Really depends. What I'm suggesting Morgan is not so much that the Gate's are bad for trying to do something with the money made from selling the same program again and again under 7 different monikers.…

Ok, so a quick skim, I'll (glibly) sum it up thus:
1. Call AGRA bad.
2. ???
3. Feed Africa.

I'm pretty sure that step 2 has something to do with feeding starving children delicious organic tall poppies. I've heard they're really…

Voices From Africa – African Farmers And Environmentalists Speak Out Against A New Green Revolution In Africa. Edited by Anuradha Mittal with Melissa Moore. Published March 2009. 40 pages [PDF]

A New Green Revolution for Africa? – “This paper aims to describe what a Green…

I am also amused by the new Mini server

Was discussing this one with a colleague yesterday. We concurred that, if one were to dabble with such a thing, one would very definitely want the three-year warranty. And a religiously-followed backup regime. Hard drives are not fond of heat, and…

Starving kids in Africa? Windows 7!

You know that Bill Gates is one of the greatest philanthropist of all time, right? (And I could probably argue the very greatest, considering that the only man who has given more than him, gave to his foundation.)

Or maybe you were kidding.

Apologies to all concerned.

Got the whisky focus right. However, I'm sure Emma would be less stern and more saucy on the telly.

Although I'm starting to wonder if what I want is the new Dell 11z.

I've stayed away from Dell since I recommended my parents get one as a cheap computer, and they didn't even get four years out of it.

I've been reasonably happy with Vista for over a year…

ack ack

Wrong thread, old chap. :)

In 1866 Christchurch and Nelson chess clubs compete by telegraph, one of the first uses of this method in the world.

You mean we invented internet gaming? Cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn7fs2h1HYg

Mint Linux

I just want to ack ack what is probably the first reference to this very interesting distro on PA.

My one attempt to try something else (Sony) was much more of…

In 1866 Christchurch and Nelson chess clubs compete by telegraph, one of the first uses of this method in the world.

Communications tool used for frivolous time wasting since 1866 – love it :)

I am also amused by the new Mini server — I actually have a Mac mini that runs OS X server that serves my research group's website and an internal wiki for file and code sharing. Lovely little thing and it perches cheerfully on…

Plus their rigorously polite email manner is hilarious.

People who use docx when they aren't working in the same organisaton (with Office 2007 presumably installed everywhere) ought to be shot. I was sending docs around in Word 6 format for at…

So let me get this straight. We are supposed to praise, party and celebrate because the biggest software company in the world (or near enough) manages to produce an OS that is nearly as efficient as the one they produced 6 years ago?

Yeah, that thought kind of occurred to…

I hated Leopard – it fouled often. I miss AppleWorks (which I could make do pretty well anything) – and find Pages – meh. Snow Leopard has done – yeah, under-der-hood stuff – but not a lot else *for my purposes*-

BSOD

Blob of Sperm On Dress?

Which makes XP, what, Clinton?

Would explain those stains on the BSOD.

My search for a good lightweight word processor that's not Word (but can save and open Word documents) continues, though.

Have you tried Nisus Writer?
Doesn't deal with Word's collaborative editing features, but it does everything else a word processor should.

My search for a good lightweight word processor that's not Word (but can save and open Word documents) continues

I fear the requirements of "lightweight" and "can save and open Word documents" are mutually exclusive, considering the nature of the .doc[x] spec. Abiword mostly makes an acceptable job of reading it,…

As the vast majority of applications were written for windows a change of that magnitude would be self defeating I suspect.

There are only so many applications anyone needs, though. You might be surprised at the number of stable, useful applications there are for Mac OS, many of them ported…

I don't think Windoze can go much further without dropping the bloody awful "Registry" and quit running parts th OS as "Services"

Not sure what you mean about services, what exactly do you think other OSes do? A Windows "service" is much like a Unix "daemon".

but to do that…

I was just pointing out that the Win7 crowd we're deriding SL with that call when the same argument is easily levelled in that direction.
IMO they're both new releases of similar magnitude – SL works on the "under…

Oh, and for all the "Snow Leopard is just a service pack" crowd:
Windows 7 is really Windows 6.1.

Ah. But. From the same Article Gareth, that you forgot to link to ;-)

Contrast that with Apple Inc.'s approach. It used a consistent numbering scheme for versions 1…

Nope, I'm pretty sure the Borg descends from Ubuntu – which is, after all, "Linux for Human Beings".

You may be right

Cause it's new!

It never ceases to amaze me how people will pay a great premium on something simply because it's the latest model of X.

Which (magnified a million times) may be costing…

'Windows 7, it's only a little bit shit"

Oh, and you get to pay for…

Do I have to apologise for never having any real issues or problems with XP or Vista?

