As I recall, those mom and pop stores charged much more, were only open during business hours (when I was at work!), and didn't give good service. We went there because they were the only choice, and put up with the bad service.
WalMart may not be great, but they are open 24 hours a day, cheap, and they make their help smile and pretend to care.
There were exceptions to the above. Small stores that gave great service. They are still around though.
Maybe, maybe not. If Samsung (or whoever) opens their books and shows everyone that because of this deal they can make the chips at a profit, accounting for R&D and the cost of the factory (Remember that this contrat assures that they have so many chips that will be sold, so there is less risk of the chips going obsolete before those are paid for), that is end of story to me. If nobody else can do so at those prices, well too bad for them.
If Samsung opens the books, and it turns out they are selling for less than their costs, there is a problem, because they can drive their competition out of business, and then raise prices to make a lot of money. This is only a profit though, I don't have a problem with first time customer deals and the like, so long as they are not a monopoly.
Actually a monopoly is the only concern. So long as other companies are making chips, I don't care what they do to sell more. So the only true gage of concern is AFTER they have become a monopoly, but it is too late then.
Federal law prohibits anyone from competing on First Class mail. FedEx has a plan on how they will do first class mail if that monopoly is lifted. (I think UPS does too)
FedEx and the USPS work together on other packages. FedEx even subcontracts shipping of first class packages. However only the USPS is allowed to take and deliver first class packages.
Since the USPS went semi-private (they are still run by the government, but much less than it used to be) they have also managed to not lose money, which is good for the taxpayer. However they still have a monopoly on first class mail. UPS and FedEX do not take first class mail, they take packages, and overnight letters, both of which are not first class.
As a consumer I demand the same rates in TinyTown and Megalopolis. Now I don't care what you charge the 100 residents of tinytown (I'm thinking one of many similar towns across the US). As a resident of Megalopolis I just want my phone to work at no extra charge no matter where I happen to be. If my travels take me to TinyTown, I want my phone to work.
Once you have a tower in tinyTown to serve me, it costs you more to setup a different billingplan for those residents who also want a phone, so you are better off giving them the same rates. I don't care much. Though if I find you are charging my friend in tonyTown (Remember there are thousands of TinyTowns that I might have a friend in) more than you charge me, but you have a competitor with the same rates and service, I'll go to your competitor out of sympathy.
The company I work for does an embedded system based on FreeBSD. The prototypes used linux at first, but sending out source code for the kernel is a pain that we didn't want to get involved with. FreeBSD is much easier because we don't have to worry about giving source code to anyone who asks for it. In the process of testing with FreeBSD we found a kernel bug, and submitted a patch. We may have done the same for Linux (If there was a bug that we found), but we will not now.
Note that you need to be very careful in reading the above. Our not using linux is not harmful to linux, but it isn't helpful either. It just is. My example is only where GPL is harmful to linux's market share, which is a very different thing than harmful to linux itself.
I think most of the linux developers will look at my example and say "I don't care at all what you do" (We are not paying them either way). A small minority will say "I dislike the GPL because it drives people like you away, but linux is better for me so I work with it anyway."
It isn't that bad. True ethanol has less energy per gallon, compared to gasoline. However ethanol is higher octane than gasoline. If you are intelligent about taking advantage of this, you don't loose anything. SAAB has demonstrated a car that gets the same milage, and 50 more horsepower when running on E85, over regular gasoline.
I have also heard of bad conversion to E-85, where you burn just as much gasoline as you did before, even though your fuel is only 15% gasoline. However if you are intelligent about the conversion you won't have this problem.
Most people do see a small drop in fuel efficiency when going from E-85 to gasoline (In OEM flex fuel cars). However it is less than the loss you would expect by mathematically calculating based on less energy.
No, because with gradual breaking start slowing down sooner, thus you are not "full throttle" (really part throttle) as long. Most people who don't gradual break are "full throttle" until the last second, then hard breaks. If you see the red light ahead, take your foot off the gas, but don't touch the breaks until the last second you get just as good milage. (Perhaps better, some engines can shut the fuel off when coasting in gear because the car is keeping the engine turning, while when slow breaking your car has to get out of gear sooner because the engine is turning the wheels)
A gun is far more likely to be used for survival (hunting) than for self-defense. A.22 isn't enough to kill a man, but will have no problem taking down a rabbit. You can live on rabbits for a long time if that is all you have.
