Uh, I believe the correct answer is that "FOSS is easier to use anyway" and "People only can use [insert Windows product here] because they grew up with it" and "FOSS is better designed and more intuitive because of the clearly superior development model."
Of course, it's the developers that have been working on the product for 15 years that say this.
hehe.:) it's entertaining. But, all that said, I actually like using FOSS...
[that last sentence was primarily to try to mitigate the "troll" mod.]
(Imagine you doctor wanted to give you a new drug, but wouldn't tell you the name or what was in it. or you were charged with violating a secret law)
Hmmm. How many people here have actually read up about all the drugs they take? And by that I mean the small print, huge sheet of paper with all the info about side effects, clinical tests, etc...? Or do you just go with the doc's two-line summary. "Don't take this with alcohol. Take two of them."
I dare say most actually don't read the tons of stuff about a given drug.
And, of course, we could always get into the mercury-used-in-dental-fillings that they aren't really supposed to talk about..
Yes, but I happen to think capitalism does a better job of accounting for human nature than communism does. A system based ON greed may compensate for it a little better than a system that hopes greed goes away. Which it apparently doesn't, even in the idealistic people that think up these "greed-less" systems and become the rulers of them.:)
Becausethen you would need a developer that thinks this way:
People are willing to buy a game for $60, but 50% of that goes to publishers.
I've got it! Offer it online and cut out 50% of my costs!
I will then pass along that 50% to my customers who are fine with paying twice as much! Won't they be happy! I won't make any more money off of it, either!
In reality, I doubt most developers... most people... are like that. If people are willing to pay $60, I doubt many people will sell it for $30 just because they don't have to go through a publisher...
I know some indie and small dev companies do that, but other than that... Steam games didn't go down much in price just because you cut out the retailer/packaging/whatever costs,did they?
using the "trying to do what benefits society as a whole" definition
There's a human-nature problem with expecting that. I think that's where a lot of "communism" fails. It's difficult to set up a system that deals with human nature correctly. Of course, that depends on what you think human nature is...
quality of life that exists under these systems for the brief periods that they exist?
Ah... but just how brief are those brief periods, and just how bloody are the times surrounding the brief periods? It seems that communism tends to be quite bloody surrounding the "brief" times of peace and "prosperity." Incidentally, I'm not sure how many communist countries have been prosperous. For people other than the leaders, I mean.
And by the way, you're still going to have terrorists and the like, even if USA was communist. The current wacko Islamic terrorists aren't anti-USA because of capitalism and because of how inhumane the USA is or something.
I wonder how much out-cry there was when Apple introduced the dock bar or whatever it's called. Not even being a mac user, I have no idea.
It seems that people like what they are used to and are thus more efficient, right now, with what they are used to. People can argue theoretically all they want, but until you get used to it and THEN compare efficiency/usability, it's really not much of a comparison.
Chrome, IMO, has the best browser UI so far. I actually really don't like Firefox's. After you started getting multiple toolbars going across the entire top of the browser window (or Office window, or whatever), with tons and tons and tons of buttons... eh...
IMO, tons-of-buttons seems to be an "open source" sort of thing. Throw more features at it and make it a button or menu. Example: KDE. Gnome is way better at that than KDE... but seriously, this is NOT just a Microsoft thing, and Microsoft isn't the only one that produces poor UI's. Most "geeks" seem to not care about UI that much, because they're used to complex interfaces. Most normal users aren't and probably use only what, four buttons: back, forward, refresh, and print...
Designing a UI for the geek is not what firefox, ms, apple, etc., are trying to do. They're trying to design it for the typical user. Slashdot user != typical user.
Who is good at UI design, in your opinion, then? I certainly don't think Gnome or KDE are particularly good at it (or, honestly, most open source... and closed source... applications). I don't like Apple's, but I guess it works. I don't like the iPhone, but mainly because of the lack of multitasking. Personally, I have found Win 7 to be decent (better than Vista). I like Gnome better than KDE. I'd say Gnome and Win 7's are my favorites... and while agree MS isn't particularly good at it, I haven't really found one that IS. So I'll take the "best available."...
