Posts by Yfrwlf 28 publicly visible posts • joined 31 Aug 2008
<3 Google
Seriously, HTML 5 is an awesome standard and a nice 3D standard will be awesome too. Everyone has been waiting WAY WAY WAY TOO LONG for net standards involving video and animations and such. While I'd really like to see the standards directly built into HTML that describe moving graphics around and such, "external" APIs like OGL and such will have to do for now. I just hope it's not too long before you see lots of sites adopting them!!!
The new interface really makes me cherish the old one, the Wii interface, and the PS3's. Instead of having actual text that's easy to read, lets make them sort through big graphical blocks, and have everything come at you slightly slanted just to make things even more difficult to read!
Brilliant!
Hate it!
The fact that they *force* you to create an "avatar" instead of making it an option like everywhere else when I just wanted to sit down and play a @#%^! game with someone also made me want to throw the controller through the screen.
They get an MS rating for Massive Sucktitude.
@B: Safari isn't noted as being one of the best browsers, that's pretty widely accepted, I know many Mac users who easily choose Firefox over it, so maybe you're the one who needs to get over it, but, you know, use what you like. I just prefer a browser that didn't crash a lot is all, and that was my experience with it, not to mention I just don't care about Safari any way and like Firefox and it's features and plug-ins much better, but to each their own.
@Darren B: I like your response the best. Who in the hell ever installs these stupid toolbars any way? I'm very capable of clicking on my Firefox quick search box thank you, I don't need a massive bar taking up page real estate, let alone ads if any.
Penguin, cause it's shit like this that I love not having to deal with, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I have to start complaining too as Linux becomes more ad targeted. ;)
Just program for web standards and be done with it. Screw any browsers that aren't compatible with web standards.
BTW, Firefox use is more like 23% in the U.S. and 30% or so in the U.K., but as always who knows what figures are really accurate, but something close to that seems to be the general consensus for many statistics sites. Maybe they just copy each other tho. ;)
...for the love of all things penguiny and the sanity of it's users, create some god damn package standards that all the most common distros will be compatible with. We have document standards. We have web standards. You'd think the open source communities would be all about creating package standards that will be implemented by most all package managers.
I'd like to click on any package I want and have it work, whether it be DEB, RPM, or some new format, give me the freedom to do that, please. If it's not cross-distro, it's a garbage format.
Oh noes, don't make good software! Then we'll be out of work because we can't get paid to fix it for you!
Yeah, it's called the world saving money so they have more to spend on other things, which increases the quality of life for everyone.
Go read about the Broken Window Fallacy sometime: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_broken_window
One way to standardize something is to force everyone to use a specific thing.
The better way to standardize something is to help create the common communication methods which allow compatibility and "integration" between programs while still allowing for freedom in program selection.
That's the point of ABIs/APIs, and if the LSB focused more on pushing out the "frameworks", the systems, the standards which allow this modularity between components of the OS, and less time trying to make specific software that is the most popular be a "standard" and instead let users decide by natural popular opinions, their job would be much easier.
For instance, keep helping to push a good packaging format which can be easily adopted by package managers so that all the most popular ones at least will adopt it, and Linux users will FINALLY have cross-distro package solutions. If it's a good standard, it will be adopted. Worried about Linux users having a "core base" of programs to work with? Why? Not that anyone can easily install any Linux software, it's a simple install away from whatever repository source.
I like Debian/Ubuntu's way of doing things. If you try to run a program that isn't installed yet, it tells you the package it's in and the command to run to install it.
Compatibility with apps is important, but as Linux apps continue growing this becomes less of an issue. You can't really game on an EEE PC much any way, and what games you can play can be played through DOSBox or Wine or whatnot usually.
I think that all of this means that the price difference will push many to choose the Linux version. I wonder how long it will be before Microsoft switches to software support and advertisement business models?
Apricot has made this decision to ensure customers have a smooth installation of their operating system"
That sentence hurts my brain. Surely they aren't forcing customers to buy a laptop with a blank hard drive and a Windows CD, and the instructions tell them how to install it. For one thing, Windows is much harder to install than most Linux installer programs are which almost always have a nearly automatic installation choice.
I take it that they meant smoother *use* of the OS? That too I would have to disagree on though, as most Linux bundles come with all the basic software that you need, while with Windows you have to go and download and install it all to get your system to actually be useful, unless they are expecting to use some Windows program on it that won't work through Wine and doesn't have a good replacement.
Sorry but that's just a retarded thing to say. I've never heard of this brand and I think this helps ensure I never will.