Silk works nicely as well. More expensive though, particularly when you want thickness.
Modern replacements are often bad. Many melt quickly when exposed to heat, while natural materials tend to slowly heat up and smolder, but not really burn for a while. This is a good thing if fire will be part of your survival plan (to cook on). The other problem is they give them names like "thinsulate", which makes people think just a thin layer is all you need for all your warmth. When I get thinsilate gloves they are warmer than anything else, but thin thinsilate is colder than wet cotton.
DO not take the above is a blanket rule. Than space blanket is useful, even though it is modern. I like neoprene for working in water, but I wouldn't want it on land.
Look around, figure out what you will face if/when you have to leave. Traveling 1000 miles is not something you can do so don't plan too hard for conditions that are 1000 miles away. Look at what your local wild areas are like and plan to survive there. If you live in a desert you need water, and and idea of where to find more. If you live in a swamp you might need alegator protection of some sort, but there is plenty of water (but you might need to purify it!) so you can carry less.
I'm cheap. I admit that flat out. I have no interest in pay $40+ for a game, any game no matter how good. I have no interest in paying $20 for a junk game.
Go ahead, charge what you want for the popular games when they come out. Lower the prices when sales drop off. I'm in no hurry, I'd rather have a new game (on a disk that isn't scratched), than a used one, but not at your prices. If I knew the game was going to come down I'd wait, and you would at least get something from me.
Now maybe you don't want my money. Fine with me, I'll buy books instead, a paperback is a lot less than a game anyway. (Though in fact I'd pay more for books than games, but I'm weird that way)
When there is no option to get your products at a price I'm willing to pay, don't be surprised when I don't buy. This is basic economics, as price goes up, demand goes down. Apply the rules as you wish.
They won't put the places I shop on line out of business. I shop at bookstores on line for books I can't get at my local bookstore. I buy gear on line that I can't get stocked locally. Specialty retailers will do just fine, (once they get this system figured out, which will be hard because they are small) it is the big box store at your computer that will have problems.
I'm not sure about the last either though. There is an internet grocer in my town, who already charges more than the local place. They have deliver to my door twice a week, so many people use them so they don't have to go out.
To re-echo the other guy: you forgot the most important point: instant gratification.
I needed a new outboard motor (The float is stuck in the carburetor of my 1951, and I'd prefer a 4-stroke anyway. I'll rebuild the carburetor but I can't do that in minutes), I paid an extra $100 because they only had the camouflage model in stock. I could have drove elsewhere and bought it, I could have ordered it on line, but I wanted it now. Getting it now was worth paying the price for a paint job that will soon scratch off.
In fact I often buy things in local stores that I can get on line for less.
Many of those secret licenses are illegal - Microsoft is a monopoly, and court orders have in the past barred such things. I don't know the details, but in general if they claim Microsoft won't let them do something, you should check with the courts.
Re:how many people actually _like_ windows?
on
Pepping Up Windows
·
· Score: 1
I'm not in love. FreeBSD works the way I want my computer to work, so that is what I use. I was never required to use any version of Microsoft Windows for my daily use, so I never learned. When I go to windows I'm cramped because I can't get focus follow mouse, and other quirks about Unix that are different. (Not necessarily better or worse, but different)
Back in the mid 90s I liked that my computer didn't crash, and was more secure. I'm honest about it though, today Windows is just as good in those areas. However it doesn't work the way I want my computers to work, and since there is no pressing need to switch (and it would cost money if I did), I don't.
To continue your analogy, there are different types of hammers. If you use a ball-peen hammer for nails, the company is not liable if the hammer breaks and a chip takes out your eye (this has happened, though I don't know if it has gone to court). A ball-peen hammer is sold for the purpose of hitting metal of a different hardness than nails. They are protected.
If the same company sells are nail hammer, and you use it on nails and it breaks, they are liable despite their warning.
Products must be fit for a purpose to be sold. When Windows is sold as "not to be used for mission critical applications", Microsoft is saying that it is suitable for use so long as mistakes are not deadly.
What is legal is governed by laws. There are many laws that say you cannot sign away some rights. Exactly what these are vary from area to area.
Example, if you sign a contract that would turn you into a slave, that contract is not valid, even if it can be prooven that you fully understood exactly what the contract meant.
