Disqus - Latest Comments for possible248

Re: louisgray.com: Hi Facebook, It's Me, FriendFeed. This Relationship? It's Complicated.

possible248 — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:42:00 -0000

Wow.

Your post is excellent. It explains my emotions in manner I could never replicate and with detail that I could never articulate.

Oh, and apparently the FriendFeed alcohol party was not related to the Facebook deal, according to Tudor Bosman.

Again, *wonderful* post. I just hope that this somehow evolves into something better.

Re: FORGET APPLE: Google Voice for iPhone to Reemerge as Web App

possible248 — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:21:41 -0000

Absolutely brilliant.

This is a genius tactic from the minds of Google. I can't wait to see how Apple/AT&T react to this.

Re: Four Must-Do’s for Giving CDs to Potential New Linux Users

possible248 — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:11:30 -0000

Thank you for your very informative comment.

While I'm not quite sure about Wubi specifically--I have never personally gotten the installer to not crash--I think that virtualization in general would probably be a good idea first. :)

Also good point about not removing Windows immediately. Setting up a dual-boot, even if the user plans on never using Windows again if things go well, is probably most advisable--like you suggest.

Re: Five Reasons FriendFeed Has Made Reading Personal Blogs Interesting

possible248 — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:29:43 -0000

He must have predicted my remorse and forgiven me in advance.

Re: Five Reasons FriendFeed Has Made Reading Personal Blogs Interesting

possible248 — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:00:21 -0000

Oh noes! What a disaster!

Please reconsider! I made sure to un-hide the entry right after taking the screenshot.

(Another one for the Louis Gray Facts room.)

Re: WordPress 2.8 released, but you shouldn’t install it yet

possible248 — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:29:44 -0000

But then if nobody upgrades to Wordpress 2.8 right away, all those bugs wouldn't be reported as quickly.

The optimal solution is for people to immediately try out the latest version of Wordpress on a test installation, and make sure that there are no show-stopping bugs or incompatibilities. If things look clear, then the main installation should be upgraded to the latest release of Wordpress in order to patch up any security holes in the older Wordpress version.

If things don't work out immediately, one should just wait until an official patch (or widely tested unofficial patch or plugin) is released before upgrading.

Re: Please Stop Buying Used Computers

possible248 — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:34:43 -0000

What you say is true. The price drop in computers makes it less sensible to buy used computers.

I suggest that used computers be given away for free to people that are not in the financial situation to afford computers.

Re: http://blog.louisgray.com/2009/05/personal-heresy-what-os-you-use-is-no.html

possible248 — Sat, 23 May 2009 23:30:48 -0000

Virtualization, I think, destroys the OS wars more than the web browser will.

See, your story reminds me of one of my Linux buddies. He recently built himself a new computer, and is now running Linux in a VM that resides within Windows 7. At first, I didn't quite understand why he would do such a thing. After all, putting the ultra-stable-and-secure (IMO) Linux inside the relatively-crashy-and-insecure Windows seemed like a stupid idea.

But then he pointed out that he is a gamer--and running Windows games inside Linux is not something that frequently works very well. With Linux in Windows, he can enjoy the best of both worlds--just like you enjoy the best of Windows 7 and Mac OS X.

The OS wars are slowing down. Though, I still hope that there's enough time to go on a few more pro-Linux rants before I'm holding hands with Windows users and singing "Kumbaya."

Re: “Why Is It Special?” And Seven More Questions the Non-Technical Windows User Has about Linux

possible248 — Mon, 18 May 2009 22:22:08 -0000

You provide excellent advice for a newly-minted Linux enthusiast looking to make some quick money.

However, I am unsure whether most non-technical Windows users switching to Linux would actually bother to take all those steps. Really, the optimal solution is to buy a new computer with the savings from Linux included in the price.

Re: “Why Is It Special?” And Seven More Questions the Non-Technical Windows User Has about Linux

possible248 — Mon, 18 May 2009 22:20:24 -0000

Thank you. I have fixed the error.

Re: “Why Is It Special?” And Seven More Questions the Non-Technical Windows User Has about Linux

possible248 — Mon, 18 May 2009 22:19:31 -0000

While Linux Mint might seem like a better choice on paper, there are legal issues in some nations with some of the codecs that it ships with.

