It may be just some lyrics offline by big music publishing company, but to me, it sounds like a conspiracy. By exploiting part of human nature, curiosity, with repeated exposure, the music industry grasps little bit more control over what you hear and see later desire/consume.
And that brings to mind a quote from one of my favorite bands (and this is going to be stuck in my head for a day or two...)
o/~ We've taken care of everything, the words you hear, the songs you sing, the pictures that give pleasure to your eyes... o/~
(And yes, I did have to look up those lyrics, because they weren't included with the CD release of the album.)
Several times I've searched and found songs from half a sentence hear on the radio, discovered the band and/or album and buy
And conversely, there have been a few instances where I heard a tune on the radio, looked up the lyrics, decided that I didn't like it, and chose not to buy the music (or in my case, chose not to add that particular piece to my watch lists at the local thrift stores and pawn shops, since I buy my music used).
If the lyrics suck, I would rather know this before shelling out the greens on the music, instead of being stuck with a tape or CD that I decide I don't like, and most likely can't return.
Or what about the even older older way: GDP (Dialup)?
I was going to use my last mod point to mark your post as funny. However, I felt it better to add my own post (just to help clarify, in the event some folks didn't get the joke...)
I sincerely doubt that the general/. reader dos not know of the alternatives. Actually I'd bet most of us has made up our minds and are more than willing to engage in a flame war to show our view.
It's the non Slashdot readers that need to be targetted with an "awareness campaign" about alternatives. Perhaps what the Linux community needs is advert time on TV. In fact, the folks behind Debian, Red Hat, SuSE, Gentoo, Slackware, and other Linux distros should consider pooling their resources and offering a couple hundred bucks to this sleazy looking fellow to perform in a Linux commercial similar to the one in the link below...
Yet I'm sure that the EULA from them reads: "we are not responsible for any damage done to anyone's computers for using this product".
And I am sure a judge would call bullshit on this and in fact hold them responsible for the malware that they created, should this ever come up in court. After all, a program doesn't write itself, and the programmer(s) should have been aware of the nature of the code they were creating.
Just because something is in a EULA does not always make it legally binding, such as... (fill in the usual outlandish hypothetical EULA terms that get posted as examples here.)
Well, perhaps not here, specifically; but I think the general principal of the idea I expressed previously should still be valid if the discussions and comparisons were conducted in more mainstream news outlets. I would have added this bit of my post to my previous post, but I guess I was experiencing posting overload due to becoming rather active in another thread. Or perhaps I can chalk it up to temporary blondeness.:P
Yep. It's a good way to plant the seeds of awareness about Linux into the minds of those who are unfamiliar with it, showing them that there are indeed viable alternatives for them other than what they have had force-fed to them via the OEM vendors.
I believe he was referring to using a Linux distro that has a so-called swear word as part of the name in a church environment. At least he didn't suggest using BSD with Daemon as the logo.:D
Got an pentium laptop? Got a legit w98se still sitting around?
Here's how to make it work.
Regular install, then go get the unofficial patch. (just Google.)
Now, *never* install IE6. That also "upgrades" the regular file manager, and you'll get the notorious w98 bog-down when you move or delete any large amount of files.
I assume that by the unofficial patch, you mean the unofficial Windows 98 Service Pack? Yes, that is a good idea, plus it gets you the cool Windows 2000 theme. Also, for more speed, stability, and security, go to litepc.com and grab 98 Lite. This will allow you to totally eradicate IE by making it an optional component that can be installed and removed through the Add-Remove Programs function in the control panel. It also helps to connect it to the Internet through a Linux router running ipmasq and a firewall (like Guard Dog, for example).
Also, Older versions of OpenOffice will run okay on a system like this. And if you have 128MB RAM or more, OO 2 should work fine as well.
Windows 95/98 was running on computers long before Linux was even released.
I'm pretty certain I remember somce friends of mine back around 1993 or 1994 (the tail-end of the Windows 3.x era) talking about this new free UNIX-like OS called Linux. Of course, I couldn't try it out at the time, since my one and only computer was my trusty old Apple IIGS, with 1.25MB RAM, 3.5" and 5.25" floppies, 2400bps modem, and no hard drive.
Personal best - Gentoo compiled and running on a 166MHz laptop with 32MB ram, a 2Gb disk and a broken CDROM drive. Admittedly compilation was an exercise that was 50/50 cussedness and masochism, but it runs well with either a 2.4 or 2.6 kernel.
My leanest Linux system is a TI Extensa 450 Laptop. She's got a 486/DX4-75, 12MB of RAM (if I can find a pair of 16MB 72-Pin laptop SIMMs, I'll be able to max her out at 32MB), 540MB hard drive, Parallel Port CD-ROM drive, 10/100 3Com NIC, and a 1.44MB floppy drive that is defective and can only work with 720KB disks. I have her dual boot with DOS 6.22/WfW 3.11 and Damn Small Linux. I had IceWM running on the Linux side, but couldn't get better than 16 colors (I could get 256 on the DOS side.) I'll try again once I get more RAM for her and a larger capacity hard drive. Once I can do that, I should be able to install x-window-system from the Debian repositories and finally get rid of the version of X that came with DSL.
