AFAIK, there is no such thing as a Linux-based "Mono OS". You'll probably need to modify an existing distro.
Since you claim not to be a Linux expert, Ubuntu might be a good choice, but it's a bit of a heavyweight. You'd need to spend a lot of time disabling features to trim it down, which requires quite a bit of Linux knowledge, so it doesn't really help you avoid learning Linux. Same applies to Fedora, SuSE, etc. If you intend to develop on a platform that closely resembles your target platform, keep in mind that these are arguably "nicer" distros for daily use than the ones I'm about to suggest.
Something like Gentoo gives you a lot of customizability, and works on lots of hardware (possibly a plus if you plan to put your media center on exotic hardware).
Easier to use, but still lightweight, is Arch Linux, which would be my personal preference for a project such as this. It's very lightweight, and relatively easy to use. You still need to be comfortable with command-line, config files, man pages etc., but it's better than Gentoo or LFS. The only isssue I can see is that it's 686-optimized, so it might not fit your hardware.
I don't blame you for thinking that way, especially if you're hearing about it here for the first time.
However, it's a bit more gray than that. The Canadian government has subsidized this company quite a bit over the years, in the hopes of increasing Canada's high-tech presence. Now that their R+D is paid for, they want to take their operation south.
I don't like that they're blocking the sale, but the alternative would be even worse. Canadians paid for that technology, so it should be Canadians (and not just a few lucky shareholders) that get to reap the benefits.
My Uni is one of the biggest MS sellouts there is and they still expect CS students to program on, and submit assignments on UNIX. Mac is much more compatible with UNIX than Windows is, so this would make sense for us.
The act was originally introduced by the Liberals last November, but died on the Commons order paper when their minority government fell shortly after.
While I agree with you on a lot of what you posted, I've got to disagree with your opinion on smokers. I see no reason why business owners shouldn't be allowed to let customers smoke. If you don't like it, go to a non-smoking restaurant/store/whatever. Most public buildings are non-smoking nowadays, so there's no place you have to be where you might be exposed to smoke. Just boycott all businesses that allow smoking and let capitalism take care of the rest.
Uhm, we're working on a solution to this. There was some legislation passed a few years ago so political parties get "paid" per vote. It's not much, something around $1.50 per vote per year, but it's certainly a step in the right direction. It reduces the parties' dependence on corporate donations, helps underfunded parties like the Greens or the Marijuana party, and (probably) increases voter turnout. Think of it as a forced donation to the political pary of your choice.
Mplayer in windows is exactly as it is in Linux: plays (almost) everything hassle-free. Of course, it requires that you not wet yourself every time you see a CLI.
Unfortunately, Windows cmd is inferior to bash, so it's a bit harder to use, but that's hardly maplyer's fault. I suggest placing the binary and related files somewhere in your %PATH% so it's a bit easier to access.
In the last year alone, I've gone through several situations where I would have loved to have this. On two occasions I had to wait several weeks to get internet access after I moved. Other times, I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere with only a 56K dial-up connection. It works, but it would be really nice to be able to access the information quickly.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think this technology has any chance of succeeding. First of all, the market for people who move three or four times a year and tend to end up in rural areas is quite small. And secondly, they've got major competition in the Open Source world from wget.
Yes, very much so. He's been particularly active aginst the global warming crowd. His latest novel, State of Fear, is essentially a criticism of how our society has essentially shut down all scientific debate on global warming, and how it's just the latest "sky is falling" theory to emerge to scare the general population.
You can find some more of his views here. His speech in front of the senate commitee is particularly interesting.
Bush politics have promoted terrorism with the irak war (and this antiterrorism laws proves exactly that). Fighting terrorism is the reason why this european law has been approved. If world leaders kept doing things right, there would be no need for such laws.
Do you honestly believe this?
First of all, you made the assumption that the "Irak" war has caused more terrorism, something I would disagree with, but for argument's sake, let's assume it's true. Then you make the gigantic leap of logic that this bill in direct response to this increased terror threat. I really hope Europe's leaders aren't that stupid and impulsive.
Personally, I think this is just a case of a massive bureaucratic government overstepping its bounds.
Sometimes, you just have to grow up and realize that Bush is not the root of all evil.
I never understood why people look down on this game as opposed to he first one or even comparable PC games for that matter.
In my opinion this is one of the best games to come out in recent years. I have yet to see a game that's mor suited to having four friends gathered on the sofa killing each other long into the night. Console gaming kicks ass in this respect since you do't have to bother with LAN setup, moving your computer, etc. or the lag of playing online. I must admit I've never played on Xbox Live, but if it really does suck that much, why not just get some real friends together (you do have real friends, right?) and play with them.
That's easy for you to say, but some of us don't have DSL. I live in a rural area, so the best connection I can get is 56K. I don't see why I should have to register and update HL2, when all I want is a decent single-player experience. It's gotten to the point where I disconnect from the internet every time I want to start Half-Life2 just to avoid having to download updates.
Actually, using the CFL license wouldn't be a bad idea, if it wasn't for all the prejudice it would get from people like you.