In addition, Linux Mint doesn't have the large community that Ubuntu has. This may not actually matter, considering that Linux Mint is an Ubuntu spinoff and Ubuntu tutorials and such ought to mostly work with Linux Mint. However, I still think that it would be better to stick with Mothership Ubuntu--yet hypocritically ignore Mothership Debian.

Re: Adding Google Friend Connect is an example of how hard it is to join the 2010 web

possible248 — Sat, 16 May 2009 17:24:01 -0000

I think there are serious trust issues with that.

Generally, when downloading software updates, you are trusting that the individuals or organizations providing the updates are not malicious and obey security practices to the degree where it is not very likely for a malicious individual to gain control of the systems. This is usually okay because those that are providing security updates (the OS developers) are being trusted anyway.

In the case you describe, Google would be using my password to make changes to my website. Unless I have a Google-hosted website (App Engine, Blogger, etc.), Google would be a third party to interactions with my webhost. I don't think that third parties should usually be trusted with one's passwords and such.

Re: Adding Google Friend Connect is an example of how hard it is to join the 2010 web

possible248 — Sat, 16 May 2009 17:24:01 -0000

Re: Adding Google Friend Connect is an example of how hard it is to join the 2010 web

possible248 — Sat, 16 May 2009 16:15:40 -0000

I'm not quite sure if Google could have avoided the need for the user to have to upload files.
(EDIT: Robert states in a comment that he doesn't mind complexity if it is explained properly. Though how to upload files to one's server is immensely complex to explain given all the different types of server configurations. For example, a common user may not know where to find the FTP username, password, and host, if it is different from the one he or she uses to log into the web admin panel.)

I don't know much about Friend Connect, but seeing as how the names of the files are "rpc_relay.html" and "canvas.html", it sounds like that the files need to be uploaded for technical reasons (as opposed to verification purposes).

Perhaps you should talk to Kevin Marks to discuss the need to upload files.

Re: Adding Google Friend Connect is an example of how hard it is to join the 2010 web

possible248 — Sat, 16 May 2009 16:15:40 -0000

I'm not quite sure if Google could have avoided the need for the user to have to upload files.

I don't know much about Friend Connect, but seeing as how the names of the files are "rpc_relay.html" and "canvas.html", it sounds like that the files need to be uploaded for technical reasons (as opposed to verification purposes).

Perhaps you should talk to Kevin Marks to discuss the need to upload files.

Re: They Just Never Learn; Google Docs Gives Yet Another Example of Why Cloud Computing Is Dangerous

possible248 — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:41:28 -0000

I disagree that Google knows nothing about security. The official response
from Google posits many of the complaints as features (Ex: Images are kept
after they are deleted so not to break references to the image elsewhere).

Regardless of whether it is a bug or feature, I do not trust Google Docs,
and do not think anybody else should.

That said, I would like to restate that GDocs and other places to store data
in the cloud (for free) are safe enough for data that isn't extremely
important.

In conclusion, I respect Google, but do not think users dhould store
important data there.

Re: They Just Never Learn; Google Docs Gives Yet Another Example of Why Cloud Computing Is Dangerous

possible248 — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:35:21 -0000

I doubt that *anybody* at a shared hosting company can read your data. For
example, it would be quite suspicious for somebody working in the billing
department at the hosting company to be dealing with the servers.

Specific consumer wiki software may indeed be insecure, but I believe that
generally, when given more control to how one's data is stored, it would be
more secure than leaving your data at the mercy of somebody far away that
gives the user very little control.

To whether or not open source software projects have security teams, I
cannot say due to the varying structure of different open source development
teams. However, the fact that security flaws can be seen in the source code
is a good thing I think. It allows "the good side" a fairer playing field
with the malicious hackers because more developers can come to assist the
good side, which isn't usually the case with proprietary software
development.

Wordpress constantly gets hacked due to poor security practices on
self-hosted installations. Now, while this seems like a flaw in my
suggestion on how users should store and collaborate on data. Shared hosts
have tools to autoinstall wikis (and Wordpress) with some security
practices, such as setting the proper file permissions, followed right out
of the box.

Ultimately, total security is not achievable, but I think that there are far
safer alternatives to the cloud.

Re: They Just Never Learn; Google Docs Gives Yet Another Example of Why Cloud Computing Is Dangerous

possible248 — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:17:11 -0000

Matt Cutts? A delight to see you on my blog. I am actually a fan of yours.
:)

Thank you for posting the link to the Google Docs blog. I haven't touched
Google Reader in ages, and wouldn't have ended up seeing it until much
later.

