I did agree with your post. But that, of course, wasn't why I replied as you correctly inferred.
I just grow tired of the obvious childish reponses people give, even if they are Trolls. I'm not sure this guy is a Troll, but he's so far out it wouldn't surprise me. I have trouble accepting that people are actually put together this way.
We all get heated up now and then, but I have yet to see one thing he's posted that makes any sense or is remotely clever. I don't think it was you. I'm pretty sure he's always that way.
Last thing... you didn't need a back up. He pretty much discounted himself pretty thoroughly without anyone else's help. I put him on my foe list... that's what it's for. That way you don't have to read their garbage more than once. And I'm adding you to my friend list because I don't think I would mind reading your responses to issues again and I would like to make sure I remember you and the way you handled yourself.
Personally, I try to remember that the people I'm writing my posts to don't have any trouble seeing this guy's content for what it is: Pure Rubbish.
I'm so impressed. Thank you for blessing us with your knowledge and presence. I feel so touched and enlightened by the number of books you read and the number of women you've abused.
I also like your personality. I wish we had someone like you in our development group so we could be more productive and follow your insight. I'm sure we could take over the world with your leadership. Everyone would like us because we were so wonderful to work with.
Anyone else think that last 2 paragraphs sound silly?
I don't care to enumerate projects I've done to someone like you. I have no desire to impress you. I would leave any company to get away from someone like you. I would recommend everyone else do the same. You are perfect illustration of what people are like who are not educated or dedicated to being better people on all levels, academic and social. While it's not always the case, it is a good general rule that people who are uneducated, and thus are unwilling and unable to support their ideas with concrete facts and logically sound conclusions, are to be avoided. There are exceptions to this general rule, but you are not one of them.
Maybe you are smart in some ways, but you are not smart enough to realize that virtue counts. And this is a truly simple concept.
I can't help but reply to this one because of the IQ comment.
Let me set you straight. There are a lot of people who can say the same thing about their own IQs, especially the people who visit Slashdot. Also, people who really do have an IQ of what you claim, do not use it as a way to sway or win an argument because it is not necessary.
Only people who are generally uneducated and have learned nothing of academic rigor would resort to IQ test scores to keep from being questioned. Backing up ideas with evidence and support is a knee-jerk reflex for intelligent, educated people. Most people who are true thinkers absolutely relish a challenge to ideas.
Did you take some stupid Internet IQ test that always reports high results to make you feel good? If you have, I would seriously question those results before you end up flat on your face because you're not actually as smart as you think you are.
The next time you call someone an idiot, you should be staring in the mirror and not posting on Slashdot.
For a long time I would read Slashdot and I felt humbled by the knowledge, professionalism, and insight I would read about here. I spent a long time reading before I ever thought about creating an account and posting myself.
Now, I rarely post here. Mod points come and go, 'cause I don't use them. It has become a popularity contest here. Stupid crap like this parent post are what gets modded up as funny or insightful. It's not funny, it's not insightful, it's not clever, it's not professional, there's no benefit to anyone reading it, it's just pure bullshit.
Back in the day (and I would challenge anyone to look at old Slashdot archives from 5+ years ago) you would read all sorts of technical additions to the featured article. People had all sorts of meaningful insight to contribute. Some of it was anecdotal but it still amounted to a lot of valuable information.
Now you have to slog through tons of personal attacks, childish wise cracks, and people who don't have a clue what they're talking about but still feel the insatiable need to talk anyway.
Most of the time I don't contribute to the noise but once in a while I just can't stand it anymore. It wasn't "twitter" who brought out the worst in me today. It was some A/C twit who's done a few internet searches, read some posts and thinks he's "above" everyone else by pointing out obvious generalizations.
People! It's not how often you post or how you manage to get modded. It's what you post and whether it's worth people's time to read.
I hope you didn't take what I said the wrong way. I'm just glad you already know what it takes to go through an upgrade. There is some tweaking and if you already *know* how to do an upgrade, then I can accept your reasoning. It only takes about 20 minutes to install Slackware from start to finish on fast hardware. But it takes a bit longer to diff all your "old" config changes with the ".new" config changes.
Happy Slacking.
PS After all that, I still haven't had time to do *my* upgrade! I promise I'm gonna do it as soon as I get through that last of this code for work;-)
Because he said he has _some_ customizations and it's not about the lost work. It's about learning the process for the future. If you want to use *any* computer system seriously you have to have confidence in the maintenance/upgrade process. It's *much* better to do it *now* when it doesn't matter then to have to do it later and not _know_ it's going to work.
You know.... that's the best thing I've heard or read all day. Mod parent brilliant please.
