Slashdot is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror

Comment Re:That's because: (Score 1) 197

"my years of experience"
I started my IT career on an IBM System/36 circa 1984, but let's not have a pissing contest, eh?

"very close to 100 percent uptime"
Why are you bringing uptime into it? I was talking about wireless adapter drivers - you know, as an example to support my argument that all OSs have problems. But as you've asked, I wouldn't expect any contemporary windows, macos, or linux machine to have close to 100% uptime. Achieving the "five nines" metric requires exponentially greater investment. But they have been getting better. I see fewer and fewer kernel panics and blue screens than I used to.

"without constant upkeep"
Now you're being silly, as if linux doesn't have constant updates.

Comment Re:That's because: (Score 1) 197

"every OS is full of problems"

Heh.

"but only after about 45 minutes of reading manuals and forum posts."

Every OS *is* full of problems. Some more than others. It's only recently that Debian has started asking "Do you want to use non-free software?" and, more importantly "Do you want to use non-free firmware?", 'cos you couldn't finish a Debian installation without an ethernet cable to fetch the wireless drivers, or have them ready to go on a USB stick. Never had that with a Windows installation. Other failures and problems, yes, but not a lack of drivers to run the network adapters.

Comment Re:So, like Seiko, Kodak devised their own demise (Score 1) 28

Nikon failed when they tied themselves to niche formats like Apple's MOV video format.

And the value of a Nikon was always in the glass. Nobody cared as much about the Nikon camera body as they did about the Nikon glass. But seeing what they've done in the digital world, I'm never buying a Nikon again.

Canon did it much better. And it's the same with Leica and Hasselblad - the glass is the thing.

I've got a Mamiya RB67 and the lenses are glorious. So is the body and viewfinder. But a digital back is something like AUD$14K. So I will stick to film for now.

Comment Re:Cool (Score 1) 28

Wasn't his doing. Management couldn't get the $$$ signs out of their eyes to see the coming revolution.

Had they properly managed the IP licencing earlier, and invested in more R&D for digital technology, they'd have stayed at the top of the pile. They had the money to invest in digital, but they were too scared of losing sales of analog films.

Comment Re:Cool (Score 1) 28

Sales of film negative stock was very profitable. And Kodachrome, and ektachrome.

Plus movie films, and specialist films. The catalogue was huge.

Kodak films were expensive. They were good, though, and worth the money. Their range of colour films was extensive, much much more than what's available today.

And then there was the printing papers.Rolls and rolls and rolls and rolls of it for minilabs AKA kiosks.

Ilford ruled on B&W, and Agfa was a distant third (good quality, just didn't have the sales). And Cibachrome...... drool.

Film *was* messy and expensive, but the results were fantastic.

I should clarify that by saying the results *could be* fantastic. Point-and-shoot cameras, while convenient and lots of fun, left a lot to be desired WRT quality imaging. But they *were* a lot of fun to use at parties, even if the results weren't immediately available, there was an enjoyable anticipation for the results.

Comment Re:James Bond needs to drive an amazon delivery va (Score 1) 82

Q: "And this, Bond, is your pee bottle"

Bond: "My what?"

Q: "You can't stop and relieve yourself at any time during this mission, Bond, you MUST pee in the bottle!"

Bond: "Does it do anything else"

Q: "Yes, there's a laser in the cap, be careful - if you pee on the cap, you'll short-circuit the laser's battery and blow yourself up."

Slashdot Top Deals

In a consumer society there are inevitably two kinds of slaves: the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of envy.

Working...