Actually, taking a second look at the specs in the article, I'm surprised anyone is behind this. The "vertical" resolutions are 480 pixels (7") and 600 pixels (10"). That is ridiculous. With the Nexus line so competitively priced, who would ever touch one of these?

I can't imagine that this isn't being done, at least internally. Can't we already go buy a Nexus 10 (or similar) and dual-boot Android and Linux w/Plasma-Active ourselves? Isn't the price the point of the project?

I support the idea of involving him in the transition in more direct ways than subterfuge. I understand the need for being tactful in a delicate situation, but that never gives one the excuse to use patronizing and disingenuous methods to 'handle' another person. It's worth a little risk to be respectful and not underhanded, and if there is a bad response after all, you're still able to upgrade the NPO to a more efficient system, sans Bob.

Not a bad idea, actually, so long as it's only an option for those who want it (and not a requirement for either the drivers or steam).

I think I'd rather have driver updates integrated with my software repositories than with any particular application, however gaming specific it is (which I'd also like to have integrated with my software repositories). Steam coming to Linux, and any effort around it, is a big deal, absolutely. Big because Steam has a serious user base (many of whom think of it as synonymous to PC gaming enough to suggest it distribute drivers), but also because of the source engine.

I am a Steam user, and have bought tons of games through it. Still, it's primarily just a distribution point. The important thing are the game engines (unreal, crytek, etc). These are what's important, because what the popular game engines support heavily determine what the games can support. A game studio might want to release for Linux, but that often ends up meaning a decision between using a top-of-the-line engine and one that supports OpenGL. Chris Roberts brought this up regarding a possible Star Citizen Linux release, saying:

I look forward to Steam's debut on Linux, and recognise it's significance. I just wish there were more Valve/Source games I liked. Aside from the Portals, nothing comes to mind.

Have you looked into using cable tubes or wraps (this sort of thing)? They can help a lot when you have multiple cables converging on the same point over space. There are also ties, mounts, and any number of cable management accessories for "under the desk" cables.

All in all, I've found the most useful practice to be labelling each cable or cord on both ends using masking tape and a marker. The tape provides a 'tab' I can write on, so if I need to unplug device X, I can just look for the cable with the X label and then pull it free from the other end.

I've also found the biggest culprit when my cables get messy is always my laziness, especially not removing devices, cables, and power cords that I am not currently using and packing them up until I need them again.

Reminds me of a quote I saw in a Slashdot signature about a decade ago (paraphrased here):

8 character passwords feels so 10 years ago. Using a password vault with a long key phrase, I keep about 4 random passwords, and 6 not random but extremely strong mixed character passwords memorised at any point in time (around 10, anyway). These are ones that stick in my mind, or I have to remember. With the advent of usable password vaults, there are upwards of a hundred random passwords much longer than 8 characters to keep track of. I change them in transition periods, where I introduce new passwords, shift old passwords, and generally have both old and new sets in play for different purposes at a time. I suppose it's staggered in tiers.

I have several financial online accounts, and I was shocked as the restrictions I found placed on many of them. I understand requiring users the use an uppercase letter and a number. I don't understand a bank of credit company rejecting passwords that have a hyphen or underscore, or are over 10 characters. Last time I changed my passwords there, the ones I had pre-generated were all rejected: I ended up having to create a new, much weaker password to guard over my finances. It was sufficiently annoying to use their customer feedback form, complaining about the seemingly unnecessary limitations on passwords. Their response thanked me for my interest in their security and informed me that my suggested to allow at least hyphens and underscores was forwarded to the appropriate department (which I suppose I'm satisfied with).

What came to mind more for me was a little more... dramatic:

"Scientists Point to People's Stupidity as Reason to Form Vanguard to Lead Revolution!"

*chuckles*

I really can't take claims that there is some reason to cause democracy to wane and die, although usually that's directed at capitalism. History has taken us in one direction, and while people can argue about what democracy means and the variations it may take, the active hypothesis is that it's the most flexible and resilient form of government.

The Slashdot headline & summary is a little misleading. The article isn't about an ebook backlash, it's about people reading ebooks on tablets and the ease of distraction. It's no surprise people are getting distracted trying to read a book using ebook reader software running on a tablet that's meant for checking Facebook, email, watching videos and the like. Ebooks can be read on computers, tablets, and smart phones. I read ebooks using Aldiko on my Android phone for a couple years before I finally bought a Kindle Touch, and my Kindle is approximately as likely to distract me from my reading as a paperback. The phone has always been a successful platform on which to read ebooks, but I never expected the notifications, messages, etc that are a big part of the reason I own a smart phone to go away (and let my level of distraction be on my own head).

Just to be clear, OP is saying he is "not the type of person who can't look at pornography" right? In this work-related scenario, if that's the case, get your own laptop, tablet, or smart phone.

If that's not the case and he is worried any personal use will get you in trouble, that's probably something he should clarify. I know plenty of unreasonable work places are around, but it is unreasonable to expect no personal use from a company laptop in constant possession of an employee (especially outside of work hours).

If neither is the primary case and you are expecting the laptop to be so locked out that you can't run anything but an office suite and the company-modded IE-engine software, then, as was pointed out, run a separate OS off a thumb drive. If the hardware is completely locked-down, back to the tablet/smartphone concept. Look up the policy, talk to the IT guys, but, essentially, DON'T do something that can mess up IT's carefully locked down security, and DON'T do things that are illegal or NSFW.

If the issue isn't "I want to look at pornography on my work laptop", why would the company care if he reads an ebook or watches a movie, if it's done responsibly (and somewhat out in the open, so all that's monitored is a lot of "unknown activity")? It kind of sounds like it's a porn thing, though. Maybe it's the inferred metaphorical air quotes.

A extra day for me to recover from the yearly "Holy Crap, February doesn't have 30 days it in and I have deadlines March 1st" realisation.

Calibre *really* shows that it was created by programmers (yes, I know, duh). It's such a versatile program for editing (things like content flow and structure), converting between formats, and getting your new version on whatever device it's needed. It has an effective but obtuse UI itself, and shows little to no effort put into beautifying eBooks. I am always satisfied that my converted eBooks are easy to read on my android phone, but also always a little disappointed in their lack of aesthetic.

I was getting ready to proclaim this the most off-topic Slashdot discussion ever, then I finally saw mention this mention of typography. Yes, there are more further down, but I'm already burnt out on all this UI and usability talk. The article is about eBooks, not readers or tablets and especially not desktop environments or word processors. When reading a book, UI and usability don't come into it -- those things are already fixed into the platform on which I'm reading the book.