We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.
Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]
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Samizdata quote of the day I like to feel that programs get on to my computer at my invitation, rather than barging past me into the living room and demanding to know where the drinks are.
– Charles Arthur on the Word 2007 converter. Which goes for all sorts of institutions and people. If someone is prepared to explain themselves, gives us an alternative, recognises our autonomy, then we incline to trust them simply because they have shown they understand that there is trust involved.
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Who Are We? The Samizdata people are a bunch of sinister and heavily armed globalist illuminati who seek to infect the entire world with the values of personal liberty and several property. Amongst our many crimes is a sense of humour and the intermittent use of British spelling.
We are also a varied group made up of social individualists, classical liberals, whigs, libertarians, extropians, futurists, ‘Porcupines’, Karl Popper fetishists, recovering neo-conservatives, crazed Ayn Rand worshipers, over-caffeinated Virginia Postrel devotees, witty Frédéric Bastiat wannabes, cypherpunks, minarchists, kritarchists and wild-eyed anarcho-capitalists from Britain, North America, Australia and Europe.
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George Burns said it best. “Sincerity is the key. When you can fake that, you’ve got it made!”
Whilst it’s a joke, aren’t politicians great at manufacturing sincerity? People trusted Blair because he LOOKED trustworthy. Howard LOOKS like one of the honest battlers he tries to enlist. Kevin Rudd looks bland, like a grown-up Tintin.
Q. How many politicians would it take to change a light bulb?
A. What, you speak to politicians?…. (Backs away quickly)
You don’t surprise me about the 2007 Word Convertor. I recent had dealings with Vista Home Premium… What an irritating load bloated of nonsense. It’s like an over-friendly Labrador greeting you on your return yet you just now it’s taken a crap on the rug while you’ve been away. And you further know it’s going to turn on you one of these days. Or at least eat the kids homework.
The solution to Word 2007 is simple… do not use it. Use Open Office. It is good and it is free.
I don’t understand his complaint. This is what all Windows program installers do. I’m not saying it is right, but it is ubiquitous. If you want to know where a program has splurged files and registry entries all over your system, download “Process Monitor” from sysinternals (just a zip file for a change!).
Guy, whatever makes you think it’s your computer? All the End User Licence Agreements you “sign”, (i.e. click through because there’s no way anyone with a life is going to read several thousand words in small print) when you install a program give the software owners the right to do as they please on the machine. You certainly don’t own the software: you’ve merely paid for a licence which may or may not allow you to use it and that the owners can change at any time with no penalty to themselves.
At least the Word 2007 converter is relatively benign. In the last year, I’ve had to pay again for software which automatically upgraded without my asking for it and lost “extra” functionality as a result, and found I’d given the company the right to automatically charge me for upgrades even after I’d uninstalled the program as bloated crap. And I’d like to think that working in IT Security makes me aware of such traps…
Charles – Process Monitor is a good start, but the truly paranoid use InCtrl logs and run them through Radsoft’s E3 security kit if they want to truly delete a program.
Charles Pooter is right. If Charles Arthur wants to know “what files it’s going to install where first” he should probably be using Linux. In the case of Windows, trust comes from the brand, and the knowledge that software with installers can usually remove itself. Failing that there is System Restore.
Futhermore:
This is backwards. The docx format is *more* open and ammenable to third party developers than doc was (it’s not perfect but it’s better). Doc was never common-or-garden, and only Microsoft knew how it worked. Docx is the answer to that criticism. Damned if they do, damned if they don’t…
Having said all that, the general point is correct. Software (and people) should be well behaved and treat their hosts with respect. Part of recognising autonomy is using open formats to exchange data. Which brings us back to docx…
I always like to show Windows people how I install most applications on my Mac, i.e. drag the icon to where I want it. No install shield. No hours of DLL-arbitrage and registry spyware. I copied a program icon onto a USB memstick once, plugged it into another machine and ran the program right of the stick. If you want to know what agog was, you needed to be there to see their faces.
Windows is a pain because it is written by classless, lazy, inconsiderate, artless, paranoid mediocrities.