Courts will throw out anything that stands in their way. Waivers of liability only count as much as the court wants it to - with respect to local law, precedence, and higher courts. When they will throw various clauses varies based on how bad the damage is. If a product kills a consumer because it was faulty they will throw out all liability limitations. (But if this was first human test in medicine and the product turns out to kill 1 in 30 there would be none because it is clear that the subjects should know it is a test).
In short, the limits of liability are mostly wishful thinking. Courts generally will not award damages for something you should have known was dangerous. (Which is why we have a lot of warning labels) If you had reason to expect that something was safe, a vague limit of liability is unlikely to be enough to protect you. (That is why there are many warning labels, not just 1 'this machine is dangerous' label) Though the limit might reduce the liability a little.
IANAL, Remember to check with a lawyer in your area if this is important to you.
My cell phone in the US works in 50 states, at no extra charge for roaming or long distance. Each of these states is equivalent in size to a European country. (not exactly of course, but close enough for my example)
We also have completely different billing. We pay a flat rate for all phone calls, both incoming and outgoing, and typically more time is included than we actually use.
By contrast in Europe you have many different countries, each either their own network. Cross a border (which is about as easy as crossing a state line for us) and you are paying roaming in many cases, while we do not in the US. (Plans were this is roaming exist, but nobody I know has this anymore) You also have a caller pays model, so there is no incentive to keep the cost of calling a cell phone down.
What this means is that changing a SIM card is something I can do in theory, but in practice there is no reason to ever do that, so I don't. In Europe there is good reason you would want to change your SIM card, so you do it.
When I was in Europe people asked how to contact me, so I gave them my cell number (company phone, number was from France while I was in Spain), and they all said "no, your hotel number". In the US nobody thought it a big deal to call me on my cell phone, even when it was an out of state number.
Note that I'm only presenting half the story. There are benefits to Europe's way of doing things - or so they claim (I don't like it, but that might be just what I'm used to). Before repeating any argument you would do well to find the rest of the facts as I do not have them all.
What word processor are you using now that guarantees everyone can open your document? Inside your company you can standardize on anything and it will work. I know companies who cannot read Microsoft Word documents, because they are still using WordPerfect 5.1 on dos!
Send a document to me in Microsoft Word format and it is hit or miss. Microsoft word does not run on FreeBSD, so I use Koffice (which is better than open office IMHO), but it cannot open everything. Like all good open source it is getting better every day, but you are taking a chance if you want to communicate with me and send a Word Document. In fact I will often just hit delete rather than open a Word Document, even at work where I have Microsoft Word installed on a windows machine. That is just me though.
OpenDoc is the closest to a universal format we have. It isn't perfect, but it is good enough for almost everyone which is why almost every company is switching to it - except Microsoft.
Open Source does not copy the Microsoft look and feel. We support themes that are very flexable.
However Microsoft spend a lot of money (as did Apple), on UI design. The Microsoft look and feel is close to what we use by default because all the money has not found anything better, and so far we have not either. Tries have been made to implement something else, but so far none have been better, and most were significantly worse.
The copy isn't exact, where Microsoft made mistakes Open Source is better. Where there are alternatives Open Source gives you a choice. Thus my 'start' menu button extends all the way in the lower left corner, not stopping a little away, and my window manger does focus follows mouse.
Note too that all Open Source Window systems provide a virtual desktop (Or at least all I have seen), while Microsoft still doesn't. (actually they do, but it is in some advance pack where nobody can find it)
Frankly I don't think there will be any significant changes in UI until speech recognition becomes useful. Windows3.0/MacOs1.0 was not perfect, but they got most of the details right. Little has changed since then on the UI front.
RIGHT NOW get everyone together and learn safety. There is a great need for people who know how to operate chain saws. Someone who doesn't know how to opporate a chain saw will cut (until they blade goes dull) as much wood that someone who does, but they are also likely to cut things like their leg. The hospitals down there do not need to re-attach legs, so make sure it doesn't happen.
There are special chain-saw pants and shirts, wear them. They are hot, so drink plenty of water and trade off.
There is a reason they put small gas tanks on a chainsaw: after using a cup of gas you need to rest, and the blade needs to be sharpened. Learn how to sharpen the blade. Also learn how to mix the gas (all chain saws are 2-cycle, so you can't use pump gas).
