This is the sort of behaviour you can expect from people who believe that the ends justify the means. I've noticed similar thinking in a few authority figures, too...
While there is certainly a benefit to controlling the hardware and software to provide a seamless experience (as Apple does), I think they won't be able to compete with Linux in the long term. Apple will ultimately lose to Linux for the same reason they lost to Windows - lack of flexibility. Macs can only be bought in a few preconfigured options, whereas PCs can be bought in almost any form. (I'm not bagging Apple here - I have an iBook and love it. I just don't think they'll become dominant for this reason.)
Windows will lose to Linux because they can't keep up with the innovation, security and robustness afforded by being open-source. The rate of development on Linux is staggering, and there's no way MS can keep up. If you look at the most successful human societies - they're the ones that share resources (that's the benefit of _being_ a society, after all) - code sharing means that Linux will win in the end.
Someone made the comment about codecs and DRM. I really don't think that will be a problem. As has been noted elsewhere, the average ipod owner has bought about 10 tracks from the ITMS. Almost no one has DRMd video (apart from DVDs, which play fine), so I think that's a non-issue.
Will it (The Year of Linux) happen in 2008? I don't know and don't care. But it seems likely that it _will_ happen.
I've asked a _lot_ of questions in Linux forums over the last 7 years, and I can only remember one rude person (and that's when I entered into a debate about the merits of GPL vs BSD licenses;-). Most people go out of their way to help. YMMV...
In their defence, they're most likely trying to protect their ass from a customer that doesn't understand the difference between a PC and Microsoft Windows.
To clarify, I think more than 50% of people buying a new computer wouldn't even notice if it shipped with Ubuntu instead of Windows - that is, until they went to install some new software (no evidence, just opinion;-).
Exactly. As anyone who has had a leaky sun-roof in their car knows, it's hard to make something water-tight. It's even harder to make something air-tight.
As for making it 'radio-wave-proof'? Pffft - forget it. I record electrical signals from subjects and animals in Faraday cages - let me tell you, _nothing_ keeps out 50 Hz interference.
If you've got a private signal, just use encryption, ok?
-Stick 'em up! -Yeah - git your hands in the air! -We heard you got some "sales" -No funny business - hand em over - slowly! -That's right - nice and slow, and noone will get hurt...
The iPhone looks like a great piece of tech, and I might get one someday. But...
It seems like Slashdot has a greater and greater proportion of articles that relate to gadgets (stuff to buy), and fewer and fewer that are about tech developments, science, etc. I'm not bitching about Slashdot, but is it really the case that nerds have become merely watered-down gear-freaks, and no longer employ their mind in the pursuit of knowledge?
1. It's been "Open Source" from the beginning, as are _all_ of Neuros' products. It's not "pixie dust" that they've added in the hope of increasing sales.
2. USB1 is fine for external storage. People stream video across networks for Christ's sake!
Lack of HD is not, in my opinion, a big problem, but it's becoming one.. But yeah, lack of s-video is a prob. Especially now that the AppleTV is out, and will soon run MythTV, a much more mature system. Unfortunately, development of the Neuros OSD has just taken too long, and it has been overtaken by other developments.
Don't worry about elitists - there're nobs in every community. Stick at the riding - it gets much easier:-)
Disc brakes are good, but you probably won't notice much difference in the city.
Yup - as the other poster said - mud guards. You might be able to find a rear carry rack that doubles as a mud guard. Get panniers (clip onto the carry rack) - heaps better than a backpack. get a lock and lights and a helmet bright coloured jacket
Huh - it's also the right size for sticking up your ass.;-)
Speaking of which, if we _were_ designed, then the designer had a sadistic sense of humour - how else do you explain the fact that the urethra is routed through the prostate, which tends to enlarge as men age (making urination difficult/painful)? Bastard!
I just disagree with that. If taken to the logical conclusion, private education means that only those who can afford it will get an education _at_all_. Public education forces opinion no more than does _any_ education system. It merely says that one's education options shouldn't be entirely dependent on their parents' wealth.
"Evolution? Creationism? Who cares" Well, I suppose it depends. If you care about the pursuit of truth, science and the betterment of humankind, as opposed to superstition and blind-belief then you might care.
"you as a parent don't work to teach your children" Yup - definitely - parents need to take responsibility for their children's education, however if parents are lacking in income or ability, then I think they should be assisted by a public education system.
It's in all our interests to have an educated populace. As the saying goes: "If you think education is expensive, think of the price of ignorance."
"Wait, you lost me - are we gaining wealth or debt? Those are opposites."
We have gained wealth as a society. There are still many people who don't have the same amounts of wealth, but feel the need to pretend they do, to compete with (or emulate) the Joneses.
I think part of the reason is that advertising has become so pervasive, and so effective. Many people think that they need these things to be happy, and it's a view that is constantly reinforced on TV.
