That's nice. Can you add those properties in Nautilus as a column in details view and sort by dimensions so I know which images have the highest resolution? No? Explorer can, and it's a feature I use on occasions so it's nice to know it's there when you want it.

As for USB3, don't worry about it. It's for a Renesas controller with a chip model I can't quite remember, but the computer's from 2010 so it's doubtful (hopefully) that you'll have to deal with the problem. There are bug reports which I'd search for if I cared anymore, with some people reporting a fix but only for a slightly newer revision of the chip. The rest of the reports are not addressed by a developer. Yay for Linux, whoo! *

* Yes I know it's not a "Linux" problem so much as a manufacturer not bothering to support Linux properly. It still means I can't use the hardware to its fullest extend and hence makes the decision to use or not use Linux a little easier.

Wait, do you mean Dolphin? Apparently I HAVE tried it and you think just because I still prefer Explorer that must mean that I haven't.

As for Dolphin, it's overly complicated and has trouble quickly connecting to Samba shares (seriously, it's a bug that keeps cropping up, at least on openSUSE). Explorer isn't perfect (click on a bookmark to a shared folder that's not mounted and the whole window freezes until a timeout), but we choose our level of pain I suppose.

Weird how you can't get it to just work.

So it works for you? Great. Don't denigrate others if it doesn't work for them; computers are complex beasts - they don't work the same for everyone. Fuck I hate Linux users sometimes, basically suggesting it's odd if it has problems. It's still code written by a human.

seven cats and one dog.

Not sure how that's relevant to a discussion about an operating system. Though maybe the cat enjoys sitting on your laptops more in winter because of Linux's poor power management capabilities (read: runs hotter) compared to Windows.

If that's the direction which Apple takes, it would be a shame and he can change to something else, but again, until such that that this actually happens or is announced, OS X is still a traditional OS running anything you want.

I guess it's insightful that a lot of people know what could happen, and yet won't use Linux out of choice until their other choices (OS X/Windows) get so bad that they're basically forced to switch. That's at least what I'm going to do if I can't deal with the proprietary systems anymore - for now the (occasional) pain is worth the overall benefits compared to those in Linux, and I'm not the only one.

At least there's one sensible poster here on Slashdot. Thanks.

As for the reaction to Canonical, I think people are just getting frustrated with their frequency of behind-closed-doors development and the number of projects they're taking on despite still being a very small company which has still not turned a profit in 2013. Ubuntu TV, Ubuntu for Android, Ubuntu Mobile, Ubuntu for Tablets - lots of announcements but lots of uncertainty if they can do anything meaningful with them. And now with Mir and Canonical's clear "Not Invented Here" syndrome, it seems as though they would rather do their own thing than work with other developers such as those working on Wayland. Nothing worse than making it harder for application developers to have more platforms to target.

I like the fact that I don't get regressions with Windows updates, whereas my USB3 ports which worked upon the initial release of Ubuntu 12.04 no longer work after several kernel updates. I could stick with an older kernel/distro (and miss out on useful updates) and worry that another update will kill things again... or just stick with Windows.

I just don't find Linux to be the miracle savior to the issue of Windows anymore. Everything sucks now - just in different ways.

Nope; it would be suicide for a computer running a traditional operating system.

If that happens, I expect he'll cut his losses and move to something else. UNTIL that happens (since we're dealing with hypothetical here), he can use OS X and enjoy it I expect.

Life is uncertain. You just deal with bumps as they come - they're not life threatening.

And yet MY experience is also very different... to yours. I cannot rely on Linux simply because its user-base is so small that the niggling issues which crop up often don't get reported enough to grab the attention of a suitable developer, or are swept under the WONFIX rug. There's no point mentioning them because everyone has their own set of issues, which they either work around or go back to Windows for. I'm tired of workarounds.

I can trust a finely tuned Linux system for a mission critical task, but not for a general purpose desktop.