I removed Windows for good recently after pulling my hair out trying to keep unwanted spyware at bay. I replaced it with Ubuntu Linux which is solid as a rock and easy to use.
TimC,
Consider me agog!
I would’ve dumped Windows for Linux a while back but there are cerrtain apps I like that I can’t quite run in Linux. They’re not all games either.
I suppose I could go multi-boot but I’m sure that would be a true hassle and It seems inelegant.
Is there an alternative because I can’t go Mac and I’ll buy an old Amiga before I “upgrade” to Vista!
Adrian-any thoughts on Ubuntu?
I see at least one fan has spoken-but I will remind you of this-there is no such thing as a free lunch. Ever.
Perry-I also like Open Office, and coming from Sun Microsystems it has a pedigree and a believable motivation after MS tried to rip off JVM and JRE.
Also somebody does know how .DOC works, because Open Office is compatible.
Also I have read some Excel archives I never could before and put together a Powerpoint presentation, all using Sun’s free Open Office.
Nick M:
Inelegant, hell. If it’s stupid and it works, it’s not as stupid as it could be.
I have to keep Windows on my notebook for two reasons: watching DVD’s and playing Ghost Recon. Everything else is done in linux (which for some reason has weird file-permission issues with DVD’s.) It’s really nice knowing that spyware and virii and weird autointalled crud won’t hose my machine.
The thing I don’t like is, if I want to pause a game and do something useful, I need to reboot since Windows can’t read the data on any of the linux partitions.
Oh, BTW, Mandriva r001z!! U5un7u dr001z!
Gosh, I was quoting it as a pithily amusing expression of a general point about the relationship between freely given consent and trust. I didn’t expect the geekish inquisition.
I’ve been using Open Office for a couple of years now. I like it, but … It is also one of the packages that boots things that hover in the background and won’t go away every time I run it. Adobe/PDF also does this along with many lesser known (by me anyway) packages. My solution is to never run open office or read a PDF unless I am prepared to follow it with a re-boot. Since I only re-boot every several days, I usually reboot when there is so much crap running that I can’t move.
Another culprit is Norton anything. All I want is a firewall and a simple full copy to external hard drive that I can do once a day, more or less. When Norton whatever was paralyzing things, I was sold Norton Ghost. It does the same @#%#$^%$& thing!!! This morning and most mornings I wake up my laptop and it takes ten or more minutes before it’s ready to pay any attention to me. I look at the task manager, google the processes (later, when the keyboard actually works), and it’s mostly Norton crap running! WHY? All I want is a backup and a firewall. And on demand (my demand, not its) utilities.
Why oh why must it take a geek to run a computer?
(Bangs head on keyboard while rocking slowly.)
Sunfish,
The thing I don’t like is, if I want to pause a game and do something useful, I need to reboot since Windows can’t read the data on any of the linux partitions.
That you see is my problem. And not just with games. And I don’t relish life without Corel GFX and web-design stuff and all manner of stuff multi-tasking. I compute like a mayfly, flicking from one thing to another. So much so that I use X-windows style focus selection. Clicking on a title bar is too much hassle. And another thing. I fix PCs so… I get so sick of booting and re-booting…
In the OED of Quotations, under, Anon, is a C18th suicide note. All it states is, “All this buckling and un-buckling”. I know exactly how the poor bastard must’ve felt.
Pietr,
A technical question about OO. Does your statement hold when the files are not in English or partially not in English? I just have severe doubts as to Microsoft’s linguistic capabilities.
Mid,
I too have been looking for a good firewall. I use spyware doctor and AVG Free and they’re both pretty good. I’m currently using the XP Firewall and it’s not done anything too hideous so far. I’ve ditched Norton and I didn’t go a bundle on McAfee either.
guy,
Nobody expects the geekish inquisition! Except you should’ve done round here. How long until this thread descends into a Mac-PC debate? It’s inevitable. Let’s call that observation “Nick M’s law”.
Is there a Godwin’s law equivalent for the Mac/PC degeneration mode of threads?
If not, I propose we write one.
