I often delete the relevant /etc/udev/rules.d/ files if I'm installing a virtual image as the changing MACs and UUIDs can be more complex to manage. Sometimes, you know that the machine will only ever have one disk and one network card.

You're right. Most of the updates I've done on a variety of Linux boxes have not caused any problems - even upgrading from different OS versions (e.g. Ubuntu 12.04 -> Ubuntu 14.04) have proceeded fine. There have been a few occasions where Grub has got confused or distribution upgrades have failed due to LD_LIBRARY_PATH being set etc. However, every OS has had issues with bugs and updates.

You shouldn't need to make a bootable USB as typically, you'd have the media that you originally installed the OS with (DVD or USB or network install). If not, then it's easy to borrow someone else's system long enough to download and burn another copy of it (unless you're in Windows OEM hell).

It's a shame you didn't persist as most boot/grub errors are generally quite easy to fix. Most of the time, you can boot from CD/usb stick and repair the grub install within about 5 minutes.

Still, if you don't want to use it, use something else. Choice and competition are good.

Huh? I've heard of commercial companies getting criticised for not giving back code changes even though they're making money from OSS, but I think you're very mistaken.

My experience is the opposite of yours with installing Windows/Linux. I've found that ghosting Windows installs requires that the hardware be virtually identical. Having a different disk controller, or switching between ATA and AHCI modes usually causes blue screens and failure to boot. Any modern Linux distro, however can quite happily run even by putting the installed hard disk into a completely different machine.

That actually sounds interesting as they'll need to get a machine to be able to repeatedly interpret polygraphs when the current usage depends entirely on the examiner's judgement (or guesses).

It should be relatively easy to fake a robotic polygraph - just clench your buttocks at the right time.

In general, though, aren't the speeds increasing rather than decreasing?

And, if it's put to the public as '100 spying incidents on members of opposition parties or a document format that is completely free and belongs to the people', then I imagine you'll get a different response.

I'm curious, you seem to have a strong pro-microsoft agenda here. Why is that? (or are you just getting a bit old and are afraid of new-fangled technology)?

Sorry, I might have been using too much irony for you. Do you not find it amusing that a person complaining that "privacy violation is complete bullshit" is posting that as an Anonymous Coward? They obviously do care about privacy whilst also decrying it.

I'm a big fan of Anonymous Cowards in general and I'm not attacking the messenger - it's just funny considering what was said. Personally, I do use a PS3 and I'm not concerned about what code is running on it largely because Sony is too incompetent to be truly evil. However, open BD code would be useful as I stream from Linux using PS3MediaServer.

Yes, that as well, but I didn't want to get bogged down by details as logically his argument is specious.

Anecdote accepted. Snappy comeback not found.

AWKWARD

Your argument about not wanting to change something due to the length of time that it's been unchanged is laughable. I don't get why you are so opposed to such a sensible, intelligent change. I bet you could have used the self-same arguments for keeping government documents on micro-fiches (or similar old-time technology).

Also, I don't get why/how Apple are more predatory (I'm not a fan of them, by the way) and I fail to see why a school buying iPads will lock up the content that, as a tax-payer, I have paid for.

The obvious tangible benefits are that the documents will no longer be locked into some stupid proprietary format that can never be converted due to ridiculous macros and scripts (quite why a static document needs to have macros and scripts is beyond me).

Seconded! I use PS3MediaServer on a Linux box to serve media to a PS3 and it works well. Recently my old fat PS3 overheated again (YLOD) so I started looking at replacing it with a PS4, but the two requirements I had were that it should be able to play my PS3 games and to use it to watch media. Somehow Sony have managed to make a PS4 utterly useless to me, so I ended up buying a cheap second-hand thin PS3.