To clarify my post - it might sound like trolling, but only because it appears to be bashing Linux even if it deserves it sometimes. In reality I kinda like Linux. We use it at work on our servers (CentOS specifically), it has its uses on things like the Raspberry Pi and as the basis for Android as well as plenty of other applications. But as a desktop system it's just woeful IMHO and I'm fucking tired of so many half-baked components that crop up which don't get supported or tested sufficiently (mostly in consumer-focused distros) that it becomes disillusioning after a while. Windows has its problems too, but everything does. Fanboyism doesn't and shouldn't elevate an operating system over another.

I found myself moving from Linux back to Windows 7. Turns out I didn't actually care what fanboys proclaimed Linux could do if the software I wanted to run didn't exist in Linux. Or that my USB3 ports were busted in Linux due to a regression in the kernel that no-one bothered to fix. Or that there aren't any GUI file managers that are as quick at displaying info (and enough details including bitrates and resolutions) that are capable in Explorer.

Shame. But I think I've rid myself of the fanboy stink and use whatever the fuck I want now.

I dunno, anyone who just clicks the Desktop tile and uses it the same way they always have.

Well I agree with you on multiplayer. That's one case where automating patches should always be done, since everyone needs the same version obviously. I generally play mostly single player games these days though so it's not as big of a deal, but I get where it's useful.

As for a patch level, that's too much effort I reckon. It's just a consequence of having a platform like Steam or Origin or whatever keeping tabs on your game library, and I'll admit regressions don't happen THAT often (except when a patch removes features, like a lot of useful console commands were in a RAGE update). As for manual downloads, bit deal - we dealt with that years ago and lived through it. It's hardly what I'd call a huge bother. Call me an old fart, I'm accepting of that. :)

Its just nice not to have all the clutter of manual downloads, manual patches, expansion packs, etc.

Actually, manual downloads and patches sounds great to me. Means you retain control over how you want to use your game installation, such that if a newer patch is rubbish you can choose to stick with something earlier. Yes I know in Steam you can tell it to not update a particular game, but sooner or later Steam will force the update either due to resetting that setting, or a reinstall which will necessitate it making sure everything's up to day. I don't like this automatic control because there are some games, like RAGE and Deus Ex: Human Revolution, which have problems with their respective latest patches that don't exist in former ones.

People seem to enjoy trading convenience for control. I understand why, but I don't agree that the increased benefit of giving the vendor more control is the direction we want to take things.

they hid a lot of gameplay depth in the game, but there was no easy way to access it. I first played through the game essentially never activating maximum strength, as I didn't like melee. Then I read on what suit modes things actually did and I raged at how little it was explained in game....Apparently maximum strength allowed you to stabilize your weapon to enable recoilless full auto even on heavier weapons.

I agree with your complaint - there are many features of the gameplay and the suit that are rarely (if ever) touched upon and the game assumes the player will discover these features as they play, which isn't always the case. One extra advantage you didn't mention with regards to maximum strength is that by stabilizing your weapon, you all but eliminate "scope sway" when using any weapon with a sniper scope. So a technique would be to equip the SCAR/AK with a silencer and sniper scope, activate max strength, lie prone and take out baddies from a distance silently and fairly easily, so long as you're hiding well.

If you want to play like this though, you can already with a game which features manual saves. Impose that restriction on yourself if you want, but having it imposed for everyone is ridiculous.

You still have to be cautious on a save anywhere game, it's just less frustrating if you fuck up. Moreso, a game with only checkpoints discourages experimentation. If it takes a single mistake to ruin 5 minutes of stealth gameplay and you can't save during that time to make a mistake less annoying, you'll end up gravitating towards just giving up and taking a regular assault approach to any situation because odds are you'll survive anyway and it's quicker. Less fun possibly, but it's also less time to get to the next checkpoint.

It's kinda like Apple not allowing side-loading of apps on their iDevices. They might argue it's "better" because of increased security, but some of us prefer the traditional means of installing apps from 3rd-parthy sources. We would like the OPTION at least; let people stick to the App store if they want, but at least enable 3rd-party installs as part of the OS. There's no technical reason why this cannot be done except for knowing what's best apparently. The game goes for these games which don't allow manual saves in my opinion. Having the option allows more freedom, and those who prefer to be constrained can do so themselves rather than being forced artificially.

(Not trying to Apple bash here for cheap points - just seemed like an appropriate comparison at the time).