And folks have also agreed with the general point even if they were critical of the original article. But as you did also link to the article, an onslaught by the geekish inquisition was to be expected 😉
This is a large and growing problem, and it will probably get a lot, lot worse. Basically, we’re seeing the widespread practice of computer programs using memory, CPU cycles, and other resources in service of the publisher, often completely against the interests of the consumer.
Imagine how bad this will get as programs become more sophisticated, perhaps to the point of (pseudo) intelligence? Programs already disregard your commands in favor of the software company’s. Suppose it was normal and customary for the person you hired to clean your house to use all your stuff and steal your silverware.
Byzantine EULAs be damned. What we need is more like a general amendment to Asimov’s laws respecting property rights. Instead of just “no robot shall harm a human,” we need one that goes something like, “no robot shall act as an agent for any other than its lawful owner, excepting when such agency conflicts with the first three laws.”
Mid,
The two of us both did.
There is just a little problem. I know quite a few people have both types of machines which they use for different purposes. And then there’s bootcamp.
One thing though that will always get people’s dander up is I suspect console vs. PC gaming. I recall, well not exactly an argument, but talking to a lad with a PS and a high end PC. He used the PC to download games to burn for his PS!
The other thing people are fierce about is their choice of browsers and I suspect their are probably a fair few folk who could argue the merits of Amiga/ST or Speccy/64 till the cows die of old age. Other possible debates are trackpoint vs those daft little pads that you stroke. See, even I have strong feelings about something!
On the subject at hand: I really don’t bother too much about extraneous processes running in the background unless they interfere with my running a game, though I have a friend who spends five minutes clearing his task manager down to the bare essentials when he runs a game even to the point of double clicking the icon, immediately hitting ctrl-alt-del and stopping explorer from running (which I didn’t know you could do but you can I’ve seen it)
On Windows Vs Linux: I have three PC’s in the house: one is my everyday machine which runs Windows, purely because it came with it and I wasn’t going to get money knocked off if I didn’t take it (and it plays all the games I like), another is my fileserver which I store all my game images, movies, music, intranet webserver etc. it runs Ubuntu, is on all the time and hasn’t crashed once. The last machine in my house also runs Ubuntu and is my stepson’s. He said he wanted a PC for his birthday so the wife built him one with spare bits from her work (she fixes PC for a living) and I put Ubuntu on it. He got his computer but can play games on it (is that evil of me?).
I’m extremely impressed with Ubuntu for both ease of use and reliability. I do understand peoples reluctance when it comes to linux, the unix like command line (which you have to use if you want to do anything even slightly technical) is extremely intimidating, though Ubuntu is trying to improve matters. If I could play all my games on Ubuntu then I would do it (it may not be that far off though(Link)) and get rid of Windows forever.
When it comes to consoles vs pc’s then I’m afraid that the debate is becoming a little pointless. The latest generation of consoles are just PC’s that you plug into your telly and have all been hacked to run linux (or windows in the case of the PS3, it already runs a version of linux out of the box), resolution is no longer an issue as they are all HDTV 1080p compatible (apart from the Wii), and it is perfectly feasible to plug a keyboard and mouse into any of them as they all use usb (you just need to change the shape of the plug and wire it up properly) todays consoles are PC’s in all but name. though the PC does still lead the way when it comes to the technology inside them, but you’ll be paying up to 10 times the price of a console for a top end gaming rig. The only thing that differentiates the consoles from the PC now is the ease of use. a console you can just plug it in an away you go, a PC needs a little more work.
I’m not going to start on the Mac debate because its really not worth it (Macs are PC’s for posers with too much money :P)
Of course that should read: He got his computer but can’t play games on it. sorry.
Obviously if it were a Mac, it would barge past you, sneer at your CD collection, laugh at your furniture and then get you to go out and buy more drinks because it doesn’t like the ones you’ve got.
I think this link(Link) say it all in the PC vs Mac debate
This is an ext2 filesystem for Windows. (“If you currently have Windows running and you realize that you need some files for your work which you have stored on an Ext2 volume of your Linux installation, you no longer have to shut down Windows and boot Linux!”) It will also mount ext3 partitions (almost certainly what you have), but there are some caveats.
