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Comment You only need two (Score 1) 215

There are only two pieces of hardware you really need on a bench:

* Multimeter (doesn't have to be too expensive)
* Soldering iron (with solder of course, and probably a stand/sponge)

Of course you should probably also have additional bits and bobs as required, but with these two things you can accomplish a heck of a lot of repairs and diagnostics at the very least.

Comment Re:Several years too slow (Score 0) 135

No point. The launchpad pages for Ubuntu are full of legitimate bug reports that never get fixed or even addressed/confirmed. Canonical just don't have the manpower to manage a desktop operating system like Microsoft does.

I've grown tired to writing scripts to manually enable things that a distro could have implemented themselves if they just fucking TRIED once in a while. But they don't, because Unity is more important to them than actual backend improvements. Remember, the shiny is more fun to work on.

Comment Re:Linux politics (Score 1) 206

Heck no, you don't want these flamewars to happen. What you really want is a respectable level of discourse between the participants. Flamewars are called that because it's all about flaming and not getting to the actual truth about the matter - and for an outsider looking into the discussion, all they see is insults and fanboyism and it gets very hard to know the facts and whether they're actual facts or spin.

Flamewars can be addictive I suppose, but they're the lowest form of "discussion" you can have and aren't productive.

Comment Several years too slow (Score 3, Informative) 135

Windows 7 incorporated TRIM support for SSDs back in 2009. I know the Linux kernel can do it with the right mount options and has been able to for some time, but after a while you just assume distros are setting things automatically as expected (there's very few situations where TRIM is a bad idea, particularly on a desktop-focused distro like Ubuntu).

There's a reason I still feel like using a poor-man's system when using Linux on the desktop. They just don't think hard enough about automating stuff. Heck, Ubuntu (and no other distro I believe) doesn't enable Wake-on-lan when you shutdown, whereas Windows 7 and onwards does. This is something you have to script in yourself. Why the fuck aren't distros doing things you can reliably expect in commercials operating systems!?!

Comment Linux politics (Score 0) 206

I came to Linux because I thought we'd be over this stupid, overblown shit that's really nothing to be concerned about. But it appears you can't have peace anywhere on the net without fan-boys using anything scrap of info as an excuse to ruin things.

I came to Linux at a time when people just wanted to use a quality system and assist each other with learning how to use it effectively and work to improve it. Now that's becomes "mainstream" the community has turned to shit. I suppose the Linux community has always had its fair share of BS politics, but it's too easy to make them front-page news now to the point where it makes us look like a bunch of kids, amateurs no better than the bickering idiots in other fields.

Comment Re:posted a bunch of magic tricks (Score 1) 309

Fair point I suppose. But of course there's complaints, and then there's biased, illogical, emotional complaints that haven't been thought through. And even for the legitimate complaints, there are too many fanboys that will ruin whatever you say by turning your complaints against you, making you seem like the idiot for "not being able to use your console properly", or something like that.

The signal-to-noise ratio on gaming forums is so damn bad it's a wonder people still bother posting sometimes.

Comment Re:posted a bunch of magic tricks (Score 1) 309

In the end though, it's just a GAMING CONSOLE. It's a source of entertainment but ultimately not that important. At least, not important enough to want to insult people who don't like your particular choice of console and prefer something else. That is what I see as the biggest issue these days - the idea that you must take sides, that this is one great big war and that the fanboys are the soldiers fighting against the scum unbelievers. Or something like that anyway.

In the end, there's way too much attention to consoles disproportionate to other things that are more worthy of attention. I take it as a sign that people's lives have becomes so stressful and bad that they see gaming and its offer of escapism with far more importance then they otherwise would. I'm not even been sarcastic - it makes a lot of sense. Games are fun, but too many people treat them with such religions fervor that I have to assume they have nothing else important in their lives to focus their energy on.

Comment Re:Arcade games? Sorry, I'm going home. (Score 1) 283

Maybe he's just annoyed over this obsession with gaming in our culture, a hobby that has resulted in us growing fat, refining our ability to insult each other on the Internet, and distract us from the most important things in life. I say this as a gamer mind you - one that wishes he spent more time learning and creating rather than just playing and consuming. Now I'm having to find ways to motivate myself to create as an adult, since my childhood was spent playing games.

Comment Re:Freetards earn the hate. (Score 1) 246

Sometimes I wonder what drives people to be so hateful of things that have proven beneficial for many people. If someone doesn't like something, why do they then post on forums to let everyone ELSE know (particularly those who do find use for the tech) that they don't like it? Very strange.

Comment Re:Sorry, still not getting one. (Score 2) 246

Interestingly enough, this benefit of the Raspberry Pi (of being so widespread and having side benefits that result from this) is precisely the reason why Windows still reins in the desktop world and why Linux still hasn't and will likely never make much impact.

Using the most widely available version of a particular product in its field (Windows, iPhone, Raspberry Pi) provides the maximum level of support and shouldn't be ignored as a benefit. Doesn't mean the alternatives aren't useful either - sometimes they're better in fact, for various situations. But you don't always need the "best" - often it's better to stick with what everyone else uses, so you can lean on them when necessary.

Comment Re:posted a bunch of magic tricks (Score 0) 309

It's amazing how much trolling there is over a fucking games console though. I understand the psychology of zealously defending something you spend a lot of time and money on (consoles, phones, many things in fact), but this is a sign of weakness and it should be something that we see as a failing, not a virtue, and work to rid ourselves of such behavior. Too many people though do not and ruin gaming forums as a result.

Comment Re:As a mechanical engineer... (Score 1) 152

You have an interesting point and I've been feeling the same way for some time. I've been feeling less and less satisfied with just consuming content that others have made and have been taking steps towards creating my own stuff. Right now that's just some hobby coding for a new project, but I have to say it's INCREDIBLY satisfying once you get going.

But... as you said, you need to be motivated. The first step is finding out how to become motivated. Creating something requires far more effort than just consuming something made by someone else, and so it's hardly surprising we are a culture of consumers. Being the time-poor, tired, overworked people we are, there's little motivation at the end of the day to expend effort on a task that may or may not even produce something good at the end. In my case, the allure of gaming made working on my own projects not even an option, because it's easier to chill and play.

However, even if my current project doesn't pan out, the journey is satisfying enough. And I think it's important to know that a balance can be achieved between creating and consuming. All-consuming, barely any creating (except perhaps the mandated stuff for work) eventually pushed me towards a better, healthier outcome.
