The
apocalyptic,methodic unfolding of attacks really charges the atmosphere(I assume that must inluence perception of series as Epic,Science-Fiction or Future Fantasy).
People make wrong choices(acting dependant on approval and judgement of others),and what is wrong from the current perspective wasn't such yesterday,author make us grasp the concept of conformity very
clear - what
is to break free from values that you get from society and make own decisions,practically a temptation of personal rebellion restrained in the personality of Shinji.What is influencing a person to view the world from a harsher,psychologically broken pessimism,looking past the ordinary and into deeper understanding of events(what happens inside the Evas minds and what they pilot,who is Gendo Ikari,and how is everything inter-connected ).
Ignorance is never bliss(Eva pilots work becuase they feel it was the right thing,they trust the organization),it just shows up as bits of truth make the world much different then what it seems to be,d
This technology should be broadly outlawed as restricted implants:They are not necessary,unlike heart implants for .
Arguing about using this technology on animals as reference isn't changes the
fact they are technically "slaves" of the owner who implants them.
We are not "slaves".If some mindless sheep likes to be tagged its not a reason for legalization.
This implant = trading your freedoms,privacy and health for
dubious promises of "better life".
User-friendliness alone doesn't help if you don't provide better or equivalent features.People who switch systems need a strong argument to switch.Does emulation(a often neglected topic) provides them? Is it faster? .Windows comes preinstalled,by default and supported by all.
Can't you a point in migrating and configuting a new system when your old system is working fine and has all the software you need.
Linux needs to be exceptional and far better to be a incentive,something to outclass any windows machine possible
View it as "Upgrade from windows".to upgrade,you need something better to convince users to upgrade.Significantly better!(and there people still use win95 and 3.11 IIRC,i feel myself that i won't change from win98 in the next ten years.i can't see any incentives)
Familiar is always simpler then relearning to use apps in same function class.
FOSS= Free Open Source Software.
a freeware that is open-sourced,i.e. you can write your own version,becuase author provides you with his source code (and usually comments).
see recent Changes,it lacks the forum features to sticky threads,or move them to top of forum when you reply.
There is forum notifications too (a subscriber get a private message/email when his thread gets replied to).
Wikis are (essentialy) an advanced type of self-moderating forum with a different feature set(history,free moderation,editability,etc) and minimum restrictions.
If you need collaboration use a web forum. If you need collaboaration on content creation use a wiki.
Mail is for personal exchanges and is very primitive.Instant messaging/IRC/webchat already
outdoes it by a wide margin.
Only sites that insist on registration
require email adresses for verification,
or mere formality.Email is a thing of the past along with usenet.It will eventually be superseded by something like webmail integrated into forum or chat(private messages on forums already exhibit similar features,though they are different and lack several features of email,adressing schemes being one of them ).
some future Metaforum with various integrated tools,will provide all services of the web(webpages(with separate format then threads),forum,p2p integration(a tracker),inter-forum mail(by a agrred upon scheme),web chat(a feature reduced,realtime text channell/thread),calendar,file database,and content management features(wiki,cvs,sql)).
No, only programmers who live to program ,Technomagi of their own world.
Such people dedicate all possible time to get better at programming and their programs.
A programming Otaku,feels like he needs
to be a 'Good Programmer' at any cost.
Most programmers of course just work for money and many hate the job,writing and debuging pages of code,arguing on implementations and drinking coffee.
Good Programmers are rare
and they usually the type i described,this "stereotype" isn't changing any time soon(it is applies to specialists in many areas outside programming,though usually hobbies: amateur perpeetuum mobile constructors and such 'crazy' people,mathemathicians in active research,radical philosophers,etc).
I wonder if they dream in C++
some people who refuse such ads and start block site hosting images in hosts files.Or maybe visit less popular but ad-free pages that have the same content if they don't know how to block.99% of content on web isn't important enough to manually add filters for,imagien if it will have mandatory Firefox ads.
just block such sites as ads(adding to hosts file):
127.0.0.1 www.spreadfirefox.com
You don't have to know computer at hacker level to use them.They are designed to be simple and user-friendly. .configure && make install,becuase its simpler to click on Install.exe/Install binary.
You don't have to compile your kernel when you need new drivers you just install them.You don't make &&
User-friendliness reduces time it takes to accomplish something(windows always capitalizes on it,linux often neglects it).
Every little extra effort makes using the computer more painful(especially for newbies.I recall i had to search for registry tricks and config. files settings to set it up right(on win98))
Oh, a reformed Grammar Nazi. ,but most people(and myself) just use the computer to specific tasks and care little about the OS but get upset if their game would not work on linux(which you will probably advise to get linux games or try emulation).
