I'm just tired of hearing the same old tripe trotted out by people who haven't touched a Windows machine since Windows 98 was current and Windows ME was "right around the corner". The statement that you have to reinstall Windows all the time is simply not true in all cases. Some, sure. Most, maybe. Not all.
But it DOES make such great FUD for the linux fanatics, who seem to delight in not having touched a Windows machine since Win98 or WinME, thus giving them the feeling of being superior, which is an important part of being a fanatic of any sort.
Set up GOOD firewall -- Many linux/unix/embedded-whatever solutions for this. Install XP. Turn off all the crap that comes with it. No media player, no system restore, basically nothing. Install Visual Studio. Install Office. Install Firefox. Install Photoshop.
Aside from updates, leave it the hell alone. Keep in mind that keeping XP updated isn't terribly important if you're behind a decent firewall. I also live by the rule that "this update doesn't fix a problem I've run into, so I'm not going to install it" when it comes to Visual Studio, Firefox, and Office updates -- Photoshop usually only gets occassional updates, and I tend to apply them since they've had a history of being well behaved. Yes, I know my machine might not be as secured as possible, but so far the risk has paid off.
VS and Office take care of work related stuff. Photoshop and firefox take care of the hobbies (photography, mostly).
Don't load the machine down with excess crap. Don't do the "install this, oh it sucks, uninstall it, try to clean up after it" routine.
Keep your websurfing to "safe" websites. A few news sites -- cnn, bbc, foxnews (to watch the fundamentalists try to spin things), slashdot. A few tech forums (in my case, msdn mostly). A few other sites I trust for commerce (amazon, newegg, tigerdirect, and the like -- no fly-by-night operations though). A few hobby related forums that are well run. Stay away from myspace, and blogs in general. And keep away from the porn (or at least get it through safer channels than the web -- like a separate, secured machine running a usenet client (ex, $*nix_variety_of_your_choice) sucking down binaries if thats your thing.
I'm in the minority, I guess -- I don't want my life to revolve around my computer. I don't want it to be my dvr, my stereo, my tv, etc. I have hobbies away from the computer, which leads to it being left alone more than the average slashdot reader's machine. I'm also the only user of the machines. I'm also not dumb enough to click on spam and stupid web links. I'm also not a big fan of porn (don't need it, real life is better anyway).
Actually, considering the last bit, I *KNOW* I'm in the minority of slashdot readers.:)
Anyway, there it is, the secret to keeping Win2k and WinXP machines in good shape.
I don't shop at walmart. So if I need anything other than groceries (we do have a local grocery store, but its actually in th next town over, about 3 miles away) I have to drive at minimum, 30 miles. Where I can find a sears hardware, a staples', and a jcpenny's store. And another walmart. If I want something from a Best Buy or Comp USA, etc, I'm driving 130 miles.
None of which really matters to me, I chose to live here, where I can commute to work on a motorcycle getting 50+mpg without tempting a few hundred thousand cagers on the drive in to work. FedEX/UPS/USPS will bring me damn near anything I need other than groceries, which again, the motorcycle lets me do safely and comfortably.
But not everyone lives in a city, and thanks to walmart's ability to drive everything else out of business, there are many places where walmart truely is the only thing in town. And while I know it doesn't really matter to a company the size of walmart, I like to tell myself that every doller I spend elsewhere cuts walmart's ability to expand.
Hmm....I've reinstalled XP on this machine how many times in the last 5 years? Thats right. NONE. The ancient 450mhz K6-2 laptop? NONE. And the Win2k machine in the corner? Yup, NONE. How many times have I used the "rollback" feature? NONE -- that was the first thing I turned off.
Now, the Win95/98/ME line, yeah, those were POS OSs that you had to reinstall every month or so. And I understand Joe-sixpack is more likely to click on random "bad things". But has it occured to you that maybe, just maybe, Windows has improved, and that many (but not all) of the problems aren't from windows, but from the layers of shit that people pile on it (Norton, I'm looking directly at you).
Because you haven't used windows since Win98, please stop spewing lines that are no longer true.
When most people only know windows, their tendency will be to compare other OSs to Windows. Same for MS Office and office suites. Crying foul when its compared to MS, or referring to everything people use as "crap" isn't going to win people over.
I know the more socialist segments (note, segments, not everyone) of the FOSS crowd doesn't like having to compete on merits instead of idealogy, but until FOSS can beat the MS platform on merits, FOSS won't gain general acceptance.
