To improve system performance, Lenovo is leading an industry trend of adopting RAID on the SSDs in certain product configurations.
Which RAID level works best with a single drive?
They could take a single disk and split it into multiple partitions and then RAID those partitions.
I actually saw this done over 20 years ago on a million dollar computing cluster. The customer was complaining about performance. I actually fixed the problem the same day but I did capture the previous performance information including the original disk layout and took it back to our high-level support staff. They broke down with laughter.
I too don't see a problem here. Most computers you by at best buy, ick best buy, are going to be windows machines. I you want a custom job to run linux do some research on the net and fine one designed to run linux and prebuilt with linux installed. Those now exist, this isn't 199x anymore. There are plenty of venders that will say, "you want linux, sure"
Not really. We just had an article on Dell (they also did this in 2010 as well) providing a Laptop with Linux on it for $150 USD extra when it would have been cheaper to just pay the Microsoft Tax and install your preferred Linux distribution on it. Most people who want Linux either know how to install it or know someone who will do it for them. For many home installations on laptops and desktops just entering your language, keyboard type and then choose the default disk layout is all you need to do.
With Linux Live distributions you can even take the basic system for a test drive to see if all hardware works. Obviously, it still pays to do your homework before choosing a Linux-compatible laptop or desktop, never rely on the sales rep.
It's not just intentional sabatoge that can cause a lack of support. Newly release chipsets or other hardware often doesn't have initial Linux support. Sometimes it takes time for that to get incorporated into the kernel and make it's way up the pipeline. Moreover, each distro tends to incorporate new kernel changes at different paces, and it makes it hard to predict how soon support will arrive for new hardware.
I'm not sure if this is the case here. The story makes it sound like it was deliberate, which wouldn't be too surprising I guess, but it's hard to say.
In early December 2015 I built myself a Desktop using the latest Skylake Chipset (released 5th Aug 2015) and all I had to do was select "Other OS" and I installed Fedora 23 KDE spin without any problems. I did find an issue a short time later with my monitor which has two HDMI slots and DSUB slot. Basically, everything worked, however I also connected my PS4 to the spare HDMI port so I could switch between my PC and PS4 and this worked perfectly. Unfortunately switching back to the PC port dropped signal which required me to reset the PC.
The fix was for me to get the latest BIOS (the same day I found the problem) and this fixed the issue of toggling between PC and PS4 or my PS3 if I moved the HDMI cable across. I have been using this configuration ever since.
I can understand if graphics drivers are not available for a new graphics card but I would not be surprised if Microsoft is starting to pull tactics like what is mentioned in the article. Originally Microsoft wanted secure boot (to protect the users of course, cough! cough!) or UEFI. The problem with this is many major Linux distribution got UEFI certified as well which I would assume defeated the original purpose of having secure boot.
No, the issue is Microsoft is being Microsoft and nothing has changed.
After what you said and I have confirmed this on the web as well. I stand corrected, Windows 10 is not just Malware it also meets the criteria for a virus as well.
I have Windows 10 in a virtual machine (installed from ISO that I downloaded rom Microsoft) using a legitimate Windows 7 license. When I did the customize installation I was appalled at all the features which were by default turned on and you would get this if you did the so-called Quick Install. Another annoyance was the fact that you also have to fiddle with the Registry to further lock the OS down and even then it is almost impossible to stop the OS from talking to IP addresses that when you check are owned by Microsoft. I have not run Windows 10 since and that was over three months ago.
To be honest, I don't miss Windows anything since I have been running Linux (now Fedora 24 KDE spin) for well over seven years and although I do play computer games I am quite happy with my backwards compatible PS3 (it still works) and my PS4. Also, I have yet to find an MS Windows application that I can't find a Linux equivalent for.
One of my computers is still infested with the "Windows 10" virus. My family won't let me put Linux on it only because some Steam games would go missing. I don't use the stupid thing, I go to the real workstation with Linux.
Windows 10 is not a virus, since the definition of a computer virus is "a piece of code which is capable of copying itself and typically has a detrimental effect, such as corrupting the system or destroying data." Windows 10 does not destroy or corrupt data unless Microsoft deems that it is for the user's own good.
If we look at the definition of malware which is "Malware, short for malicious software, is any software used to disrupt computer operations, gather sensitive information, gain access to private computer systems, or display unwanted advertising". Now that sounds familiar.
no PS4 will output a 4K game although the PS4pro will upscale
The PS4 Pro isn't just going to upscale. If the games are developed for native 4K then the Pro is "supposed" to have the capability to display them. That being said, Sony is not making it a requirement on developers. Some older games are only getting an upgrade to 1440p, some are just getting higher framerates at 1080p, some are getting other non-resolution enhancements, and some are not getting any upgrades at all.
In principle, I do agree but you do have to remember that commercial game development is a business so the developers target the platform that will give them the most return. In the case of the PS4 and PS4pro (out 10th Nov 2016) a developer would have to be arrogant or have a poor business sense to produce a game that would only run well on a PS4pro. What most developers would do is develop a PS4 game that would run well and allow for PS4pro enhancements.