I know the classes exist. My question was how it fit into the "core" subjects. IMO, we spend too much money on music, art, sports, etc., in public schools. I was homeschooled and those things were not part of my school curriculum. They were things that I was allowed to do after I finished my school work. Well, I was "made" to practice piano/instruments, as I showed some talent but, as a typical kid, didn't particularly like practicing. Video games, reading for fun, and sports were extracurricular non-school activities. "School" was math, language, and science pretty much. I did have physical education in high school (even homeschooled) for one year.
Seems like in most public schools, math-language-science type courses are not really the priority. "Self expression" has taken precedent over "learning." Which makes sense, I suppose, since the current popular world view appears to be that it doesn't really matter what other people think, it just matters what you like doing... follow your dreams (even if your dreams are stupid):)
That depends on who you ask. I suggest not asking a liberal democrat that already wants to prove him wrong. Also, it's not Senator... he's in the House of Representatives...
It's true. The "organic" thing is DEFINITELY a fad, it's hyped, and there are plenty of frauds and misinformed people.
The same goes for drugs though. Just because it can be a fad and it's hyped and there are stupid people saying stupid things about it doesn't mean the entire idea is stupid.
There have been plenty of conclusive studies about pesticides and the like, as well. And organic food definitely does taste different... way different. Even organic milk tastes different from "normal" milk. And, as far as anecdotal evidence goes, my wife has stated multiple times that with some (non-organic) cheeses, she feels like she never has eaten enough and just wants to keep eating it (read: it's not "satisfying"). With organic, or raw milk, etc., cheese, it tastes better and it's satisfying. I taste a strange almost metallic taste in, for example, normal Costco monterey jack cheese that I don't taste in raw-milk cheese...
There's plenty of support, even scientific, for many organic-related issues. Unfortunately, the fad/trendy/hype people give it a very bad name. As do the ridiculously over priced stores that cater to it.
That way, we can have people wanting to do jury service to get rich, hang all those "social responsibility" and "right and wrong" and "justice" notions.
Not sure "money" (or reward, whatever) is the answer to getting a "smart" and "just" jury...
Unfortunately, it does seem that the jury system was set up in a different era and maybe the general outlook, priorities, and "morals" or ethics were different.
Now, it seems that most people simply don't care... about really anything. People get far more upset about dying in an online RPG than reading about a real person getting murdered.
Possibly. I was homeschooled, but primarily for education reasons, not religious reasons.
If I could've had a decent grounding in 3D modelling when I was a kid, instead of pissing about on Imagine on my Amiga (not that Imagine was a bad package or Amiga a bad platform, just that I'd have liked some classes in what I was actually doing), I'd probably have a more interesting job than I do right now.
Hmmm. But does that mean it belongs in a 6th grade course? 6th grade seems like people are still going to be learning core subjects, aren't they? 3D modeling seems like a big jump. Sure, maybe as an after school or extracurricular thing, but that wasn't mentioned... and it seems like public funding should get the core subjects down before spending more on a Maya class. I'm not anti-3D modeling, either. I don't do it, personally, but my brother does and enjoys it a lot.
Because if they tried to teach them Blender, they'd end up learning a set of keyboard shortcuts that don't get used in any other package. It's great when you know all the shortcuts in Blender, but it's better when you know all the theory in *any 3D modelling program*, and preferably one that has buttons to ease the learning process.
I agree, it's far better to know the theory than any specific program... so I'm not sure why this hands-on video-game solution isn't going to be too good of an idea.
I'd think a physics course in 6th grade would be more appropriate than a 3D modeling class.
Slashdot Mirror
Uh, I believe the correct answer is that "FOSS is easier to use anyway" and "People only can use [insert Windows product here] because they grew up with it" and "FOSS is better designed and more intuitive because of the clearly superior development model."
Of course, it's the developers that have been working on the product for 15 years that say this.
hehe. :) it's entertaining. But, all that said, I actually like using FOSS...
[that last sentence was primarily to try to mitigate the "troll" mod.]
(Imagine you doctor wanted to give you a new drug, but wouldn't tell you the name or what was in it. or you were charged with violating a secret law)
Hmmm. How many people here have actually read up about all the drugs they take? And by that I mean the small print, huge sheet of paper with all the info about side effects, clinical tests, etc...? Or do you just go with the doc's two-line summary. "Don't take this with alcohol. Take two of them."