Here's a small lesson the FOSS community needs to learn: Insulting prospective customers doesn't do anything to win them over. This means not referring to MS products as "crap". This means not holding a holier-than-thou attitude when a noob comes to a forum and asks for help. This means keeping your documentation up to date and not assuming everyone will "figure it out" because they have access to all the source code.
Average Joe wants a computer that works. Telling Joe that what he's been happy with for the last X years is "crap" and that $LinuxDistributionOfTheWeek is "better" puts Joe on the defensive right away. Joe needs to be able to ask "how do I get XYZ to work" in a forum without being told to "go RTFM and come back when you know something" when the manual hasn't been updated for 4 releases and no longer applies, or worse, there's multiple versions of the manual and he has to figure out which one he needs.
Our "shop" so to speak is a windows infested place, including the servers, though I think they are at least using windows server 2003. Fortunetly, I don't have to deal with THAT mess.
I know what you mean about win2k being much more responsive. I am willing to give Vista a chance, although it has a lot to overcome before I find it "good". If Beta 2 and RC1 are any indication, it makes XP look stable.:-/
You can call XP whatever you want, I don't really care. I use it because I have to at work and I do work at home. I'll use Vista for the same reasons. If I had my choice I wouldn't.
But its not "backwards compatability" issues of the OS if stuff developed for Vista doesn't work on anything older. THAT is my complaint -- people crying "backwards compatability" when it doesn't freakin apply.
Your XP apps will work on Vista. This is backwards compatability as far as the OS is concerned.
They just don't want your Vista apps to work on XP, but they're not forcing the issue, since you could still target your apps for XP and they'd work in both.
Re:You can't win with the controllers!
on
Will the Wii Work?
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· Score: 1
Again, the hard-core-gamer-mags won't open their eyes that things outside their notions of "good" (consisting entirely of more==better and oooh-shiney) might be successful.
Nintendo has been more consistant in providing enjoyable gameplay and a wide selection of games than the others. Yes, they lack in the FPS category, but again, the hard-core-gamers need to open their eyes and see other categories exist.
The PS2 has been out 5+ years. I still haven't seen any games for it that would compell me to buy a PS2. The Xbox has been out 3+ years, again, nothing compelling as far as gameplay. The Xbox360 has been out almost a year, and there's nothing compelling for it either. All have had varying degrees of "oooh shiney" thats nice to look at, but if I want nice-to-look-at I'll go watch a movie. If I want fun gameplay, right now the solution is the PC or the DS Lite.
Re:Wii-doubting articles - the biggest thing...
on
Will the Wii Work?
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· Score: 1
>The very point of Nintendo's strategy is that the truly dedicated gamer won't be their core audience and in fact only a small fragment of their audience. This seems like a non-issue to me.
But the hard-core-gamer-mags won't admit that. The reviewers are biased towards more==better and the oooh-shiney factor. Since the Wii doesn't fit in their small view of "successful" they'll continue to dismiss it in favor of the Xbox360 and the PS3 that DO fit their need for oooh-shiney.
No, they won't leave your demographic alone until you become another brainless automaton enjoying $pop-star-of-the-week's canned music and bragging about your stupid acts with everyone else on myspace.
Until then, you make great fodder for studies and research grants for psychology students.
I spend much more time gaming now that I'm in the "real world". Then again, I also worked my way through school.
On the whole, though I think you're right....the 18-24 segment is very different than the 25-34 segment. Maybe marketing folks will figure that out when the ps3 flops.
Two of my good friends use satellite, both directions (no phone needed) and both regularly play Guildwars and WoW. I'll agree its not going to be good for twitch-gaming, but it does work just fine for some types of games, and there is more to gaming than twitch FPSs.
Fair enough, though you'd think with modern materials someone could come up with a lightweight mirror. I agree its not a perfect solution, and turning your head is a better one, but it can't hurt to have them.
My motorcycle is required to have mirrors, and does, and I still turn my head, but if nothing else the limited view in the mirror serves as a reminder to look over my shoulder before changing lanes or turning.
Actually, no, I don't speed. I save that for the track.
As for the rest, I was referring to SOME cyclists, not lilo specifically, since I don't know him, or what he was doing. But sadly, the cyclists that I know personally that throw fits about how bad car drivers are are the same ones that act as if they don't have to follow any of the rules of the road. I'm hoping thats not the case in general, but I've found it best to assume the worst and let people surprise me.
Delta is really bad about it - they use the same size limits for carryons but their canadair regional jets don't have the same amount of space in their overhead compartments as their other aircraft do.
By your logic, any vehicle on the road is fail safe. Car breaks? Roll to a stop at the side of the road.