I have played the Doom demo and while I am no fan of FPS games I actually enjoyed playing this game especially since it runs at 1080p and 60fps. What was important here was the 60fps part since you are moving very quickly and while the graphics are really nice you don't really have the time to enjoy the scenery.
I also play Bloodborne and while the framerate is supposed to be about 30fps on occasion you do get slowdown especially with multiple enemies on screen at once, however this game can be played at a much slower pace than Doom (except for encounters which normally have one to four enemies) and you can enjoy the scenery. Another game that is only 30fps is The Witcher 3 and IMHO it's the scenery that is more important as well as the story than the frame rate although like I have said before many dips in frame rate can be offputting although this does not happen that often in the TW3.
I won't deny having a solid frame rate is very important and preferably 60fps or higher or at the least a locked 30fps but you also have to consider your display device as well and then you have to consider refresh rates (in Hertz), screen resolution and latency it's all a question of integration.
Personally, I would like a larger 4K screen for my PC and PS4 setup. As a compromise, my wife gets the HDTV although if she is not using it I can move my PS4 and connect in less than a minute. What is interesting is I have an IPS monitor and the colors are incredibly vivid and it will display 1080p at 60ftps quite nicely so I am taking my time deciding on when I will get a 4K monitor. Actually, if I leave it too long (3 to 5 years) I may end up getting an 8K monitor instead and by that time the PS5 will be making its appearance.
I am quite happy with Bloodborne on my PS4. I can even play Demons Souls on my PS3 and you won't see those games on a PC anytime soon.
If you are really into games why would you want a 4K Bluray player since there is no real advantage in having one and all PS4's now support HDR10. Most people who have a 4K TV and a decent internet connection (major first world cities) and acceptable (if any) caps will be quite happy with streaming. Obviously, videophiles won't but if they want the best with their 4K TV they will get a 4K player, after all having a library of 4K movies or even 1080p is not exactly a poor man's hobby.
I just recently purchased "The Old Hunters" DLC and I guess I will have to "git gud" all over again.:-)
With better compression algorithms than H.264, why is it not possible to fit 4k content onto Blu-Ray discs? They'd need a new name to avoid confusion, but the same physical disc format (and drive) should work fine.
How about H265. If you take an H264 codec file and convert it to an H265 codec file you will reduce that file by up to 60% without impacting the quality of that file. Good luck trying to tell the difference. Of course, if you convert from 8bit to 10bit or even 12bit you will reduce the size even further and again without any noticeable quality reduction. Reducing the quality can dramatically reduce the size of the file or even the stream but this is a balancing act in that if you reduce too much most people will detect it.
At the moment there is very little 4K content although that will increase but most people, particularly for seasonal shows will be quite happy with 1080p Bluray or even (shock horror) DVD. Sure the videophile will want better but most people don't care as long as they can watch their favourite movie or show they will be quite happy.
From a personal perspective I have never purchased a DVD or Bluray movie preferring to rent (rarely) or stream (we have Netflix) and I have had a PS3 from day one. I have never even watched a Bluray movie on my PS4 since I only use it to play games. While I can't speak for a videophile I think most people are like minded.
I was surprised when the PS4pro was announced without a 4K player although it still has a Bluray/DVD player and all PS4's since the last update now supports HDR10, however times have changed from the original PS3 release with a Bluray player and most people are quite happy with 1080p considering the market for 4K TV's is still small (it is growing) compared to the HD market. In addition, there is also a hidden "snake in the grass" and that is 8K which are currently very expensive but give it 3 to 5 years 4K may be sidelined to what 720p is now compared to 1080p.
There is also another technology that is very much in its infancy and that is Virtual Reality which can allow people who prefer movies and TV shows to games to view their favourite movie/show on a massive virtual screen. VR also will allow for more interesting games as well although you will still be able to play conventional games.
I'm sitting in front of a 4k monitor right now and this is just not the case. I still have a side monitor, although I do often leave it turned off. Yes, technically there are enough pixels, but in practice most apps won't handle it as well as they handle separate monitors.
Rather than separate monitors which take up real-estate on your desk, I actually use virtual screens which I can switch between in less than a second. My default is four virtual screens although I could go up to 20 for each task I set up and I can setup many tasks as my Desktop will support. Adding and subtracting virtual screens takes less than a second on my current system and I have been able to do something like this for over 25 years starting from Unix though to Linux.
I also have a PS4 and a backwards compatible PS3 which I use for gaming via an HDMI connection to my IPS monitor since I have never been into PC gaming and I can toggle between my PC and PS3/PS4 in seconds. While I don't have a 4K monitor (the steering committee is still arguing) I would only need a 27" to 32" one although it must have at least two HDMI ports and preferably an optical out to my amplifier.
A very import rule of thumb for selecting a monitor size is "if you can see the pixels when working on your PC then you need a smaller sized monitor or one with a higher resolution". The problem with a larger screen is you do have a tendency to sit further back (a curved screen may help) since sitting too close is almost a guarantee of needing eye care at a later date. Obviously resolution, screen size and quality do cost but you are better to pay a little more than making do with an inferior product.
The content is coming. The Playstation 4 Pro, which comes out on November 10, has 4k and HDR capability.