Due to the floppy drive problem, I had to do both the DOS/WfW and DSL installs by putting the hard drive in one of my desktop systems and install there (sure is nice having WfW dumped onto a CD so I no longer need to use those annoyingly unreliable floppies.)
Why does it have to be an old distribution? What the heck is wrong with Fedora that it won't run on a PIII-700? That is hardly "hopelessly obsolete."
All you really need to do is do a base Debian install, then add the packages you want piece by piece with apt-get (or Synaptic once you have X installed). Get your OS setup to a configuration that can work on other systems you might build, and then archive it all to a bootable CD with something like Mondoarchive, which can then be used to install on additional computers.
Not really news per se...most of us have known for a while now that Linux is a good strategy for reviving old systems that the latest M$ bloatware won't run on.
This is something I've been getting into myself recently. I call these greenbox systems (hope that term catches on with other people eventually). It's a great way to keep old hardware in service and out of the landfills. Most of my greenbox projects are in the P75 to Pentium II range, and loaded with Debian in various configurations depending on the system specs. For really lightweight systems (486 or less) become classic PC gaming boxes with FreeDOS or DR-DOS.
So then, when I downloaded the Ladyhawke soundtrack, which has been out of print for years, who was I stealing from? Who did I deprive of income by downloading it?
And how about when I downloaded four Jean Michele Jarre albums: Oxygene, Equinoxe, Rendezvous, and Magnetic Fields (which I already had in cassette format)? How can that be stealing if I already paid for them years ago? Granted, I do plan on buying those on CD soon. I really like Jarre's work, and want to have the original CDs in my collection.
Also, do you think the ghost of Strauss is going to care that I recently downloaded a complete production of Also Sprach Zarathustra?
There's a lot of stuff that isn't public domain that I will download (Voltron, the Dungeons and Dragons cartoons, Quack Pack, Police Squad, Quark, and Logan's Run, for example). I would add The Mysterious Of Gold to the list, but I have that entire series on tape, and am in the process of archiving them to DVD.
However, even though I will download these, I would gladly buy these if the copyright owners would release them commercially. I personally do like having professionally produced boxed sets of old shows that I like. In other words, if they make them, I will buy.
I guess I didn't make myself clear: I don't download any movies or music from P2P or any other networks. When I want to watch something (on my computer, since I have no TV,) I'll buy it on DVD.
What about stuff that you might want to watch that hasn't been released on DVD and most likely won't be released? About the only way to get those would be via downloading.
Hows about the "bosses", get out the way and let us muso's do what we always did best; SELF promote. We have the net these days, our "means of production", as those whacky old russians used to call it. We can do it ourselves.
If you have the means to produce and self-promote, then what is holding you back? As far as I know, the RIAA and other music cartels around the world have not yet made it illegal for independent artists to do it themselves. Go for it, and make it happen. I, for one would love to see more indie artists take the initiative, make use of the tools at their disposal, and make a name for themselves, thereby giving the RIAA the finger.
Slashdot Mirror
In this case, it would be called potcasting.
And that brings to mind a quote from one of my favorite bands (and this is going to be stuck in my head for a day or two...)
o/~ We've taken care of everything, the words you hear, the songs you sing, the pictures that give pleasure to your eyes... o/~
(And yes, I did have to look up those lyrics, because they weren't included with the CD release of the album.)
And conversely, there have been a few instances where I heard a tune on the radio, looked up the lyrics, decided that I didn't like it, and chose not to buy the music (or in my case, chose not to add that particular piece to my watch lists at the local thrift stores and pawn shops, since I buy my music used).
If the lyrics suck, I would rather know this before shelling out the greens on the music, instead of being stuck with a tape or CD that I decide I don't like, and most likely can't return.
Dammit. I knew I should have scrolled down a bit before posting. Figures a couple others beat me to the punch about opera.
o/~ Kill da wabbit! Kill da wabbit! Kill da wabbit!!! o/~
Opera singers would be the exception to that, I presume?
You disgusting perv! It's supposed to be rape your horses and ride off on your women.
Or what about the even older older way: GDP (Dialup)?
I was going to use my last mod point to mark your post as funny. However, I felt it better to add my own post (just to help clarify, in the event some folks didn't get the joke...)
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/ballmerwindows.html
And I am sure a judge would call bullshit on this and in fact hold them responsible for the malware that they created, should this ever come up in court. After all, a program doesn't write itself, and the programmer(s) should have been aware of the nature of the code they were creating.
Just because something is in a EULA does not always make it legally binding, such as... (fill in the usual outlandish hypothetical EULA terms that get posted as examples here.)