I've had the front tire on my bike blow out on me. Its not pretty, and it certaintly isn't fail-safe. Luckily for me, it wasn't on a road, it was on a bike path around a lake, so I didn't have to worry about being hit by a car.
And while you're right that MOST drivers don't care about cyclists, there are more than a few cyclists that ALSO need an attitude adjustment -- you're on a public road, follow the laws. That means you STOP at stoplights and stopsigns. You signal before you turn. You yield when you need to. To be has cold hearted as you, this needs to be fixed, and if it takes ruining some dumbass cyclist's life, then that's fine with me.
That said - in this case, if it was a hit and run, then hold the driver responsible for the hit and run. We have laws, and courts. We don't need lynch mobs, we have lawyers for that.
Unless you're on some of the short-haul jets (I don't think Virgin Airlines has any) -- its not uncommon for your carry-on baggage to be taken away at the gate and stuffed in the cargo hold and returned to you at the gate when you land.
I never claimed nothing changed. They were closer elections than others in the last two decades. There were more absentee votes than previous elections. There were more people voting than had previously. ALL of these affect exit polling, and the exit poll takers were unable to account for that change.
Just because exit polls "were accurate" in elections that weren't close doesn't mean that using them as incontrivertable proof of fraud isn't fundamentally flawed.
I'm not even a big fan of Japanese games, but still like this news. It means I can try a variety of games without being artifically limited. There have been a couple of Japan-only titles in the past that I would have liked to try out, but without knowing if I'd like them they weren't worth buying a 2nd console to play them.
No, I think the idea of using an exit poll as proof of fraud has a fundamental flaw, and always has, and always will:
It is based on an incomplete data set. Furthermore, how do you account for people who lie and say they voted for Y when they really voted for X, intentionally sabotaging the exit poll?
Until exit polls have some way of verifying that people aren't lying to them, AND manage to poll EVERYONE who votes (including those who vote absentee), logic says there's too much error in the numbers to use them as proof of fraud.
As I said, I'm convinced there were shennanigans from both parties in both 2000 and 2004. But you can't use exit polls as proof.
Slashdot Mirror
Oh I know I'm in the minority.
I'm just tired of hearing the same old tripe trotted out by people who haven't touched a Windows machine since Windows 98 was current and Windows ME was "right around the corner". The statement that you have to reinstall Windows all the time is simply not true in all cases. Some, sure. Most, maybe. Not all.
But it DOES make such great FUD for the linux fanatics, who seem to delight in not having touched a Windows machine since Win98 or WinME, thus giving them the feeling of being superior, which is an important part of being a fanatic of any sort.
Well, ok, I'll share my secrets.
:)
Set up GOOD firewall -- Many linux/unix/embedded-whatever solutions for this.
Install XP. Turn off all the crap that comes with it. No media player, no system restore, basically nothing.
Install Visual Studio.
Install Office.
Install Firefox.
Install Photoshop.
Aside from updates, leave it the hell alone. Keep in mind that keeping XP updated isn't terribly important if you're behind a decent firewall. I also live by the rule that "this update doesn't fix a problem I've run into, so I'm not going to install it" when it comes to Visual Studio, Firefox, and Office updates -- Photoshop usually only gets occassional updates, and I tend to apply them since they've had a history of being well behaved. Yes, I know my machine might not be as secured as possible, but so far the risk has paid off.
VS and Office take care of work related stuff. Photoshop and firefox take care of the hobbies (photography, mostly).
Don't load the machine down with excess crap. Don't do the "install this, oh it sucks, uninstall it, try to clean up after it" routine.
Keep your websurfing to "safe" websites. A few news sites -- cnn, bbc, foxnews (to watch the fundamentalists try to spin things), slashdot. A few tech forums (in my case, msdn mostly). A few other sites I trust for commerce (amazon, newegg, tigerdirect, and the like -- no fly-by-night operations though). A few hobby related forums that are well run. Stay away from myspace, and blogs in general. And keep away from the porn (or at least get it through safer channels than the web -- like a separate, secured machine running a usenet client (ex, $*nix_variety_of_your_choice) sucking down binaries if thats your thing.
I'm in the minority, I guess -- I don't want my life to revolve around my computer. I don't want it to be my dvr, my stereo, my tv, etc. I have hobbies away from the computer, which leads to it being left alone more than the average slashdot reader's machine. I'm also the only user of the machines. I'm also not dumb enough to click on spam and stupid web links. I'm also not a big fan of porn (don't need it, real life is better anyway).
Actually, considering the last bit, I *KNOW* I'm in the minority of slashdot readers.
