I read this kind of comment on/. all the time, and I think it's bizarre every time I see it.
The market for PCs, both desktops and laptops, is based on function, not type. "Not an all-in-one but cheaper than a high end workstation" is a type of computer, and I think the majority of potential customers don't think like that. They want a computer that can manage their photos, check their e-mail, play games, listen to/buy music, watch movies, edit vacation videos and burn dvds, etc. They buy computers to accomplish tasks. Now, we know that these tasks can be accomplished on pretty much any computer for sale today, but we already know about computers. A Mac comes ready to do all these things pretty much out of the box, and all you have to do is plug in the keyboard and mouse. That's a big deal if you don't think playing with computers is fun.
Your example of buying computers for a lab should point out the blind spot in your reasoning: Most people don't buy computers for a lab. They buy them for the living room, or the den, or whatever. A detailed cost-benefit test for various configurations is a great thing to do if you're buying $50k worth of computers for a lab. If you have $2k to spend on a computer, you go look at computers, compare features, play around with the software. Then you pick one that meets your needs and gives you the minimum headache.
I'm pretty sure Intel integrated graphics aren't for gaming, they're for hardware acceleration of video decoding. No wonder they suck. Meanwhile, I can play h.264 video at 2000kbps with under 5% load on my MacBook.
Yeah, I'm pretty happy with my MacBook's onboard graphics, since I don't play games very often. Not every computer needs to come with a $60-plus discrete graphics card, since not every computer user wants to play WoW, and I'd rather save the money for more exciting things, like rent and food.
(Cue comments about paying extra for a MacBook, especially since I'm not even running OS X. I'm thinking of selling it and getting a year-old Thinkpad or something.)
Firefox is a pig, and Flash is even more of a pig. Epiphany, the default Gnome web browser that no one seems to know about because it isn't installed in *buntu, uses GTK instead of XUL to draw the interface, and is less resource-intensive in my experience, even though it uses Firefox (Gecko actually) to do the rendering. Give that a shot.
Next, convice Adobe to make the Flash decoder free software. Then, a pony.
The Debian installer gives you a choice of optional stuff at the end of the installation, like LAMP server, desktop environment, etc. I believe the FreeBSD installer does the same thing.
My MacBook can connect to any network it can see and that I have the key to. Running Windows, however, I couldn't get it to work on my home network. I eventually figured out that I had to download a special update to access WPA2 and WPA2-PSK encrypted networks, because the XP wireless network API doesn't support WPA2 be default; it's left up to the driver makers. At my university, my MacBook can use network resources more easily than most people's XP and Vista laptops, and this is a Windows-everything shop.
Hell, it was easier to get access with Gentoo and wpa_supplicant than with XP, although I could never mount my network drive.
I would say it's more newsworthy than Linus or RMS saying something, because everyone always knows what Linus thinks, and RMS never shuts up. It's been a while since I read a quotation from Woz.
why is there no option to tell windows to 'redetect hardware' instead of loading an incorrect SATA driver and immediately BSODing?
I thought that's what Safe Mode was. Man, I'm glad I stopped using Windows as a primary OS. As soon as Wine has better Direct3D support, that partition goes bye-bye.
myriad [mir-ee-uhd] -noun 1. a very great or indefinitely great number of persons or things. 2. ten thousand. -adjective 3. of an indefinitely great number; innumerable: the myriad stars of a summer night. 4. having innumerable phases, aspects, variations, etc.: the myriad mind of Shakespeare. 5. ten thousand.
Sounds like you sell TVs, since that's absolutely fucking ludicrous. My parents have a 37" screen, and watching it from closer than 8 feet makes my eyes dry up. And I'm nearsighted.
I don't think IE has a problem with FTP resources, since it's the file browser too. (Although Windows is embarrassingly lacking an FTP client, so if Explorer doesn't support it, you're SOL.)
The version of Firefox distributed by Ubuntu, and Iceweasel distributed by Debian do not auto-update the browser. The great thing about free software is that you can edit the source code and remove features that you don't want.
Adobe acrobat reader is installed via the package manager on Ubuntu and Gentoo, probably most others. It does not pop up and tell you updates are available.
I'm pretty sure the theme song to CSI is "Who are you?", which was written and recorded by the Who.
As to your material point, a service is generally defined as an action. They got paid when I laid down fucking $18 for their goddamn album. They don't need to be paid every time I listen to it. If I conceive a son while "Let's get it on" is playing, do I need to promise years of service to Motown records on his behalf?
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Building a computer is cheaper than buying a prebuilt computer.
I read this kind of comment on /. all the time, and I think it's bizarre every time I see it.