I think another reason is that people consider collecting stuff to be an acheivement. People's homes look like showrooms, equipped with the latest tect, the trendyist furniture, and everything is accessorised. Much of this spending is fueled by debt. They spend much of their free time thinking about how to best improve their home, and don't think about personal improvement (learning new skills, etc) as something worth pursuing.
Perhaps part of the reason for this is that we have become (well, the middle class, anyway) much wealthier in the last 10 - 15 years, and this accruing of stuff is still novel for many people. Hopefully, people will wake up and realise that they're being sucked-in to buying crap they don't need, with money they don't have, and that they'd have a much more fulfilling life if they had less stuff - or at least didn't care quite so much about it.
It's a sad indictment of politicians that they need lobbyists to tell them what to think, rather than going out and actually talking to their constituents. Democracy is supposedly representative of the people - the skewing of this system towards serving only the wealthiest corporations is only going to take us to bad places.
Further to this, they're focusing broadband roll-out on marginally-held seats (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/06/19/195 5664.htm) - if that doesn't highlight what a cynical election ploy this is I don't know what will.
However, I have been heard to say things similar to "the time for debate has passed." By this, I don't mean that we have established climate change as 100% factual, and there is no need to investigate further.
Rather, I mean that we now have sufficient evidence to warrant action, and that most people who talk about "debating" merely want to stall the process of taking action.
But yes, our understanding of climate systems is rudimentary and can be much improved;-). Thanks for your good post.
It depends on priorities. If you want to teach kids to be Mc-Happy consumers of software that was written elsewhere, then proprietary software is the way to go. Alternatively, if you want to empower them to affect change themselves, then they need the tools to do this.
Proprietary software just can't compete when one starts thinking about the freedom to learn.
Slashdot Mirror
>>I'm more of a jazz, folk and death metal man
Sounds cool - do you have a website? It'd be cool to hear your music!
This is the sort of behaviour you can expect from people who believe that the ends justify the means. I've noticed similar thinking in a few authority figures, too...
While there is certainly a benefit to controlling the hardware and software to provide a seamless experience (as Apple does), I think they won't be able to compete with Linux in the long term. Apple will ultimately lose to Linux for the same reason they lost to Windows - lack of flexibility. Macs can only be bought in a few preconfigured options, whereas PCs can be bought in almost any form. (I'm not bagging Apple here - I have an iBook and love it. I just don't think they'll become dominant for this reason.)
Windows will lose to Linux because they can't keep up with the innovation, security and robustness afforded by being open-source. The rate of development on Linux is staggering, and there's no way MS can keep up. If you look at the most successful human societies - they're the ones that share resources (that's the benefit of _being_ a society, after all) - code sharing means that Linux will win in the end.
Someone made the comment about codecs and DRM. I really don't think that will be a problem. As has been noted elsewhere, the average ipod owner has bought about 10 tracks from the ITMS. Almost no one has DRMd video (apart from DVDs, which play fine), so I think that's a non-issue.
Will it (The Year of Linux) happen in 2008? I don't know and don't care. But it seems likely that it _will_ happen.
And the great thing about albums by AC/DC is that you only need to buy one! /ducks
I realise you're kidding, and it's funny, but...
;-). Most people go out of their way to help. YMMV...
I've asked a _lot_ of questions in Linux forums over the last 7 years, and I can only remember one rude person (and that's when I entered into a debate about the merits of GPL vs BSD licenses
In their defence, they're most likely trying to protect their ass from a customer that doesn't understand the difference between a PC and Microsoft Windows.
;-).
To clarify, I think more than 50% of people buying a new computer wouldn't even notice if it shipped with Ubuntu instead of Windows - that is, until they went to install some new software (no evidence, just opinion
Exactly. As anyone who has had a leaky sun-roof in their car knows, it's hard to make something water-tight.
It's even harder to make something air-tight.
As for making it 'radio-wave-proof'? Pffft - forget it. I record electrical signals from subjects and animals in Faraday cages - let me tell you, _nothing_ keeps out 50 Hz interference.
If you've got a private signal, just use encryption, ok?
"..robbing US recording companies of sales"
-Stick 'em up!
-Yeah - git your hands in the air!
-We heard you got some "sales"
-No funny business - hand em over - slowly!
-That's right - nice and slow, and noone will get hurt...
The iPhone looks like a great piece of tech, and I might get one someday. But...
It seems like Slashdot has a greater and greater proportion of articles that relate to gadgets (stuff to buy), and fewer and fewer that are about tech developments, science, etc. I'm not bitching about Slashdot, but is it really the case that nerds have become merely watered-down gear-freaks, and no longer employ their mind in the pursuit of knowledge?
Please, oh true nerds, answer my rallying cry!
