Dunno.. the only ones that immediately spring to mind involve things like suicide or murder via, say, bear attack.

..but somehow we lack a strategic bacon reserve. I think bacon really should have the priority there.

There has been no strong push to provide alternatives for the Adobe-applications, so why would there be anything such now all of a sudden? I do not see the situation changing for years to come.

Um. What? Seriously, what?

This .. the lack of usable, powerful equivalents [that don't require an engineering degree or at least mindset in order to learn how to use, like software such as Blender] to such applications as:

• * Photoshop [GIMP ain't there yet, but it's getting closer - the next major release may shift this considerably, when they add 16bpc image support among other things]
• * Lightroom [Raw Therapee is getting -really- close but metadata interoperability with Adobe apps via XMP or equivalent is basically a requirement for professionals to take it seriously]
• * Premiere .. or Sony Vegas .. or farther up the line, AVID et al [there are literally no even remotely-near-equivalents in the video NLE arena, basic editors - sure, but anything more advanced doesn't exist, though again - development -is- at least taking place in tools to build up to that degree of functionality - we'll probably be there in the early 2020s]
• * After Effects [no even remotely-near-equivalents at all, no development that I'm aware of]
• * Indesign [Scribus is inching forward but there are a few interface obstacles that make it simply bizarre to use for anyone who's ever used "pro" layout software .. even Pagemaker 4 - from the early 1990s, for Windows 3.1 - is still functionally superior]

... are basically what are holding back *all* of the people I know who would like to switch away from Windows but can't due to the requirement of usable production tools [for business -or- any other use].

There are some shining examples [look for an audio NLE on linux and there are several very decent competitive options to programs like Vegas, Audition, Sound Forge, etc., or check out Inkscape for graphic design] as well of course, but there are various reasons why those may not be suitable solutions too [such as the multitude of choices on linux of who-knows-how-well-they're supported low-latency audio driver subsystems which may make required things like synchronous multitracking impossible with a given piece of equipment or even particular distro].

I occasionally teach uni [mostly arts] how to use graphic design / video / audio software; many can't afford Macs [where the Adobe applications and other stable equivalents already exist and credulous, uneducated users aren't even aware of or simply don't care about the walled-garden[s] that will affect what they can do with their own hardware] and among those who can't, the majority would like nothing more than to switch away from using Windows.

My observation of reasons for resistance to the adoption of linux by the sections of the populace that I deal with on a regular basis [musicians, videographers, video/audio editors, graphic artists, photographers, professional academics of many stripe[s], writers, etc.] are thus:

• #1 the lack of serious production tools - closed- or open-source, free [as in beer] or not .. almost everyone I know would GLADLY pay Adobe or whomever fistfuls of dollars for native linux versions of their applications *just* to be able to get away from Windows.
• #2 is the lack of native iTunes because so many people are inextricably tied to Apple's store [half of the reason I refuse to open an iTunes store account or for that matter purchase any iDevice - the other half being that I both can't afford to and also refuse to effectively pay more to get less overall functionality/control].
• #3 is, predictably, gaming [Steam may alter this somewhat].

I have helped a number of people [including both children and seniors] switch to linux, but their usage profiles are pretty uniform: they're content consumers, not producers. They read and send email, browse the web, and almost everything they do can be done in a web browser on any OS. The majority of what they use are platform-agnostic programs [other than cosmetic differences] .. like firefox, skype, PDF readers, and media players.. For them, I find most linux distros are *vastly* superior to Windows - the repository system[s] alone simplify things incredibly compared to either Windows or Mac OS - it's no wonder that both Apple & MS are shifting to "store" systems that act much like linux repos.

So - again.. what?

I love you guys and gals. Seriously. /. comments are among my favourite entertainment. Thank you.

I read the headline and my brain jumped immediately to thoughts of someone finding some writing of Tesla's that indicate the hidden location of still-existing wireless "charging stations" in three states... ah, wishful thinking.

Yes, you're missing something. I just tried that - it tiles the windows once. It doesn't put your window manager into a tiling mode. Move a window, and now it's stacked, just like any other window. Back to cognitive burden of window micromanaging.

Point well taken - I guess I'm just so used to doing things the more-or-less "traditional" MW/MDI way that what you're describing didn't even occur to me as desirable. I can see why, now.

[With Windows 7] Right-click the taskbar. Click "Show windows side-by-side".
[With older versions] Right-click the taskbar. Click "Tile Windows" [either horizontally or vertically].

Or am I missing something?

This would bring new meaning to the phrase, "My remote died."

Replying to self to note:

Nerve damage to my left arm makes using it for either mouse or keyboard basically impossible. I can use a trackball with it, but have very little pointer precision and can't click the buttons. Point being: there are valid reasons for not wanting to alternate between keyboard/mouse frequently [which makes using e.g. Apple computers where they tend to force you to use mouse clicks by simply not having keyboard shortcuts for a lot of things a real PITA].

I've been using the Dvorak-RH [right hand] layout since the mid-1990s. I go back and forth between it on my own computer and QWERTY everywhere else, and to be honest, I don't note a huge difference in speed, even typing with only one hand 100% of the time.

What I do notice is that the one-hand layout VASTLY reduces finger/tendon strain. Not having to constantly spread my fingers great distances across the keyboard saves a great deal of pain. Typing on QWERTY for any real length of time hurts a lot.

Ignorance after training is just stupidity. There's no excuse after it's been [allegedly] pointed out to you a number of times.

Retranslated: if training includes this information, there's no excuse.

So.. if you can't get the equipment without being certified, and all levels of the certification teach security "best practices" .. then the security problems can only be deliberate negligence.

[shoots eir typist]

"a serial bus that transferred one bit at a time." .. good one.