A chainsaw is the most obvious danger, but it isn't the only one. You may be working in hazardous waste.
Be willing to work hard. I hope you are in good physical shape. If not start getting in shape now, so you can handle being on your feet working physically all day. You are grunt labor, the only thinking you should do (Unless you have experience in something they need, then look for areas to help in that!) is is this safe.
Leave the unhealthy home. Bring the teens. If there is a retired person offering to help have that person cover a shift at the local McDonald's for a kid (pay goes to the kid), though this can be hard to work out. I bring this up because the elderly are often have the time to help, but their body is failing so they are least useful.
Sure: Hey Jackie Cleason, you do not know exactly where that ball is going, nor do you know exactly where it is.
Of course his response (if he understands physics) is: That is okay, because I don't need something exact. I know an average to enough precision for my needs.
Actually it is the opposite - a good application of a manual. Manual transmissions still get better milage and handle torque better than automatics, when all else is equal. A computer can shift the manual exactly when required, (in fact that is what an automatic is, a fluid computer that shifts gears) with no issue that it takes a hand that should be on the wheel or some such. So why not put in a manual transmission and get those benefits?
Note that I qualified things with when all else is equal. Autos sell better, so more money is put into their development. They have come really close to manuals in the real world. Manufactures will often just slap any manual they can make fit into a car, while designing an automatic for that car, thus you can often buy cars that do better with the automatic, but that is not a reflection on the transmission, it is a reflection on their cheapness.
Some manufactures are designing automatics that are really manuals, but the computer controls the clutch and gears, so the interface looks like an automatic. This is the best of both worlds. (But modern autos are so good anyway that I don't think this has gone into general production)
Unless your background is from Europe (I'm not sure which parts - Germany is one, but not all areas of Europe count), you cannot drink milk as an adult. No Ice Cream, nothing - it is not safe. Odds are this area was not in Europe, so milk was a (mild) poison to the people!
Most rural Mid-westerns would try Sushi once. May or may not like it, but they have eaten worse.
I have used KDE 3 on a 200 mhz machine. Works fine, so long as you have enough RAM. You can't run all applications, but for general use this machine is plenty fast.
Slashdot Mirror
As I recall, those mom and pop stores charged much more, were only open during business hours (when I was at work!), and didn't give good service. We went there because they were the only choice, and put up with the bad service.
WalMart may not be great, but they are open 24 hours a day, cheap, and they make their help smile and pretend to care.
There were exceptions to the above. Small stores that gave great service. They are still around though.
Maybe, maybe not. If Samsung (or whoever) opens their books and shows everyone that because of this deal they can make the chips at a profit, accounting for R&D and the cost of the factory (Remember that this contrat assures that they have so many chips that will be sold, so there is less risk of the chips going obsolete before those are paid for), that is end of story to me. If nobody else can do so at those prices, well too bad for them.
If Samsung opens the books, and it turns out they are selling for less than their costs, there is a problem, because they can drive their competition out of business, and then raise prices to make a lot of money. This is only a profit though, I don't have a problem with first time customer deals and the like, so long as they are not a monopoly.
Actually a monopoly is the only concern. So long as other companies are making chips, I don't care what they do to sell more. So the only true gage of concern is AFTER they have become a monopoly, but it is too late then.
True, but less and less true every day. Verizon, Cingular, and T-Mobil are buying companies out (and merging) all over to get service under the name.
Federal law prohibits anyone from competing on First Class mail. FedEx has a plan on how they will do first class mail if that monopoly is lifted. (I think UPS does too)
FedEx and the USPS work together on other packages. FedEx even subcontracts shipping of first class packages. However only the USPS is allowed to take and deliver first class packages.
Since the USPS went semi-private (they are still run by the government, but much less than it used to be) they have also managed to not lose money, which is good for the taxpayer. However they still have a monopoly on first class mail. UPS and FedEX do not take first class mail, they take packages, and overnight letters, both of which are not first class.
As a consumer I demand the same rates in TinyTown and Megalopolis. Now I don't care what you charge the 100 residents of tinytown (I'm thinking one of many similar towns across the US). As a resident of Megalopolis I just want my phone to work at no extra charge no matter where I happen to be. If my travels take me to TinyTown, I want my phone to work.
