I know what you mean but "read up on what brands will work", "it will probably work" and "if not, buy a different brand" is exactly the kind of things that my post was about.
It just isn't worth it for many people who has no real interest in computers...
You are right, some hardware may require manual installation. An average home user will probably not have to install RAID cards or connect to a SAN or perform similar tasks. These tasks are often described in detail for all supported operating systems in the instruction manual written for a technical audience.
The difference is that if I buy a printer or camera for my home computer that needs some manual installation, there is always a nice little instruction telling me exactly how to install it under windows. I haven't seen Linux mentioned in any of the instructions I got with the things I have for my PC (camera, MP3 player, phone...).
If I ask someone at the store if it supports Linux, they will likely not know or tell me it isn't supported. If I call tech support asking how to install my new camera with Linux they might say that it could work under Linux but they don't support it.
I work in the IT field, but I am not a techie. I understand that it isn't exactly the developers fault that end-user hardware, games,... isn't supported under Linux but I don't really care about that. I want that camera or PDA synch to work and I don't care if it is software patents, closed source problems or something else causing it.
From my perspective, the end user, this makes Windows easier to use.
[...]these are the kind of things that keep lots of people from using Linux on their home PCs, where things either "just work" or they are not worth fiddling in order to make them work
I am not very interested in playing around with computers or operating systems. I think the computer is a wonderful invention just as I think the car is a wonderful invention. I use a computer and I use a car but I am not really interested in how they work or why things doesn't work, I just want them to work, like you said. I have had a Linux installation once and most things kind of worked but there are still too many things that doesn't. I want the majority of applications and games that I can see and buy in the store to work on my computer, not a reason why they will not work. I want to be able to exchange documents with others without having to think about formats and why the document doesn't look the same when I send it to the majority of my friends/colleagues who uses Windows and MS Office.
I want my internet bank to work on my computer, just as I know it will under Windows and no, I do not want to switch to a different bank.
There are people who love computers and operating systems who will gladly work around all these problems by dual-booting, downloading some obscure instruction about how to make things work or by any other way they can figure out but I am not one of them.
The problem is that there are millions of people like me who are not really interested in computers and they will not switch until they know that things will work the same or better than it does with MS Windows.
The majority of people like me are not windows advocates, we just want things to work.
Re:Piracy means what again?
on
Faking a Company
·
· Score: 5, Funny
The misuse of the word piracy gives all us true pirates a bad name. Piracy doesn't even have to take place on the high seas anymore. Damn all sweet water pirates to hell!
Well... I don't know how games affect people but I have never seen Super Mario players jump up and down like crazy, bang their heads on bricks, eat magic mushrooms, explore the local sewer system and grow a belly and a moustache just because of their hobby. I am not that convinced there are more plumbers amongst Super Mario players than in the rest of society either.
Ok I admit I am not very well read up on what the RIAA actually does and maybe this is the wrong place to ask this question, but what does an individual record company gain from being a RIAA member? All I ever hear about RIAA involves lawsuits and similar activities. Do they actually provide anything to the individual record companies besides being a common lobby organization?
I have never used an online dating service but I had my contact information (MSN adress) and picture "stolen" from my website recently.
Someone used them to create a profile at some online dating site in Spain resulting in a LOT of spaniards adding me to their MSN list.
At first I had no idea what was going on but as I learned what had happened, I tried to contact the site administrators telling them that someone was posing as me and I politely asked them to remove "me" from their site. I didn't even get a response back.... I still wonder if this "someone" who stole my contact information was in some way affiliated with the site.
Some of the people who added me where in fact very nice and I still keep in touch with a few of them but from now on I only have pictures on my site that are unusable if someone would want to pull off the same thing again.
"You don't like it? Too damn bad. I really don't give a shit"
That is about how I feel. I am a transsexual (yes, really) and have been living and working in my "new" appearane for the last 5 years. Prior to that, I would *never* have agreed to any kind of dresscode anyway since it would have seriously violated my perception of myself.
Besides the small minority of people like me, there are still people who take great pride in their own style and appearance and it can be a big part of who they are. If you take that away from them, they will have less confidence and perhaps perform worse. I feel people should be able to dress in what makes them feel good as long as they look clean and presentable.
Judging people by their clothes is just as stupid as judging people by the color of their hair (or skin).
"Listen, lad. I've built this kingdom up from nothing. When I started here, all there was was swamp. The king said I was daft to build a castle in a swamp, but I built it all the same,just to show 'em.
It sank into the swamp.
So, I built a second one. That sank into the swamp.
So I built a third one. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp.
But the fourth one stayed up. An' that's what your gonna get, lad -- the strongest castle in these islands."
I agree with you.
If something is considered a tool of piracy simply because it can be used in that context then Windows itself is indeed "authorising people to infringe copyright". If the users did not have windows they would not be able to pirate and play any new games for instance. Hence windows must also be a tool to infringe piracy.
Not to mention the possibility to share folders on a network with otehers.... On second thought, all operating systems should probably be outlawed.