Re:And I just got around to installing 11
on
Slackware 12.0 Released
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· Score: 2, Informative
What the heck!? Slackware makes it very easy to upgrade versions. I haven't had to do a fresh install on *any* computers once I put Slackware on them initially. There are a couple of docs included on the distro to help with upgrading. You should follow those and learn how to do it. You can also tar up Slack and move it to a different hard disk. No need to ever reinstall Slackware.
I highly recommend building confidence in the upgrade process. This way you will never have to worry about reconfiguring your systems or losing your data. There's no need to restore from backup and there's no need for your system to be down for more than a few minutes.
I don't know whether you do it or not but you should consider keeping a text log or a list or something of configuration changes in case you ever need to do it again. Mine is about 20 pages long but that's because I've customized or installed just about everything in creation at one time or another;-)
AAAAAHHHH Damn it! I was thinking the *exact* same thing. I have to just put it out of my mind because I've got code to release tomorrow and we're down on devs by 60%:-(
I'm going to take a stand. I'm going to take charge. I'm *not* going to let the Slackware upgrade dominate my thoughts! I will fight the urge! I will write my code so I can keep my job and my house and my wife. I will make the right choice.
There! I don't feel any better and it doesn't make it okay. I still want to upgrade my Slack boxes. It's fun even after 13 years;-)
Agreed. I don't use moderation filtering in my Slashdot reading. I turn the filtering all the way down all the time.
I don't ever want someone else to decide what's worth while and what's not. I refuse to participate in voluntary censoring. Sometimes I'll look at the moderation for a clue as to what other people think about a post but that's as far as it goes. I see lot's of people post good things with bad karma and people post bad things with good karma.
Following the content line of reasoning already espoused by others, it makes no sense to go into Slashdot if you don't want to think for yourself. Might as well go to a cable news station where they can spoon feed you by "properly" interpreting what parts of a subject "they" want to report. You go to Slashdot so you don't have to put up with that nonsense. It does mean that you have to work harder to get information here, but that's part of good citizenship in a Democracy (Representative Republic for the nit pickers).
Moderation filtering is a ruse and anyone relying on it should do so with skepticism.
I can't speak for marketing because I'm a developer. Whoops! I guess that means my opinion is canceled out?
I would maintain that the "Windows" brand name is worn out, boring, and has a poor reputation. It should be sunset immediately! The name, Windows, came from the pun of looking at the system through windows. In other words, a pun on each application running and the user getting a look inside at different parts of the system. There were other window managers before Windows and I don't know the origin of the original term but users could understand that the system had a window for each application running. It made sense and it was cool.
That coolness has long worn off and Microsoft needs to come up with something new and catchy. They haven't done anything significant like that in a long time. Calling a Windows Server a server is absolutely laughable. It's the poorest marketing I've ever seen. The Windows GUI has nothing to do with server processes. It needed it's own brand name. Windows servers have poor uptime and poor track records for high user load environments. Today, servers are cool and Windows Server is *not*.
Contrast that with Linux, Solaris, BSD or some other high powered modern system. It immediately conjures up images of power, performance, stability, security, etc. Even people who know nothing about systems like Linux have now heard of Linux. It is getting a good reputation as a powerful, stable system. It may have connotations of geekdom but people know geeks don't screw around with junk. If it becomes accessible to the general population, it will have no trouble because of it's naming. It's hip and so are geeks when it comes to computers.
Stuff that was techy or geeky 10 years ago is mainstream cool now. Cell phones, computers, My Space, Google, Linux, Mac, ipod, are cool brands. Windows is so 90's. Internet Explorer is so 90's. MS Office is 90's. Most of the stuff Microsoft was put out in the last 5 years has no cool factor at all.
Microsoft has been a complete and utter failure in marketing for that last 5 years. People do want something simple, I'll give you that. But they also want something that works *and* is cool. Linux is already cool. Mac is cool. When Macs and Linux work with more software, they won't need a lot of marketing. That's already been done and done well.
One other opinion. I hate marketing. I hate advertising. I hate being "sold" something. I don't want to feel something is being pushed in my face or being misrepresented to trick me. I have a serious aversion to such tactics and I immediately recoil when those tactics are tried on me. I want something to take care of my needs. I like the fact that Linux is what it is. No tricks. And until relatively recently (with the exception of a few niche companies) I was pushed into getting Windows every time I wanted a new computer. I resented that. I would not have minded going out and buying a copy of Windows. And I did do that when I built systems from scratch.