Well, if you want burglers not to find your jewelery, hide it well - then hide some cheaper jewels/money less well (to be found).
;-)
Having said that, I share your skepticism
Um... ripping video and audio is ideally suited to multi threading, and hence multi-core.
It's just a matter of parallelising software, and once it's done, the more cores the better.
1. It's been "Open Source" from the beginning, as are _all_ of Neuros' products. It's not "pixie dust" that they've added in the hope of increasing sales.
2. USB1 is fine for external storage. People stream video across networks for Christ's sake!
Lack of HD is not, in my opinion, a big problem, but it's becoming one.. But yeah, lack of s-video is a prob. Especially now that the AppleTV is out, and will soon run MythTV, a much more mature system. Unfortunately, development of the Neuros OSD has just taken too long, and it has been overtaken by other developments.
Don't worry about elitists - there're nobs in every community. Stick at the riding - it gets much easier :-)
Disc brakes are good, but you probably won't notice much difference in the city.
Yup - as the other poster said - mud guards. You might be able to find a rear carry rack that doubles as a mud guard.
Get panniers (clip onto the carry rack) - heaps better than a backpack.
get a lock and lights and a helmet
bright coloured jacket
Have fun!
Huh - it's also the right size for sticking up your ass. ;-)
Speaking of which, if we _were_ designed, then the designer had a sadistic sense of humour - how else do you explain the fact that the urethra is routed through the prostate, which tends to enlarge as men age (making urination difficult/painful)? Bastard!
I just disagree with that. If taken to the logical conclusion, private education means that only those who can afford it will get an education _at_all_. Public education forces opinion no more than does _any_ education system. It merely says that one's education options shouldn't be entirely dependent on their parents' wealth.
"Evolution? Creationism? Who cares"
Well, I suppose it depends. If you care about the pursuit of truth, science and the betterment of humankind, as opposed to superstition and blind-belief then you might care.
"you as a parent don't work to teach your children"
Yup - definitely - parents need to take responsibility for their children's education, however if parents are lacking in income or ability, then I think they should be assisted by a public education system.
It's in all our interests to have an educated populace. As the saying goes:
"If you think education is expensive, think of the price of ignorance."
"Wait, you lost me - are we gaining wealth or debt? Those are opposites."
We have gained wealth as a society. There are still many people who don't have the same amounts of wealth, but feel the need to pretend they do, to compete with (or emulate) the Joneses.
Hope that clears things up for you.
You are correct.
I think part of the reason is that advertising has become so pervasive, and so effective. Many people think that they need these things to be happy, and it's a view that is constantly reinforced on TV.
I think another reason is that people consider collecting stuff to be an acheivement. People's homes look like showrooms, equipped with the latest tect, the trendyist furniture, and everything is accessorised. Much of this spending is fueled by debt.
They spend much of their free time thinking about how to best improve their home, and don't think about personal improvement (learning new skills, etc) as something worth pursuing.
Perhaps part of the reason for this is that we have become (well, the middle class, anyway) much wealthier in the last 10 - 15 years, and this accruing of stuff is still novel for many people. Hopefully, people will wake up and realise that they're being sucked-in to buying crap they don't need, with money they don't have, and that they'd have a much more fulfilling life if they had less stuff - or at least didn't care quite so much about it.
I'm not holding my breath though...
It's a sad indictment of politicians that they need lobbyists to tell them what to think, rather than going out and actually talking to their constituents. Democracy is supposedly representative of the people - the skewing of this system towards serving only the wealthiest corporations is only going to take us to bad places.
Further to this, they're focusing broadband roll-out on marginally-held seats (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/06/19/195 5664.htm) - if that doesn't highlight what a cynical election ploy this is I don't know what will.
I agree with what you say.
;-). Thanks for your good post.
However, I have been heard to say things similar to "the time for debate has passed." By this, I don't mean that we have established climate change as 100% factual, and there is no need to investigate further.
Rather, I mean that we now have sufficient evidence to warrant action, and that most people who talk about "debating" merely want to stall the process of taking action.
But yes, our understanding of climate systems is rudimentary and can be much improved
I dunno - we have similar attitudes here in Australia, but we don't have pervasive religion like you do in the U.S.
Then again.... we do have TV sport... hmm...
point retracted.
It depends on priorities. If you want to teach kids to be Mc-Happy consumers of software that was written elsewhere, then proprietary software is the way to go.
Alternatively, if you want to empower them to affect change themselves, then they need the tools to do this.
Proprietary software just can't compete when one starts thinking about the freedom to learn.
"But if blah blah blah blah blah, who will blah blah blah blah?"
I'm sorry, I don't understand your comment - can you elaborate?
"Remember the Bible and the 10 commandments? "
Probably not such a good example - people have been selectively applying them for milennia!
"for when I have good ideas."
Heh. I've got one of those, and it doesn't need a power supply!