You are combining high level and low level usage when my comment tries to separate the two. If you want to use "Linux" then you pick a distribution and learn how to use the menus to run applications, learn how to use the file manager to access files (which has been simplifed to Documents, Desktop, Pictures) and finally learn how to use a gui package manager to keep it updated (Updates available...blah..blah...click yes to install). If you want to learn "Linux" then you pick a shell and learn how to use it, you pick a scripting language and learn how to use it, you pick a desktop/window manager and learn how to customize it, download source code and learn how to compile it.... That is hard work so you have to put in the effort. BadCarAnalogy: The masses learn the bare minimum to drive safely on the road then they pick a car based on color, speed/gas mileage and "OOH Look Shinies". A mechanic/engineer needs to know about thermodynamics or how gas-air mixtures behave under pressure. I don't need to know the cubic square feet of a hemi engine block but I do need to know which car has the easiest onscreen display to play music and get directions (not Ford Sync). Now if I want to pimp my ride then I'm going to learn how the car works so I can bend it to my will. The masses don't learn Linux, hackers and programmers do.

While I agree with your post I think you are combining two extremes of Linux. "Linux Distributions" should be easy but Learning Linux should be hard. The masses should be able to choose a distribution that easy and will work out of the box (ala RHEL, Ubuntu, Linux Mint...). Learning Linux itself (kernels, command line, compiling from source, customize it to your liking) will never and shouldn't be easy because of the sheer amount of information. While condescending elitism has no place in any subject, I don't think something as open and complex as Linux will ever be easy. The masses should expect that web browsing, word processing, email and the occassional light game of solitaire should be easy. Hackers should expect to roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty and occassionally fubar the system. As far as documentation and tutorials... Good Luck getting programmers to write something outside of comments.

You are correct that the PI itself isn't a true embedded system like the Arduino but the site references Adafruit. Adafruit's whole business model is based around the maker community and they have step by step tutorials for embedded programming w/ the PI.

The article states "Currently [Adafruit] are working on how to make the Raspberry Pi, the $25 one board computer, easier to use. The problem is that currently it all works with Linux which not every potential user knows or wants to learn just to be able to program the device.".

That one statement takes away from a good article about the Raspberry PI Web IDE. If you're going to learn to "program the device" which I"m assuming means embedded systems then why wouldn't you learn Linux. If you aren't using the gpio outputs to work with hardware then you might as well use the cheaper alternative of your own computer and a bootable usb stick with a distro of your choice. The Raspberry PI is relatively new so stay away if you don't want to get your hands dirty. If you want to stick to software then learn to program with a mobile OS.

tl;dr - startx

Of all the examples you listed, how many of those ~$80 can you still play 20 years later after the studio is gone or no longer supporting the game? The way EA is setting up Origin, you are just renting the games and they only guarantee access for 2years in the Origin TOS. With DLC and in game ads, they are overcharging for the game.

Exactly Correct. The use of sensationalist headlines is the reason Fox News claims to be "Fair & Balanced", Sara Palin can get away with "Death Panels" and CNN trolls it's viewer by re-writing headlines to see which SEO wording gets the most hits. The truth is boring and tedious get used to it and you'll be better for it.

I just got on the e-reader bandwagon last Christmas and I can say that I have only purchased one book because I don't want to be locked in to B&N (yes I know it's hackable) if they can't withstand the Amazon/Tablet onslaught. I have 2 bookshelves full of books and choose to checkout library e-books instead of purchasing them. I'd gladly pay for an e-book if a) it is cheaper than the hard copy AND b) I could read it on any device at anytime without an internet connection long after [insert controlling entity] is gone. DRM is and always will be a short term gain because in the long run it will cost you more to maintain it.

FIXED: Paramount Claims Louis CK "Didn't Sodomize"

Posting as AC and talking about trust is an irony in itself. Anyone naive enough to think that the President can drastically change the way a nation works in 4 years is a sucker and an idiot. Government is slow to work and slow to react because it is run by a committee of people who have their own agenda that doesn't always align with the President's agenda. It doesn't matter who is in office, if the kids can't play nice then nothing gets done. Let's set the record straight, a President has the least control on how a nation is run, the body of Congress has most of the power. If you want one man to run the country move to Syria. If you want change, you should be more selective of your Congressional representatives instead of only paying attention to 2 people for ~6 months every 4 years.

It started as media hype but this is the era of mobile computing and I would say that Linux has done extremely well in that market. Apple is still #1, Android is #2 but Microsoft is 4th when there is a huge gap between 2nd and 3rd. Android is still a consolation prize until they can start running neck and neck with the iPad and when that happens, you'll have more PR hype asking "Is this the year the [mainstream] desktop dies?" It's all part of the plan for Linux world dominance. Bow down to your root overlords!

I don't see where you get "free" from my post. If Photoshop version X was already developed and sitting on the shelf of some store at $99.99 and they raised the price because the lead designer decided to join a monastery, you're OK with Adobe increasing the price of existing software on the shelf to $120 when it's at $99.99. If they create Photoshop Version X+1 then there is a cost associated with developing that version and hence the increased price.

I'm not an economist and I was fortunate enough to stay in computer science and not transfer to business school so please explain how increased demand for a good that is digital results in increased supply. There is no added cost for Sony to reproduce the digital album once it's on iTunes so why is it acceptable to increase the price of an existing song (or any song)? Isn't this a prime example of price gouging? If the demand for a product increases suddenly and it costs you more to produce additional products then by all means raise the price. If the product is collecting dust on the shelf and in response to some external factor you blantantly scratch out the old price and add texa$ to it then that makes you a greedy @$$hole.

If my cellular data speed is realistically able to hit 7mb/sec at that very moment then my past usage should have no bearing on my current speed. If you're going to knock me for data usage take away unlimited data plans. If you're going to knock me for my data speed then add speed packages. If you're going to knock me for my data and speed usage, then I'll switch to Verizon, Sprint,...[insert carrier C who will do the same thing without regulation].

I completely agree with this article for the simple fact that I am one of these people. My job requires me to interact with many different types of people on a daily basis. While it has greatly improved my ability to socialize and engage others, I still don't feel like I'm at the top of my game. It's only after everyone leaves work for the day that I can actually put on my headphones and get in the zone but it's so late in the day that I'm usually too tired to stay later or the wife is calling for dinner. TLDR: Spolsky test good. Interaction with people bad.

I agree with you that Reveal Codes is a extremely helpful feature that is or should be standard on almost all current WordProcessing software. As someone who supports the 90% and 10% of WordPerfect Reveal Codes users, I can safely assume that this feature was not born out of innovation but necessity. I've been "fortunate" to support users using WordPerfect since WP8 and it is a notoriously buggy program that has trouble handling WP codes present in documents from older versions hence the birth of reveal codes. At best Reveal Codes is a great feature to find a bad code present in page 2 that crashes a document whenever you scroll past page 9 but that doesn't mean that it wasn't a "hack" created by the programmers that made it into production as a feature.