I dare say most actually don't read the tons of stuff about a given drug.
And, of course, we could always get into the mercury-used-in-dental-fillings that they aren't really supposed to talk about..
Yes, but I happen to think capitalism does a better job of accounting for human nature than communism does. A system based ON greed may compensate for it a little better than a system that hopes greed goes away. Which it apparently doesn't, even in the idealistic people that think up these "greed-less" systems and become the rulers of them. :)
Becausethen you would need a developer that thinks this way:
In reality, I doubt most developers... most people... are like that. If people are willing to pay $60, I doubt many people will sell it for $30 just because they don't have to go through a publisher...
I know some indie and small dev companies do that, but other than that... Steam games didn't go down much in price just because you cut out the retailer/packaging/whatever costs ,did they?
using the "trying to do what benefits society as a whole" definition
There's a human-nature problem with expecting that. I think that's where a lot of "communism" fails. It's difficult to set up a system that deals with human nature correctly. Of course, that depends on what you think human nature is...
quality of life that exists under these systems for the brief periods that they exist?
Ah... but just how brief are those brief periods, and just how bloody are the times surrounding the brief periods? It seems that communism tends to be quite bloody surrounding the "brief" times of peace and "prosperity." Incidentally, I'm not sure how many communist countries have been prosperous. For people other than the leaders, I mean.
And by the way, you're still going to have terrorists and the like, even if USA was communist. The current wacko Islamic terrorists aren't anti-USA because of capitalism and because of how inhumane the USA is or something.
Same. Weird.
Read all you want about them right here.
I wonder how much out-cry there was when Apple introduced the dock bar or whatever it's called. Not even being a mac user, I have no idea.
It seems that people like what they are used to and are thus more efficient, right now, with what they are used to. People can argue theoretically all they want, but until you get used to it and THEN compare efficiency/usability, it's really not much of a comparison.
Chrome, IMO, has the best browser UI so far. I actually really don't like Firefox's. After you started getting multiple toolbars going across the entire top of the browser window (or Office window, or whatever), with tons and tons and tons of buttons ... eh...
IMO, tons-of-buttons seems to be an "open source" sort of thing. Throw more features at it and make it a button or menu. Example: KDE. Gnome is way better at that than KDE... but seriously, this is NOT just a Microsoft thing, and Microsoft isn't the only one that produces poor UI's. Most "geeks" seem to not care about UI that much, because they're used to complex interfaces. Most normal users aren't and probably use only what, four buttons: back, forward, refresh, and print...
Designing a UI for the geek is not what firefox, ms, apple, etc., are trying to do. They're trying to design it for the typical user. Slashdot user != typical user.
Who is good at UI design, in your opinion, then? I certainly don't think Gnome or KDE are particularly good at it (or, honestly, most open source ... and closed source ... applications). I don't like Apple's, but I guess it works. I don't like the iPhone, but mainly because of the lack of multitasking. Personally, I have found Win 7 to be decent (better than Vista). I like Gnome better than KDE. I'd say Gnome and Win 7's are my favorites... and while agree MS isn't particularly good at it, I haven't really found one that IS. So I'll take the "best available." ...
It does? They both have screens, yes. I don't see too much similar other than that..
Longbowmen?
I hear there was quite a market for them in the Duchy of Grand Fenwick.
Erm. Why not just use Skype? It works in Linux, Windows, and Mac.
... and the iPhone, Windows Mobile, Nokia, and PSP...
I'll be generous... 2006 to 2009, 365 days per year minus about 100 days for the remainder of 2009, at $75 million per day. That's $102 billion...
eBay bought them for $2.6 billion in 2005. Revenue, according to a quick google lookup, has been about $1.1 billion in the years 2006 to 2009.
This seems ridiculous? Or am I reading this wrong?
I know the classes exist. My question was how it fit into the "core" subjects. IMO, we spend too much money on music, art, sports, etc., in public schools. I was homeschooled and those things were not part of my school curriculum. They were things that I was allowed to do after I finished my school work. Well, I was "made" to practice piano/instruments, as I showed some talent but, as a typical kid, didn't particularly like practicing. Video games, reading for fun, and sports were extracurricular non-school activities. "School" was math, language, and science pretty much. I did have physical education in high school (even homeschooled) for one year.