Probably. Although, my experience is much the same, no major problems with either, except for some older games that don't want to seem to work on Vista, no matter what 'compatibility' options I…

Leo says we should lock it in a box where it will stay for 700 years before being used to disable SkyNet with its unmatched ability for FAIL. That sounds like a cunning plan.

It might be needed, now.

We live in a world where there are actual fleets of…

actually the Borg may be the result of locking Vista in a box for 700 years ....

Nope, I'm pretty sure the Borg descends from Ubuntu – which is, after all, "Linux for Human Beings".

Although I'm starting to wonder if what I want is the new Dell 11z. It seems like the bastard love child of a netbook and laptop. Mmmm 1.35kg. Mmmm dual cores. And only ~$1200

But that page says Dell's charging US$399 – at current exchange rates plus GST it ought…

"It does," Leo agreed. "It's like it's got this aura around it. Of just working."

Why isn't Leo in advertising? "Windows 7. Just working." Score!

Leo says we should lock it in a box where it will stay for 700 years before being used to disable SkyNet with its unmatched…

Windows 7 has arrived in better shape than Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard

Went from Vista (awful, awful) to Win 7 RC (much faster ) a couple of months back then to Snow Leopard on a new MBP last…

Doh...
That video clip was supposed to be this one.

Of course it was.

I plan on having an awesome Ubuntu 9.10 install party. Everyone will get a go with the GIMP.

Dozens turned up. We had to pull one guy off – I swear he was crying with joy at his revenge on the misery this crock had caused his life...

That reminds me of one of my favourite movie scenes ever, the destruction of the printer/fax in Office Space:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CFvEi4fdXA…

Leo says we should lock it in a box where it will stay for 700 years before being used to disable SkyNet with its unmatched ability for FAIL. That sounds like a cunning plan.

Gold.

I remember decommissioning an old system in the 90's. Everyone hated it. So we (as…

I am clearly the only person in the world running Vista on both a desktop and a laptop with no problems at all.

Same Danielle. I run a Mac myself (with Vista on a partition simply because I need to access Indo banks and NZ insurance companies...and refuse to pay…

I forecast that releases as we know them will die out in the next few years, and MS will move to a Google-like model where new features ripple out as updates (possibly with a "Labs").

Burn the witch!

You must be kidding I want to see what happens if Danielle comes to "bless" our ill Vista Machines at work !

I am clearly the only person in the world running Vista on both a desktop and a laptop with no problems at all.

Burn the witch!

I remember Gen-i reps 3 yearsago trying to convince me that Vista was actually a really good step forward

Did you ask the rep to open their laptop and show you what OS it was running? I'm thinking XP, if not Win 2k. (Also, check out the conspicuous "EDS" asset…

Sorry, I was unclear: I meant Russell's own operating system, the thing he uses to process all that information. By using that metaphor I neatly become my own worst enemy, but hey.

Ah sorry, I see. You have to be careful using metaphor around literal-minded IT-types such as myself -…

With the power of hindsight, I realise that I should have sold my copy…

Can we briefly discuss your operating system, Russell?

It's not Apple's fault that Adobe can't handle Unix... Flash on Linux is a similar POS, and don't even ask about Flash on my favourite OS...

Sorry, I was unclear: I meant Russell's own operating system, the thing he uses to process…

So, Windows 7 is the Obama of PC OSs, compared to Bush's Vista?

Which makes XP, what, Clinton?

Yeh, and Windows ME was Bush Senior. I think you're onto something here?

Can we briefly discuss your operating system, Russell?

It's not Apple's fault that Adobe can't handle Unix... Flash on Linux is a similar POS, and don't even ask about Flash on my favourite OS...

Maybe it's just that it's not Vista, but Windows 7 does seem to have arrived in good shape.

So, Windows 7 is the Obama of PC OSs, compared to Bush's Vista?

Which makes XP, what, Clinton?

Try it, you might like it. (And it won't cost you anything).

I remember Gen-i reps 3 yearsago trying to convince me that Vista was actually a really good step forward…

It's like it's got this aura around it. Of just working."

Leo says we should lock it in a box where it will stay for 700 years before being used to disable SkyNet with its unmatched ability for FAIL.

Leo is clearly totally made of WIN today.

Guess what our IT department have 'upgraded' us to?

Their suggested 'fix' for not being able to use some of the basic functionality of the system without causing a PC meltdown is.....to not use that functionality.

I guess that makes…

Ironically, the performance of Microsoft Office 2009 under Snow Leopard is one of my problems.

About 2/3rds of the time when trying to log out or shut down, I get "Microsoft Word could not close properly" error messages – irrespective of whether Word is actually open. I then have to…