Eventually, either the content or the medium has to move, otherwise both sides will sit around forever waiting for the other.
True although you did forget to mention that all PS4's support HDR10 (as per update 4.0) so you can display a 1080p movie to a 4K TV that supports HDR10. As for games, no PS4 will output a 4K game although the PS4pro will upscale. Upscaling for the PS4 will be done by the TV which in turn depends on the upscaling features of the TV.
4K Bluray is not supported by any PS4 however, all PS4's are capable of displaying 4K HDR content from streaming services like Netflix. Of course, this assumes you have a decent internet connection and a good plan (eg. no caps). For the majority of people who have this streaming 1080p and 4K (assuming they have a 4KTV) is the better option rather than purchase a 4K Bluray player. Videophiles will disagree and this is fair but they are in the minority since most people want to watch their favorite show and move on to the next rather than purchase a physical disk and for many 1080p especially if it upscaled properly is good enough.
The upscaling is pretty impressive. A good 4k upscaler looks significantly better on the same 1080 source. That said, 1080p give a pretty sharp picture in it's won right. I don't think 4k is very noticeable in typical size family room (i.e. viewing from 10-14 ft away) unless you have a 75" or larger TV. Similarly, if you have 42" or smaller TV 720p is probably OK unless you are sitting 6 ft away from it.
Not this again? Listen, not everyone lives in the burbs in a huge house with a "family room". Many live in condos downtown where a TV cannot be 10-14 feet away so a 55" 4k TV is noticeable.
Rather than rant please take a look at this which is a distance to size calculator and the average size family room may allow a 1.2m (4ft) to 3m (10ft) distance from face to screen, unless you are living in a cardboard box and if this is the case I think you have more to worry about than the purchase of a 4K TV.
Why not buy it in a year or two then? when they become even cheaper.
True but you also have to consider that 8K TV's are now making an appearance and will effectively sideline 4K TV's in about three to five years. Assuming my crystal ball is doing its job properly. After all, who would want a low-resolution 4K display when an 8K display with four times the resolution again will be better.:-)
If you notice, one of the resolutions is a subset of the UHD 4k. The other one is only slightly sharper and it should be possible to downsample to UHD 4k with no loss of quality.
Not that most people would be able to tell the difference between a 1080p bluray and a 4k bluray...
Simply put it all depends on the viewer and the distance they like to view from as well as the screen size. The following information goes into much more detail and is well worth the read. As an example say you as the viewer have a preference for a 55" TV (I am not going to make a comparison just yet) and you prefer sitting at 2.4m (8ft) distance then providing you have reasonably good eyes you probably won' be able to tell the difference between a picture at 1080p on a HDTV to one at 2160p on a UHDTV (assuming identical quality). Obviously, as you sit closer the differences do become apparent.
Other factors also come into play as well. There is "High Dynamic Range" (HDR) that all newer UHDTV's support which does add to the crispness of the picture at the expense of latency (gamers take note), however you also have to consider there is a format war going on at the moment. Two HDR formats are on offer the first is HDR10 (open format, licence free) and Dolby Vision HDR (proprietary, requires licence fee) and if you are in the market for a UHDTV then you should be aware of this.
Currently 4K or UHDTV's (there are differences) appear to to be the next big thing in TV's, however there is also another display which will effectively sideline 4k to the equivalent of 720p compared to 1080p and that is 8K TV's which are only just now making an appearance and while they are very expensive they will rapidly come down in price (say 3 to 5 years). Of course, the distance to screen size calculation as per the URL is not going to change so to appreciate an 8K screen it would have to be bigger again and you would have to sit closer. Maybe a curved screen would help since you can sit closer but that may not be all that comfortable for some viewers.
Actually that is not vi but ex and there is a differnce
The vi editor works in four modes 1) Entry mode. 2) Cursor movement and screen mode. 3. Text and character manipulation mode. 4) Search mode.
The ex editor is actually a very powerful line editor and should never to be confused with "edlin" under pain of forcing you to learn all the EMACS commands.
The 1980's called again and suggested we stop although it was fun while it lasted.
Convert all upper case to lower case
cat my_file | tr '[A-Z]' '[a-z]'
or
cat my_file | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]'
Reverse the options and you can convert lowercase to uppercase. Read the manual entry "tr" for further fun and games.
We have just invalidated your patent. Now pay court costs and consider yourself spanked, not because you tried such a silly patent but because you did not write in convoluted "legalese" which would enable our lawyers to do some very needed renovations to their mansions.:-)
Everything you said is perfectly true but you totally didn't address my actual point, which is the question why Dell are charging an extra $150 more (my mistake not $200) for a laptop with a literally free operating system, than an identical one with an OS they have to buy a licence for.
It is very difficult to say why Dell is doing that although I am quite sure they can spin it in a way that makes them the good guys instead of saying things like "We just want to rip you off so you will feel obliged to purchase one of our laptops with a Microsoft OS on it".:-)
I am pretty sure Dell pulled something along the same stunt a few years ago. See the following (2010) although don't bother to try and follow the links since they conveniently don't exist anymore.