I don't understand why anyone would want to use a different name for Linux or BSD or Mac. Actually there is a certain coolness just being in the "know" of hip brands. The only people who aren't in the "know" for Windows are people who haven't been born yet. Also, it's difficult to resent Linux or Mac, but it's very easy to resent Windows and if that's not a marketing problem then I don't know what is.
I would have to add to this that Slackware is one of the easiest, most efficient distros out there today. It's not for your Mom or Grandma, but if you have any inclination to get your hands dirty, learn how to write your own initialization scripts, or customize your system with standard compilations, Slackware is hands down the best Linux distribution ever. LFS (Linux from Scratch) was a good learning journey but not practical for me the way Slackware is.
I've never used BSD, but I understand it uses the same initialization as Slackware? I'm sure I'd like BSD if that's the case. I spent a few years playing around with other Linux distributions but I've always come back to Slackware. Nothing comes close.
For my friends and other users, its Kubuntu. But like other distributions I've tried, it's a pain to really customize even in simple ways. I would even go as far to say that if it were not for Slackware, I would not have gone into computer science. That's how much I've learned to love Slackware during the last 12 years.
The thing that got my attention in the article was the snappiness of the UI even in frame buffer mode? That's quite a claim if you ask me! If it's that *fast* and has the same initialization as Slackware, it's worth a look! I might take one of my spare PCs and install it just to see for myself. I haven't felt the need to try something else out in a long time. But that kind of claim warrants some attention!
Thanks for the excellent reply. I skimmed the references you gave. You summed it up pretty well. Nice to get a little honesty instead of spin. I'm sick of people flying off the deep end on politics. And I'm especially tired of moderation that is so blatantly about flame and feeling instead of academic and factual. "Walt Dismal" at least had the dignity to provide more information. I have to thank him (her? I guess I shouldn't assume) for that.
It's okay to not like a president or a policy, but that doesn't mean a person needs to spin and lie to "make a point". It is not acceptable to be a disgrace in reasoning because "it's justified" or because "Bush is so evil and needs to be stopped at all costs".
Anyone who doesn't like Bush (or any other political figure), doesn't need to let him take away their dignity too.
A lot of absolute garbage is getting modded up. It's the Twilight Zone on Slashdot.
Then someone like you finally focuses on some decent facts and does so from a reputable perspective and you don't get modded up. I guess if you don't aimlessly bash the President or government but focus on the topic at hand you don't get modded. What the heck is wrong with moderation today?
I read the article. I don't know the reputability of the source but strictly based on the content, I would have to agree that it *is* troubling. It looks like there's some sort of balance in there for Congress to take that power away, but the way the article presents the story doesn't leave you feeling very good about it. I would like to know more about this matter in particular though. There's not enough specific information here. I would also like to see how this relates constitutionally and what the Supreme Court's ruling would be on such a directive.
Keep in mind that this is not a Bush problem in particular. This is a government structure or balance of power problem. If this is all true, then why isn't the media running with it? Are they being complicit too? Or is this not a reputable news source? I don't know, maybe someone has some more information to add?
Come on mods. There is nothing "Interesting" about this post. Did a search for "nsd51" just like the last guy. This is a pure bullshit "troll". There is nothing of substance here. Just another zealot Bush hater. Obviously the mods agree that Bush is the root of a lot of evil. I don't care what anyone "feels" about Bush or any other leader, but back up your ideas with support. Show everyone you are focusing on facts and intellect and not how you "feel". I'm not referring to the "troll" here, I'm referring to the moderation.
We all have opinions here. The key is to try to sort those out and focus on pure facts. Supported reputable facts have value. Opinions aren't valuable for very much except maybe the nightly news channel polls.
I think this is a troll but others may benefit from this post so that's why I'm replying.
This is not an arbitrary decision. In order to understand where this thinking comes from you might try looking at the field of Philosophy and Virtue Ethics in particular: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue_ethics
When you're done with that, you can Google for more and it will be time well spent.
It sounds to me like you've got the same idea about it that I do. I wouldn't tell you to just try harder, train your brain or don't be lazy. Sounds to me like that PDA enhanced your life. Allowed you to be more efficient and effective.
I too work on cars. I used to work on them because I didn't have enough money to have them fixed so if I wanted wheels I had to make them go myself. Now I do it to save money but also because I like it. Sometimes I have things done now because of time constraints. I also like going to car shows and talking with people about their experiences. I think your 4X4 hobby sounds wonderful. In my opinion it's only a waste if you're compromising things for it that really should be a higher priority.