...is what they'd like you to think, and pretend that no other OSes exist since it would be marketing for competition if they did that.
I think one of the biggest problems is what many commenters have already noted, the fact that most all new computers come with Vista and don't offer anything else. I'm surprised that even in an EU country, a choice of operating systems isn't offered, or at least the choice to get a blank hard drive and save some money. I thought the EU would be a lot more concerned about that anti-competitive tactic.
I think this quote from Linus Torvald sums it up nicely:
“I think that “innovation” is a four-letter word in the industry. It should never be used in polite company. It’s become a PR thing to sell new versions with.”
“It was Edison who said “1% inspiration, 99% perspiration”. That may have been true a hundred years ago. These days it’s “0.01% inspiration, 99.99% perspiration”, and the inspiration is the easy part. As a project manager, I have never had trouble finding people with crazy ideas. I have trouble finding people who can execute. IOW, “innovation” is way oversold. And it sure as hell shouldn’t be applied to products like MS Word or Open office.”
Dell has done this over and over again, we've seen it all many times. The Windows version mysteriously is either the same price and/or has some magical hardware perks attached to it. Only difference this time around is it's actually right there side-by-side next to the Windows version for once, but in this case of course that's not a GOOD thing because of the perks, which there are NO REASON FOR.
Give each model the same hardware, then we'll see if the theory about Windows crapware making Windows free is true or not. Then, imagine how much cheaper the Linux version would be if these companies made crapware for it too.
omg, Acid 3 isn't a test just so you can pass a test and get a "license", it's to test W3C web standard compliance like tfa said. However, if the test is simply failing because of a speed issue with java rendering, that's not a standards failing, that's a performance failing.
Right now Chrome and Firefox are out to get the faster java renderers, so no doubt Firefox will catch up soon.
Gnash is doing fairly well but is only compatible with I think Flash 8 standards is it? Regardless, I'm still shocked that SVG animation hasn't been made a standardized part of HTML, like, eons ago. You have ways of defining text and pictures, yet basic shapes and lines cannot be defined or animated? That's just silly and I wish an alternate system would come out that was true web standard, otherwise solutions like Gnash will always just be chasing Adobe's coattail.
Oh, and there's nothing zelotty about wanting that, yes you can get Flash for free, yes it works (mostly), but having more competition with it will mean a better SVG web experience and will mean Adobe will try harder, that's one reason of many. IE didn't start being slightly better until Firefox.
The excuse about codecs is lame though, it's one proprietary company pointing to an upstream proprietary company as the culprit, whereas if they unfuckified themselves by being more open, they wouldn't have the problems that proprietary software gives you. How about you start supporting open codecs for example, Adobe? Support dirac, theora, snow, and others. That'll teach those stupid patent sharks a thing or two.
SDKs usually are, they want you developing for their platform. Any way, we've heard it all before and know it well, the young are huge targets for companies, the business tactic being give it away free or almost free so that a dependence forms later in life, like drugs as Telic pointed out. But of course they don't make those free options available later on, so they form exclusivity agreements with educational institutions, making the cheap price only available to them and no one else. It's a shame this card hasn't been forceably removed from their hand as having to make a product and it's price available to everyone and barring exclusivity deals as anti-competitive would give MS a huge blow while giving competition a huge boost.
...and all governments should care about more competition for their consumers. That is, if their governments truly are for their citizens.
The headphone jack thing is pretty dumb, and I was hoping to find out just how "open" this thing is. I'd like to buy a phone because of it's hardware, while not paying for software I don't want. That'd be real openness. If Android is really open so that you can install additional drivers, it would be fun to put it on other phones, and of course seeing OpenMoko and others on other phones as well would be neat.
That's the problem. Not the Firefox name for the program. Any program which is different from another should have some kind of different name so that no one gets confused, that's common sense and is basic programming etiquette among other things.
Normally you don't have to agree to any EULAs on Ubuntu, and this isn't some violation, it's because the normal license is all you need. There are no extra restrictions on the program past that point. Well, with the Mozilla license and Firefox, they apparently feel the need to extend an additional license right into your face which no one will read any way and they know it. It's just annoying and it's unheard of among most open source software. Like all the other normal licenses, you should only read it if you WANT to, in the help menu or whatnot, not have it shoved in your face, that's just annoying. But, if that's what they want to do, whatever, at least they only flash it once (so far), and not something really annoying like every time you start the program.
There are a dozen repackages of Ubuntu, including Linux Mint and Gnusense or whatever, so you can use one of those instead if you wanted, but it's still annoying that Mozilla is doing this, no matter how you look at it.
