Geek Anvil (currently geeking...)

[DocSommer]

yea but w2k wasn't really targeted for the consumer market IIRC - kind of a bridge between windows NT and XP. At that time most consumer PCs were bundled with Me - poor customers^^

[markfiend]

FTFY

[Quiff Boy]

[DocSommer]

doesn't really match with my experience but indeed

[markfiend]

Seriously, when you've been using a *nix-based system for a while, moving back to Windows (disclosure: I've not tried Win8 yet) just feels crippled.

[Izzy HaveMercy]

Windows 3.11 and WinXP were the best IMO, I worked happily on both of them and did some nice production work under XP, but now, with Mac OSX Snow Leopard... hmm )

IZ.

[DocSommer]

Seriously, when you've been using a *nix-based system for a while, moving back to Windows (disclosure: I've not tried Win8 yet) just feels crippled.

I have to deal with misc. systems business-wise but still prefer windows 7 for my private computers (except my NAS server running some sort of FreeBSD). All in all I'm more in to applications/3rd party stuff, sometimes gaming and as long as the OS is solid, stable and not loosing performance over time I don't really care what brand or version it is. I know a few people with MAcBooks and mostly booting M$ OS ....other people prefer MacOS or true Geek independent UNIX derivates (linux projects...) - I think it's not amportant as long as it fits to the needs.

[markfiend]

The thing is, I spend a lot of time at the command-line. I struggle with cmd.exe on Windows because it's so different to the *nix terminal.

I know that cygwin exists, but that in itself is an issue. In a debian-based system I can do "apt-get install cygwin". Installing stuff into Windows is a right minefield.

I know, the real WTF is me for expecting Win systems to be like *nix systems,

[nowayjose]

The thing is, I spend a lot of time at the command-line. I struggle with cmd.exe on Windows because it's so different to the *nix terminal.

Right, if you're used to Unixoid systems and you have to use something like Windows, it's like someone's chopped off your hands. Then again, it depends on what you've got to do. Cygwin is no solution, imho, because it plain sucks.

[Quiff Boy]

i use macs all day every day, and barely touch the mac terminal...

its the windows UI i hate. it actively fights against you to do what you want to achieve... it's like it wants you to spend so long dicking about with the fundamentals that you're not actually productive.

common tasks are obscured behind technical jargon names and several layers of right-clicking, while obscure, techie-centric tasks are front-and centre and given even more archaic un-user friendly names

don't even get be started on how you safely remove a usb drive on windows someone like my mum should never, ever be forced to right-click and open a device properties window just to remove a bloody thumb drive that her friend has given her with a document on...

that kind of usb pen drive sharing is such an obvious use-case, and has been for the last 5-10 years, in this day and age it shouldn't require 5 clicks (left and right) and a lot of technical jargon to navigate around, to do something a LOT of people do every single day.

what's wrong with treating like any other "removable device" (which is itself a horrid PC term) and having a bloody big EJECT button on the desktop, like Macs do?

it's no wonder most non-techie windows users just yank the bloody usb drive out, probably damaging the file system in the process because windows was updating it's FAT table

it's just so deeply flawed.. its amazing anyone ever gets anything meaningful done on one of the damned things.

[markfiend]

it's no wonder most non-techie windows users just yank the bloody usb drive out, probably damaging the file system in the process because windows was updating it's FAT table

Jeez, the number of dead USB drives I've seen because of that...

[nowayjose]

common tasks are obscured behind technical jargon names and several layers of right-clicking, while obscure, techie-centric tasks are front-and centre and given even more archaic un-user friendly names

I always wonder if the design task of user interfaces at M$ has been assigned to people who are the least qualified for it, or so it always seems to me. Almost out of spite... making money without giving the users what they need, just because they can. OTOH, Apple isn't that much better either; it looks prettier, is a bit more streamlined but suffers from the same inflexibility, arbitrary pseudo-simplicity and the notion that the user is an idiot. Unfortunately, on the Linux/open source side, they have done little except imitating Windoze/Mac for the last decade or so, and so we end up with stuff like Gnome and KDE.

[Debaser]

just yank the bloody usb drive out,

So that's not what you're supposed to do then, huh?

[Pista]

just yank the bloody usb drive out,

So that's not what you're supposed to do then, huh?

Not really no.

Would like to know if anyone had an issue with their drive after yanking though.

[markfiend]

...we end up with stuff like Gnome and KDE.

Yeah. I use XFCE. Together with Compiz for the eye-candy.

[lazarus corporation]

...we end up with stuff like Gnome and KDE.

Yeah. I use XFCE. Together with Compiz for the eye-candy.

I use KDE and I'm quite fond of it.

But I think this highlights the difference with Linux - you're not limited to one desktop environment that is shipped with the OS. If you don't like KDE, use Gnome. If you don't like either of them, use Xfce or LXDE or something else. Or write your own.

[sultan2075]

Windows 3.11 and WinXP were the best IMO, I worked happily on both of them and did some nice production work under XP, but now, with Mac OSX Snow Leopard... hmm )

IZ.

Ditto.