I do think, like it or not, if you get a laptop it is cheaper to just get one with Windows installed and pay the Microsoft tax then wipe it and put on your preferred Linux distro (obviously check you can do this before your buy). You should also get the Widows 10 ISO file (4.2GB) from here and keep it so if you ever wish to sell your laptop you can sell it with a legitimate fresh install of Windows 10 without the bloatware (takes about 10 to 30 minutes) to the Windows brainwashed.
In fact, I would actually recommend getting the ISO and do a fresh install on the default Windows 10 (don't do the quick setup) even if you were not going to install a Linux distribution.
Why is the Linux version $200 more than the Windows 10 version? This is seriously just taking the piss.
Basically, any Linux user will buy the Windows version then effectively wipe it and replace it with the Linux distribution of their choice. The problem with this and you can't blame the Linux user is that Microsoft can then rightly claim that they have shipped another Windows machine (ie. the Microsoft tax). Even if that Linux user returned the Windows license for a refund they would only get the OEM price if they were lucky and Microsoft would still claim a Windows shipment.
At least if you build you own machine or even get it assembled Microsoft get nothing. Unfortunately, laptops nearly always come with Microsoft Windows (and bloatware) and even if you download the Windows ISO from here and customise your own Windows 10 install (it's stupidly easy although I do advise the customise feature) you have still paid the Microsoft Tax.
For one or two (ie. dual boot) operating systems 128GB SSD'sare great and are not that much more in price than a 60GB SSD.
Anyone who has built their own desktop knows that you should always put the OS on an SSD (M2's are still SSD's) for the best performance and use an additional disk or disks for the rest of your data. The problem with many laptops is many come with only one disk so a hybrid is a compromise between performance and storage.
Of course, if you really want capacity and performance of your storage device you can always replace your 2.5" laptop disk with something like a 15TB SSD, cheap at only $10,000 USD:-)
MATE and Xfce are moving to GTK3, however slowly.
gnome-disks is commonly included, it allows to add/etc/fstab entries with UUID by clicking around. Which is very helpful, although explaining what's a fstab UUID entry to your mother-in-law or auntie is left as an exercise for the reader.
Well, you could be trying to explain the Registry to a Windows user.:-)
Linux has had graphics tools for years that hides the underlying text files from the noninquisitive user. Even Unix systems have similar tools and it's even more interesting maintaining AIX which uses a database.
the better for linux. So, lets all hate win 10 a bit.
That's not difficult, after all why would I want to run malware
From the first sentence of the Wiki for those who are in denial or can't be bothered clicking on the link.
"Malware, short for malicious software, is any software used to disrupt computer operations, gather sensitive information, gain access to private computer systems, or display unwanted advertising."
Sound familiar? Of course, most people will say "But I don't have anything to hide" - Sad really, they have been in the water too long and now it's started to get hot. I hope they enjoy their gold plated chains.
Oh I almost forgot Linux also works on Skylake systems as well.
I wish they fought instead about whose browser protects the user's privacy best. But being Google and Microsoft (which is trying to become Google) I guess that's not their top priority.
To be fair you can turn off both Chrome and Edge when you are not using a browser so you can have more privacy. You can even lock down Chrome if you are worried about privacy, it's actually very easy to do.
A simple test will prove this. Get and install Wireshark however before you do this you will have to learn how to use it. if you can't be bothered then stop reading this now.
OK I assume you have the basics. Run Wireshark on your OS and make sure all your network applications are not running (ie. browsers, torrents etc.). If you were on a Linux distribution you would only see network traffic to and from your router which is normal and fairly small. You may also see a few site probing your machine which could be owned by your ISP so you can check this later by noting down their IP addresses.
On a Windows 10 machine unless you really have locked it down it will be chatting non-stop to plenty of servers which are owned by (you guessed it) Microsoft. You will probably have so much information from Wireshark that you just give up although if you do a sort there really should not be that many IP address to query.
Assuming you persevere and have noted down all IP addresses of interest. You may as well stop Wireshark since starting a Web browser will make it go ballistic. Open up a web site that you can get information on IP addresses (I use this one ) and enter the IP addresses you are curious about. If you have got this far you will probably know the reason why I don't run Windows 10 even though I do have a legitimate license and have it installed in a virtual machine. Now excuse me I have to readjust my tinfoil hat.
WARNING: Do not run Wireshark in any environment other than your own home unless you have written permission to do so otherwise you could be mistaken for a cracker and while hacking is not a crime, cracking is.
No. Traffic. Is. Traffic. The person requesting the traffic wants it asap all the time.
Not true. If I am audio chatting with a friend, I want packets delivered in milliseconds. But if I am running a torrent in the background, anytime in the next hour or so is good enough. It would be nice to be able to set my own preferences.
So you think your audio chart is more important than my audio chat? As an example say you are playing an online multiplayer game which do you think should have the greatest priority online chat or low latency control?
Using torrents as an example is actually a bad example since torrents do run at fairly low priority. When you leach from a seed you are fully dependent on the seed's settings not your own.
Slashdot Mirror
From the ZDnet article:
Which RAID level works best with a single drive?
They could take a single disk and split it into multiple partitions and then RAID those partitions.
