A Must Read

Perhaps even less - may be a lot less. But just about everyone buying a computer would prefer to *be able to* look inside.

But then your 1 in 100,000 applies to those who buy computers anyway. The rest buy computerized TV sets - and there will be *no* computers to buy before we know... (if the future tense applies at all).

I guess I took the right decision about 20 years ago to stay PC independent. As long as I can buy some silicon and peripherals I'll have some computer running here - which will hopefully be a few years longer than people will be able to buy computers (things which can be programmed from scratch if one wants to).

Dimiter

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Joel Kolstad wrote:

Hi Jan,

I read an article a week or two ago about how Oprah Winfrey is starting a bunch of private girls' schools in Africa to try to create future leaders or whatever. This is her second attempt, as her first attempt (which wasn't as formalized... more like, "we'll give you a good home and the means to go to school to study whatever you want") ended up in many of the kids just sitting around using their cell phones and playing computer games all day. :-)

It's a big investment -- millions of dollars -- and while if it were my money I think I'd be having classes that emphasized hard sciences more than fluffy stuff like "leadership" and "decision making," I still think she deserves commendation.

---Joel

Surprising that there's no (well, little?) outcry from people wanting to look at the code for their cars, their TV sets, their microwave ovens, their cell phones, etc...

I am just playing devil's advocate a little... I realize there's a difference between a PC that's *supposed* to be an "open box" to do whatever you want and a application specific chunk of hardware like a fancy coffee maker (e.g., one of those Tassimo units that even has a linear CMOS sensor to read the bar codes off the coffee packets!); this does kind of play into what you say about how most people buy "computerized TV sets" rather than "computers."

Linux isn't going away any time soon, and I imagine that the number of Linux users on PCs is at least 100:1 over any other hardware platform...

---Joel

Even if that was true, between us we'd have two good brains. With your head stuck up Bush's ass the count is still zero.

Well like I said your Linux isn't going away any time soon, and I imagine that the number of Linux

Hopefully so, I do not depend on Linux either, but it is nice to know it is around. However, the way things are going there will be no hardware to boot it on without some uncotrollable by the the user spy/whatever-ware underneath (e.g. the PS-3 at its current status) before we know, that's what I was referring to. And with the "Vista compatible" hardware which is already coming the only place to look for a computer will be ebay...

Dimiter

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Joel Kolstad wrote:

The display sounds _really_ neat. It draws only 2w max. backlit, and

Best, James Arthur

Nah, just a heartless nazi clone. I think the only thing he grasps about Freedom is that he's terrified of it, and wants it all destroyed so that he can live in a world where everyone is identical to him, and everyone else has been purged.

Thanks, Rich

On Tue, 02 Jan 2007 15:05:57 -0800, John Larkin wrote: ...

Well, the IRS seems to be doing a bang-up job of "extracting wealth involuntarily".

All of the invasions that they have to go clean up after.

Thanks, Rich

On a sunny day (3 Jan 2007 11:30:13 -0800) it happened snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote in :

mmm lets just all hope there is actually an xterm or at least root command line available. Else it is junk.

OTOH once they become root many will need re-install.... _That_ is the true learning process. To get it back up again.

I do not like all that folder stuff, teach them Unix, directory structure. let them type. Let them _understand_ what the ydo, wha ta chip is, how a memory works. I am just dreaming perhaps.

Guess? Never having paid a bribe is real.

My wife used to live in Germany, and her rusted-out Opal could never have passed the twice-yearly vehicle inspections. But a bottle of Jim Beam on the passenger seat worked every time.

John

Bush? You've got to be kidding. OTOH, on his worst day he's got all of you ass kissing British colonist beat when it comes to brains and balls.

head

Plenty of bribery and extortion takes place in the USA - from the halls of Congress down to the lowest parts of society, and saying it isn't so is extraordinarily delusional.

Bush and intelligent go together like military and music.

I have stated that *I* have never paid a bribe, or in fact ever been solocited for one. That's true, not delusional. Bribery happens, that's human nature, but not very often here, because it tends to be prosecuted.

Public bribery is everyday practice in lots of places. In Moscow, when a cop pulls you over, you just pay him. Some people keep a couple of bottles of booze in their car for that exact purpose. I was there.

John

Cool. Do you think you can learn to bottom-post?

John

Careful, John! You must know that sarcasm is wasted on those who need it the most. ;-)

Cheers! Rich

Ever heard "Taps"? No, I know. You cowards are never willing to go into the military. FYI, The military of many nations have some very good bands to play at official functions. This wouldn't apply to Canada, though.