Anyway, there it is, the secret to keeping Win2k and WinXP machines in good shape.
Don't count on it.
I don't shop at walmart. So if I need anything other than groceries (we do have a local grocery store, but its actually in th next town over, about 3 miles away) I have to drive at minimum, 30 miles. Where I can find a sears hardware, a staples', and a jcpenny's store. And another walmart. If I want something from a Best Buy or Comp USA, etc, I'm driving 130 miles.
None of which really matters to me, I chose to live here, where I can commute to work on a motorcycle getting 50+mpg without tempting a few hundred thousand cagers on the drive in to work. FedEX/UPS/USPS will bring me damn near anything I need other than groceries, which again, the motorcycle lets me do safely and comfortably.
But not everyone lives in a city, and thanks to walmart's ability to drive everything else out of business, there are many places where walmart truely is the only thing in town. And while I know it doesn't really matter to a company the size of walmart, I like to tell myself that every doller I spend elsewhere cuts walmart's ability to expand.
Hmm....I've reinstalled XP on this machine how many times in the last 5 years? Thats right. NONE. The ancient 450mhz K6-2 laptop? NONE. And the Win2k machine in the corner? Yup, NONE. How many times have I used the "rollback" feature? NONE -- that was the first thing I turned off.
Now, the Win95/98/ME line, yeah, those were POS OSs that you had to reinstall every month or so. And I understand Joe-sixpack is more likely to click on random "bad things". But has it occured to you that maybe, just maybe, Windows has improved, and that many (but not all) of the problems aren't from windows, but from the layers of shit that people pile on it (Norton, I'm looking directly at you).
Because you haven't used windows since Win98, please stop spewing lines that are no longer true.
When most people only know windows, their tendency will be to compare other OSs to Windows. Same for MS Office and office suites. Crying foul when its compared to MS, or referring to everything people use as "crap" isn't going to win people over.
I know the more socialist segments (note, segments, not everyone) of the FOSS crowd doesn't like having to compete on merits instead of idealogy, but until FOSS can beat the MS platform on merits, FOSS won't gain general acceptance.
Here's a small lesson the FOSS community needs to learn: Insulting prospective customers doesn't do anything to win them over. This means not referring to MS products as "crap". This means not holding a holier-than-thou attitude when a noob comes to a forum and asks for help. This means keeping your documentation up to date and not assuming everyone will "figure it out" because they have access to all the source code.
Average Joe wants a computer that works. Telling Joe that what he's been happy with for the last X years is "crap" and that $LinuxDistributionOfTheWeek is "better" puts Joe on the defensive right away. Joe needs to be able to ask "how do I get XYZ to work" in a forum without being told to "go RTFM and come back when you know something" when the manual hasn't been updated for 4 releases and no longer applies, or worse, there's multiple versions of the manual and he has to figure out which one he needs.
Our "shop" so to speak is a windows infested place, including the servers, though I think they are at least using windows server 2003. Fortunetly, I don't have to deal with THAT mess.
:-/
I know what you mean about win2k being much more responsive. I am willing to give Vista a chance, although it has a lot to overcome before I find it "good". If Beta 2 and RC1 are any indication, it makes XP look stable.
You can call XP whatever you want, I don't really care. I use it because I have to at work and I do work at home. I'll use Vista for the same reasons. If I had my choice I wouldn't.
But its not "backwards compatability" issues of the OS if stuff developed for Vista doesn't work on anything older. THAT is my complaint -- people crying "backwards compatability" when it doesn't freakin apply.
Thats not what they're talking about here.
Your XP apps will work on Vista. This is backwards compatability as far as the OS is concerned.
They just don't want your Vista apps to work on XP, but they're not forcing the issue, since you could still target your apps for XP and they'd work in both.
Again, the hard-core-gamer-mags won't open their eyes that things outside their notions of "good" (consisting entirely of more==better and oooh-shiney) might be successful.
Nintendo has been more consistant in providing enjoyable gameplay and a wide selection of games than the others. Yes, they lack in the FPS category, but again, the hard-core-gamers need to open their eyes and see other categories exist.
The PS2 has been out 5+ years. I still haven't seen any games for it that would compell me to buy a PS2. The Xbox has been out 3+ years, again, nothing compelling as far as gameplay. The Xbox360 has been out almost a year, and there's nothing compelling for it either. All have had varying degrees of "oooh shiney" thats nice to look at, but if I want nice-to-look-at I'll go watch a movie. If I want fun gameplay, right now the solution is the PC or the DS Lite.