I actually saw this done over 20 years ago on a million dollar computing cluster. The customer was complaining about performance. I actually fixed the problem the same day but I did capture the previous performance information including the original disk layout and took it back to our high-level support staff. They broke down with laughter.
But... I thought "Microsoft Loves Linux"? https://blogs.technet.microsof...
They do, it's just that they would love it to be dead. :-)
I too don't see a problem here. Most computers you by at best buy, ick best buy, are going to be windows machines. I you want a custom job to run linux do some research on the net and fine one designed to run linux and prebuilt with linux installed. Those now exist, this isn't 199x anymore. There are plenty of venders that will say, "you want linux, sure"
Not really. We just had an article on Dell (they also did this in 2010 as well) providing a Laptop with Linux on it for $150 USD extra when it would have been cheaper to just pay the Microsoft Tax and install your preferred Linux distribution on it. Most people who want Linux either know how to install it or know someone who will do it for them. For many home installations on laptops and desktops just entering your language, keyboard type and then choose the default disk layout is all you need to do.
With Linux Live distributions you can even take the basic system for a test drive to see if all hardware works. Obviously, it still pays to do your homework before choosing a Linux-compatible laptop or desktop, never rely on the sales rep.
It's not just intentional sabatoge that can cause a lack of support. Newly release chipsets or other hardware often doesn't have initial Linux support. Sometimes it takes time for that to get incorporated into the kernel and make it's way up the pipeline. Moreover, each distro tends to incorporate new kernel changes at different paces, and it makes it hard to predict how soon support will arrive for new hardware.
I'm not sure if this is the case here. The story makes it sound like it was deliberate, which wouldn't be too surprising I guess, but it's hard to say.
In early December 2015 I built myself a Desktop using the latest Skylake Chipset (released 5th Aug 2015) and all I had to do was select "Other OS" and I installed Fedora 23 KDE spin without any problems. I did find an issue a short time later with my monitor which has two HDMI slots and DSUB slot. Basically, everything worked, however I also connected my PS4 to the spare HDMI port so I could switch between my PC and PS4 and this worked perfectly. Unfortunately switching back to the PC port dropped signal which required me to reset the PC.
The fix was for me to get the latest BIOS (the same day I found the problem) and this fixed the issue of toggling between PC and PS4 or my PS3 if I moved the HDMI cable across. I have been using this configuration ever since.
I can understand if graphics drivers are not available for a new graphics card but I would not be surprised if Microsoft is starting to pull tactics like what is mentioned in the article. Originally Microsoft wanted secure boot (to protect the users of course, cough! cough!) or UEFI. The problem with this is many major Linux distribution got UEFI certified as well which I would assume defeated the original purpose of having secure boot.
No, the issue is Microsoft is being Microsoft and nothing has changed.
After what you said and I have confirmed this on the web as well. I stand corrected, Windows 10 is not just Malware it also meets the criteria for a virus as well.
I have Windows 10 in a virtual machine (installed from ISO that I downloaded rom Microsoft) using a legitimate Windows 7 license. When I did the customize installation I was appalled at all the features which were by default turned on and you would get this if you did the so-called Quick Install. Another annoyance was the fact that you also have to fiddle with the Registry to further lock the OS down and even then it is almost impossible to stop the OS from talking to IP addresses that when you check are owned by Microsoft. I have not run Windows 10 since and that was over three months ago.
To be honest, I don't miss Windows anything since I have been running Linux (now Fedora 24 KDE spin) for well over seven years and although I do play computer games I am quite happy with my backwards compatible PS3 (it still works) and my PS4. Also, I have yet to find an MS Windows application that I can't find a Linux equivalent for.
One of my computers is still infested with the "Windows 10" virus. My family won't let me put Linux on it only because some Steam games would go missing. I don't use the stupid thing, I go to the real workstation with Linux.
Windows 10 is not a virus, since the definition of a computer virus is "a piece of code which is capable of copying itself and typically has a detrimental effect, such as corrupting the system or destroying data." Windows 10 does not destroy or corrupt data unless Microsoft deems that it is for the user's own good.
If we look at the definition of malware which is " Malware , short for malicious software, is any software used to disrupt computer operations, gather sensitive information, gain access to private computer systems, or display unwanted advertising". Now that sounds familiar.
no PS4 will output a 4K game although the PS4pro will upscale
The PS4 Pro isn't just going to upscale. If the games are developed for native 4K then the Pro is "supposed" to have the capability to display them. That being said, Sony is not making it a requirement on developers. Some older games are only getting an upgrade to 1440p, some are just getting higher framerates at 1080p, some are getting other non-resolution enhancements, and some are not getting any upgrades at all.
Gamespot has a list tracking the titles that are getting an upgrade (or not).
In principle, I do agree but you do have to remember that commercial game development is a business so the developers target the platform that will give them the most return. In the case of the PS4 and PS4pro (out 10th Nov 2016) a developer would have to be arrogant or have a poor business sense to produce a game that would only run well on a PS4pro. What most developers would do is develop a PS4 game that would run well and allow for PS4pro enhancements.
I have played the Doom demo and while I am no fan of FPS games I actually enjoyed playing this game especially since it runs at 1080p and 60fps. What was important here was the 60fps part since you are moving very quickly and while the graphics are really nice you don't really have the time to enjoy the scenery.