But I look at something like that this way. 4X4 off-roading or whatever is something that enhances your life. You can share that hobby with others, see places that no one else sees, learn how things work and help other do likewise. And yes, help VWs out of ditches;-)
Again, you're looking at what these gadgets can do for you to accomplish something else. There is a big difference between *that* and making gadget use an end in and of itself. Which is why I have such a beef about gaming. Getting to the next level seems to be and end in itself for gamers. A useless end if you ask me.
I was homeless for a while. I learned a lot about what was important during those few weeks. I also had piles of bills to pay. I found a job, got a cheap apartment, paid off my bills, got married, went back to school, lived happily ever after, etc. When you've gone through building your life from *nothing*, you simply don't care what comes your way because you already know you can get through *anything* let alone the stupid gadgets.
As a result I tend to focus on things that improve myself, things that can never be taken away no matter what circumstances come my way. I don't play computer games because I see no self improvement there. I *feel* guilty because I'm not getting the most I can out of life. I see computer games as checking out and not facing reality. I've never seen someone become a better person because they played computer games or coveted gadgets. But I've seen things like computer games ruin marriages.
I don't invest in gadgets because they don't tend to produce a better person. Indulging in simple pleasures improves the soul. I'm a developer so I work on computers all day. I administer Linux servers at home and I write code for pleasure. I like these things because they improve my mind and help others.
If I wasn't married, I would throw my cell phone in the nearest gutter. If I didn't need to answer to a family I would stop cable TV because I hardly ever watch it. I would be a teacher in Mathematics and Physics or something if I didn't need to support a house. But I've made compromises because my family and my wife have brought so *much* joy to me. And that's a fair trade.
I think the discussion would have been more meaningful if it was more along the lines of "What compromises have you made in life because of putting resources towards worthless gadgets?" Or how about "Do gadgets take away from enjoying life and getting the most you can out of everyday?"
I love technology for what it can enhance, but I try not to let it *ever* be the focus of my life. It's a tool to accomplish other things like engaging in thoughtful musings on Slashdot. I've learned a lot about other people's thoughts and opinions by reading Slashdot and other such sites. It *enhances* my life because it allows me to hold up my thoughts to the scrutiny of others and allows me to learn more about myself when objective criticism comes my way.
Gadgets should never be a focus. People, family and friends should be the focus. Only gadgets that help those objectives like my cell phone for talking to my wife are worth the hassle.
Thanks for the well thought out reply. I wish I could moderate you up. I can't disagree with your thoughts or predictions.
And you're right. I've never worked for the government. I am disgusted with it on a regular basis. Especially on tax day. I can't believe that our democracy, the richest regime in the history of the world, always seems to want more money. I can't believe they can't make do with less. I always make do with less, but they never do. Government only grows and never shrinks.
So, I simply can't disagree with your analysis. As far as my insight goes, you are probably right on the *money*;-)
This is great progress. Hopefully some precedence can be set. If there is precedence in the review process it *will* affect past patents because the standard will be naturally raised and those flimsy ones will either be ignored or challenged in a different light.
I hope this momentum continues. Computer Science will be better for it. This benefits everyone, individuals and large companies alike. In general, the hope is that we start focusing on solving problems and not on being sued. And, as a developer, I can honestly testify there are tons of problems to solve.
The internet is a dangerous place. But most people I've met don't realize that the internet is adult space and children shouldn't be allowed to play there without adult supervision and involvement. I've talked to so many parents who want to do something about it but don't understand it.
We raised a teenage daughter through the uncensored, budding internet. My wife and I were on her like hawks. Same rules apply to the internet as other facets of life like don't talk to strangers, don't tell people where you live, don't play in the same places as criminals, etc. I tell all those parents that their children have no privacy as long as you are responsible for their actions and you don't have to understand all that they are doing, but you can get involved and watch them. Imagine that! Supervising your kids and getting involved. I know it's a revolutionary concept but some parents do it.
The biggest problem is education. This is a common theme with new technology or other new social issues. I, for one, would like spend some time conducting free education seminars at places like the public library to take some of the mystery out of the internet and computers in general for people. Congress is comprised of people who don't know anything about the computers, computer security or the internet and they are pandering to voters who are largely comprised of the same thinking people.
The way to beat this downward spiral is education and enlightenment. We, as the more knowledgeable members of the internet community, need to do everything we can to help communicate, educate and reach out. This is a call to arms!
So as long as we aren't stepping up to the plate or doing enough about the situation, we will continue to be frustrated by these issues.
The process of enlightenment is painful. Don't expect it to come easily. It's going to take hard work and diligence.
Slashdot Mirror
Agreed. A Troll for a Troll. That would have been funny.
I did agree with your post. But that, of course, wasn't why I replied as you correctly inferred.
