Recent Posts

976

Living Room / Re: Linux XP releases international edition

« Last post by housetier on September 23, 2006, 10:08 PM »

Too bad though it's not as free as I hoped... 

Evaluation mode lasts for first 99 user sessions ("boots") on each personal computer with Software Product installed

 

non-exclusive right to install and use Software Product without boots number limitation and right to receive updates and minimal technical support for the product installation ("Permanent License") provided after Software Product serial number is acquired

Great idea with a lot of effort put into it. But it doesn't feel right to me...

977

Living Room / Linux XP releases international edition

« Last post by housetier on September 23, 2006, 09:59 PM »

Over at Downloadsquad.com I heard about a new distribution called Linux XP. And you all know how much I love Linux. But this one is a little special...

I mean look at the login screen:

Or here is a view of the tray area:

Even the control panel looks familiar:

Read more in the release notes, or have a look at their screenshot gallery.

This ought to make switching to linux easier for some stupid stubborn anxious users.

978

Living Room / Re: Cool Poster of How the Domain Name System Works (and other posters)

« Last post by housetier on September 23, 2006, 06:33 PM »

Quite amazing!

It's still all very complex but it looks prettier

A picture says more than a thousand words.

For some people this might be the key to understanding DNS, search engines, and such. though; because some learn visually, others are good at comprehending volumes of textual information. I think it's great to put effort into "presenting knowledge" in different ways (for different people).

It might very well help me understand and explain these things better to others. 

979

General Software Discussion / Re: What Labeler / Cover Printing Software Do you Recommend?

« Last post by housetier on September 23, 2006, 03:50 PM »

In Germany Avery has a monopoly of sorts on labels and stuff. They offer software and templates and such: http://avery.com/us/.../index.jsp?wtloc=top

980

Developer's Corner / Re: Commentary: Linkware licenses can go awry

« Last post by housetier on September 23, 2006, 02:42 PM »

Very few people would realize, and even less would care I guess. This article has me thinking about the issues raised. I must admit I almost never read the license.

I get it, try it out, and if it's good I get "involved with the community". By that time I will have learned one way or the other if was doing the right thing. However, in these times and ages¹, I might be better of studying and understanding the licenses.

License, intellectual property, copyright... it's become very nasty 


¹: is that the right term? What's the correct proverb?

981

General Software Discussion / Re: Best jukebox that is NOT iTunes?

« Last post by housetier on September 23, 2006, 10:04 AM »

back in the days of yore... I used to use dbpoweramp

982

Developer's Corner / Commentary: Linkware licenses can go awry

« Last post by housetier on September 23, 2006, 09:53 AM »

I came across this via my numerous rss and other feeds (see attachments). I think Joe Brockmeier raises interesting questions. I don't really have problems with naming or linking something in order to use it. But I hadn't thought of the issues he thinks of.

Here are the solutions to the issues, read the full article please

(...)
Link requirements aren't an insurmountable problem, so long as the author takes a few additional steps to clarify the terms of a linkware license.

One, the license should spell out the terms for redistribution, and if it's allowed. What if I want to redistribute the theme with modifications, plus a couple of additional links? (...)

Two, the license should be included with the theme or application itself.(...)

Finally, the author should specify what happens if the domains that are linked to change hands, or if the content at that URL is unavailable.
(...)

-http://software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=06/09/18/1558244&from=rss

983

Living Room / Re: How Digg Gets Everything Backwards.. And How to Fix It

« Last post by housetier on September 20, 2006, 01:41 PM »

A very good point! 

I can't say much now, not before I have given it more thought...

984

General Software Discussion / Re: idea for donation coder CD

« Last post by housetier on September 20, 2006, 12:25 PM »

Maybe we can just use the existing trackers and save us the hassle of setting one up ourselves.

985

Living Room / Re: How Digg Gets Everything Backwards.. And How to Fix It

« Last post by housetier on September 19, 2006, 11:45 PM »

So this why dc.com is still not as popular as digg: you just can't abuse dc or its members. mouser is much too nice and honest to let this happen. And decisions are made in the open too, everything is too transparent, too accountable, too democratic!
 

986

General Software Discussion / Re: idea for donation coder CD

« Last post by housetier on September 19, 2006, 07:23 PM »

I was only referring to a more specialized project. I never meant to make yet another open source thing. But the problems of distribution are the same, no matter what kind of software it is.

987

Living Room / Re: Weird Al New Video - White And Nerdy

« Last post by housetier on September 19, 2006, 04:15 PM »

hahahah very very cool!   

988

General Software Discussion / Re: Bad Design is Harder than Good Design

« Last post by housetier on September 19, 2006, 03:53 PM »

Dude, that is a great example! Absolutely. This stupidity so did my head in, I am at a loss of words.

It's a crying shame Samsung released this piece of shitwaresoftware. Even after seeing the screencasts I still do not believe it. I simply refuse to accept it! This can't be right.



edit: I just had to add it to stumbleupon

989

General Software Discussion / Re: idea for donation coder CD

« Last post by housetier on September 19, 2006, 03:43 PM »

I think this is a good idea. 

There is a similar project in Germany, which promotes open source software for Microsoft Windows. It used to be one CD but now they have switched to DVDs, probably because there is so much software. It is regularly updates and surprisingly is distributed as full iso images, not torrents. I am sure such projects exist for the English speaking community as well.