I also play Bloodborne and while the framerate is supposed to be about 30fps on occasion you do get slowdown especially with multiple enemies on screen at once, however this game can be played at a much slower pace than Doom (except for encounters which normally have one to four enemies) and you can enjoy the scenery. Another game that is only 30fps is The Witcher 3 and IMHO it's the scenery that is more important as well as the story than the frame rate although like I have said before many dips in frame rate can be offputting although this does not happen that often in the TW3.
I won't deny having a solid frame rate is very important and preferably 60fps or higher or at the least a locked 30fps but you also have to consider your display device as well and then you have to consider refresh rates (in Hertz), screen resolution and latency it's all a question of integration.
Personally, I would like a larger 4K screen for my PC and PS4 setup. As a compromise, my wife gets the HDTV although if she is not using it I can move my PS4 and connect in less than a minute. What is interesting is I have an IPS monitor and the colors are incredibly vivid and it will display 1080p at 60ftps quite nicely so I am taking my time deciding on when I will get a 4K monitor. Actually, if I leave it too long (3 to 5 years) I may end up getting an 8K monitor instead and by that time the PS5 will be making its appearance.
I am quite happy with Bloodborne on my PS4. I can even play Demons Souls on my PS3 and you won't see those games on a PC anytime soon.
If you are really into games why would you want a 4K Bluray player since there is no real advantage in having one and all PS4's now support HDR10. Most people who have a 4K TV and a decent internet connection (major first world cities) and acceptable (if any) caps will be quite happy with streaming. Obviously, videophiles won't but if they want the best with their 4K TV they will get a 4K player, after all having a library of 4K movies or even 1080p is not exactly a poor man's hobby.
I just recently purchased "The Old Hunters" DLC and I guess I will have to "git gud" all over again. :-)
With better compression algorithms than H.264, why is it not possible to fit 4k content onto Blu-Ray discs? They'd need a new name to avoid confusion, but the same physical disc format (and drive) should work fine.
How about H265. If you take an H264 codec file and convert it to an H265 codec file you will reduce that file by up to 60% without impacting the quality of that file. Good luck trying to tell the difference. Of course, if you convert from 8bit to 10bit or even 12bit you will reduce the size even further and again without any noticeable quality reduction. Reducing the quality can dramatically reduce the size of the file or even the stream but this is a balancing act in that if you reduce too much most people will detect it.
At the moment there is very little 4K content although that will increase but most people, particularly for seasonal shows will be quite happy with 1080p Bluray or even (shock horror) DVD. Sure the videophile will want better but most people don't care as long as they can watch their favourite movie or show they will be quite happy.
From a personal perspective I have never purchased a DVD or Bluray movie preferring to rent (rarely) or stream (we have Netflix) and I have had a PS3 from day one. I have never even watched a Bluray movie on my PS4 since I only use it to play games. While I can't speak for a videophile I think most people are like minded.
I was surprised when the PS4pro was announced without a 4K player although it still has a Bluray/DVD player and all PS4's since the last update now supports HDR10, however times have changed from the original PS3 release with a Bluray player and most people are quite happy with 1080p considering the market for 4K TV's is still small (it is growing) compared to the HD market. In addition, there is also a hidden "snake in the grass" and that is 8K which are currently very expensive but give it 3 to 5 years 4K may be sidelined to what 720p is now compared to 1080p.
There is also another technology that is very much in its infancy and that is Virtual Reality which can allow people who prefer movies and TV shows to games to view their favourite movie/show on a massive virtual screen. VR also will allow for more interesting games as well although you will still be able to play conventional games.
I'm sitting in front of a 4k monitor right now and this is just not the case. I still have a side monitor, although I do often leave it turned off. Yes, technically there are enough pixels, but in practice most apps won't handle it as well as they handle separate monitors.
Rather than separate monitors which take up real-estate on your desk, I actually use virtual screens which I can switch between in less than a second. My default is four virtual screens although I could go up to 20 for each task I set up and I can setup many tasks as my Desktop will support. Adding and subtracting virtual screens takes less than a second on my current system and I have been able to do something like this for over 25 years starting from Unix though to Linux.
I also have a PS4 and a backwards compatible PS3 which I use for gaming via an HDMI connection to my IPS monitor since I have never been into PC gaming and I can toggle between my PC and PS3/PS4 in seconds. While I don't have a 4K monitor (the steering committee is still arguing) I would only need a 27" to 32" one although it must have at least two HDMI ports and preferably an optical out to my amplifier.
A very import rule of thumb for selecting a monitor size is "if you can see the pixels when working on your PC then you need a smaller sized monitor or one with a higher resolution". The problem with a larger screen is you do have a tendency to sit further back (a curved screen may help) since sitting too close is almost a guarantee of needing eye care at a later date. Obviously resolution, screen size and quality do cost but you are better to pay a little more than making do with an inferior product.
The content is coming. The Playstation 4 Pro, which comes out on November 10, has 4k and HDR capability.
Eventually, either the content or the medium has to move, otherwise both sides will sit around forever waiting for the other.
