So.. your saying that there were no responses that might have said things like.. "why do my friends with Android have a larger screen ?" .. or "Android users have this notification thingy, are you going to make something similar ?" .. and that nothing the customer says, has any bearing whatsoever on their future designs ?

I'm a long time Linux user and don't see myself in either group.. I'm also a bit puzzled about point 1. and how it applies as a negative in this case.. Are you saying that there is a group of users who find it unethical that there is software that only runs on a proprietary OS ? .. It would seem that those people would applaud software coming to multiple platforms.. As to point 2. There are cheapskates in the Windows platform that don't want to pay for software either.. virus makers love those people..

That may be.. but I guess mileage may vary.. Not to push my OS of choice which is Linux, but my own experience with 7 has not been great.. For home use, I have skipped every MS OS since Windows 98SE and ran Linux.. personal choice.. Now I got it in my head that I would take some classes, so I bit the bullet and installed Windows 7 along with Office 2010.. I also do tech support at work where we run XP and support customers with XP, Vista, Win 7 and the OSXs .. Now dealing with customers I would rather deal with an XP customer first, Windows 7 runs a close second, followed by Vista.. My work use with XP beats the hell out of my home use with Win 7.. It's just annoying with it's various warnings, and notifications, and the various crap that keeps trying to add themselves to all three of my browsers in Windows 7 just makes me wonder how people put up with it. That and the fact that a 2 day old updated Internet Explorer requires resetting due to "Internet Explorer Has Stopped Working" just baffles me.. So, I have my Win 7 system on it's partition for school, but I continue to boot into Linux Mint for day to day use,,because I am spoiled with an OS that doesn't get in the way.. Win 7 may be less intrusive than Vista, but I can't imagine it's much less.

And I think your going to lose that money.. It's too bad, because if you didn't gamble like that, you might be able to afford a Slashdot ID

yes they can.. and they would save money on prison uniforms.

Typical.. read the summary that is flat out wrong, and go ballistic... First it does not grant power over communications, as in all communications, it is for the governments own emergency communications.. second there is nothing about seizing anything... here it is read it for yourself.. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/07/06/executive-order-assignment-national-security-and-emergency-preparedness-

I was thinking of something at would automatically trigger something like an email, or launching a program.. So did a Google search and there is an email version of a deadman switch that will automatically trigger some emails.. But whether or not you would trust this with that kind of data is the question.. There is that, and the fact that you have to be constantly thinking about dieing and maintaining your deadman switch so that your information is not prematurely sent out.. Personally, I would rather my hard drive was reformatted.. the financial basics, bank account and insurance, will, etc should be taken care of separately.. Don't see any reason for online persona of a dead person to be maintained or transfered to anyone else.

Unholy horrors.. really ? .. hmm, well sounds like you have had some bad luck there.. I "had" mostly been a XFCE user for a number of years, not because of the lesser system requirements, but just a preference thing, with Gnome as a dual boot option.. I started using Gnome a bit more, but didn't want Unity so I switched that system to Mint.. have found myself pretty much full time Mint user now with their version of Gnome. Can't say that I have noticed any bugs.. As to driver problems, can't say I have had any problems since about 2002 which is probably the last time I had to figure out a driver problem for my dialup modem. Of course I will caveat that with the fact that I have only run desktop systems (no laptops with wireless cards), and that I have also been a Nvidia video person because they always "had" more Linux support.. I suppose the other difference lately is that I really just don't care enough about having the proprietary video drivers anymore.. strangely though, the desktop effects are working just fine with my latest Mint and I didn't do a thing for the drivers. but I wouldn't have anyway, because the effects are just not that important to me.

There is absolutely no requirement to do "tweaking" on a Linux system.. If you want it to "just work" as you say, then just leave it be.. Once installed, you just use it as you do Windows, all that "knowing the inner workings", and "desktop wars", all of that was your choice to do and unnecessary (your the one who wanted to know how the torque wrench worked).. As to drivers and configuration files, I have actually found Linux to be extremely good at taking care of it itself fro a fresh install.. unlike Windows in which you would have to have a friend who has a working Internet connection and a burner who has to go to a website and download your missing network drivers because you can no longer find the drivers CD..

I find it no real difference between the 3.. Linux has no requirement to "tinker"., and no more technical knowledge to use is needed, than either Windows or OSX .. All three require learning the basics of each system.. How do you start it, how do you find and open programs, how do you add new programs. and the core programs most people use like web browsers and media players and such.. none of the 3 systems really have an advantage here if you starting from a blank slate of having not used any of them.. Everything is easy when you know how to do it. This can be said for all three systems.. The only real difference is when you may become stuck somehow and need help.. Windows users have the advantage in numbers, for free help.. OSX users are probably more inclined to pay for support.. Linux users have to rely on Google and community forums.. The chances of needing help are increased if you go outside the norm and do as you say and "tinker" , but no more so on any of the 3 systems than any other.

What if my experiment is to calculate the trajectory of a satellite to collide into the mouth of an active volcano ?.. I'm thinking after my first test run, it's not going to have much progress.

He probably wasn't selling "counterfeit" drugs, any more than a pharmacy selling generics are.. more likely he did use the brand name to promote the sale of a generic though,.. As to "foreign".. ok, um in the first place Canada is technically a foreign country, so there's that.. and then there is the fact that we in the US pretty much buy everything foreign made.. known or not... so saying "foreign made" is supposed to be scary, or a crime ?.. Walmart would be the criminal masterminds of all time if selling "foreign made" is a crime.

How bout they make Thomas pay 5 times that 33 % of her gross sales !!.. That'll learn her !

Every so often I will be watching a TV show, and low an behold in some office environment a tablet will be whipped out like it is an everyday tool that they use in their business.. Now perhaps with Office on it, that could become a reality but I think in real (non TV) life, at least at the moment, it's mostly just fiction.. I also believe that it is going to be a hard fought battle for tablets to become a workplace staple.

Actually.. Vista is not the definitive Microsoft failure.. It was and is still quite usable.. the honor of definitive failure goes to Windows ME.