This seems like it could be of interest to people that are designing and building datacenter infrastructure. I remember when topics like this were a lot more common on Slashdot. As the readership has become less skilled, content like this has become less frequent.

"With 3GB of RAM you should not need good disk performance."

This is the shortest-bus comment I've read in a really long time! The rest of your post is simply incoherent drivel since you're arguing against having something with reasons that support why you should have it!

I don't know how long you've been coming here, but you should've seen this place back in the late nineties! It used to be a lot more intelligent.

The slashdot demographic has certainly shifted over the years.

I'm not sure why I'm debating the merits of a college education with someone that can't *spell* college.

Name a school that requires anything resembling art history, chocolate, dance, or hobby areas for a bachelor of science degree. You can't, because college isn't what you've imagined it to be. What is all this useless "theory" you think comes with a BS degree?

There's no equivalent to a GED for a college diploma because the very concept is ridiculous. A GED basically says, "I wasn't able to complete high school along with my peers, so it took me a few extra years to learn these simple concepts.". What would a college GED represent, exactly?

What, like the ability to communicate effectively through writing?

Perhaps my doctor would have lower rates if he didn't go to medical school.

Some schools are a joke and don't deserve their credits to be counted anywhere else for any purpose whatsoever.

Oh I see, you haven't actually ever used OS X for any significant amount of time. I apologize. I thought I was replying to someone with a clue.

The only apps that don't maximize the same as on Windows are Apple's apps, and the list of Apple apps that don't is growing shorter with each release. You can do everything else on your list on OS X either directly or with third-party utilities with the exception of having per-window menu bar. That's the only thing on your list that's inflexible. I don't like it much either, but it's been that way since the 80s.

Today I learned that people with an aversion to Android are Kool-Aid drinking, hubris-filled iOS zealots, but those averse to Microsoft are not.

What is it exactly that you found inflexible? I've been using Windows since the late 80s, various Linux versions since 1995, and OS X since 2009. While the history of flamewars would argue against it, all of these operating systems are basically the same. I find nothing that's out of the ordinary or inflexible about using OS X versus Windows or any Linux GUI.

I can't comment on WP because I haven't cared to look at it. I saw Windows Mobile (and CE before that) fail to significantly improve over a period of many years and I got tired of waiting. How long was I supposed to wait for Microsoft to get it right? Why would I think they got it right this time, after what, almost 12 years of trying?

My math was bad. I've been reading Slashdot since late 1997.

I've been reading Slashdot for over fifteen years. The quality has been going downhill for almost ten years. This site is unrecognizable compared with its late 90s version.

What a difference 13 years makes. The Slashdot of 1999 wouldn't recognize itself.

Come on new Mac Pros!

I can credit DARE as the number one reason I took LSD for the first time. I wasn't really aware of hallucinogens prior to DARE and the whole "Just Say No" campaign. I found the idea of having a dream-like state while awake to be fascinating. It seemed like magic, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on some LSD or shrooms. It took me a few years (until my freshman year of high school), but I took acid as early as I was able to find it. I must say, DARE didn't disappoint at all!