True although you did forget to mention that all PS4's support HDR10 (as per update 4.0) so you can display a 1080p movie to a 4K TV that supports HDR10. As for games, no PS4 will output a 4K game although the PS4pro will upscale. Upscaling for the PS4 will be done by the TV which in turn depends on the upscaling features of the TV.
4K Bluray is not supported by any PS4 however, all PS4's are capable of displaying 4K HDR content from streaming services like Netflix. Of course, this assumes you have a decent internet connection and a good plan (eg. no caps). For the majority of people who have this streaming 1080p and 4K (assuming they have a 4KTV) is the better option rather than purchase a 4K Bluray player. Videophiles will disagree and this is fair but they are in the minority since most people want to watch their favorite show and move on to the next rather than purchase a physical disk and for many 1080p especially if it upscaled properly is good enough.
The upscaling is pretty impressive. A good 4k upscaler looks significantly better on the same 1080 source. That said, 1080p give a pretty sharp picture in it's won right. I don't think 4k is very noticeable in typical size family room (i.e. viewing from 10-14 ft away) unless you have a 75" or larger TV. Similarly, if you have 42" or smaller TV 720p is probably OK unless you are sitting 6 ft away from it.
Not this again? Listen, not everyone lives in the burbs in a huge house with a "family room". Many live in condos downtown where a TV cannot be 10-14 feet away so a 55" 4k TV is noticeable.
Rather than rant please take a look at this which is a distance to size calculator and the average size family room may allow a 1.2m (4ft) to 3m (10ft) distance from face to screen, unless you are living in a cardboard box and if this is the case I think you have more to worry about than the purchase of a 4K TV.
Why not buy it in a year or two then? when they become even cheaper.
True but you also have to consider that 8K TV's are now making an appearance and will effectively sideline 4K TV's in about three to five years. Assuming my crystal ball is doing its job properly. After all, who would want a low-resolution 4K display when an 8K display with four times the resolution again will be better. :-)
If you notice, one of the resolutions is a subset of the UHD 4k. The other one is only slightly sharper and it should be possible to downsample to UHD 4k with no loss of quality.
Not that most people would be able to tell the difference between a 1080p bluray and a 4k bluray...
Simply put it all depends on the viewer and the distance they like to view from as well as the screen size. The following information goes into much more detail and is well worth the read. As an example say you as the viewer have a preference for a 55" TV (I am not going to make a comparison just yet) and you prefer sitting at 2.4m (8ft) distance then providing you have reasonably good eyes you probably won' be able to tell the difference between a picture at 1080p on a HDTV to one at 2160p on a UHDTV (assuming identical quality). Obviously, as you sit closer the differences do become apparent.
Other factors also come into play as well. There is "High Dynamic Range" (HDR) that all newer UHDTV's support which does add to the crispness of the picture at the expense of latency (gamers take note), however you also have to consider there is a format war going on at the moment. Two HDR formats are on offer the first is HDR10 (open format, licence free) and Dolby Vision HDR (proprietary, requires licence fee) and if you are in the market for a UHDTV then you should be aware of this.
Currently 4K or UHDTV's (there are differences) appear to to be the next big thing in TV's, however there is also another display which will effectively sideline 4k to the equivalent of 720p compared to 1080p and that is 8K TV's which are only just now making an appearance and while they are very expensive they will rapidly come down in price (say 3 to 5 years). Of course, the distance to screen size calculation as per the URL is not going to change so to appreciate an 8K screen it would have to be bigger again and you would have to sit closer. Maybe a curved screen would help since you can sit closer but that may not be all that comfortable for some viewers.
vi is a great editor :wq :Q :q
Actually that is not vi but ex and there is a differnce
The vi editor works in four modes 1) Entry mode. 2) Cursor movement and screen mode. 3. Text and character manipulation mode. 4) Search mode.
The ex editor is actually a very powerful line editor and should never to be confused with "edlin" under pain of forcing you to learn all the EMACS commands.
The 1980's called again and suggested we stop although it was fun while it lasted.
Fair enough, but I take VI improved to be GNU Emacs. People, start your flamethrowers!
The 1980's called and wants to get in on the action again.:-)
There goes my patent on [a-z0-9]*
How about:
Convert all upper case to lower case
cat my_file | tr '[A-Z]' '[a-z]'
or
cat my_file | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]'
Reverse the options and you can convert lowercase to uppercase. Read the manual entry "tr" for further fun and games.
We have just invalidated your patent. Now pay court costs and consider yourself spanked, not because you tried such a silly patent but because you did not write in convoluted "legalese" which would enable our lawyers to do some very needed renovations to their mansions. :-)
Everything you said is perfectly true but you totally didn't address my actual point, which is the question why Dell are charging an extra $150 more (my mistake not $200) for a laptop with a literally free operating system, than an identical one with an OS they have to buy a licence for.
It is very difficult to say why Dell is doing that although I am quite sure they can spin it in a way that makes them the good guys instead of saying things like "We just want to rip you off so you will feel obliged to purchase one of our laptops with a Microsoft OS on it". :-)
I am pretty sure Dell pulled something along the same stunt a few years ago. See the following (2010) although don't bother to try and follow the links since they conveniently don't exist anymore.
