Whereas XP is king of the OSes, right? Especially with all that SP2 added security! That solved everything! Microsoft may as well stop right there and call it good - I think they've made the operating system we'll all be using for the next 100 years!
I don't think technically-savvy XP users have delusions of OS superiority. The reason they still use Windows is compatibility phobia/lock-in. Why invest in a system that's in the process of being superseded? Microsoft support will continue for a long time, but not with the new features and dedicated applications of Vista.
It's possible to cater for both JavaScript-enabled browsers and those many, many, many text browsers and version 2 browsers being used out there. Websites that do so are typically called "downgradable".
The decision whether or not to do so mostly depends on whether you intend to produce a web site (open and available for all to see) or a web application (a client/serverside application that just happens to be presented inside a web browser). I know that's a blurry line of distinction. Usually people decide whether something is one or the other based on a certain level of dynamic interaction. My golden rule on website vs. web application is this: if you have to pass through a login screen, it's a web application. If not, it's open to the public and is a web site.
Why is this important? If you have to log into a system, you'll first need to be approved by a system administrator. I don't see what's so bad about that system administrator placing certain restrictions on his users, such as supporting only the comparatively more secure browser Firefox. Sometimes, this isn't possible as it breaks some zero-install requirement.
Actually, that's not so far fetched. Part of the reason personal DVD-ripping is such a gray area is that most DVD-rippers use a backwards-engineered version of the Content Scrambling System, thus (it is argued) their distribution is tantamount to DRM piracy.
You can if you're nuts, or if you are a web-only, PHP-only developer forced into quick-and-dirty GUI programming (even then I'd recommend building a web app with Dojo or another toolkit rather than using PHP-GTK). PHP is tailored for web development. Its predefined variables, its approach to input streams, its ASP-like HTML escape tags, its verbose object handling and preference for the procedural. In order to make PHP work for GUI development, a great deal of its core language and even its basic syntax has to be ignored or disregarded. ("Why do I have to enclose my PHP script in escape tags?" "Because that's how PHP works." "But why? What am I supposed to be escaping from when writing a PHP-GTK script?"). You're right to point out that PHP can now be used for other things, but the language still only makes real sense when used for web development.
Your IP address has been noted. Your ISP will be contacted. Your credit card number will be acquired. Next time you go to buy peaches; bam! Cavity search!
If Apple breaks away from its Unix-like core, my primary OS will become Linux. In practical terms, the only reason I stick with OS X rather than going all Linux is to use commercial apps like Photoshop and Flash natively. To me, that's nowhere near as important as proper support for scripting languages and tools like emacs, vi, subversion, etc.
Could you recommend an American beer? I've been in the country for a few years now, but remain reluctant to drink anything but imports after having tried a couple of Budweisers.
To configure Fink to use unstable, edit/sw/etc/fink.conf, add unstable/main and unstable/crypto to the Trees: line, and then run fink selfupdate; fink index; fink scanpackages.
Yeah, that's what I ended up doing with Ruby in the end. Fortunately, Ruby couldn't be any easier to compile and build manually. I put mine in/usr/local/bin/, too (and then altered my PATH in ~/.profile, of course!) I think it's what the readme recommended, as well.
"Remember that when you're buying all your new MacIntel software, kiddies..."
Why, because of all those Classic apps we still have kicking around? Puh-lease. Out of my entire library of applications, these are the only ones for which I have not already been given a replacement universal binary by the developers:
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Macromedia Flash
Adobe Macromedia Fireworks
Adobe Macromedia Freehand
That whopping list is all. Fortunately, I don't use Microsoft Virtual PC (or any other Microsoft product on my Apple machine - what's the point?)
For these four apps, there's Rosetta. Not quite as fast as I'd hope to see Photoshop running, but at least (contrary to your claim) Apple went to some effort to see that it does run.
Translation: I prefer these new days when home computers are the property of elitist corporations and their collected technical specs instead of the general public.
I try to use Fink when I can, but I like to stay on the bleeding edge. Everything in Fink seems so out of date. Ruby is still version 1.8.2, for example. That's the version that ships with Tiger in the first place!
I don't like to complain, though. Fink is still a wonderful concept. I just wish its admins didn't already have so many things they need to dedicate their time to.
In the meantime, though I do my development work and some testing on my Powerbook, my stable test server is an Ubuntu box. It's just easier to keep up-to-date, what with apt-get and all.
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Whereas XP is king of the OSes, right? Especially with all that SP2 added security! That solved everything! Microsoft may as well stop right there and call it good - I think they've made the operating system we'll all be using for the next 100 years!
I don't think technically-savvy XP users have delusions of OS superiority. The reason they still use Windows is compatibility phobia/lock-in. Why invest in a system that's in the process of being superseded? Microsoft support will continue for a long time, but not with the new features and dedicated applications of Vista.
