Rush to post a story without even an ounce of research or fact-checking.

Really, I only come here anymore for the profound amusement I get from watching this train wreck continue in super slow motion.

I would say either 2014 or 2015, but more than likely 2014 because why would they announce a windows release more than a year in advance?

It's called Montessori School, and it's wonderful.

They almost never happen here, and when they do it's a 4 at the absolute most.

There was one this spring about 100 miles away. The sound it made as it passed was fascinating. The feeling was barely perceptible. I feel more shaking when my dogs are playing around the house.

Good point.

No. Absolutely not. Alt-az mounts are horrible, especially for beginning astronomers as there is a complete disconnect between the telescope axis and reality. An alt-az mount almost has to be motorized to be useful, and it drives up cost. People hocking dobs love to talk about how cheap the "dollars per inch" of the optics are, but the fail to mention you can look at something under high magnification for a few seconds before it disappears, and then you have to figure out how to track RA with an alt-az mount under high power and find the object again.

There's no better way to get an astronomy newbie to QUIT the hobby than to set them up with a dob.

Get a 4.5" or maybe a 6" Newtonian reflector on an EQ mount. Be sure you spend at least 5x on the mount than you do on the Optical Tube. The mount is 80% of the telescope. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT cheap out on a telescope by getting a shitty mount.

The EQ mount need not be motorized nor have a computer - in fact it's nice to learn about the RA/Dec axes and how to dial them in and track objects manually, but an RA motor would be necessary if you want to do any photography. (An RA motor does not necessarily require a full computer rig)

Eyepieces are also important, and pay no attention to "max power" capabilities, as they are always way overstated. A 4.5-6" Newtonian will be best at powers up to but not exceeding about 60-90X. Make sure you get a range of eyepieces to have variable power, but focus on field of view rather than magnification. Field of view is WAY more important than magnification.

The objects you will look at most with a 4.5-6" scope are the moon, planets, and nebulae. Nebulae are really cool, but you'll need the larger apertures to really appreciate them, or the photography setup so you can collect the light.

If you foresee going far with this as a hobby, you will want to go 8-10" at some point. It's better to decide now as telescopes are utterly worthless on the used market.

Hope this helps..

Just sayin', an ad-free Internet is one browser extension away.

Why the hell would you want to?

You know that's not why they are mandating it, right?

I've been using Linux on my desktop since running AfterStep WM on RedHat in 1996. My current machine is running Mint Cinnamon 17...