Its stars usually go on to become successful in the NFL (Doug Flutie, for example), so the names would be familiar to most of the really hardcore football fans.
The games are much more action-packed, because the defense generally sucks. The three downs rule is meant to give the defense a fighting chance, but the game is still unbalaced. It would certainly make for a more interesting video game.
Best of all, the license will probably be dirt cheap since there are no CFL video games. The league would be interested in getting more fans, and the game companies need a franchise, seems like a good match to me.
I'm surprised no one has posted a link yet, so here it is: ActivePerl
If you can get through all the ads, there is a free Windows implementation of Perl. It's easy to install and interfaces well with windows. They also have some stuff on Python, but I haven't tried it.
Also, if you need really need some Unix command that isn't included with ActivePerl or Windows, check out UnxUtils. It has a bunch of standard Unix applications compiled to run on Windows. It should be more than enough to make Windows usable, without having to use Cygwin. Not that Cygwin isn't great, but it seems like overkill if all you want to do is write a few scripts.
Gentoo - Too many CDs, stated hardware requirements were too high
Did you even look at the Gentoo web site? The minimal liveCD iso is a mere 59M. Sure, there's some downloading to be done afterwards, but it's still nowhere near as bloated as, say, Linspire. You don't even have to install X-windows if you don't want to.
I believe it could be the solution you're looking for. I'm writing this on an 800Mhz PIII laptop wihtout any problems. I know it's not as old as your target platform, but it's definitely not new. At first, I installed Ubuntu, but found it a bit too bloated. I installed Gentoo on a separate partition, using Ubuntu's configuration files as necessary, and never looked back. In fact, I did it in such a way that I didn't have to reboot until Gentoo was fully installed, so I could always check Ubuntu's settings as a reference (I never even opened my CD drive throughout the entire process).
As for using Knoppix, of course it's slow. You can't expect a computer like that to run a desktop environment. You should use it for its autodetect capabilities so you can install a smaller or more flexible distro.
I disagree. You can't just write an inefficient program and hope that advances in hardware make up for it.
I think Java's biggest problem is the lack of a good garbage collector. I saw a program where the programmers had put a tiny memory display in the bottom left corner of the screen. At first it was OK, hovering around 100 megs, but as we kept using it, the memory usage would increase as needed, but it would never free it after it was done with it. Within 10 minutes, the thing had occupied all 512 megabytes of that computer's RAM and nearly crashed the system.
There is also a non-Java alternative to this program which has less features, and a CLI instead of a fancy GUI, but at least it doesn't need two Gigs of RAM to run. Personally, I prefer the non-Java one.
how about Ur-Quan Masters? It's a remake of the calssic Star Control II. It's known for it's great storyline and non-linear gameplay in single player mode, but the real fun is in super melee. The ship types are varied and easy to learn, so there's great replay value. Best of all, it's Free and free. Check it out at http://sc2.sourceforge.net/.
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AFAIK, there is no such thing as a Linux-based "Mono OS". You'll probably need to modify an existing distro. Since you claim not to be a Linux expert, Ubuntu might be a good choice, but it's a bit of a heavyweight. You'd need to spend a lot of time disabling features to trim it down, which requires quite a bit of Linux knowledge, so it doesn't really help you avoid learning Linux. Same applies to Fedora, SuSE, etc. If you intend to develop on a platform that closely resembles your target platform, keep in mind that these are arguably "nicer" distros for daily use than the ones I'm about to suggest. Something like Gentoo gives you a lot of customizability, and works on lots of hardware (possibly a plus if you plan to put your media center on exotic hardware). Easier to use, but still lightweight, is Arch Linux, which would be my personal preference for a project such as this. It's very lightweight, and relatively easy to use. You still need to be comfortable with command-line, config files, man pages etc., but it's better than Gentoo or LFS. The only isssue I can see is that it's 686-optimized, so it might not fit your hardware.
I don't blame you for thinking that way, especially if you're hearing about it here for the first time.
However, it's a bit more gray than that. The Canadian government has subsidized this company quite a bit over the years, in the hopes of increasing Canada's high-tech presence. Now that their R+D is paid for, they want to take their operation south.
I don't like that they're blocking the sale, but the alternative would be even worse. Canadians paid for that technology, so it should be Canadians (and not just a few lucky shareholders) that get to reap the benefits.
What school are you going to?
My Uni is one of the biggest MS sellouts there is and they still expect CS students to program on, and submit assignments on UNIX. Mac is much more compatible with UNIX than Windows is, so this would make sense for us.
While I agree with you on a lot of what you posted, I've got to disagree with your opinion on smokers. I see no reason why business owners shouldn't be allowed to let customers smoke. If you don't like it, go to a non-smoking restaurant/store/whatever. Most public buildings are non-smoking nowadays, so there's no place you have to be where you might be exposed to smoke. Just boycott all businesses that allow smoking and let capitalism take care of the rest.
Uhm, we're working on a solution to this. There was some legislation passed a few years ago so political parties get "paid" per vote. It's not much, something around $1.50 per vote per year, but it's certainly a step in the right direction. It reduces the parties' dependence on corporate donations, helps underfunded parties like the Greens or the Marijuana party, and (probably) increases voter turnout. Think of it as a forced donation to the political pary of your choice.