Slashdot Mirror
I know what you mean but "read up on what brands will work", "it will probably work" and "if not, buy a different brand" is exactly the kind of things that my post was about.
It just isn't worth it for many people who has no real interest in computers...
You are right, some hardware may require manual installation. An average home user will probably not have to install RAID cards or connect to a SAN or perform similar tasks. These tasks are often described in detail for all supported operating systems in the instruction manual written for a technical audience. ... isn't supported under Linux but I don't really care about that. I want that camera or PDA synch to work and I don't care if it is software patents, closed source problems or something else causing it.
The difference is that if I buy a printer or camera for my home computer that needs some manual installation, there is always a nice little instruction telling me exactly how to install it under windows. I haven't seen Linux mentioned in any of the instructions I got with the things I have for my PC (camera, MP3 player, phone...).
If I ask someone at the store if it supports Linux, they will likely not know or tell me it isn't supported. If I call tech support asking how to install my new camera with Linux they might say that it could work under Linux but they don't support it.
I work in the IT field, but I am not a techie. I understand that it isn't exactly the developers fault that end-user hardware, games,
From my perspective, the end user, this makes Windows easier to use.
[...]these are the kind of things that keep lots of people from using Linux on their home PCs, where things either "just work" or they are not worth fiddling in order to make them work
I am not very interested in playing around with computers or operating systems. I think the computer is a wonderful invention just as I think the car is a wonderful invention. I use a computer and I use a car but I am not really interested in how they work or why things doesn't work, I just want them to work, like you said. I have had a Linux installation once and most things kind of worked but there are still too many things that doesn't. I want the majority of applications and games that I can see and buy in the store to work on my computer, not a reason why they will not work. I want to be able to exchange documents with others without having to think about formats and why the document doesn't look the same when I send it to the majority of my friends/colleagues who uses Windows and MS Office.
I want my internet bank to work on my computer, just as I know it will under Windows and no, I do not want to switch to a different bank.
There are people who love computers and operating systems who will gladly work around all these problems by dual-booting, downloading some obscure instruction about how to make things work or by any other way they can figure out but I am not one of them.
The problem is that there are millions of people like me who are not really interested in computers and they will not switch until they know that things will work the same or better than it does with MS Windows.
The majority of people like me are not windows advocates, we just want things to work.
The misuse of the word piracy gives all us true pirates a bad name. Piracy doesn't even have to take place on the high seas anymore. Damn all sweet water pirates to hell!
"lather, rinse, repeat."
I finally figured out the mystery why programmers always use the entire bottle of conditioner when taking a shower... Thank you!
Lucifer?
Well... I don't know how games affect people but I have never seen Super Mario players jump up and down like crazy, bang their heads on bricks, eat magic mushrooms, explore the local sewer system and grow a belly and a moustache just because of their hobby. I am not that convinced there are more plumbers amongst Super Mario players than in the rest of society either.
Corporation: An organization created in order to generate individual profit without individual responsibility.
That is why no on is in jail, it goes against the very idea of corporations.
Ok I admit I am not very well read up on what the RIAA actually does and maybe this is the wrong place to ask this question, but what does an individual record company gain from being a RIAA member?
All I ever hear about RIAA involves lawsuits and similar activities. Do they actually provide anything to the individual record companies besides being a common lobby organization?
I have never used an online dating service but I had my contact information (MSN adress) and picture "stolen" from my website recently.
Someone used them to create a profile at some online dating site in Spain resulting in a LOT of spaniards adding me to their MSN list.
At first I had no idea what was going on but as I learned what had happened, I tried to contact the site administrators telling them that someone was posing as me and I politely asked them to remove "me" from their site. I didn't even get a response back.... I still wonder if this "someone" who stole my contact information was in some way affiliated with the site.
Some of the people who added me where in fact very nice and I still keep in touch with a few of them but from now on I only have pictures on my site that are unusable if someone would want to pull off the same thing again.
"You don't like it? Too damn bad. I really don't give a shit"
That is about how I feel. I am a transsexual (yes, really) and have been living and working in my "new" appearane for the last 5 years. Prior to that, I would *never* have agreed to any kind of dresscode anyway since it would have seriously violated my perception of myself.
Besides the small minority of people like me, there are still people who take great pride in their own style and appearance and it can be a big part of who they are. If you take that away from them, they will have less confidence and perhaps perform worse. I feel people should be able to dress in what makes them feel good as long as they look clean and presentable.
Judging people by their clothes is just as stupid as judging people by the color of their hair (or skin).
"Listen, lad. I've built this kingdom up from nothing. When I started here, all there was was swamp. The king said I was daft to build a castle in a swamp, but I built it all the same,just to show 'em. It sank into the swamp. So, I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So I built a third one. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up. An' that's what your gonna get, lad -- the strongest castle in these islands."
I agree with you. If something is considered a tool of piracy simply because it can be used in that context then Windows itself is indeed "authorising people to infringe copyright". If the users did not have windows they would not be able to pirate and play any new games for instance. Hence windows must also be a tool to infringe piracy. Not to mention the possibility to share folders on a network with otehers.... On second thought, all operating systems should probably be outlawed.