Nope, not alone. I use it as my primary development box and have since 2006. I also have my NAT running FreeBSD. I do have a few Linux boxes around, but those are for testing only (and yes various flavors of Windows for old games - no DRM thank you).

I prefer FreeBSD. There is something very peaceful and calming about the stability of the system. I don't feel compelled to upgrade to the latest release every 6 - 12 months, and userland ports are mostly independent of the base kernel. I still can update my ports tree and grab the latest for *most* things even though I am still running 7.1.

I also like knowing that I own the system, though and through. No fuss, no muss, no rough stuff.

*(For example, WINE is not upgradeable at this point; a kernel change has necessitated upgrading to 8.x)

Whenever I have held a position working with embedded controls, the title given to me has been Software Engineer. When I work at a higher level (further from the metal), the title has been Programmer/Analyst.

Replying to undo incorrect moderation

That could be one way of looking at it, but I believe Jesus actually knew the man's heart and true intentions. He was trying to point out to the rich man that he had an idol (money), and for him, he needed to remove this idol, which was his true love (implied). For some people who are rich, money is not an idol, but merely a consequence of their God given abilities. This is why the verse does not mean everyone must give all of their money away to go to heaven.

There are actually quite a few messages wrapped up in these verses, finishing with verses 25 and 26 where Jesus' disciples ask then who can be saved, and Jesus replies “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”, meaning salvation is a gift only from God, and no man can actually do anything other than accept the gift.

I own a smart and I found an unexpected advantage one day after 2 - 3 inch hail came thundering down when I was staying at a small apartment where I did not have a garage. The plastic body of the smart car took zero damage from the hail, and because I also have a Cabriolet, (the soft top convertible), the roof was spared as well. I did get a two dents, one on each side, on my side rails, but these are replaceable units (you take them off anyway if you want the full top down experience).

These cars are fun to drive. They handle like a go-kart and are really nice when driving in a city (parking is possible where other cars can't even dream of getting into).

My complaints? The gas tank is too small and the transmission takes a bit to get used to. You have to learn how hard to hit the gas at particular speeds to get the best acceleration (really when in 1st and 2nd gear), but over time this becomes second nature. You can always drive it as a manual if you like.

Excellent story. Very similar to mine. I first got hooked on computers because of seeing the early arcade games that first came out in hotel lobbies (Asteroids, Galaga and Pac-Man in particular). When I first saw these I wanted to imitate what I saw, and soon learned that it was possible in the home PC scene. I remember agonizing over which to save my money for: A Trash80, Apple II or a C64. The C64 won hands down based on price and features, and I didn't even know very much about it. I even remember feeling a little proud when my parents saw the Commodore commercial about the young man who was trying to get a job based on how many space aliens he shot down, and how he should have gotten a C64.

This was about 1982, and I am a coder today because of the doors this computer opened in my mind. I too had to mow lawns to earn enough to buy a used C64 for $180 from another kid that was moving. I used it exclusively with a $80 black and white TV but I didn't care that I didn't have color (I didn't know what I was missing actually). I also discovered later the 3rd voice was blown out from my SID chip, but I still loved it. One of my greatest regrets is selling it to “upgrade” to an Amiga 500, which never had the same charm. I just could not own it and understand it the same way I could my C64.

Please...in your random list you include FreeDOS, BeOS and even Amiga? MS won because of market positioning, not because of technical merits. Apple got into the school systems and into people's homes through educational discounts. Microsoft came in from the business side. Commodore (and others) were the first "PCs", and came in from the enthusiast route (I'm talking in the US early 80's here). Being able to use the same software at home and at the office was huge, and other computers were made fun of as "toys" and "game machines" not intended for serious work.

BeOS was superior to MS as well from a technical perspective, but as a developer (and still an owner of) an original dual CPU Be Box, I recall very distinctly the hopes and valleys of Be Inc. as Jean-Louis would report on his attempts to get PC manufacturers to include his OS as an option for sale. According to his reports, they were not able to because...drum roll...MS told them they could not sell Windows if they sold another OS as well.(!)

FreeDOS isn't even a competitor in a serious sense to MS - the intent is really simply an alternative to a dead OS (MS-DOS). How can it even be compared?

We all know the story of Amiga, and it was far ahead of its time, but Commodore management and misguided "strategy" is completely at fault for this failure - not its technical limitations.

Agreed. I use it daily since about 2000. Works fine in FreeBSD and Linux as well (under Wine).

So long Cmdr, thanks for the site. I think it makes me very aware of how time is passing away. I started reading /. back in '98, but I was (and still am) only a lurker. I forgot the password to my original ID, and no longer have access to the email account to get it reclaimed, so I had to finally give in a few years later and get this one before the IDs incremented to 7 digits. Anyway, I wish you well, thanks for the source of inspiration and a nice place to hang out during lunch. I'm afraid it won't be the same without your input.

Use two browsers - turn off all images and disable flash. Use this browser most of the time while doing passive reading of the net. Use another browser for times when you need to see images. For example, in FreeBSD I use Konqueror as my text only browser, and as a plus, if I need to see an image, I right click and select "preview image". This will load that single image. If I hit a web site that requires many images and more interaction, I use Firefox with all the bells.