I just grow tired of the obvious childish reponses people give, even if they are Trolls. I'm not sure this guy is a Troll, but he's so far out it wouldn't surprise me. I have trouble accepting that people are actually put together this way.
We all get heated up now and then, but I have yet to see one thing he's posted that makes any sense or is remotely clever. I don't think it was you. I'm pretty sure he's always that way.
Last thing... you didn't need a back up. He pretty much discounted himself pretty thoroughly without anyone else's help. I put him on my foe list... that's what it's for. That way you don't have to read their garbage more than once. And I'm adding you to my friend list because I don't think I would mind reading your responses to issues again and I would like to make sure I remember you and the way you handled yourself.
Personally, I try to remember that the people I'm writing my posts to don't have any trouble seeing this guy's content for what it is: Pure Rubbish.
I'm so impressed. Thank you for blessing us with your knowledge and presence. I feel so touched and enlightened by the number of books you read and the number of women you've abused.
I also like your personality. I wish we had someone like you in our development group so we could be more productive and follow your insight. I'm sure we could take over the world with your leadership. Everyone would like us because we were so wonderful to work with.
Anyone else think that last 2 paragraphs sound silly?
I don't care to enumerate projects I've done to someone like you. I have no desire to impress you. I would leave any company to get away from someone like you. I would recommend everyone else do the same. You are perfect illustration of what people are like who are not educated or dedicated to being better people on all levels, academic and social. While it's not always the case, it is a good general rule that people who are uneducated, and thus are unwilling and unable to support their ideas with concrete facts and logically sound conclusions, are to be avoided. There are exceptions to this general rule, but you are not one of them.
Maybe you are smart in some ways, but you are not smart enough to realize that virtue counts. And this is a truly simple concept.
I can't help but reply to this one because of the IQ comment.
Let me set you straight. There are a lot of people who can say the same thing about their own IQs, especially the people who visit Slashdot. Also, people who really do have an IQ of what you claim, do not use it as a way to sway or win an argument because it is not necessary.
Only people who are generally uneducated and have learned nothing of academic rigor would resort to IQ test scores to keep from being questioned. Backing up ideas with evidence and support is a knee-jerk reflex for intelligent, educated people. Most people who are true thinkers absolutely relish a challenge to ideas.
Did you take some stupid Internet IQ test that always reports high results to make you feel good? If you have, I would seriously question those results before you end up flat on your face because you're not actually as smart as you think you are.
The next time you call someone an idiot, you should be staring in the mirror and not posting on Slashdot.
For a long time I would read Slashdot and I felt humbled by the knowledge, professionalism, and insight I would read about here. I spent a long time reading before I ever thought about creating an account and posting myself.
Now, I rarely post here. Mod points come and go, 'cause I don't use them. It has become a popularity contest here. Stupid crap like this parent post are what gets modded up as funny or insightful. It's not funny, it's not insightful, it's not clever, it's not professional, there's no benefit to anyone reading it, it's just pure bullshit.
Back in the day (and I would challenge anyone to look at old Slashdot archives from 5+ years ago) you would read all sorts of technical additions to the featured article. People had all sorts of meaningful insight to contribute. Some of it was anecdotal but it still amounted to a lot of valuable information.
Now you have to slog through tons of personal attacks, childish wise cracks, and people who don't have a clue what they're talking about but still feel the insatiable need to talk anyway.
Most of the time I don't contribute to the noise but once in a while I just can't stand it anymore. It wasn't "twitter" who brought out the worst in me today. It was some A/C twit who's done a few internet searches, read some posts and thinks he's "above" everyone else by pointing out obvious generalizations.
People! It's not how often you post or how you manage to get modded. It's what you post and whether it's worth people's time to read.
I hope you didn't take what I said the wrong way. I'm just glad you already know what it takes to go through an upgrade. There is some tweaking and if you already *know* how to do an upgrade, then I can accept your reasoning. It only takes about 20 minutes to install Slackware from start to finish on fast hardware. But it takes a bit longer to diff all your "old" config changes with the ".new" config changes.
;-)
Happy Slacking.
PS After all that, I still haven't had time to do *my* upgrade! I promise I'm gonna do it as soon as I get through that last of this code for work
Because he said he has _some_ customizations and it's not about the lost work. It's about learning the process for the future. If you want to use *any* computer system seriously you have to have confidence in the maintenance/upgrade process. It's *much* better to do it *now* when it doesn't matter then to have to do it later and not _know_ it's going to work.
;-)
This is the *perfect* time to upgrade
You know.... that's the best thing I've heard or read all day. Mod parent brilliant please.