I'd love to know how to use Linux. Morally speaking, I like the idea of free, open-source software. I just don't have the time or the compelling need to learn. Some years back, I ran Ubuntu for a few months before switching back to WinXP. I finally switched to a Mac about 5 years ago, and I've been very happy. I've never had a laptop last as long as this thing as, and the OS has been very reliable and stable.

i use macs all day every day, and barely touch the mac terminal...

its the windows UI i hate. it actively fights against you to do what you want to achieve... it's like it wants you to spend so long dicking about with the fundamentals that you're not actually productive.

common tasks are obscured behind technical jargon names and several layers of right-clicking, while obscure, techie-centric tasks are front-and centre and given even more archaic un-user friendly names

don't even get be started on how you safely remove a usb drive on windows someone like my mum should never, ever be forced to right-click and open a device properties window just to remove a bloody thumb drive that her friend has given her with a document on...

that kind of usb pen drive sharing is such an obvious use-case, and has been for the last 5-10 years, in this day and age it shouldn't require 5 clicks (left and right) and a lot of technical jargon to navigate around, to do something a LOT of people do every single day.

what's wrong with treating like any other "removable device" (which is itself a horrid PC term) and having a bloody big EJECT button on the desktop, like Macs do?

it's no wonder most non-techie windows users just yank the bloody usb drive out, probably damaging the file system in the process because windows was updating it's FAT table

it's just so deeply flawed.. its amazing anyone ever gets anything meaningful done on one of the damned things.

Oh my heavens yes. I agree with all of this. I hate using Windows at work. I email documents to myself (because I know that I will lose a thumb drive) and even as simple a task as downloading them and printing them proves to be vastly more complicated than it should be. I've already pressed print, Microsoft: Why do I need to confirm for you that I really do want to print this document?

[DocSommer]

I always just remove any removable devices without paying attention to unlock them before - never done any harm on ext. harddisks/thumbdrives except a few times I was in a hurry and didn't waited for a datar transfer to be completed. Even then - next time you plug them in they got recognized as corrupted and you'll see an option to run some kind of chkdsk fixing the file system. TBH I don't know anybody before who considered this as some serious issue^^

[nowayjose]

Or write your own.

Yeah, but the problem is, the current crop of hackers seem to prefer writing apps for smartphones and tablets (and thereby unraveling the open-source scene), and are not interested in free GUIs in the way people were in the 90ies, when the host of window managers proliferated because everyone wrote their own, or contributed to someone else's. And the old guard, who have the ability don't have time/interest anymore in that, either. So we're stuck.

[nowayjose]

TBH I don't know anybody before who considered this as some serious issue^^

You don't... until you lose data.

[DocSommer]

Last time I had to struggle with serious data loss was with my NAS - was my fault unfortunately^^

I don't mind the theoretical possibility of losing some thumbdrive data once a decade - can't recall moving any data on a thumbrive without having the data stored on the computer/network drive as well. Same goes for memory cards - need those for firmware updates in my job probably a couple hundred times/year - never bricked one before they fell into pieces itself due to heavy usage and poor storage conditions.

[markfiend]

This is an interesting quirk of php (I'm running version 5.4.11)

This works:

Code: Select all

<?php
class TestClass &#123;
    static function test_method&#40;$foo&#41; &#123;
        global $x;
        return str_replace&#40;'twitter', $x, $foo&#41;;
    &#125;
&#125;

$x = 'wibble';

ob_start&#40;
    function &#40;$html&#41; &#123;
        $pattern = '~&#40;<a .*?href=&#91;"\'&#93;&#41;&#40;&#91;^"\'&#93;+&#41;&#40;&#91;"\'&#93;.*?>.*?</a>&#41;~';
        return preg_replace_callback&#40;
            $pattern,
            function &#40;$matches&#41; &#123;
                $y = TestClass&#58;&#58;test_method&#40;$matches&#91;2&#93;&#41;;
                return $matches&#91;1&#93; . $y . $matches&#91;3&#93;;
            &#125;,
            $html
        &#41;;
    &#125;
&#41;;
?>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Test for whether global variables work</title>
</head>
<body>
<article id="twitter">
<h1>Latest update from <a href="http&#58;//twitter.com/markfiend">my Twitter feed</a>&#58;</h1>
<h2><a href="http&#58;//twitter.com/markfiend/statuses/304159221711241216">Wed 20 Feb 2013 09&#58;23&#58;04</a>&#58;</h2>
<p>Case sensitivity is IMPORTANT&#58; Consider&#58; "I&prime;m going to help Uncle Jack off a horse" and "i&prime;m going to help uncle jack off a horse"</p>
</article>
</body>
</html>

But this does not:

Code: Select all

<?php
class TestClass &#123;
    static function test_method&#40;$foo&#41; &#123;
        global $x;
        return str_replace&#40;'twitter', $x->scalar, $foo&#41;;
    &#125;
&#125;

$x = &#40;object&#41; 'wibble';

ob_start&#40;
    function &#40;$html&#41; &#123;
        $pattern = '~&#40;<a .*?href=&#91;"\'&#93;&#41;&#40;&#91;^"\'&#93;+&#41;&#40;&#91;"\'&#93;.*?>.*?</a>&#41;~';
        return preg_replace_callback&#40;
            $pattern,
            function &#40;$matches&#41; &#123;
                $y = TestClass&#58;&#58;test_method&#40;$matches&#91;2&#93;&#41;;
                return $matches&#91;1&#93; . $y . $matches&#91;3&#93;;
            &#125;,
            $html
        &#41;;
    &#125;
&#41;;
?>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Test for whether global variables work</title>
</head>
<body>
<article id="twitter">
<h1>Latest update from <a href="http&#58;//twitter.com/markfiend">my Twitter feed</a>&#58;</h1>
<h2><a href="http&#58;//twitter.com/markfiend/statuses/304159221711241216">Wed 20 Feb 2013 09&#58;23&#58;04</a>&#58;</h2>
<p>Case sensitivity is IMPORTANT&#58; Consider&#58; "I&prime;m going to help Uncle Jack off a horse" and "i&prime;m going to help uncle jack off a horse"</p>
</article>
</body>
</html>

[markfiend]

Found a workaround: serialize the object I want to work with in my static class and store the serialized version as a global variable. Once inside the static class, unserialize the variable back into an object. FFS.

[Pista]

haha.
I see your horse tweet in that lot

[markfiend]

Indeed