Once you have a tower in tinyTown to serve me, it costs you more to setup a different billingplan for those residents who also want a phone, so you are better off giving them the same rates. I don't care much. Though if I find you are charging my friend in tonyTown (Remember there are thousands of TinyTowns that I might have a friend in) more than you charge me, but you have a competitor with the same rates and service, I'll go to your competitor out of sympathy.
The company I work for does an embedded system based on FreeBSD. The prototypes used linux at first, but sending out source code for the kernel is a pain that we didn't want to get involved with. FreeBSD is much easier because we don't have to worry about giving source code to anyone who asks for it. In the process of testing with FreeBSD we found a kernel bug, and submitted a patch. We may have done the same for Linux (If there was a bug that we found), but we will not now.
Note that you need to be very careful in reading the above. Our not using linux is not harmful to linux, but it isn't helpful either. It just is. My example is only where GPL is harmful to linux's market share, which is a very different thing than harmful to linux itself.
I think most of the linux developers will look at my example and say "I don't care at all what you do" (We are not paying them either way). A small minority will say "I dislike the GPL because it drives people like you away, but linux is better for me so I work with it anyway."
It isn't that bad. True ethanol has less energy per gallon, compared to gasoline. However ethanol is higher octane than gasoline. If you are intelligent about taking advantage of this, you don't loose anything. SAAB has demonstrated a car that gets the same milage, and 50 more horsepower when running on E85, over regular gasoline.
I have also heard of bad conversion to E-85, where you burn just as much gasoline as you did before, even though your fuel is only 15% gasoline. However if you are intelligent about the conversion you won't have this problem.
Most people do see a small drop in fuel efficiency when going from E-85 to gasoline (In OEM flex fuel cars). However it is less than the loss you would expect by mathematically calculating based on less energy.
No, because with gradual breaking start slowing down sooner, thus you are not "full throttle" (really part throttle) as long. Most people who don't gradual break are "full throttle" until the last second, then hard breaks. If you see the red light ahead, take your foot off the gas, but don't touch the breaks until the last second you get just as good milage. (Perhaps better, some engines can shut the fuel off when coasting in gear because the car is keeping the engine turning, while when slow breaking your car has to get out of gear sooner because the engine is turning the wheels)
A gun is far more likely to be used for survival (hunting) than for self-defense. A .22 isn't enough to kill a man, but will have no problem taking down a rabbit. You can live on rabbits for a long time if that is all you have.
Silk works nicely as well. More expensive though, particularly when you want thickness.
Modern replacements are often bad. Many melt quickly when exposed to heat, while natural materials tend to slowly heat up and smolder, but not really burn for a while. This is a good thing if fire will be part of your survival plan (to cook on). The other problem is they give them names like "thinsulate", which makes people think just a thin layer is all you need for all your warmth. When I get thinsilate gloves they are warmer than anything else, but thin thinsilate is colder than wet cotton.
DO not take the above is a blanket rule. Than space blanket is useful, even though it is modern. I like neoprene for working in water, but I wouldn't want it on land.
Look around, figure out what you will face if/when you have to leave. Traveling 1000 miles is not something you can do so don't plan too hard for conditions that are 1000 miles away. Look at what your local wild areas are like and plan to survive there. If you live in a desert you need water, and and idea of where to find more. If you live in a swamp you might need alegator protection of some sort, but there is plenty of water (but you might need to purify it!) so you can carry less.
I'm cheap. I admit that flat out. I have no interest in pay $40+ for a game, any game no matter how good. I have no interest in paying $20 for a junk game.
Go ahead, charge what you want for the popular games when they come out. Lower the prices when sales drop off. I'm in no hurry, I'd rather have a new game (on a disk that isn't scratched), than a used one, but not at your prices. If I knew the game was going to come down I'd wait, and you would at least get something from me.
Now maybe you don't want my money. Fine with me, I'll buy books instead, a paperback is a lot less than a game anyway. (Though in fact I'd pay more for books than games, but I'm weird that way)
When there is no option to get your products at a price I'm willing to pay, don't be surprised when I don't buy. This is basic economics, as price goes up, demand goes down. Apply the rules as you wish.
They won't put the places I shop on line out of business. I shop at bookstores on line for books I can't get at my local bookstore. I buy gear on line that I can't get stocked locally. Specialty retailers will do just fine, (once they get this system figured out, which will be hard because they are small) it is the big box store at your computer that will have problems.