Seems like in most public schools, math-language-science type courses are not really the priority. "Self expression" has taken precedent over "learning." Which makes sense, I suppose, since the current popular world view appears to be that it doesn't really matter what other people think, it just matters what you like doing... follow your dreams (even if your dreams are stupid) :)
Of sex ed or copyright ed?
How does music, art, baseball, football, special ed, sex ed*, etc., fit in?
This coming from a musician, btw...
* not referring to anatomy/biology here.
Also, Sen. Wilson was lying himself.
That depends on who you ask. I suggest not asking a liberal democrat that already wants to prove him wrong. Also, it's not Senator... he's in the House of Representatives...
I have found that food helps everyone like you more; perhaps he should provide lunch. Or at least cookies.
The compensation should be in line with their loss of earnings, maybe a small amount over (say, 10%), not enough to make jury service a big earner.
What if you make $200k in a year? :) Expensive jury.
I do agree, though, that as it is, it's a waste of time and money for most jurors... which does seem like a bad thing..
It's true. The "organic" thing is DEFINITELY a fad, it's hyped, and there are plenty of frauds and misinformed people.
The same goes for drugs though. Just because it can be a fad and it's hyped and there are stupid people saying stupid things about it doesn't mean the entire idea is stupid.
There have been plenty of conclusive studies about pesticides and the like, as well. And organic food definitely does taste different... way different. Even organic milk tastes different from "normal" milk. And, as far as anecdotal evidence goes, my wife has stated multiple times that with some (non-organic) cheeses, she feels like she never has eaten enough and just wants to keep eating it (read: it's not "satisfying"). With organic, or raw milk, etc., cheese, it tastes better and it's satisfying. I taste a strange almost metallic taste in, for example, normal Costco monterey jack cheese that I don't taste in raw-milk cheese...
There's plenty of support, even scientific, for many organic-related issues. Unfortunately, the fad/trendy/hype people give it a very bad name. As do the ridiculously over priced stores that cater to it.
jury service really ought to be better rewarded
That way, we can have people wanting to do jury service to get rich, hang all those "social responsibility" and "right and wrong" and "justice" notions.
Not sure "money" (or reward, whatever) is the answer to getting a "smart" and "just" jury...
Unfortunately, it does seem that the jury system was set up in a different era and maybe the general outlook, priorities, and "morals" or ethics were different.
Now, it seems that most people simply don't care ... about really anything. People get far more upset about dying in an online RPG than reading about a real person getting murdered.
Do you mean "the court" as lawyers, or the judge? Do you mean "the law" as the court? Or the lawyer? Or the judge? Defendant?
Who exactly hates the jurors?
Yes, but unfortunately, his school was testing the new "video game based" education system.
Are these related? Serious question.
Possibly. I was homeschooled, but primarily for education reasons, not religious reasons.
If I could've had a decent grounding in 3D modelling when I was a kid, instead of pissing about on Imagine on my Amiga (not that Imagine was a bad package or Amiga a bad platform, just that I'd have liked some classes in what I was actually doing), I'd probably have a more interesting job than I do right now.
Hmmm. But does that mean it belongs in a 6th grade course? 6th grade seems like people are still going to be learning core subjects, aren't they? 3D modeling seems like a big jump. Sure, maybe as an after school or extracurricular thing, but that wasn't mentioned... and it seems like public funding should get the core subjects down before spending more on a Maya class. I'm not anti-3D modeling, either. I don't do it, personally, but my brother does and enjoys it a lot.
Because if they tried to teach them Blender, they'd end up learning a set of keyboard shortcuts that don't get used in any other package. It's great when you know all the shortcuts in Blender, but it's better when you know all the theory in *any 3D modelling program*, and preferably one that has buttons to ease the learning process.
I agree, it's far better to know the theory than any specific program... so I'm not sure why this hands-on video-game solution isn't going to be too good of an idea.
I'd think a physics course in 6th grade would be more appropriate than a 3D modeling class.