That is of course why netbook sales are so low.

Oh no wait, they aren't.

I was just looking at a Mozilla HTML5 demo and it showed an amazing array of effects and masks etc being applied to the video element.

I am not sure if you could get full support for that using an external player.

When did Slashdot get so nasty? I know that nerds can be a bit bitchy at times, but there is no need to call someone's work (and clearly a lot of time has been put in on this guy's site) 'shitty', 'crappy' and 'hilarious', especially when they seem very proud of it. If you can do it better and lighter, and stand by your work why don't you post an example of your own stuff? I notice that none of the insulting replies to this guy's post have.

If you want a 'slagging contest' go and post on Youtube.

This is Slashdot - we wipe our feet at the door here and keep it constructive :)

I never ran specific tests but in general use (on the systems that were for my own use) I never came across any problems.

Actually.. I had a problem for a while where Skype would bugger up the audio on other apps if it used the sound system at all. Can't remember the specifics but it was annoying. I forget that now that it is all sorted.

I learned to use Jack for my recording needs (I do some multitracking in Ardour) and found it very useful. Had a few headaches when they introduced Pulse but that was on the more advanced settings etc.

That is a good point.

Whilst I like to tinker, I don't like that everyone I know manages to screw up even the most user friendly system and then call me up day and night with stupid questions.

And whilst I have, actually, changed a set of pistons and big end shells (first car was an MG BGT) I couldn't ever imagine doing it on my Passatt. When I feel like tinkering with engines, I tinker with my 60s lawnmower. Its engine is tinker-friendly. It had to be, as it was (and is) always breaking down. Modern engines remove the ability to tinker but also the need> to tinker. The people who miss attending to 50+ grease points of a weekend still can - they just lovingly maintain old cars.

If you miss an old interface, fire up an emulator. If you want to hack an OS install Linux (in a VM parhaps?).

I think the opportunities for writing up a clever and powerful little app in your spare time is greater today than it ever was, and there are so many different ways to do it.

People who hate things would be (in your childish terminology) 'haters'.
People who like things would be (in your childish terminology) 'likers'.

What are you saying here mister? That there are no apple 'fans' on the internets?

Quite a few of those negative posts were from Apple fans who were disappointed after weeks of speculative masturbation.

I can honestly say that having installed Linux on 30+ different systems, all with cheap audio hardware, I haven't once had anything less than a great out-of-the-box experience. Maybe I was just lucky. On the whole, I also find that almost all printers magically work without having to find and download specific drivers, and the same now goes for most webcams. Can't say the same about my G5 mac.

I don't doubt that some routers allow you to set it up via wireless connection - most still require an initial ethernet connection for this though.

And not a WIndows 7 tablet? Really? Try throwing multitasking at it. Try natively editing those documents you were talking about. Try opening several word documents and a few spreadsheets at the same time. The iPad isn't powerful even by netbook standards and is seriously crippled by comparison for (serious) business use. Perhaps what they really want to do is look cool in front of the stewardess, impress a few business buddies with the iBoobies app and then settle down to a movie marathon. I certainly wouldn't allow my staff to put such a toy/gadget through expenses.

Sheets of paper come in all different sizes.

International paper sizes (A6, A5, A4) are actually closer to widescreen format. Paperback books are generally closer to widescreen format. Also consider that this is as much for browsing and watching films (I would hope) and you can see that 4:3 isn't a great choice.

Of course, because it is Apple it is great though, and LCD is now way better than e-ink for long reading sessions.

You would have to carry your iPhone AND your iPad around with you.

I would feel like such a dong bag if I got both out at the same time and sat site by side. The irony of the whole 'free thinking' strapline would make me feel nauseas.

I think the people who know nothing about technology are exactly the same people who will return it because Youtube doesn't work for them or the flash e-card they got sent won't open. Or their friends can listed to streaming music while they go on the internet but they can't etc. Besides, how will they get online with this - in most cases they would have had to have set up a Wifi router - no doubt requiring the use of a REAL COMPUTER in the process. I think this thing will sell well but not to the lowest rung of society - rather to the technically able masses who simply love everything that Apple produces and have more money than sense.

I don't think this thing will be a hit with business users as you simply wont get proper office support for editing documents. Secondly I think it would still be a bit awkward for use on a plane - you would have to prop it up on a tray table to be able to use it sensibly. A tablet running Windows 7 would of course be more suitable for business users, given that you have FULL office functionality (even openoffice if your company has made the switch). And can multitask between apps, drag this in, drop that there etc. I think the iPad fits into the toy/gadget category.

And good for you. This whole thing wouldn't be so much of a problem if there was more people coughing up and less people downloading.

When I started with torrents it was a few scoundrels ripping off a few films - now everyone and their dog is doing it. I wish we hadn't all shown our brothers and mothers how to do it, and made the clients so user friendly. It is now way too mainstream, and that is why governments are now involved.

Hopefully new legislation will reduce the numbers once again so that only those who are truly determined will be able to get around it. The government can then pat themselves on the back for reducing it by 70% and everyone is happy.

The EU has a larger economy than the US, and therefore it is not an amount of business that you would want to play games with.

All companies, public or otherwise follow a set of rules and standards when they do business in any country or state. Is this news to you?