I do think, like it or not, if you get a laptop it is cheaper to just get one with Windows installed and pay the Microsoft tax then wipe it and put on your preferred Linux distro (obviously check you can do this before your buy). You should also get the Widows 10 ISO file (4.2GB) from here and keep it so if you ever wish to sell your laptop you can sell it with a legitimate fresh install of Windows 10 without the bloatware (takes about 10 to 30 minutes) to the Windows brainwashed.
In fact, I would actually recommend getting the ISO and do a fresh install on the default Windows 10 (don't do the quick setup) even if you were not going to install a Linux distribution.
Why is the Linux version $200 more than the Windows 10 version? This is seriously just taking the piss.
Basically, any Linux user will buy the Windows version then effectively wipe it and replace it with the Linux distribution of their choice. The problem with this and you can't blame the Linux user is that Microsoft can then rightly claim that they have shipped another Windows machine (ie. the Microsoft tax). Even if that Linux user returned the Windows license for a refund they would only get the OEM price if they were lucky and Microsoft would still claim a Windows shipment.
At least if you build you own machine or even get it assembled Microsoft get nothing. Unfortunately, laptops nearly always come with Microsoft Windows (and bloatware) and even if you download the Windows ISO from here and customise your own Windows 10 install (it's stupidly easy although I do advise the customise feature) you have still paid the Microsoft Tax.
Truly it is the year of Linux on a desktop!
A laptop is not a desktop.
128GB SSD to small for the basic system.
Also no ati or nvidia video in any system.
For one or two (ie. dual boot) operating systems 128GB SSD'sare great and are not that much more in price than a 60GB SSD.
Anyone who has built their own desktop knows that you should always put the OS on an SSD (M2's are still SSD's) for the best performance and use an additional disk or disks for the rest of your data. The problem with many laptops is many come with only one disk so a hybrid is a compromise between performance and storage.
Of course, if you really want capacity and performance of your storage device you can always replace your 2.5" laptop disk with something like a 15TB SSD, cheap at only $10,000 USD :-)
MATE and Xfce are moving to GTK3, however slowly. gnome-disks is commonly included, it allows to add /etc/fstab entries with UUID by clicking around. Which is very helpful, although explaining what's a fstab UUID entry to your mother-in-law or auntie is left as an exercise for the reader.
Well, you could be trying to explain the Registry to a Windows user. :-)
Linux has had graphics tools for years that hides the underlying text files from the noninquisitive user. Even Unix systems have similar tools and it's even more interesting maintaining AIX which uses a database.
the better for linux. So, lets all hate win 10 a bit.
That's not difficult, after all why would I want to run malware
From the first sentence of the Wiki for those who are in denial or can't be bothered clicking on the link.
"Malware, short for malicious software, is any software used to disrupt computer operations, gather sensitive information, gain access to private computer systems, or display unwanted advertising."
Sound familiar? Of course, most people will say "But I don't have anything to hide" - Sad really, they have been in the water too long and now it's started to get hot. I hope they enjoy their gold plated chains.
Oh I almost forgot Linux also works on Skylake systems as well.
I wish they fought instead about whose browser protects the user's privacy best. But being Google and Microsoft (which is trying to become Google) I guess that's not their top priority.
To be fair you can turn off both Chrome and Edge when you are not using a browser so you can have more privacy. You can even lock down Chrome if you are worried about privacy, it's actually very easy to do.
A simple test will prove this. Get and install Wireshark however before you do this you will have to learn how to use it. if you can't be bothered then stop reading this now.
OK I assume you have the basics. Run Wireshark on your OS and make sure all your network applications are not running (ie. browsers, torrents etc.). If you were on a Linux distribution you would only see network traffic to and from your router which is normal and fairly small. You may also see a few site probing your machine which could be owned by your ISP so you can check this later by noting down their IP addresses.
On a Windows 10 machine unless you really have locked it down it will be chatting non-stop to plenty of servers which are owned by (you guessed it) Microsoft. You will probably have so much information from Wireshark that you just give up although if you do a sort there really should not be that many IP address to query.
Assuming you persevere and have noted down all IP addresses of interest. You may as well stop Wireshark since starting a Web browser will make it go ballistic. Open up a web site that you can get information on IP addresses (I use this one ) and enter the IP addresses you are curious about. If you have got this far you will probably know the reason why I don't run Windows 10 even though I do have a legitimate license and have it installed in a virtual machine. Now excuse me I have to readjust my tinfoil hat.
WARNING: Do not run Wireshark in any environment other than your own home unless you have written permission to do so otherwise you could be mistaken for a cracker and while hacking is not a crime, cracking is.
No. Traffic. Is. Traffic. The person requesting the traffic wants it asap all the time.
Not true. If I am audio chatting with a friend, I want packets delivered in milliseconds. But if I am running a torrent in the background, anytime in the next hour or so is good enough. It would be nice to be able to set my own preferences.
So you think your audio chart is more important than my audio chat? As an example say you are playing an online multiplayer game which do you think should have the greatest priority online chat or low latency control?
Using torrents as an example is actually a bad example since torrents do run at fairly low priority. When you leach from a seed you are fully dependent on the seed's settings not your own.