New subject: APPLEVISION Monitor http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com

7 May 2002

...
  -----Original Message-----
 From: Richard Erlacher [mailto:edick@idcomm.com] 
...
  muscle, to use to do the "standard" sorts of
things.  
 Moreover, Windows isn't
 that expensive.  The updates cost about $85US. 
Of course, given microsoft's somewhat -- um -- aggressive
"bundling" deals, nobody knows what an initial installation
costs. :)

...
  I've heard lots about what "you can get"
but all I ever hear 
 from the guys who
 use Linux every day is that they "don't have that."  Some of  
What don't they have?  

...
  Not all college graduates are in computer science. 
Most, in 
 fact, are not,
 and a computer is just a tool, like a screwdriver, not a 
 deity.  Most folks
 just want to get their work done, and don't care to worship 
 at the shrine of
 M$ or *nix. 
... but to have gone all the way through college using the things
and not have picked up any fundamental knowledge of them?  Sure,
this happens, but I can't fathom how someone could possibly do it.

(I'm sure I can blame microsoft, but let's not get into that 
again :)

...
  with, he'll be done
 by 3:30 and have $100 in his pocket, still, if he does the  
... if you say so. :)

...
  obvious.  If he
 tries something else, what does that say about his ability to 
 get the job
 done?  (see what I mean about disparate views of the same thing?) 
That depends on whether it works better, doesn't it?

...
  The thing about the "standard solution" is
that it's a solution. 
Possibly a solution to the wrong problem.

...
  That's a different problem.  I don't
understand it either.   
 People, in
 general want to do as little as they can "get by with," 
 saying nothing about
 doing a creditable job. 
I'm sure most of us will agree on this, at least, then.

...
  If someone gives you a Lear Jet and all you want is to
use 
 the installed
 flashlight, why should you have to learn to fly? 
You shouldn't.  Sell your lear and get a $5 flashlight from
a department store, pay your mortgage, and maybe get a new 
car ;)

So I suppose if someone give you a computer, and all you need
to do is type letters, you should get a word processor, and 
keep the rest of your money.

If you want to web browse, there are things floating around
for that now too.  You certainly don't need a desktop (or notebook) 
computer for it.

...
  (1) Windows would not be one of those, and (2) most of
the 
 *nix users I know
 enjoy the long cryptic command lines more than anything else. 
Personally I like that most of the commands are shorter, though, I
also get along find with systems that have longer commands.

Chris

Christopher Smith, Perl Developer
Amdocs - Champaign, IL

/usr/bin/perl -e '
print((~"\x95\xc4\xe3"^"Just Another Perl
Hacker.")."\x08!\n");
'