I'm not sure about the last either though. There is an internet grocer in my town, who already charges more than the local place. They have deliver to my door twice a week, so many people use them so they don't have to go out.
To re-echo the other guy: you forgot the most important point: instant gratification.
I needed a new outboard motor (The float is stuck in the carburetor of my 1951, and I'd prefer a 4-stroke anyway. I'll rebuild the carburetor but I can't do that in minutes), I paid an extra $100 because they only had the camouflage model in stock. I could have drove elsewhere and bought it, I could have ordered it on line, but I wanted it now. Getting it now was worth paying the price for a paint job that will soon scratch off.
In fact I often buy things in local stores that I can get on line for less.
Many of those secret licenses are illegal - Microsoft is a monopoly, and court orders have in the past barred such things. I don't know the details, but in general if they claim Microsoft won't let them do something, you should check with the courts.
I'm not in love. FreeBSD works the way I want my computer to work, so that is what I use. I was never required to use any version of Microsoft Windows for my daily use, so I never learned. When I go to windows I'm cramped because I can't get focus follow mouse, and other quirks about Unix that are different. (Not necessarily better or worse, but different)
Back in the mid 90s I liked that my computer didn't crash, and was more secure. I'm honest about it though, today Windows is just as good in those areas. However it doesn't work the way I want my computers to work, and since there is no pressing need to switch (and it would cost money if I did), I don't.
To continue your analogy, there are different types of hammers. If you use a ball-peen hammer for nails, the company is not liable if the hammer breaks and a chip takes out your eye (this has happened, though I don't know if it has gone to court). A ball-peen hammer is sold for the purpose of hitting metal of a different hardness than nails. They are protected.
If the same company sells are nail hammer, and you use it on nails and it breaks, they are liable despite their warning.
Products must be fit for a purpose to be sold. When Windows is sold as "not to be used for mission critical applications", Microsoft is saying that it is suitable for use so long as mistakes are not deadly.
What is legal is governed by laws. There are many laws that say you cannot sign away some rights. Exactly what these are vary from area to area.
Example, if you sign a contract that would turn you into a slave, that contract is not valid, even if it can be prooven that you fully understood exactly what the contract meant.
Courts will throw out anything that stands in their way. Waivers of liability only count as much as the court wants it to - with respect to local law, precedence, and higher courts. When they will throw various clauses varies based on how bad the damage is. If a product kills a consumer because it was faulty they will throw out all liability limitations. (But if this was first human test in medicine and the product turns out to kill 1 in 30 there would be none because it is clear that the subjects should know it is a test).
In short, the limits of liability are mostly wishful thinking. Courts generally will not award damages for something you should have known was dangerous. (Which is why we have a lot of warning labels) If you had reason to expect that something was safe, a vague limit of liability is unlikely to be enough to protect you. (That is why there are many warning labels, not just 1 'this machine is dangerous' label) Though the limit might reduce the liability a little.
IANAL, Remember to check with a lawyer in your area if this is important to you.
My cell phone in the US works in 50 states, at no extra charge for roaming or long distance. Each of these states is equivalent in size to a European country. (not exactly of course, but close enough for my example)
We also have completely different billing. We pay a flat rate for all phone calls, both incoming and outgoing, and typically more time is included than we actually use.
By contrast in Europe you have many different countries, each either their own network. Cross a border (which is about as easy as crossing a state line for us) and you are paying roaming in many cases, while we do not in the US. (Plans were this is roaming exist, but nobody I know has this anymore) You also have a caller pays model, so there is no incentive to keep the cost of calling a cell phone down.
What this means is that changing a SIM card is something I can do in theory, but in practice there is no reason to ever do that, so I don't. In Europe there is good reason you would want to change your SIM card, so you do it.
When I was in Europe people asked how to contact me, so I gave them my cell number (company phone, number was from France while I was in Spain), and they all said "no, your hotel number". In the US nobody thought it a big deal to call me on my cell phone, even when it was an out of state number.
Note that I'm only presenting half the story. There are benefits to Europe's way of doing things - or so they claim (I don't like it, but that might be just what I'm used to). Before repeating any argument you would do well to find the rest of the facts as I do not have them all.
What word processor are you using now that guarantees everyone can open your document? Inside your company you can standardize on anything and it will work. I know companies who cannot read Microsoft Word documents, because they are still using WordPerfect 5.1 on dos!