What the heck!? Slackware makes it very easy to upgrade versions. I haven't had to do a fresh install on *any* computers once I put Slackware on them initially. There are a couple of docs included on the distro to help with upgrading. You should follow those and learn how to do it. You can also tar up Slack and move it to a different hard disk. No need to ever reinstall Slackware.
;-)
I highly recommend building confidence in the upgrade process. This way you will never have to worry about reconfiguring your systems or losing your data. There's no need to restore from backup and there's no need for your system to be down for more than a few minutes.
I don't know whether you do it or not but you should consider keeping a text log or a list or something of configuration changes in case you ever need to do it again. Mine is about 20 pages long but that's because I've customized or installed just about everything in creation at one time or another
AAAAAHHHH Damn it! I was thinking the *exact* same thing. I have to just put it out of my mind because I've got code to release tomorrow and we're down on devs by 60% :-(
;-)
I'm going to take a stand. I'm going to take charge. I'm *not* going to let the Slackware upgrade dominate my thoughts! I will fight the urge! I will write my code so I can keep my job and my house and my wife. I will make the right choice.
There! I don't feel any better and it doesn't make it okay. I still want to upgrade my Slack boxes. It's fun even after 13 years
Agreed. I don't use moderation filtering in my Slashdot reading. I turn the filtering all the way down all the time.
I don't ever want someone else to decide what's worth while and what's not. I refuse to participate in voluntary censoring. Sometimes I'll look at the moderation for a clue as to what other people think about a post but that's as far as it goes. I see lot's of people post good things with bad karma and people post bad things with good karma.
Following the content line of reasoning already espoused by others, it makes no sense to go into Slashdot if you don't want to think for yourself. Might as well go to a cable news station where they can spoon feed you by "properly" interpreting what parts of a subject "they" want to report. You go to Slashdot so you don't have to put up with that nonsense. It does mean that you have to work harder to get information here, but that's part of good citizenship in a Democracy (Representative Republic for the nit pickers).
Moderation filtering is a ruse and anyone relying on it should do so with skepticism.
I can't speak for marketing because I'm a developer. Whoops! I guess that means my opinion is canceled out?
I would maintain that the "Windows" brand name is worn out, boring, and has a poor reputation. It should be sunset immediately! The name, Windows, came from the pun of looking at the system through windows. In other words, a pun on each application running and the user getting a look inside at different parts of the system. There were other window managers before Windows and I don't know the origin of the original term but users could understand that the system had a window for each application running. It made sense and it was cool.
That coolness has long worn off and Microsoft needs to come up with something new and catchy. They haven't done anything significant like that in a long time. Calling a Windows Server a server is absolutely laughable. It's the poorest marketing I've ever seen. The Windows GUI has nothing to do with server processes. It needed it's own brand name. Windows servers have poor uptime and poor track records for high user load environments. Today, servers are cool and Windows Server is *not*.
Contrast that with Linux, Solaris, BSD or some other high powered modern system. It immediately conjures up images of power, performance, stability, security, etc. Even people who know nothing about systems like Linux have now heard of Linux. It is getting a good reputation as a powerful, stable system. It may have connotations of geekdom but people know geeks don't screw around with junk. If it becomes accessible to the general population, it will have no trouble because of it's naming. It's hip and so are geeks when it comes to computers.
Stuff that was techy or geeky 10 years ago is mainstream cool now. Cell phones, computers, My Space, Google, Linux, Mac, ipod, are cool brands. Windows is so 90's. Internet Explorer is so 90's. MS Office is 90's. Most of the stuff Microsoft was put out in the last 5 years has no cool factor at all.
Microsoft has been a complete and utter failure in marketing for that last 5 years. People do want something simple, I'll give you that. But they also want something that works *and* is cool. Linux is already cool. Mac is cool. When Macs and Linux work with more software, they won't need a lot of marketing. That's already been done and done well.
One other opinion. I hate marketing. I hate advertising. I hate being "sold" something. I don't want to feel something is being pushed in my face or being misrepresented to trick me. I have a serious aversion to such tactics and I immediately recoil when those tactics are tried on me. I want something to take care of my needs. I like the fact that Linux is what it is. No tricks. And until relatively recently (with the exception of a few niche companies) I was pushed into getting Windows every time I wanted a new computer. I resented that. I would not have minded going out and buying a copy of Windows. And I did do that when I built systems from scratch.
I don't understand why anyone would want to use a different name for Linux or BSD or Mac. Actually there is a certain coolness just being in the "know" of hip brands. The only people who aren't in the "know" for Windows are people who haven't been born yet. Also, it's difficult to resent Linux or Mac, but it's very easy to resent Windows and if that's not a marketing problem then I don't know what is.