I read the post, and now that I have seen the issue from Google's eyes, I
still think there is some potential for abuse. Hopefully, such potential
should noe be minimized because of widespread knowledge of the issue.

In addition, I see it was terribly unwise for me to have published a blog
post about this issue the day after Google published an official reply.
Regardless, I still stand by my Stallman-esque opinion of cloud computing,
and still distrust Google Docs for more than simple notes.

Thank you for commenting, and I will update the main post to reflect this
information when I find a computer larger than a smartphone.

Re: Why Linux Users Should Try Ubuntu First

possible248 — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:04:53 -0000

Well, this post equally applies to all Ubuntu flavors, and I also don't happen to be a GNOME fanatic myself.

Yes, popularity is pretty much the main reason my post states that one should use Ubuntu.

While Debian has large repositories, huge community, and so forth, Ubuntu is preferable for technical reasons which this blog post did not cover.

Re: Why Linux Users Should Try Ubuntu First

possible248 — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 19:23:25 -0000

But those tweaks, regardless of how useful they are, usually are not basic configuration. In the case of Ubuntu, a lot is missing in the area of configuration.

Re: Why Linux Users Should Try Ubuntu First

possible248 — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 19:01:30 -0000

Well, hardcore Linux geeks usually do not like Ubuntu because of all the features, which they see as just bloat.

Ubuntu is also slightly less-adapted to geeky things, such as software development and compiling software. With Slackware, the choice of the geeks (like fellow CodingExperiments blogger i80and), you get all the development packages of the software installed on your system, making compiling far easier.

However, Ubuntu is still Linux, and for those hardcore geeks, like me, that can swallow a little bit of perceived software bloat, it's a good choice.

Re: Why Linux Users Should Try Ubuntu First

possible248 — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:13:40 -0000

Oh, dear.

Thank you, VFan, for pointing that out. I usually credit people for their work.

I believe this is from a photoshoot sponsored by Ubuntu.

Re: Why Linux Users Should Try Ubuntu First

possible248 — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 11:28:39 -0000

While popularity is not the manner to choose an operating system, users theoretically should be comfortable with a more popular operating system than with a less popular operating system. They are comfortable with Windows, after all. Why? Because they have used it frequently. Why have they used it frequently? Because it's so popular it is in workplaces, schools, and computers sold by HP, Dell, etc.

Popularity also means I'm more likely to find a Ubuntu-specific tutorial than a tutorial designed specifically for some obscure Slackware spinoff. Newbie users really need a tutorial specific to their system if they hope to complete a task or solve a problem that is beyond their knowledge.

I never said that the Ubuntu repositories were intuitive. I said they had a lot of packages, which makes it easy for users to find software that they are looking for. While 25,000 packages is not 25,000 applications, I would think that something is deeply wrong with the individuals managing the repository if a repository with 25,000 packages does not contain more applications than a repository with 2,000 packages.

In addition, I never said that Ubuntu would be the Linux Desktop King for all eternity. It just happens that i think that if a Windows user wants to switch to Linux now or in the recent future, Ubuntu should be the first method explored. Five years from now, I may write a blog post that says that another distro should be what new Linux users try first.

Also, every reason that I have listed for Ubuntu also applies to Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and every other 'buntu out there, because they're the same thing besides the desktop environment and a few applications. Like you, I happen to think that KDE is a pretty good desktop environment for seasoned Linux users and newbies. KDE 3.5 is solid, and KDE 4.2 is a major step to making KDE 4... you know... actually *usable*.

Thanks for the comment. :)

Re: Why Linux Users Should Try Ubuntu First

possible248 — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:53:06 -0000

You make an interesting point.

It seems that part of the Linux community is holding Linux back from reaching mainstream-level marketshare. I've written a blog post about the angrier side of the Linux community at (http://codingexperiments.com/suggested-tips-for...).

Re: Why Linux Users Should Try Ubuntu First

possible248 — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:51:26 -0000

Admittedly, I don't seem to have much success with upgrades either. Keep in mind, though, that my post speaks about non-technical reasons for Ubuntu to be the default recommendation to Windows users planning on switching to Linux.

I don't like GNOME either, which is why I used to recommend Kubuntu with KDE 3. Until KDE 4.2 or above ships with Ubuntu by default, I tell new users to try Xubuntu.