If that looks too scary, this program is an Explorer clone for ext2/3 and Reiser partitions that doesn’t require a filesystem to be installed, but it doesn’t support writing.
Open Office appears to come with a large range of character sets, including Indian and Chinese of various types.
I don’t know whether they save in .DOC, but I suppose they would, since ISO character sets are virtually universal; although I don’t know whether part of the changeover in .doc is due to the vastly enhanced character identity of .NET2.0.
Well Nick M, because Macs are now Intel-based they can run Windows either dual boot or using Parallels, which runs Windows apps right alongslide the Mac apps. Oh, and the ARE Unix and can be Unix whenever you want, right down to built-in X11. BTw, you can also boot a Mac from your iPod if you wish and go from machine to machine with “your” boot drive. Try that in the world of Bill Gates.
A little bit of searching will find almost all jobs and tasks possible except some industry specific software – heck, even your Corel GFX runs on OSX. As for switching to watch DVDs…erm…
As for cost, considering WHAT you get for your money, Macs are a good deal. Anyhow, I came from a VMS background, so I need something rock solid, so flakey PCs and endless tweakery of Linux does not really appeal.
Nick M:
Mac-vs-PC is so…plebian. It’s like watching my neighbors argue about Daryl Waltrip vs. Dale Earnhardt. Whitesnake vs. Def Leppard. Trace Atkins vs. Tim McGraw. Ford vs. Chevy. Budweiser vs. Coors. Even if one is discernably better than the other, it’s still American psuedo-beer or whatever we were arguing about.
It’s not like an IMPORTANT false dichotomy such as Les Paul vs. Stratocaster or Glock vs. Sig.
And that’s why I tried to start a distro war. If we’re to have a nonsensical geek argument, we might as well raise the bar slightly.
No Stairway.
Tim C,
Some might see that post as being a little cryptic. For myself, I have no idea what you mean.
Sunfish,
Tish and pish… Distro, shmistros… Ghost Recon now that’s plebian!
TimC,
Well, I can’t because I need to stay PC because I fix ’em for a living. And also because I just don’t like Mac Hardware. It looks like upscale kitchen appliances.
Nick M,
“no stairway” refers to a Mike Myers gag when he (as Wayne) tries to play guitar in the music shop…which has a sign expressly forbidding the playing of “Stairway To Heaven”.
Your dislike of Macs may seem clearer – they treaten your ricebowl, praps? Who wants damn reliable appliances, eh?
The only trouble of any kind I’ve had with DVDs on Linux is that lots of the region one DVDs won’t play (the newer and more popular the more likely there is to be trouble). This is because the various Linux players can’t get access to the proper codecs. Codecs for all other regions are freely (erm, “freely”) downloadable. You said something about a “file-permission” issue – but I wonder if this isn’t your problem instead?
All indications are that non-commercial players will never be given access to the proper codes for region one DVDs. Which sucks ass considering I’ve paid for the DVD and should be allowed to watch it. In any case, I watch all my foreign DVDs on the Linux machine and the ones I get from the video store and/or Netflix on my Mac laptop. I live in a Windoze-free environment.
I’m rather enjoying my Ubuntu.
And you should see the effect Linux experience of any kind has at interviews.
Joshua:
You may be right about it being a codec issue. KDE/Xine doesn’t seem to like to have helpful error messages, and reports a DVD as being “file permission or damaged disk.” The disks work perfectly when the confuser is booted into W2K, and setting the DVD drive world-readable didn’t help.
What’s messing with me is that it does that with the Mystery Science Theater 3000 discs, which I always thought avoided that kind of goofy use-limiting crap.
It sucks being one of those apparent net-communists who insists that “I bought it and paid for it, and therefore it’s MINE.”
Sunfish-
Yes, Xine is what I was using (but on Fedora 5, though that obviously shouldn’t make a difference), and I know what you mean about the error messages (when you can manage to get one) being pretty barebones and not very informative. However, if you keep trying every method available, it eventually comes clean and tells you plainly that it’s a codec issue (I also got some “file permissions” errors originally, though never a “damaged disc” error – but if you keep at it you mysteriously get the more helpful one). There is in fact some message to the effect of “not being able to play this disc that you paid for.” 🙂 Play around with it and see if you can tease it out.