Well, perhaps not here, specifically; but I think the general principal of the idea I expressed previously should still be valid if the discussions and comparisons were conducted in more mainstream news outlets. I would have added this bit of my post to my previous post, but I guess I was experiencing posting overload due to becoming rather active in another thread. Or perhaps I can chalk it up to temporary blondeness. :P
Yep. It's a good way to plant the seeds of awareness about Linux into the minds of those who are unfamiliar with it, showing them that there are indeed viable alternatives for them other than what they have had force-fed to them via the OEM vendors.
I believe he was referring to using a Linux distro that has a so-called swear word as part of the name in a church environment. At least he didn't suggest using BSD with Daemon as the logo.
I assume that by the unofficial patch, you mean the unofficial Windows 98 Service Pack? Yes, that is a good idea, plus it gets you the cool Windows 2000 theme. Also, for more speed, stability, and security, go to litepc.com and grab 98 Lite. This will allow you to totally eradicate IE by making it an optional component that can be installed and removed through the Add-Remove Programs function in the control panel. It also helps to connect it to the Internet through a Linux router running ipmasq and a firewall (like Guard Dog, for example).
Also, Older versions of OpenOffice will run okay on a system like this. And if you have 128MB RAM or more, OO 2 should work fine as well.
I'm pretty certain I remember somce friends of mine back around 1993 or 1994 (the tail-end of the Windows 3.x era) talking about this new free UNIX-like OS called Linux. Of course, I couldn't try it out at the time, since my one and only computer was my trusty old Apple IIGS, with 1.25MB RAM, 3.5" and 5.25" floppies, 2400bps modem, and no hard drive.
My leanest Linux system is a TI Extensa 450 Laptop. She's got a 486/DX4-75, 12MB of RAM (if I can find a pair of 16MB 72-Pin laptop SIMMs, I'll be able to max her out at 32MB), 540MB hard drive, Parallel Port CD-ROM drive, 10/100 3Com NIC, and a 1.44MB floppy drive that is defective and can only work with 720KB disks. I have her dual boot with DOS 6.22/WfW 3.11 and Damn Small Linux. I had IceWM running on the Linux side, but couldn't get better than 16 colors (I could get 256 on the DOS side.) I'll try again once I get more RAM for her and a larger capacity hard drive. Once I can do that, I should be able to install x-window-system from the Debian repositories and finally get rid of the version of X that came with DSL.
Due to the floppy drive problem, I had to do both the DOS/WfW and DSL installs by putting the hard drive in one of my desktop systems and install there (sure is nice having WfW dumped onto a CD so I no longer need to use those annoyingly unreliable floppies.)
All you really need to do is do a base Debian install, then add the packages you want piece by piece with apt-get (or Synaptic once you have X installed). Get your OS setup to a configuration that can work on other systems you might build, and then archive it all to a bootable CD with something like Mondoarchive, which can then be used to install on additional computers.
This is something I've been getting into myself recently. I call these greenbox systems (hope that term catches on with other people eventually). It's a great way to keep old hardware in service and out of the landfills. Most of my greenbox projects are in the P75 to Pentium II range, and loaded with Debian in various configurations depending on the system specs. For really lightweight systems (486 or less) become classic PC gaming boxes with FreeDOS or DR-DOS.
I believe it was the late great philosopher Douglas Adams who stated, "If people stop talking, their brains start working."
So then, when I downloaded the Ladyhawke soundtrack, which has been out of print for years, who was I stealing from? Who did I deprive of income by downloading it?
And how about when I downloaded four Jean Michele Jarre albums: Oxygene, Equinoxe, Rendezvous, and Magnetic Fields (which I already had in cassette format)? How can that be stealing if I already paid for them years ago? Granted, I do plan on buying those on CD soon. I really like Jarre's work, and want to have the original CDs in my collection.
Also, do you think the ghost of Strauss is going to care that I recently downloaded a complete production of Also Sprach Zarathustra?
There's a lot of stuff that isn't public domain that I will download (Voltron, the Dungeons and Dragons cartoons, Quack Pack, Police Squad, Quark, and Logan's Run, for example). I would add The Mysterious Of Gold to the list, but I have that entire series on tape, and am in the process of archiving them to DVD.
However, even though I will download these, I would gladly buy these if the copyright owners would release them commercially. I personally do like having professionally produced boxed sets of old shows that I like. In other words, if they make them, I will buy.
What about stuff that you might want to watch that hasn't been released on DVD and most likely won't be released? About the only way to get those would be via downloading.
If you have the means to produce and self-promote, then what is holding you back? As far as I know, the RIAA and other music cartels around the world have not yet made it illegal for independent artists to do it themselves. Go for it, and make it happen. I, for one would love to see more indie artists take the initiative, make use of the tools at their disposal, and make a name for themselves, thereby giving the RIAA the finger.
I like my coffee hot too, just not hot enough to cause 3rd degree burns on contact.