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  1. Old Comment

    What to use?

    I understand your predicament. I try to limit my playing with new programs or some new software trick to four hours a week. I also devote four hours to reading on new os releases and new os's. I maintain between 9 to 12 distros on my computer so that usually takes one day of my time to keep updated. The rest of my time I do my part time job. In case you are wondering I am retired.
    Posted 11-03-2011 at 02:54 PM by Larry Webb Larry Webb is offline
  2. Old Comment

    Buying open source?

    That attitude is enraging. "You get what you pay for" might work for cars, or whatever, but I'd trust "free" OpenBSD (hell, even Linux) over "$$" Windows or Mac anyday. The company I work for has to scale back on server purchases lately because instead of using Linux or OpenBSD for firewalls/routing/proxying/etc... they're shelling out TONS of cash for Cisco.

    And as a side note, the term "Open Source Software" was born out of a necessity to avoid the term "free software" because of the very attitude you've pointed out, william. Apparently "Open Source Software" wasn't far enough away from "free software" to keep them from re-aggregating.
    Posted 04-20-2011 at 01:50 PM by rocket357 rocket357 is offline
  3. Old Comment

    Buying open source?

    "You get what you pay for."

    Like me, sometimes people get stuck in old habits. This is a result of our memories from the early days of the internet: "free" software could be mixed freely with "pirated" and often "infected" software. Anything labelled as free was something you learned to avoid; after all, you never knew when you might get burned.
    Posted 04-19-2011 at 02:56 PM by williamfromtexas williamfromtexas is offline
  4. Old Comment

    Buying open source?

    Isn't this one of those self explanatory things?

    If you didn't have to pay for it to get it on your computer, then it obviously must be free.

    Not to mention, people want everything at the cheapest price possible. I blame the internet and people posting pirated software. If people aren't going to pay for commercial software, why would they pay for the open source software?
    Posted 04-19-2011 at 08:57 AM by lumak lumak is offline
  5. Old Comment

    Freedom Box?

    BTW, "Freedom Box" sounds just to pompous and uncool. Change the name to just "Box" it's a bit catchier and the kids will love it.

    err OK bad joke...

    Maybe "ShareBox" "MeBox" "MeShare" ... "iShare"... "yShare" "heShare" "sheShare" "weShare" "Crap"... I give up.
    Posted 03-31-2011 at 04:35 PM by lumak lumak is offline
  6. Old Comment

    Freedom Box?

    Lets see

    Webpage Builder guaranteeing proper html tags for the system to work with search hub.
    Webserver
    GPG
    GPG handshaking scripts
    Log-in manager to trigger the handshaking on both ends
    Search Hub Webpage
    Search Hub Software
    SQL database for search hub

    Can you make those 8 or more things all function flawlessly together in a way that's more secure than existing technologies?
    Posted 03-31-2011 at 04:32 PM by lumak lumak is offline
  7. Old Comment

    Freedom Box?

    I think what you are trying to describe is a P2P network of homepages that can easily be searched from a central location? Each user is responsible for their own data and only what they flag as public would be available?

    This is all well and good... there are already bare-bones web servers you can fit almost anywhere, All you would need is a host of software that lets you build a simple page for it and the P2P software the broadcasts it's IP to the search hub.

    This method allow for both customized webpages of any form and generic format pages like facebook. The only problem is then hosting the search hub and open sourcing it so you can have any body host a search hub...

    e.g. LQ could have a search hub for members to share their facepage with other LQ memebers and even facebook (doubtingly however) would host a more generic hub for anybody to find anybody.

    At this point, what's there to concern your self about privacy for? It's your own fault at that point (or a security flaw in the P2P/webpage software)

    As far as security goes, the problem would be, How do you ensure that only people with permission can access your stuff?
    Maybe use a GPG check of your friends private key stored in your friends list in a secure part of the server unacceptable to the web? When somebody request your more personal information, a friend packet would be sent to the server, decrypted on your end and checked, then your server would send a friend packet to their server (which isn't necessarily the computer your friend is using to access your page.. 99% of the time it wont be) to decrypt the packet and give the OK for your server to display a webpage to the visitor.

    Hrmm... that would require some sort of 'log in' and that would have to be kept separate from the search hub so that the search hub can not intercept packets and forge them later... Maybe you need some log in software and the search hub only offers up some information and a link that allows easy access and launch for the log in software.

    This is all very do able with current technology. I like it. Get to work. I'll see you in 5 years with the results.


    The only problem from doing this at a home internet connection is the thousands of people (at least for some people) trying to get information from it... This would require more people buying web hosting service (that supports the software) or upgrading their home internet to low end business grade with webpage permissions.
    Posted 03-31-2011 at 04:24 PM by lumak lumak is offline
    Updated 03-31-2011 at 04:27 PM by lumak
  8. Old Comment

    A community of interest?

    g'day mates; may I suggest in this era where parallel / VMware virtual hosting is getting so close to gui depdendent, granny end user level usibility, the whole hardware driver issue is ever closer to moot?

    As an evangelistic 'tux | FOSS | OSS' user infamous in my personal &/or professional serial entrepreneur endeavors, I'm somewhat renowned in my peer circles for last 5+ years now for converting anyone seeking my support to once again 'fix' [pronounced 'clean re-install'] micro$ux windoze environments, for refusing to waste my time on such, and simply converting their equipment to opensuse instead.

    In just the last 2 years I've actually even helped some clients of mine go full on OSS from top to bottom in their SMB &/or SOHO business systems.