Blame them. It's easier. No, but seriously, they've had huge dealings with China for a long time now including dinners and all sorts of corporate/government ass kissing. China is a huge threat to Windows as Linux gains ground there so seeing a Chinese manufacturer who has had a long history of putting Linux FAR on the backburner, as described by several commenters above about it being harder to find on their website than Dell Linux machines are on theirs, so seeing any companies converting to one platform or another (even though they aren't fully converting) shouldn't come as a surprise. Certain companies will choose to push Linux on their front pages, others will tuck it away and pray that that will appease the MS overlords, others won't even dare at all. This is definitely to be expected in some cases, but you'd hope that overall, most places will eventually give consumers more and more of what they want. Until then I hope the EU sues M$ into yesterday for taking away consumer choice in a variety of ways.
But, you know, it could just be market correction after all, though I really don't see the big deal financially from selling something online if you sell other things online too. To add one more item to be available online as well seems extremely trivial to me.
And for anyone not wanting Linux to get popular: grow up please. If your use of Linux is simply because it's NOT popular, that's pathetic, and you should think about using things because, you know, you actually like them and there are good reasons to, not because of what anyone else thinks of you for doing so. Don't remind me of being back in high school, I'd like to think most Register readers are more mature than that. As for the virus/spyware/etc reasons, Linux needs to be targeted for that so any of those ways to abuse Linux will be patched. Open source loves competition and attacks, because that's what makes you grow. It's the closed source vendors who piss themselves if they get targeted because they don't have the world behind them to help them out.
That's a pretty funny statement coming from Microsoft, a monopoly. It's too bad the ANA can't also make similar decisions reasoning that there is depravity of competition and choice regarding things like, oh, Microsoft not allowing selling other OSes on hard drives with their OS and them threatening stores for selling anything but Windows in various ways. They really need to be forced to sell their software at one set price, to everyone, period, and that goes for all other companies too of course. Fuck the UK tech tax, especially. I'm tired of shipping tech "gifts" over to the UK. </rant> ^^
Red Hat supporting some virtualization software? Great, I hope they made a good choice and that KVM is the best, or nearly the best, that's out there right now. However, that in no way stops me from installing, say, Ubuntu, and then installing KVM on that.
I guess they are trying to a) use the software to help get their name out by supporting and branding it and such, and b) provide businesses with a recommended choice for virtualization, so that it can be part of their software support "package"? It's a little silly though because they should simply offer support for whichever software becomes the most popular, but I guess that's the point of the acquisition, because they think it will be the most, or one of the most, popular software titles.
About the parental control thing:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/search?q=parental+control&cat=all
Ultimately there's no software for automatic parenting though. Open communication is one of the better starting points.
Or you can do what was suggested with the host file site blocking thing. To do that via the GUI, all you have to do is click on the network manager and go to the hosts tab. After entering the administrator password, you can add those hosts you want to block or whatnot to that list, and as suggested, could point them to 127.0.0.1 or I think any IP really, could even redirect them to www.google.com or something I'd imagine.
About the kids using Ubuntu thing: I think it's easier for them to use the non-Windows-like GUIs than adults who are accustomed to Windows. However, KDE is Windows-like, if you want/need that, but Gnome is so much easier than KDE or Windows IMO that it doesn't take half a brain for anyone to figure it out.
Hmm how do I run a program? Well, it says "Applications, Places, and System", gee I wonder, maybe under Applications? Oh, it's laid out by type, like Internet, Games, Office, etc, oh look there's also a little Firefox icon I can click on. No more rummaging through Start > Programs > Company Name > Stupid Subfolder > Program. It's just click...move..move..click. I honestly think it's one of the easiest systems to learn for anyone and everyone and studies have shown it to be quite simple for kids to pick up and use. Now if you want an even "easier" system, there are plenty of huge GUIs that you can use with massive icons that you click on. You can even install XBMC or MythTV (though XBMC is much much simpler to install) if you want a simple interface for accessing your media.
Linux is just so plug and play now it's funny, we use it for everything here, as a RAID file server, for a HDTV PC for watching media and desktop use, and for our desktops, and since lots of hardware works out of the box with it, after you make sure you get past that you're set, it really just needs more games (though many Windows games can be run through Wine, but it lacks support for most of the newest ones) and needs cross-distro packaging support so that installing software from any website is point and click like it should be.
I like it that Apple exists and helps compete with Microsoft and all, the more the merrier, but honestly they can take their overpriced hardware and shove it. Some if it's good, but most is overpriced, and who wants to be locked into one small platform that you can't easily upgrade?
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