I would have to add to this that Slackware is one of the easiest, most efficient distros out there today. It's not for your Mom or Grandma, but if you have any inclination to get your hands dirty, learn how to write your own initialization scripts, or customize your system with standard compilations, Slackware is hands down the best Linux distribution ever. LFS (Linux from Scratch) was a good learning journey but not practical for me the way Slackware is.
I've never used BSD, but I understand it uses the same initialization as Slackware? I'm sure I'd like BSD if that's the case. I spent a few years playing around with other Linux distributions but I've always come back to Slackware. Nothing comes close.
For my friends and other users, its Kubuntu. But like other distributions I've tried, it's a pain to really customize even in simple ways. I would even go as far to say that if it were not for Slackware, I would not have gone into computer science. That's how much I've learned to love Slackware during the last 12 years.
The thing that got my attention in the article was the snappiness of the UI even in frame buffer mode? That's quite a claim if you ask me! If it's that *fast* and has the same initialization as Slackware, it's worth a look! I might take one of my spare PCs and install it just to see for myself. I haven't felt the need to try something else out in a long time. But that kind of claim warrants some attention!
Thanks for the excellent reply. I skimmed the references you gave. You summed it up pretty well. Nice to get a little honesty instead of spin. I'm sick of people flying off the deep end on politics. And I'm especially tired of moderation that is so blatantly about flame and feeling instead of academic and factual. "Walt Dismal" at least had the dignity to provide more information. I have to thank him (her? I guess I shouldn't assume) for that.
It's okay to not like a president or a policy, but that doesn't mean a person needs to spin and lie to "make a point". It is not acceptable to be a disgrace in reasoning because "it's justified" or because "Bush is so evil and needs to be stopped at all costs".
Anyone who doesn't like Bush (or any other political figure), doesn't need to let him take away their dignity too.
*Sigh* Sadly, I think you're right on :(
A lot of absolute garbage is getting modded up. It's the Twilight Zone on Slashdot.
Then someone like you finally focuses on some decent facts and does so from a reputable perspective and you don't get modded up. I guess if you don't aimlessly bash the President or government but focus on the topic at hand you don't get modded. What the heck is wrong with moderation today?
Why didn't you post this initially?
I read the article. I don't know the reputability of the source but strictly based on the content, I would have to agree that it *is* troubling. It looks like there's some sort of balance in there for Congress to take that power away, but the way the article presents the story doesn't leave you feeling very good about it. I would like to know more about this matter in particular though. There's not enough specific information here. I would also like to see how this relates constitutionally and what the Supreme Court's ruling would be on such a directive.
Keep in mind that this is not a Bush problem in particular. This is a government structure or balance of power problem. If this is all true, then why isn't the media running with it? Are they being complicit too? Or is this not a reputable news source? I don't know, maybe someone has some more information to add?
Come on mods. There is nothing "Interesting" about this post. Did a search for "nsd51" just like the last guy. This is a pure bullshit "troll". There is nothing of substance here. Just another zealot Bush hater. Obviously the mods agree that Bush is the root of a lot of evil. I don't care what anyone "feels" about Bush or any other leader, but back up your ideas with support. Show everyone you are focusing on facts and intellect and not how you "feel". I'm not referring to the "troll" here, I'm referring to the moderation.
We all have opinions here. The key is to try to sort those out and focus on pure facts. Supported reputable facts have value. Opinions aren't valuable for very much except maybe the nightly news channel polls.
It's inspirational to know that others have faced and overcome similar hardships. It can be done. It can be done because you and I did it :-D
I think this is a troll but others may benefit from this post so that's why I'm replying.
This is not an arbitrary decision. In order to understand where this thinking comes from you might try looking at the field of Philosophy and Virtue Ethics in particular: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue_ethics
When you're done with that, you can Google for more and it will be time well spent.
It sounds to me like you've got the same idea about it that I do. I wouldn't tell you to just try harder, train your brain or don't be lazy. Sounds to me like that PDA enhanced your life. Allowed you to be more efficient and effective.
;-)
I too work on cars. I used to work on them because I didn't have enough money to have them fixed so if I wanted wheels I had to make them go myself. Now I do it to save money but also because I like it. Sometimes I have things done now because of time constraints. I also like going to car shows and talking with people about their experiences. I think your 4X4 hobby sounds wonderful. In my opinion it's only a waste if you're compromising things for it that really should be a higher priority.