The market for PCs, both desktops and laptops, is based on function, not type. "Not an all-in-one but cheaper than a high end workstation" is a type of computer, and I think the majority of potential customers don't think like that. They want a computer that can manage their photos, check their e-mail, play games, listen to/buy music, watch movies, edit vacation videos and burn dvds, etc. They buy computers to accomplish tasks. Now, we know that these tasks can be accomplished on pretty much any computer for sale today, but we already know about computers. A Mac comes ready to do all these things pretty much out of the box, and all you have to do is plug in the keyboard and mouse. That's a big deal if you don't think playing with computers is fun.
Your example of buying computers for a lab should point out the blind spot in your reasoning: Most people don't buy computers for a lab. They buy them for the living room, or the den, or whatever. A detailed cost-benefit test for various configurations is a great thing to do if you're buying $50k worth of computers for a lab. If you have $2k to spend on a computer, you go look at computers, compare features, play around with the software. Then you pick one that meets your needs and gives you the minimum headache.
I'm pretty sure Intel integrated graphics aren't for gaming, they're for hardware acceleration of video decoding. No wonder they suck. Meanwhile, I can play h.264 video at 2000kbps with under 5% load on my MacBook.
Yeah, I'm pretty happy with my MacBook's onboard graphics, since I don't play games very often. Not every computer needs to come with a $60-plus discrete graphics card, since not every computer user wants to play WoW, and I'd rather save the money for more exciting things, like rent and food.
(Cue comments about paying extra for a MacBook, especially since I'm not even running OS X. I'm thinking of selling it and getting a year-old Thinkpad or something.)
Firefox is a pig, and Flash is even more of a pig. Epiphany, the default Gnome web browser that no one seems to know about because it isn't installed in *buntu, uses GTK instead of XUL to draw the interface, and is less resource-intensive in my experience, even though it uses Firefox (Gecko actually) to do the rendering. Give that a shot.
Next, convice Adobe to make the Flash decoder free software. Then, a pony.
The Debian installer gives you a choice of optional stuff at the end of the installation, like LAMP server, desktop environment, etc. I believe the FreeBSD installer does the same thing.
If you hadn't noticed, Apple makes a lot of money selling toys.
My MacBook can connect to any network it can see and that I have the key to. Running Windows, however, I couldn't get it to work on my home network. I eventually figured out that I had to download a special update to access WPA2 and WPA2-PSK encrypted networks, because the XP wireless network API doesn't support WPA2 be default; it's left up to the driver makers. At my university, my MacBook can use network resources more easily than most people's XP and Vista laptops, and this is a Windows-everything shop.
Hell, it was easier to get access with Gentoo and wpa_supplicant than with XP, although I could never mount my network drive.
I would say it's more newsworthy than Linus or RMS saying something, because everyone always knows what Linus thinks, and RMS never shuts up. It's been a while since I read a quotation from Woz.
Someday you're going to have to get a job.
why is there no option to tell windows to 'redetect hardware' instead of loading an incorrect SATA driver and immediately BSODing?
I thought that's what Safe Mode was. Man, I'm glad I stopped using Windows as a primary OS. As soon as Wine has better Direct3D support, that partition goes bye-bye.
Yes, in fact you're the first person to be concerned about the security of online data storage.
myriad [mir-ee-uhd]
-noun
1. a very great or indefinitely great number of persons or things.
2. ten thousand.
-adjective
3. of an indefinitely great number; innumerable: the myriad stars of a summer night.
4. having innumerable phases, aspects, variations, etc.: the myriad mind of Shakespeare.
5. ten thousand.
Sounds like you sell TVs, since that's absolutely fucking ludicrous. My parents have a 37" screen, and watching it from closer than 8 feet makes my eyes dry up. And I'm nearsighted.
Oh snap.
I don't think IE has a problem with FTP resources, since it's the file browser too. (Although Windows is embarrassingly lacking an FTP client, so if Explorer doesn't support it, you're SOL.)
-1, Doesn't understand the topic
IT'S NOT A TRUCK!!!
The version of Firefox distributed by Ubuntu, and Iceweasel distributed by Debian do not auto-update the browser. The great thing about free software is that you can edit the source code and remove features that you don't want.
Adobe acrobat reader is installed via the package manager on Ubuntu and Gentoo, probably most others. It does not pop up and tell you updates are available.
It may also shock you that people expect all those funky email forwards to work.
You mean those great VBA attachments?
FUN FACT: Not all children have vaginas.
I'm pretty sure the theme song to CSI is "Who are you?", which was written and recorded by the Who.
As to your material point, a service is generally defined as an action. They got paid when I laid down fucking $18 for their goddamn album. They don't need to be paid every time I listen to it. If I conceive a son while "Let's get it on" is playing, do I need to promise years of service to Motown records on his behalf?
Literally speaking, copyrights are for limited terms. Say today a copyright lasts 50 years. The Supreme Court decides that the term is limited.
...ad infinitum. Funny how that works.
The next year, copyright has been extended to 51 years. SCOTUS says the term is limited.
Copyright covers the expression of ideas, not the ideas themselves.