Seems to me...

...that WP was the better word processor in the old days, but was never reliably stable in any release of Windows. Subsequent versions never got better in this regard. Who's to blame for that? I suspect we'll never know. My own history of software usage goes back to WP5 and Word 1.0, never did use WordStar, though that was the other alternative. For now, I'll stick to Libre/OpenOffice. I don't use MS Office unless I absolutely have to, and fecking hate very minute of it.

Get off my lawn

Think I'll have to go back to fvwm. But then I'll also have to go back to doing *everything* by hand. Guess that's the price one pays for being a luddite.

Change is good... sometimes

I'm looking forward to see if Wayland can deliver as promised. X has been around a looooooong time, and even X.org isn't much more than a rewrite. It certainly doesn't fit the way *nix is used on the modern desktop.

Unity, on the other hand, I'm not so impressed with. If it was intended for netbook-type usage, it failed horribly, as far as I'm concerned. You're going to take a vertical 1" away from a desktop that is already cramped for space? How does that make sense? I won't even mention performance in this first release. I switched to the old UNR type interface as soon as I could. I think *that's* actually a good UI on a netbook, or even on a touchscreen.

Yeesh

I didn't think people kept PCs long enough anymore for this kind of literal cruft to build up. I thought that was just me.

It's about time

Now I'll have an email addy that's even more douchey (ie hipstery) than my gmail.

So who needs one anyway?

I suppose the only reason to buy an Xserve was to run MacOS on a server. But why bother? Everything you can do on MacOS (on the server side) you can do on Linux. OSX is for users who like a shiny UI, not servers which mostly run headless anyway. Then again, I've never drunk the Apple Koolaid, so what do I know.

All I have to say is...

Man, do I miss WordPerfect.

Handy for getting help

...but not so great for giving it unless you care to actually play the game. I tried playing briefly. After I got downvoted once, I quit. Because frankly, I've got better things to do than to let some buffoon with a self-inflated sense of importance tell me I'm dumb. Social networking? More like "complete bollocks."

Not surprised one bit

Oracle's support contracts are tantamount to extortion. No surprise those income numbers are strong in this report. We're pretty much done buying Orasun hardware for this reason. You can't even download a BIOS update without a f-ing support contract. I'm hearing the same from other EDU's.

This is all academic

The only people who care about "standards" and file formats are devs and other eggheads. 99% of users don't care what is delivering their content. They'll download and install whatever plugin is necessary for their browser. The software evangelists can debate as much as they like about the moral and technical merits between options, but the average punter doesn't give a crap. The same goes for the argument for ODF vs. anything else.

It's not you, it's me

I'm sorry. I was a huge Suse fan from way back before they were acquired by Novell. Like everything else Novell ever touched, it turned to crap. After trying many distros, I found Suse to be the best desktop user experience around. But I switched to Ubuntu somewhere around 5.04 and never looked back. For me, the dealbreaker was the MS covenant. Since then, I've been unable to make myself even try Suse again. So sorry, Novell/Suse/openSuse, it's not you, it's me. Or maybe it is you. Yeah, it probably is.

I'm still holding out

...for a version of WordPerfect that is stable. In the meantime, I'll stick to OOO.o until the Big O kills it.

Want to actually support your favorite artists?

Don't buy their CDs from stores, buy them when you go to their live performances. This goes double for independent artists. And if you must buy from stores, support your local record store, if you have one. Screw the big chains and labels.

so what now?

Don't use IE or FF. Guess that means we use Opera, instead? Or maybe Chrome, because Google is always on Our Side and will Do No Evil. How about we makes users smarter instead.

how many sheds?

Wait, what was in shed 4?

I guess it must be just me

Apparently, nobody else wants an application that does one thing well. Most others seem to want (or accept being shoved down their throats) applications that bundle a bunch of features together and do them all rather crappily. If you ask me, and so far nobody has, email+calendar in one app does not make sense. I would rather have a good email client and a separate but equally good calendar client.

The only reason people think we need these things together is because of Outlook. Thankfully, I have never been forced to use this crapware of an email client. I have sampled it numerous times since its birth and have always found it crap. It's also why I dislike Evolution, because it tries too hard to be Outlook.

I used Eudora for the longest time in Windows and have long switched to Thunderbird. I run Thunderbird everywhere, and it does one thing, and does it very well. I have never found a webmail client that I liked as much as either Eudora or Thunderbird, they are all lacking in one way or another, including the Blessed Gmail.

I frankly don't get social networking, and can't see ever using it as a primary mode of communication. I guess that makes me a 21st century luddite, or at least a curmudgeon. I do rather like GCal, and use it extensively. Who cares if it's not integrated with my email client of choice. I've been trying Sunbird for a desktop app, but it's still pretty early beta, and seems stuck there for the time being.

Back to the topic: screw web 2.0, give me a good set of desktop apps any day.

I think I've seen this before

Pretty sure it was a Syfy original movie not too long ago... Where's the mutant ant icon...

Whoopty-friggin-do

Guess I'll stop using gmail when this happens. Call me an old fart, or luddite, or crusty bastard, or whatever, but I don't see the point of "social networking" sites. Gmail is an OK webmail, but only OK. Frankly, I've yet to find a webmail that is as good as a desktop app. I check my gmail from thunderbird during the day (while trying to not be annoyed at their bizarre implementation of IMAP). I also don't own a Jesusphone, or Mosesphone, or Windowsphone, so I have even less of a reason to care.

What was I talking about? I forget. Must be time for the meds. Oh yeah, gmail... meh.

I'm only interested if...

... I can run hulu and netflix on it.

all I can say is...

...meh. Just how relevant is Novell anymore? I used to be a huge fan of their software, used to work in a Netware shop, and thought their acquisition of Suse was a bold and daring move. But like the rest of their acquisitions and developments, they buried it in their own complete lack of being able to sell or promote anything. Then they sealed their fate with the "agreement" with Microsoft. What a complete fecking waste. They had some great products and completely threw them away. And I, for one, will never use Suse again. It should be noted that I am a former stockholder and am happy to be rid of it.

not sure what the fuss is about

MS has always invited people to write apps for their platforms. Whether or not anybody besides you uses your app is mostly up to you. Heck, if it's good enough, they'll buy it from you. All that MS "innovation" at work, you know.

Now for the judge to say MS is "open", that's a bit silly, but it could depend on what your definition of "open" is.

Note: I am not a gamer of any kind, nor do I use MS products if I can at all help it.

Lucky for me

I sold all my Corel stock years ago. About the only company better than Corel at failing to market and sell their software is Novell. I guess this answers the question: "Does anybody still buy Corel software?"

<gasp>

The Internets! They are unwholesome! Think of the children!

To protect and serve

What could possibly go wrong?

Meh...

I'll try Suse again when Novell gets out of the "agreement" with MS. Thank you, Novell, for buying and then killing yet another fine software offering.

Seriously?

American even made the list? Too bad I'm from Kansas, where we have a "neutral" (or non-existent) accent. Guess nobody likes us guys here.

Just goes to show

...a fella can't get decent nookie in the cemetery anymore without fear of being caught.