I am mentioning this project because we might want to contact them and learn how the distribution process should be managed, and whom to talk to for mirroring and such.

I am in favor of using torrents though. This would require interesting parties to have a bittorrent client, to be sure, but mirroring wouldn't be a problem.

990

Living Room / Re: What are Trackback/Pings?

« Last post by housetier on September 19, 2006, 03:30 PM »

thank you very much pfflyer. I have a clearer concept of these trackbacks now.

Thanks a lot for your patience 

991

Living Room / Re: What are Trackback/Pings?

« Last post by housetier on September 19, 2006, 01:54 PM »

I think "trackbacking" involves a concept I am mentally unable to cope with: I still don't get it.

Assume I have a blog system that can send backtracks to another blog. On that other blog I find a post I want to write about on my blog. So I take this trackback URL and do what with it? How do I use it?

992

Living Room / Re: What are Trackback/Pings?

« Last post by housetier on September 19, 2006, 04:08 AM »

So how do I use it?

Assuming I have a trackback url, how do I tell my blog thingie to notify someone else's blog thingie? Would I see an extra input field for my post?

edit: "have" is now spelled correctly

993

Living Room / Inspiration in non-religious sense

« Last post by housetier on September 19, 2006, 03:59 AM »

The Fuss

My feed reader of the month had me read this article at mentalfloss. I don't watch TV at all, so I don't really know what the whole post is about.

However, somehow I read the article, well at least the anecdote

...
“I want to be a part of this”, Cliff said, “and I don’t have your head for science. How would it be if I taught myself to be a glassblower? And I could set up a little shop in the backyard. And I could make all the tubes you’ll need for testing.”

There oughta be Congressional medals for people like that.
...

-http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/1811

The Inspiration

I like that anecdote. People simply helping other people the best way they can. I mean, this direct approach of saying "I don't really understand it, but I think you are doing something great" has a lot of charme.

This has inspired me to look out for people who might be doing great things (and even if its only great for them) and offering my help, my expertise.

:-)

hello mouser 

And the second inspiration works the other way: recognize and acknowledge when people are trying their very best to help you because they think you are doing something great.

:-)

hello dad 

The End

N/T 

994

Living Room / What are Trackback/Pings?

« Last post by housetier on September 19, 2006, 03:42 AM »

Yes you heard right!

I don't really know what Trackback/Pings are.   


Come on, you gotta be kidding!

No I am not. For years I have heard of them. Once hadez even tried to explain it to me, but I still don't get it. I know they have got something to do with articles, news, blogs posts, that sort of thing. And I know they are meant to "report back", or notifying.


So, what don't you know?

What I don't know how to use them; how they work; how they are technically realized; what's in it for site showing off "trackback url here" and what's in it for another using (how?) said url.

So could you guys explain to me in simple terms with examples what trackbacks/pings are? I might be missing out here, you know! Maybe this is why only a handful people ever write comments on my site; who knows... YOU DO! So please let me in on the secret of these trackback/pings.

 

995

Living Room / Build your own IPod docking station

« Last post by housetier on September 18, 2006, 08:05 PM »

I just saw this over at Engadget:

If you haven't throw down for one of the bazillion iPod docks out there, you may have considered just making your own.
...
If you're a bit short on cash, or just admire your own handiwork, be sure to keep reading for an internal view, and then hit up the read link to peep a full gallery of construction photos so you don't screw yours up.

-http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/18/the-ipod-dock-for-value-driven-consumers/

I don't have an iPod myself so this particular docking station won't work, but methinks the concept and technique is extremely flexible and can be adapted to my favorite portable media station quite easily.

btw, they seem to have gotten it from digg...

996

Living Room / Re: Here's an extremely cool development: a solid state 32GB laptop hard drive

« Last post by housetier on September 18, 2006, 07:56 PM »

I see I see... I remember this from science-fiction novels and movies.

But being chips, where do these "storage modules" get their drive from? 

997

Living Room / Re: Here's an extremely cool development: a solid state 32GB laptop hard drive

« Last post by housetier on September 18, 2006, 07:43 PM »

I don't understand enough of this hightech hardware stuff. This doesn't have anything to do with perpendicular recording(sp?). does it?
 
Have I just outed myself as the anti-nerd when it comes to hardware? What is "solid state"?

998

Living Room / Re: Ben Franklin's Lightning Experiments Digitized

« Last post by housetier on September 18, 2006, 07:40 PM »

if I remember correctly there are three places where "S" can be in a word:

• at the beginning of a word
• somewhere in the middle of a word
• at the end of a word

And for some reason the typesetters of that time chose to make each of those cases look differently.

999

Living Room / Re: media icons - suggestions please.

« Last post by housetier on September 18, 2006, 07:34 PM »

Yes, sri, I agree with the Tango icons. That's what I use on my desktop as well. I sure love svg icons. 

1000

Developer's Corner / Re: 5 Easy Ways to be a Better Developer

« Last post by housetier on September 18, 2006, 07:26 PM »

A very nice read, although I prefer python, but still...

And the website looks totally awesome! Did you notice the little up-arrow staying in the lower right corner, even when you scrolled the page? And for all his love for Ruby, the blog is coded with typo...

Anyway, I don't think I learned anything new, but others might have. I sure got some nice design inspirations though... /me strays off again