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Comment Re:Download size (Score 1) 900

by mok000 (#30158832) Attached to: GIMP Dropped From Ubuntu 10.04

The Gimp is in Ubuntu main (see https://edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gimp )

Ubuntu wants the installation to fit on a single CD. Most other distros, including Debian, distribute on DVDs, but unless you receive a hardcopy from somewhere, it can be problematic to download if you have a slow or unstable Internet connection, and basically, on the DVD image you download lots of software you don't need or want. CDs are much more manageable, and once the system has been installed, you can carry on customizing your system.

With the growing number of drivers and kernel modules, occasionally software needs to go from the CD image, and here, as in writing, the rule is: "kill your darlings." Nobody *wants* to get rid of The Gimp (like others have said, it's a seminal application) but taking a hard look at the facts, you need to admit that The Gimp is a program you need to spend lots of time with to be able to use efficiently, and users who want it can get it faster than you can say: "in a few clicks." (Well, almost :-))

OTOH, a photo app is valuable to have on the install image when you have to win the hearts and minds of users coming from other OSes... it's all a part of fixing Ubuntu bug #1.
The Internet

MPAA Shuts Down Town's Municipal WiFi Over 1 Download 323

Posted by timothy from the so-you're-sure-you-want-gov't-run-wifi? dept.
nam37 writes with this BoingBoing snippet "The MPAA has successfully shut down an entire town's municipal WiFi because a single user was found to be downloading a copyrighted movie. Rather than being embarrassed by this gross example of collective punishment (a practice outlawed in the Geneva conventions) against Coshocton, OH, the MPAA's spokeslizard took the opportunity to cry poor (even though the studios are bringing in record box-office and aftermarket receipts)."
OS X

Microsoft Responds To "Like OS X" Comment 505

Posted by samzenpus from the imitation-is-the-greatest-form-of-flattery dept.
Z80xxc! writes "After a comment by a Microsoft employee claiming in an interview that 'what we [Microsoft] have tried to do with Windows 7... is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics,' the Windows 7 team has issued an official rebuttal, saying that the comment came from an employee who was 'not involved in any aspect of designing Windows 7,' and that it was 'inaccurate and uninformed.'"

Comment Denmark: Dell Mini 10, only available with XP (Score 1) 774

by mok000 (#27486561) Attached to: Microsoft Boasts 96% Netbook Penetration

I just ordered a Dell Mini 10 from Dell Denmark and they can only deliver the machine with Windows XP pre-installed. I ordered via the phone, and was offered a discount of ~$35. I have no use for XP and plan to install Ubuntu on the machine when it arrives.

Unfortunately, my machine will also count in Balmer's statistics.

Comment Re:Local software solution instead (Score 1) 333

by mok000 (#26369177) Attached to: OpenID Fan Club Is Shrinking
Please explain why you need a program like 1Password? I use Apple's Keychain Access that is a part of OS X. It works with Safari and can save login info from websites you register with. Firefox comes with its own built-in master password system that works in a similar fashion.
Microsoft

Microsoft Denies Paying Nigerians $400K To Ditch Linux 148

Posted by kdawson from the no-419-jokes-please dept.
Da Massive writes "Microsoft has denied paying a Nigerian contractor $400,000 in a bid to retard Linux's movement into the government sector. Media reports alleged that Microsoft had proposed paying that sum to a government contractor under a joint marketing agreement last year, in order to persuade the contractor to replace Linux OS with Windows on thousands of school laptops. Although a joint marketing agreement was drafted to document the best practices for using technology in education, it was never executed, said a Microsoft regional manager for Africa. It became clear, he added, that one customer wanted a Linux OS."
Biotech

The Gene Is Having an Identity Crisis 257

Posted by kdawson from the more-complicated-than-you-thought dept.
gollum123 writes "New large-scale studies of DNA are causing a rethinking of the very nature of genes. A typical gene is no longer conceived of as a single chunk of DNA encoding a single protein. It turns out, for example, that several different proteins may be produced from a single stretch of DNA. Most of the molecules produced from DNA may not even be proteins, but rather RNA. The familiar double helix of DNA no longer has a monopoly on heredity: other molecules clinging to DNA can produce striking differences between two organisms with the same genes — and those molecules can be inherited along with DNA. Scientists have been working on exploring the 98% of the genome not identified as the protein-coding region. One of the biggest of these projects is an effort called the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements, or 'Encode.' And its analysis of only 1% of the genome reveals the genome to be full of genes that are deeply weird, at least by the traditional standard of what a gene is supposed to be and do. The Encode team estimates that the average protein-coding region produces 5.7 different transcripts. Different kinds of cells appear to produce different transcripts from the same gene. And it gets even weirder. Our DNA is studded with millions of proteins and other molecules, which determine which genes can produce transcripts and which cannot. New cells inherit those molecules along with DNA. In other words, heredity can flow through a second channel."
Caldera

SCO Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy 421

Posted by Zonk from the a-true-catastrophy dept.
Can you say "the SCO, the" in German? writes "Trading of SCO's stock has been halted on news that SCO has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. This move just so happens to fall on the eve of SCO's trial with Novell. One would think that their prior boasts were mostly bluster, that they believe they have almost no chance of prevailing at trial, and that they're now desperate to protect their executives from SCO's creditors while seeking yet another delay. From the release: 'The SCO Group intends to maintain all normal business operations throughout the bankruptcy proceedings. Subject to court approval, SCO and its subsidiaries will use the cash flow from their consolidated operations to meet their capital needs during the reorganization process. "We want to assure our customers and partners that they can continue to rely on SCO products, support and services for their business critical operations," said Darl McBride, President and CEO, The SCO Group. "Chapter 11 reorganization provides the Company with an opportunity to protect its assets during this time while focusing on building our future plans."'"

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