But I look at something like that this way. 4X4 off-roading or whatever is something that enhances your life. You can share that hobby with others, see places that no one else sees, learn how things work and help other do likewise. And yes, help VWs out of ditches
Again, you're looking at what these gadgets can do for you to accomplish something else. There is a big difference between *that* and making gadget use an end in and of itself. Which is why I have such a beef about gaming. Getting to the next level seems to be and end in itself for gamers. A useless end if you ask me.
I've enjoyed reading everyones' comments.
I was homeless for a while. I learned a lot about what was important during those few weeks. I also had piles of bills to pay. I found a job, got a cheap apartment, paid off my bills, got married, went back to school, lived happily ever after, etc. When you've gone through building your life from *nothing*, you simply don't care what comes your way because you already know you can get through *anything* let alone the stupid gadgets.
As a result I tend to focus on things that improve myself, things that can never be taken away no matter what circumstances come my way. I don't play computer games because I see no self improvement there. I *feel* guilty because I'm not getting the most I can out of life. I see computer games as checking out and not facing reality. I've never seen someone become a better person because they played computer games or coveted gadgets. But I've seen things like computer games ruin marriages.
I don't invest in gadgets because they don't tend to produce a better person. Indulging in simple pleasures improves the soul. I'm a developer so I work on computers all day. I administer Linux servers at home and I write code for pleasure. I like these things because they improve my mind and help others.
If I wasn't married, I would throw my cell phone in the nearest gutter. If I didn't need to answer to a family I would stop cable TV because I hardly ever watch it. I would be a teacher in Mathematics and Physics or something if I didn't need to support a house. But I've made compromises because my family and my wife have brought so *much* joy to me. And that's a fair trade.
I think the discussion would have been more meaningful if it was more along the lines of "What compromises have you made in life because of putting resources towards worthless gadgets?" Or how about "Do gadgets take away from enjoying life and getting the most you can out of everyday?"
I love technology for what it can enhance, but I try not to let it *ever* be the focus of my life. It's a tool to accomplish other things like engaging in thoughtful musings on Slashdot. I've learned a lot about other people's thoughts and opinions by reading Slashdot and other such sites. It *enhances* my life because it allows me to hold up my thoughts to the scrutiny of others and allows me to learn more about myself when objective criticism comes my way.
Gadgets should never be a focus. People, family and friends should be the focus. Only gadgets that help those objectives like my cell phone for talking to my wife are worth the hassle.
Thanks for the well thought out reply. I wish I could moderate you up. I can't disagree with your thoughts or predictions.
;-)
And you're right. I've never worked for the government. I am disgusted with it on a regular basis. Especially on tax day. I can't believe that our democracy, the richest regime in the history of the world, always seems to want more money. I can't believe they can't make do with less. I always make do with less, but they never do. Government only grows and never shrinks.
So, I simply can't disagree with your analysis. As far as my insight goes, you are probably right on the *money*
This is great progress. Hopefully some precedence can be set. If there is precedence in the review process it *will* affect past patents because the standard will be naturally raised and those flimsy ones will either be ignored or challenged in a different light.
I hope this momentum continues. Computer Science will be better for it. This benefits everyone, individuals and large companies alike. In general, the hope is that we start focusing on solving problems and not on being sued. And, as a developer, I can honestly testify there are tons of problems to solve.
The internet is a dangerous place. But most people I've met don't realize that the internet is adult space and children shouldn't be allowed to play there without adult supervision and involvement. I've talked to so many parents who want to do something about it but don't understand it.
We raised a teenage daughter through the uncensored, budding internet. My wife and I were on her like hawks. Same rules apply to the internet as other facets of life like don't talk to strangers, don't tell people where you live, don't play in the same places as criminals, etc. I tell all those parents that their children have no privacy as long as you are responsible for their actions and you don't have to understand all that they are doing, but you can get involved and watch them. Imagine that! Supervising your kids and getting involved. I know it's a revolutionary concept but some parents do it.
The biggest problem is education. This is a common theme with new technology or other new social issues. I, for one, would like spend some time conducting free education seminars at places like the public library to take some of the mystery out of the internet and computers in general for people. Congress is comprised of people who don't know anything about the computers, computer security or the internet and they are pandering to voters who are largely comprised of the same thinking people.
The way to beat this downward spiral is education and enlightenment. We, as the more knowledgeable members of the internet community, need to do everything we can to help communicate, educate and reach out. This is a call to arms!
So as long as we aren't stepping up to the plate or doing enough about the situation, we will continue to be frustrated by these issues.
The process of enlightenment is painful. Don't expect it to come easily. It's going to take hard work and diligence.