In any case, I believe that’s what it is for me because, as I said, it’s only ever is a problem with region one DVDs – which is what I assume your MST3K disc is. I have to admit, I’m really surprised, as you are, to hear that MST3K has these kinds of protections. That doesn’t seem like the kind of vid that would have wide enough distribution to make it worth their time. All my region one anime discs play fine, for example – it’s the blockbuster hits I rent from the video store that absolutely have to be played on the Mac. And I’ve never had any issues on Linux with playing discs from regions 2(D2, D2, D4 – never tried a D1) and 3.
Joshua,
I’ll mess around with the messages.
What gets me about this whole problem, though, is that it’s MST3K. Jeez, they put “Keep circulating the tapes” in the closing credits! Distribution aside, it seemed to me very unlikely that they’d create that sort of problem.
Let me tell you, having to boot into Windows is a hefty price to pay for getting to view “Wild Rebels.”
(And Family Guy does the same damn thing! Grrrr….)
Tim C,
Macs don’t threaten my “rice-bowl”. They are in fact almost irrelevant to my “rice-bowl”. Now this isn’t because of any antipathy I have towards them per-se. In general I prefer PCs because I can build exactly what I want and then swear like a trooper at it until it works. I just like computers I can build and fix and get down and dirty with.
Macs don’t have that. I understand why some people like ’em and I think they’re admirable machines in many ways but… Apple has a history of over- and under- designing it’s products doesn’t it? I remember the old ADB keyboard with a weird layout of cursor keys so that the keys looked all neat and tidy. Before that was a keyboard without cursor keys. The old 3.5″ SupaDrive was a laugh if it crashed wasn’t it? The iPod shuffle was practically unusable and well… Where do I stop? The graphics are poor which is fortunate because of the paucity of games. While I’m sure that OSX is better than XP/Vista I’m not really concerned about that. I’m more concerned about hardware issues. Can ya fit a Mac with a RAID array? How many optical drives can you fit? Do they even have mounting brackets for additional IDE drives? A Mac is a computer for someone who just wants “a computer”. Yeah, most PCs are similar (but more of a pain) than Macs but I relish everytime I upgrade because I get to choose and build my machine exactly as I want it to be. Trust me, if I built you a system you’d never go back to Mac-land. When I talk about PCs I talk about the sort I build, not about whatever crap Dell or HP are trying to offload at the moment…
” Can ya fit a Mac with a RAID array?”
http://www.google.com/search?&q=mac+raid
“The graphics are poor”
Quad GeForce 7300 GT or Radeon X1900 isn’t enough?
“How many optical drives can you fit?”
A second SuperDrive (16X dual-layer DVD burner) is a $99 upgrade, or you can add your own third-party drive as the second unit. How many DVDs can you watch at once?
“Do they even have mounting brackets for additional IDE drives?”
Stock config holds up to 4 SATA drives, with third-party brackets available if you need more. “IDE”? What’s that? Didn’t those go out with paper tape readers and punch cards?
“ADB keyboard”, “3.5” SupaDrive”…
Errr… maybe you should try looking at a machine that was built sometime in the current century. Just a thought.
” Can ya fit a Mac with a RAID array?”
http://www.google.com/search?&q=mac+raid
“The graphics are poor”
Quad GeForce 7300 GT or Radeon X1900 isn’t enough?
“How many optical drives can you fit?”
A second SuperDrive (16X dual-layer DVD burner) is a $99 upgrade, or you can add your own third-party drive as the second unit. How many DVDs can you watch at once?
“Do they even have mounting brackets for additional IDE drives?”
Stock config holds up to 4 SATA drives, with third-party brackets available if you need more. “IDE”? What’s that? Didn’t those go out with paper tape readers and punch cards?
“ADB keyboard”, “3.5” SupaDrive”…
Errr… maybe you should try looking at a machine that was built sometime in the current century. Just a thought.