Send a document to me in Microsoft Word format and it is hit or miss. Microsoft word does not run on FreeBSD, so I use Koffice (which is better than open office IMHO), but it cannot open everything. Like all good open source it is getting better every day, but you are taking a chance if you want to communicate with me and send a Word Document. In fact I will often just hit delete rather than open a Word Document, even at work where I have Microsoft Word installed on a windows machine. That is just me though.
OpenDoc is the closest to a universal format we have. It isn't perfect, but it is good enough for almost everyone which is why almost every company is switching to it - except Microsoft.
Open Source does not copy the Microsoft look and feel. We support themes that are very flexable.
However Microsoft spend a lot of money (as did Apple), on UI design. The Microsoft look and feel is close to what we use by default because all the money has not found anything better, and so far we have not either. Tries have been made to implement something else, but so far none have been better, and most were significantly worse.
The copy isn't exact, where Microsoft made mistakes Open Source is better. Where there are alternatives Open Source gives you a choice. Thus my 'start' menu button extends all the way in the lower left corner, not stopping a little away, and my window manger does focus follows mouse.
Note too that all Open Source Window systems provide a virtual desktop (Or at least all I have seen), while Microsoft still doesn't. (actually they do, but it is in some advance pack where nobody can find it)
Frankly I don't think there will be any significant changes in UI until speech recognition becomes useful. Windows3.0/MacOs1.0 was not perfect, but they got most of the details right. Little has changed since then on the UI front.
RIGHT NOW get everyone together and learn safety. There is a great need for people who know how to operate chain saws. Someone who doesn't know how to opporate a chain saw will cut (until they blade goes dull) as much wood that someone who does, but they are also likely to cut things like their leg. The hospitals down there do not need to re-attach legs, so make sure it doesn't happen.
There are special chain-saw pants and shirts, wear them. They are hot, so drink plenty of water and trade off.
There is a reason they put small gas tanks on a chainsaw: after using a cup of gas you need to rest, and the blade needs to be sharpened. Learn how to sharpen the blade. Also learn how to mix the gas (all chain saws are 2-cycle, so you can't use pump gas).
A chainsaw is the most obvious danger, but it isn't the only one. You may be working in hazardous waste.
Be willing to work hard. I hope you are in good physical shape. If not start getting in shape now, so you can handle being on your feet working physically all day. You are grunt labor, the only thinking you should do (Unless you have experience in something they need, then look for areas to help in that!) is is this safe.
Leave the unhealthy home. Bring the teens. If there is a retired person offering to help have that person cover a shift at the local McDonald's for a kid (pay goes to the kid), though this can be hard to work out. I bring this up because the elderly are often have the time to help, but their body is failing so they are least useful.
Sure: Hey Jackie Cleason, you do not know exactly where that ball is going, nor do you know exactly where it is.
Of course his response (if he understands physics) is: That is okay, because I don't need something exact. I know an average to enough precision for my needs.
Actually it is the opposite - a good application of a manual. Manual transmissions still get better milage and handle torque better than automatics, when all else is equal. A computer can shift the manual exactly when required, (in fact that is what an automatic is, a fluid computer that shifts gears) with no issue that it takes a hand that should be on the wheel or some such. So why not put in a manual transmission and get those benefits?
Note that I qualified things with when all else is equal. Autos sell better, so more money is put into their development. They have come really close to manuals in the real world. Manufactures will often just slap any manual they can make fit into a car, while designing an automatic for that car, thus you can often buy cars that do better with the automatic, but that is not a reflection on the transmission, it is a reflection on their cheapness.
Some manufactures are designing automatics that are really manuals, but the computer controls the clutch and gears, so the interface looks like an automatic. This is the best of both worlds. (But modern autos are so good anyway that I don't think this has gone into general production)
Unless your background is from Europe (I'm not sure which parts - Germany is one, but not all areas of Europe count), you cannot drink milk as an adult. No Ice Cream, nothing - it is not safe. Odds are this area was not in Europe, so milk was a (mild) poison to the people!
Most rural Mid-westerns would try Sushi once. May or may not like it, but they have eaten worse.
I have used KDE 3 on a 200 mhz machine. Works fine, so long as you have enough RAM. You can't run all applications, but for general use this machine is plenty fast.