It's possible to cater for both JavaScript-enabled browsers and those many, many, many text browsers and version 2 browsers being used out there. Websites that do so are typically called "downgradable".
The decision whether or not to do so mostly depends on whether you intend to produce a web site (open and available for all to see) or a web application (a client/serverside application that just happens to be presented inside a web browser). I know that's a blurry line of distinction. Usually people decide whether something is one or the other based on a certain level of dynamic interaction. My golden rule on website vs. web application is this: if you have to pass through a login screen, it's a web application. If not, it's open to the public and is a web site.
Why is this important? If you have to log into a system, you'll first need to be approved by a system administrator. I don't see what's so bad about that system administrator placing certain restrictions on his users, such as supporting only the comparatively more secure browser Firefox. Sometimes, this isn't possible as it breaks some zero-install requirement.
Oh wait, the beta's not available any more. D'oh!
Since he may need to reinstall anyway, might as well put it off until Vista is released and use its beta in the meantime:
p roducts/getthebeta/
http://msdn.microsoft.com/windowsvista/downloads/
Upgrading XP? Why not just wait for Vista?
See you in a few years.
Sounds like a day in the life of an MC Escher.
Unless its a quote I didn't reference.
Actually, that's not so far fetched. Part of the reason personal DVD-ripping is such a gray area is that most DVD-rippers use a backwards-engineered version of the Content Scrambling System, thus (it is argued) their distribution is tantamount to DRM piracy.
The uh, old person's remarks will be stricken from the record.
Move over metric system, a new rule arrives: London buses. Standard rule: 1 London bus = #4 from Angel, Islington.
You can if you're nuts, or if you are a web-only, PHP-only developer forced into quick-and-dirty GUI programming (even then I'd recommend building a web app with Dojo or another toolkit rather than using PHP-GTK). PHP is tailored for web development. Its predefined variables, its approach to input streams, its ASP-like HTML escape tags, its verbose object handling and preference for the procedural. In order to make PHP work for GUI development, a great deal of its core language and even its basic syntax has to be ignored or disregarded. ("Why do I have to enclose my PHP script in escape tags?" "Because that's how PHP works." "But why? What am I supposed to be escaping from when writing a PHP-GTK script?"). You're right to point out that PHP can now be used for other things, but the language still only makes real sense when used for web development.
Perl is so 1993. What we need is more Ruby.
Or Python. Python's good, too. Not as good. But good.
"Give me nitrous or weed any day..."
Your IP address has been noted. Your ISP will be contacted. Your credit card number will be acquired. Next time you go to buy peaches; bam! Cavity search!
That ought to keep me busy/drunk!
Because we weren't offtopic already!
If Apple breaks away from its Unix-like core, my primary OS will become Linux. In practical terms, the only reason I stick with OS X rather than going all Linux is to use commercial apps like Photoshop and Flash natively. To me, that's nowhere near as important as proper support for scripting languages and tools like emacs, vi, subversion, etc.
Boo, vi! Go ema... ...oh, what's the point!
Actually, I think his characters are very expressive. For cartoons, that's more important than straight lines or perspective.
Funny, funny stuff, too.
Could you recommend an American beer? I've been in the country for a few years now, but remain reluctant to drink anything but imports after having tried a couple of Budweisers.
Yeah, that's what I ended up doing with Ruby in the end. Fortunately, Ruby couldn't be any easier to compile and build manually. I put mine in /usr/local/bin/, too (and then altered my PATH in ~/.profile, of course!) I think it's what the readme recommended, as well.
Tonight, you are a god. Though I'm pretty sure Ruby 1.8.4 is stable (it's also the version apt-get install installed on my ubuntu machine).
"Remember that when you're buying all your new MacIntel software, kiddies..."
Why, because of all those Classic apps we still have kicking around? Puh-lease. Out of my entire library of applications, these are the only ones for which I have not already been given a replacement universal binary by the developers:
That whopping list is all. Fortunately, I don't use Microsoft Virtual PC (or any other Microsoft product on my Apple machine - what's the point?)
For these four apps, there's Rosetta. Not quite as fast as I'd hope to see Photoshop running, but at least (contrary to your claim) Apple went to some effort to see that it does run.
Whkshh, LaTeX.
DocBook's better.
Try Space Invaders. In Flash/ActionScript. Fastest game you'll ever write.
Translation: I prefer these new days when home computers are the property of elitist corporations and their collected technical specs instead of the general public.
I try to use Fink when I can, but I like to stay on the bleeding edge. Everything in Fink seems so out of date. Ruby is still version 1.8.2, for example. That's the version that ships with Tiger in the first place!
I don't like to complain, though. Fink is still a wonderful concept. I just wish its admins didn't already have so many things they need to dedicate their time to.
In the meantime, though I do my development work and some testing on my Powerbook, my stable test server is an Ubuntu box. It's just easier to keep up-to-date, what with apt-get and all.