>The very point of Nintendo's strategy is that the truly dedicated gamer won't be their core audience and in fact only a small fragment of their audience. This seems like a non-issue to me.
But the hard-core-gamer-mags won't admit that. The reviewers are biased towards more==better and the oooh-shiney factor. Since the Wii doesn't fit in their small view of "successful" they'll continue to dismiss it in favor of the Xbox360 and the PS3 that DO fit their need for oooh-shiney.
No, they won't leave your demographic alone until you become another brainless automaton enjoying $pop-star-of-the-week's canned music and bragging about your stupid acts with everyone else on myspace.
Until then, you make great fodder for studies and research grants for psychology students.
Well, I'll be the odd one.
I spend much more time gaming now that I'm in the "real world". Then again, I also worked my way through school.
On the whole, though I think you're right....the 18-24 segment is very different than the 25-34 segment. Maybe marketing folks will figure that out when the ps3 flops.
My family has figured out that I don't do tech support.
Two of my good friends use satellite, both directions (no phone needed) and both regularly play Guildwars and WoW. I'll agree its not going to be good for twitch-gaming, but it does work just fine for some types of games, and there is more to gaming than twitch FPSs.
Fair enough, though you'd think with modern materials someone could come up with a lightweight mirror. I agree its not a perfect solution, and turning your head is a better one, but it can't hurt to have them.
My motorcycle is required to have mirrors, and does, and I still turn my head, but if nothing else the limited view in the mirror serves as a reminder to look over my shoulder before changing lanes or turning.
Thats exactly what the problem is, and I'd made that point in other posts, I just forgot to in this one.
In any case, well said.
Actually, no, I don't speed. I save that for the track.
As for the rest, I was referring to SOME cyclists, not lilo specifically, since I don't know him, or what he was doing. But sadly, the cyclists that I know personally that throw fits about how bad car drivers are are the same ones that act as if they don't have to follow any of the rules of the road. I'm hoping thats not the case in general, but I've found it best to assume the worst and let people surprise me.
Delta is really bad about it - they use the same size limits for carryons but their canadair regional jets don't have the same amount of space in their overhead compartments as their other aircraft do.
Poor planning, really.
By your logic, any vehicle on the road is fail safe. Car breaks? Roll to a stop at the side of the road.
I've had the front tire on my bike blow out on me. Its not pretty, and it certaintly isn't fail-safe. Luckily for me, it wasn't on a road, it was on a bike path around a lake, so I didn't have to worry about being hit by a car.
And while you're right that MOST drivers don't care about cyclists, there are more than a few cyclists that ALSO need an attitude adjustment -- you're on a public road, follow the laws. That means you STOP at stoplights and stopsigns. You signal before you turn. You yield when you need to. To be has cold hearted as you, this needs to be fixed, and if it takes ruining some dumbass cyclist's life, then that's fine with me.
That said - in this case, if it was a hit and run, then hold the driver responsible for the hit and run. We have laws, and courts. We don't need lynch mobs, we have lawyers for that.
What kind of bike are you riding than a half-pound of weight on EACH side "unbalances the handlebars and makes it harder to steer"?
Just curious, because I've never seen a bike designed in such a way.
Unless you're on some of the short-haul jets (I don't think Virgin Airlines has any) -- its not uncommon for your carry-on baggage to be taken away at the gate and stuffed in the cargo hold and returned to you at the gate when you land.
I never claimed nothing changed. They were closer elections than others in the last two decades. There were more absentee votes than previous elections. There were more people voting than had previously. ALL of these affect exit polling, and the exit poll takers were unable to account for that change.
Just because exit polls "were accurate" in elections that weren't close doesn't mean that using them as incontrivertable proof of fraud isn't fundamentally flawed.
But hey, curse away if it makes you feel better.
When that happens, the slashdot conversion to digg will be complete.
I'm not even a big fan of Japanese games, but still like this news. It means I can try a variety of games without being artifically limited. There have been a couple of Japan-only titles in the past that I would have liked to try out, but without knowing if I'd like them they weren't worth buying a 2nd console to play them.
No, I think the idea of using an exit poll as proof of fraud has a fundamental flaw, and always has, and always will:
It is based on an incomplete data set. Furthermore, how do you account for people who lie and say they voted for Y when they really voted for X, intentionally sabotaging the exit poll?
Until exit polls have some way of verifying that people aren't lying to them, AND manage to poll EVERYONE who votes (including those who vote absentee), logic says there's too much error in the numbers to use them as proof of fraud.
As I said, I'm convinced there were shennanigans from both parties in both 2000 and 2004. But you can't use exit polls as proof.