    Must say, with rare exception last 2 years now [can you say NEVER BUY A LEXMARK PRNR!? ;]], virtually any hardware thrown at opensuse/linux will, with minimum community support + one's homework efforts, work in short order.

    2cents=enough said.. ;]]
    Posted 04-29-2010 at 07:07 PM by tech9iner tech9iner is offline
  9. Old Comment

    A community of interest?

    IMHO, in addition to a fear of change it's also an apathy toward change & having to (Or percieving the need to) re-learn how to do things. Maybe an emphasis on how a change to Linux will make your life easier will outweigh this eventually. I can testify that my main PC is incredibly boring! It sits on the desk quietly doing what a PC should for days/weeks on end with hardly any intervention from me! Thank goodness for my 'spare' machines that I can play with and break! LOL.
    Posted 04-28-2010 at 03:43 PM by rich_c rich_c is offline
  10. Old Comment

    A community of interest?

    This explains everything:
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by williamfromtexas
    People are scared of change
    It's most commonly not an issue with apps, drivers, anything but just a fear of change.
    Posted 04-28-2010 at 06:41 AM by Web31337 Web31337 is offline
  11. Old Comment

    A community of interest?

    The answer to the hardware thing is that you have to do a little research to see what's supported. This is one of the other big fundamental differences. A lot of hardware is supported without the need to faff with 3rd party drivers, it's built in! Again, you lessen the chance that installing your potentially badly written 3rd party driver will bork your system. So really, a positive point if you look at it that way.
    Posted 04-27-2010 at 11:12 AM by rich_c rich_c is offline
  12. Old Comment

    A community of interest?

    The main thing that I hear from people is the ease of installing different equipment and their drivers. They ask "If I buy a new printer can I put in a cd and it will install the driver and a program to make it easy to access." This is when you hope they have not experienced the problem of having a printer there is no native drivers for. Until hardware manufactures start making linux drivers available with there cds linux will be a hard sell.
    Posted 04-26-2010 at 06:20 PM by Larry Webb Larry Webb is offline
  13. Old Comment

    A community of interest?

    Absolutely!

    And as well, the large offering of free and trust-able sources of software. The above post was sparked by a conversation I had with a friend last night:

    His normal routine consists of scouring the web for (what he hopes is) virus-free pirate software and serial keys. I told him "with linux you just click on some buttons over here and it takes care of it for you". He was shocked that such a thing as Ubuntu's add/remove software function existed.
    Posted 04-26-2010 at 03:32 PM by williamfromtexas williamfromtexas is offline
  14. Old Comment

    A community of interest?

    Quote:
    uninterested in techno-babble benefits.
    I picked up on this & in the context of the rest of the post, it would seem to me that we want to be emphasising the benefits of better stability/reliability to Joe User.
    Posted 04-26-2010 at 03:24 PM by rich_c rich_c is offline
  15. Old Comment

    These things get updated?

    Just an update on the original post:

    The Rockbox auto-installer worked beautifully.

    As I always attach my player to the computer using the 'engage-hold and press-backbutton' approach (which starts the player in some default mode), I haven't had to change a single habit in use of the machine - indeed, installing Rockbox has added value enormously.

    I do suspect that all the extra 'brain power' (or perhaps codec rendering) drains the battery quicker than the OEM system, but I have not tested this and have no desire to.

    I have read information from the Rockbox group expressing dismay that the mp3 player may die in the face of wide-spread smartphone use. However, I don't think this will be the case. Mp3 players should become a type of personal appliance: digital jukeboxes (with wireless connectivity features, of course) that are small, have high storage capacity, feature rich interface(s) and highly inter-operable. Many people want to keep their phones (contact management/work duties/etc) separate from their fun (music, time-passing games, video).. like having an iTouch and a BlackBerry. Rockbox is the former, Android is the latter?
    Posted 04-15-2010 at 10:59 AM by williamfromtexas williamfromtexas is offline
  16. Old Comment

    Will the future acknowledge us?

    I wouldn't expect your girl to understand, but she might, and if she does: bonus!

    My husband is in love with his Mac, and thinks Linux is a everyone's "science fair project" ... which is fine with me. I kind of like being part of a smaller club. Sometimes I bore/confuse him with tech-babble, but usually we just talk about other things.
    Posted 04-15-2010 at 09:16 AM by kateshine kateshine is offline
  17. Old Comment

    Will the future acknowledge us?

    My original thought was that though linux could become an ubiquitous computing platform, it might never receive such wide-spread recognition or support from its users as a whole, who view it as just a flashy platform or a technological specification, rather than a system.

    But the more I think about it, such dependency to something available universally might be the most sincere form of recognition.

    Think about air, or water, or wood or dirt. These elements are useful themselves and are building blocks for other more complex things. Linux, is it the fifth element?
    Posted 04-11-2010 at 05:26 PM by williamfromtexas williamfromtexas is offline
  18. Old Comment

    Will the future acknowledge us?

    Who is to say that this is true?
    UNIX, multics, vax, BSD, etc have all made a lasting and positive impact on the world.

    If I look for an answer, I will never find it. If you search for the answer, it will come to you.
    Posted 04-09-2010 at 09:15 PM by Mr-Bisquit Mr-Bisquit is offline
  19. Old Comment

    These things get updated?

    Rockbox is excellent, I have an iRiver H340 that took an age to start (some sort of disk scan to collect mp3 details). Put rockbox on it and it loads almost immediately... no thrills Rockbox just does what it needs to and does it well.
    Posted 04-01-2010 at 03:05 AM by dsmyth dsmyth is offline

  



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