Did you try Ctrl+Alt+F2? You can have multiple terminals open: one with the installation, the other reading docs with links.
Mplayer in windows is exactly as it is in Linux: plays (almost) everything hassle-free. Of course, it requires that you not wet yourself every time you see a CLI.
Unfortunately, Windows cmd is inferior to bash, so it's a bit harder to use, but that's hardly maplyer's fault. I suggest placing the binary and related files somewhere in your %PATH% so it's a bit easier to access.
Actually, I think it's as good a time as any.
In the last year alone, I've gone through several situations where I would have loved to have this. On two occasions I had to wait several weeks to get internet access after I moved. Other times, I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere with only a 56K dial-up connection. It works, but it would be really nice to be able to access the information quickly.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think this technology has any chance of succeeding. First of all, the market for people who move three or four times a year and tend to end up in rural areas is quite small. And secondly, they've got major competition in the Open Source world from wget.
Yes, very much so. He's been particularly active aginst the global warming crowd. His latest novel, State of Fear, is essentially a criticism of how our society has essentially shut down all scientific debate on global warming, and how it's just the latest "sky is falling" theory to emerge to scare the general population.
You can find some more of his views here. His speech in front of the senate commitee is particularly interesting.
Actually, I think it's the other way around. You'd have to be nuts to vote for either party.
Do you honestly believe this?
First of all, you made the assumption that the "Irak" war has caused more terrorism, something I would disagree with, but for argument's sake, let's assume it's true. Then you make the gigantic leap of logic that this bill in direct response to this increased terror threat. I really hope Europe's leaders aren't that stupid and impulsive.
Personally, I think this is just a case of a massive bureaucratic government overstepping its bounds.
Sometimes, you just have to grow up and realize that Bush is not the root of all evil.
I never understood why people look down on this game as opposed to he first one or even comparable PC games for that matter.
In my opinion this is one of the best games to come out in recent years. I have yet to see a game that's mor suited to having four friends gathered on the sofa killing each other long into the night. Console gaming kicks ass in this respect since you do't have to bother with LAN setup, moving your computer, etc. or the lag of playing online. I must admit I've never played on Xbox Live, but if it really does suck that much, why not just get some real friends together (you do have real friends, right?) and play with them.
That's easy for you to say, but some of us don't have DSL. I live in a rural area, so the best connection I can get is 56K. I don't see why I should have to register and update HL2, when all I want is a decent single-player experience. It's gotten to the point where I disconnect from the internet every time I want to start Half-Life2 just to avoid having to download updates.
Actually, using the CFL license wouldn't be a bad idea, if it wasn't for all the prejudice it would get from people like you.
There will be no MS sympathizers in this thread.
You mean like the Medicalert bracelets that have been available for years?
If you can get through all the ads, there is a free Windows implementation of Perl. It's easy to install and interfaces well with windows. They also have some stuff on Python, but I haven't tried it.
Also, if you need really need some Unix command that isn't included with ActivePerl or Windows, check out UnxUtils. It has a bunch of standard Unix applications compiled to run on Windows. It should be more than enough to make Windows usable, without having to use Cygwin. Not that Cygwin isn't great, but it seems like overkill if all you want to do is write a few scripts.
Did you even look at the Gentoo web site? The minimal liveCD iso is a mere 59M. Sure, there's some downloading to be done afterwards, but it's still nowhere near as bloated as, say, Linspire. You don't even have to install X-windows if you don't want to.
I believe it could be the solution you're looking for. I'm writing this on an 800Mhz PIII laptop wihtout any problems. I know it's not as old as your target platform, but it's definitely not new. At first, I installed Ubuntu, but found it a bit too bloated. I installed Gentoo on a separate partition, using Ubuntu's configuration files as necessary, and never looked back. In fact, I did it in such a way that I didn't have to reboot until Gentoo was fully installed, so I could always check Ubuntu's settings as a reference (I never even opened my CD drive throughout the entire process).
As for using Knoppix, of course it's slow. You can't expect a computer like that to run a desktop environment. You should use it for its autodetect capabilities so you can install a smaller or more flexible distro.
I disagree. You can't just write an inefficient program and hope that advances in hardware make up for it.
I think Java's biggest problem is the lack of a good garbage collector. I saw a program where the programmers had put a tiny memory display in the bottom left corner of the screen. At first it was OK, hovering around 100 megs, but as we kept using it, the memory usage would increase as needed, but it would never free it after it was done with it. Within 10 minutes, the thing had occupied all 512 megabytes of that computer's RAM and nearly crashed the system.
There is also a non-Java alternative to this program which has less features, and a CLI instead of a fancy GUI, but at least it doesn't need two Gigs of RAM to run. Personally, I prefer the non-Java one.
how about Ur-Quan Masters? It's a remake of the calssic Star Control II. It's known for it's great storyline and non-linear gameplay in single player mode, but the real fun is in super melee. The ship types are varied and easy to learn, so there's great replay value. Best of all, it's Free and free. Check it out at http://sc2.sourceforge.net/.