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OT: OS!? - Rant

[crossposted to alt.os.linux.slackware,sci.electronics.design,rec.puzzles

- please manage crossposted followups intelligently. Thanks.]

Have any of you encountered this:

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yet?

Well, I know anyone using KDE on Slackware will have seen it using Konqueror - it probably shows up in all the browsers, but I'm terribly, terribly curious as to what shows up on a Doze comp. i.e., I'm sure the page is there, but is the heading, "Yahoo! Messenger for Unix"?

I have my computer and router configured such that I can sit at my desk, and boot Slack 10.0 and do everything I need to do except AutoCAD Mechanical Desktop 6 and my weekly time sheet, which they _insist_ is in MS Word 2000 format. Frankly, I'm still a little iffy about Free Software (not like free beers) that tries to do what Micro$oft's stuff does, which was written by paid programmers.

But what works, works.

But this thing on Yahoo - Yikes!

I've heard of "instant messaging", and have actually "chat"ted with someone, but I'd thought that "instant messaging" was in the purview of AOL, with MS dabbling, and lessee, I don't remember what vehicle I was using for my most recent chatting, except that "vehicle" was the name of the computer I was using at the time, but previous to that, I was using IRC, Internet Relay Chat, which I even wonder if there still is such of a thing, and if so, I wonder if you can still get live kiddie p*rn on it.

Anyway, it seems that Yahoo has a script that can tie into some sort of instant messaging thing, but you have to download a precompiled binary, which apparently it makes a difference which version of Redmond^H^H^H^HHat or Debian or FreeBSD you're using, and I've either forgotten in this tirade whether the source is there or if being sent off on a wild goose hunt to look for source is what triggered me off into rant mode, when I figured out that _some_body is making some money there, on a Linux base, and I don't know how I should feel about it. I really, well, part of me, has aspirations to being a Linux purist, but then another part wonders, "But is that just to make some kind of _statement?_" and another part wonders, "Is this a good thing, or a bad thing?" and another part wonders, "Are people going to think we're crazy for having these discussions?" and The Pig Bladder From Uranus slaps us upside the head while we're posting our stoned rantings and says, "SHUT THE F#CK UP, YOU STUPID #~!!@@#$%^^&*(()))_!!!!!!!!!"

ObPuz: So, what's everybody's opinion of Yahoo Instant Messaging, and should I care about it?

Thanks, Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise
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Don't bother with the proprietary client. Google "gaim". And "Jabber".

Reply to
Ed Murphy

I've given up with MS and yahoo messy systems. I just use Skype, it does not seem to be tied up with any browser, it does VoIP, and I can call landlines.

martin

Reply to
martin griffith

There's this thing called open source software 8-) where you can use the same app without learning a new interface for each platform on which you might work:

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As Ed said:

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Reply to
JeffM

With God's help. By definition God is the ultimate professional. But it's not clear what bringing Him into the equation helps.

--
 Thanks,
    - Win
Reply to
Winfield Hill

I haven't and don't intend to but ...

Don't forget that the Titanic was built by professionals but Noah's ark was built by an amateur.

Anyway, try open office <

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>

I take it you are running a version of Linux. OO is cross platform. I'm running eCS and have yet to find a Word file that OO won't handle. YMMV. Give it a try.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Edwards

A tounge-in-cheek comment on Rich's statement, "that tries to do what Micro$oft's stuff does, which was written by paid programmers." Most of us are painfully aware of the quality of stuff put out by M$s paid programmers.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Edwards

Yeah, but the difference is that the fact that some Microsoft software is pretty piss poor is a very calculated decision on someone's part up there in Redmond. Whether or not any given piece of free software sucks is more of a random variable...

(Linux example: There's still no standard way for software installations to add start menu icons to the GUIs such as Gnome or KDE that run on top of Linux proper. Yecch. The argument for why this state persists is someting along the lines of "Well, each GUI does its own thing and the software installers don't always have the time to write separate install routines for Gnome, KDE, etc..." OK, fair enough, but why can't all those GUI providers at least agree on some lowest common denominator means of adding start menu icons? And still keep whatever extra cool features they want as well? In Windows, the start menu is just a bunch of regular old "shortcut" files in regular old directories -- utterly trivial.)

Reply to
Joel Kolstad

Ah - But: That can only mean that you have not pushed Open Source hard enough!

There are bugs, mistakes, shortcuts, stupid application interdependencies and plain fuckups, that a two-minute test would have found, in Open Source too - and anyone who thinks that he/she/it will not need some kind of QA procedure before inflicting some software upon a larger environment merely because "the source is there" is deluded in much the same way that the person who believes the MS advertising.

*All* real software is overcomplex crap I.M.O., the challenge is to find out where it breaks and then not go there.
Reply to
Frithiof Andreas Jensen

The problem is that there is no centralised authority that can say "thou shalt do it this way". Add this to the fact that standardisation isn't always an 'interesting' problem, and the fact that developers tend to use only one GUI - and it works for them, ...

A lot of the core functionality of linux - Xwindows, motif, ... has been imported from elsewhere. In many cases for some apps, large chunks of UI have been lifted from windows and mac apps.

You've then got the added problem of if you've got N GUIs, M ways of installing them on O distributions of the OS, it can result in N*M*O special cases.

Reply to
Ian Stirling

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