See this situation is:
Eye for an eye.They don't feel their own karma knocking on the door.They make their site hostile to foreign(as in unrecognized,non compliant) browsers.
And the results are predictable.
The correct path is to be friendly to all visitors.
Information loses "academic"/"reputation" value if presented wrong,like a malformed grammar in a post and its criticism(Microsoft IE supporting it,along with majority) vs Users stopping replying becuase of criticism of grammar(Open Standards propoenenents advocating correct usage) .
Thats like if i started a website in 1337-speak,it will have a audience that understands it but other people will get filtered and waste no time there.
That the direction of this initiave:
First you criticize,then you close off to non-elite,and create you virtual closed world(i.e. banning IE ).Forcing users to adopt something they don't want(Lets face it Firefox banners are silly.I judge them as ads(i use opera)) makes them seek alternatives.Its price of publicity,
you either get more publicity if you conform to users interests or less if restrict usage or access.
I recall few sites block IE and alot require IE only(this can be used with spoofing client id).While text based,plain HTML works everywhere,IE is still holds majority in browser market,
and "correct standards" change each year,with new technology coming to dominate the web.IE is written for new technology,user friendliness second,standards third.Its horrible choice (by default its very insecure) but
for trusted sites its adequate.
Standards,Grammar and Rules are only effective if you have support,and its not for everyone.Pushing your Standards,Grammar and Rules may get you negative results(such as disregard and hostility) especially when you deviate from mainstream.
Its like enforcing your values(Perfect English,Perfect HTML,Perfect Conformism(to laws,rules,etc)) vs most people attitude "it works,don't break it".Its just not worth the energy if You can't convince everyone that your values are superior.Your Values may
have little value for others and important to like-minded people.
That why people don't care about your browser/os/grammar superiority.Its just
doesn't have the same value to them.
[typical OS argument]
Linux maybe a large part of your life and you value it performance/superiority/features/programs very high
Just for your information,You Can Interpret historical evidence just like bible, no one stops you.
There is a difference though:
History is established by scientific research.
If you want to undermine some deeply held stereotype,theory or interpretation
you need to present the evidence in your
Point of View and explain logically how
A leads to B and Causes C(or any inference chain) without using Your Point of View as Evidence or Inference tool.If the evidence is flawed it does
nothing to credibility of logic that being used(except if evidence relies on logic fallacies).
Is the work Without motive and determination? Hardly
anything can be said to be neutrally motivated.
(in this case,removing the weight of stigma of having Egypt as slave society and Evil Empire and portraying it in more positive light.)
How can non-experts be right?
Only experts can challenge experts!
(thats what i get thrown at in forum debates,heh)
Its just fails to acknowledge people who
determine who is expert or who is not have biases and lack full understanding on scope of knowledge non-experts have.
Egyptian civilization is better studied a specific Discipline of Egyptology is dealing with it.
there is active research on south american civilizations today,though less organized.
It is to be notable that
Kofun structures(Tombs of Japanese Emperors and aristocrats of 3-5th centuries) are also large(by volume) and have little publicity/research in comparison.
Some structures are just popular and egyptian pyramids are sort of common
point on which you can compare.
They (been known to)Existed for enough time(since about 27Th century BC) to be
a common point of reference.Information requires time to become significant,even in internet age(getting faster recognition though).
As for racism/superiority/etc its just
not releveant today,like that Egypt wasn't a
primitive slave state based on agriculture and polytheism(which it seems roughly,in modern times.).
Proper Research isn't based on prejudiced conceptions.The idea that people
thousands of years ago might be inferior/primitive and undeserving of attention by science is wrong and primitive itself.Its like deliberately ignoring the world features(its isn't wrong by itself,such things are common in daily life(such as who reads to
read the Egyptian papyri today),but for archeology/history is mistake of core principles).
We need history whatever the subject is,
more information helps to see the complete picture in greater detail.
A few articles on archeology are always
in demand on slashdot.
I assure you Slashdotters aren't all like this,thats a stereotype.Besides We see the net news far more often.Its not a closed world.
Social activities are overrated and most of us prefer forums and instant messaging as superior medium
to share thoughts.Its a personal choice.
If you never heard of it,Internet has dating sites too.Not that everyone has to have a girlfriend/boyfriend,it just an option.
Just think of your words.Dose of Reality?
How YOU get information?
You have the option of watchign TV and listening to radio(completely unbiased sources!).You can't just fly to washington and talk to bush directly or socialize with him.If you read news on internet your whole criticism falls apart(what makes you superior to slashdotters? When you can't get news you search from from the usual media).