trelane

Famously, the Linux kernel does not have a stable ABI for drivers. As a result, by far the majority of drivers are in-tree, maintained by the kernel folks as part of the kernel.

The Linux approach has the downside of not having the drivers if a vendor has not been working with the kernel community before launch (or for those who haven't upgraded to a kernel that has the driver, e.g. a LTS release).

On the other hand, the driver is maintained by kernel developers, not created by the hardware developer who is not getting paid after they sell the device. This helps avoid abandoned / vulnerable drivers, or having the hardware dev search for... alternative revenue streams, as in this case.

You do have to install Linux yourself though.

I said "for Linux" for a reason

And shipping with Linux installed.

The parent was speaking in absolutes, that beyond just didn't work for anybody. A handful of examples is more than sufficient to disprove it.

On the other hand, you're arguing that the majority didn't buy it again. I've not seen any proof one way or the other. Do you have some?

This is (one of) the downsides of Windows' vendor-provided driver system. Compared to Linux's FOSS-centered system.

When folks ask "Why doesn't Linux have a stable binary DDK API" this is one of the inevitable downsides of having it.

compromises were such that you really wouldn’t want to buy another netbook if you could.

This is directly contradicted by the existence of Netbook fans.

Netbooks didn’t need Microsoft’s help in dying.

Amazing how many of Microsoft's competitors don't need the help, yet receive it.

Nobody bought more than one of them, the experience was that bad.

https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/netbook-sales-exploded-i...

"The market for small and cheap laptops -- netbooks -- boomed in 2008, with almost 15 million of the things sold globally."

On the contrary, they were incredibly popular.

What's the meaningful difference between a netbook and a modern 11-inch laptop?

Being cheap, commonly available, and shipping with Linux come readily to mind.

I really miss netbooks. They were an amazing moment for Linux. No surprise Microsoft killed them.

Maybe 2027 will finally be the Year of Apple on the Desktop!

Holding it on your hand is insufficient. Using it may require an external server or certain chosen proprietary software that could be taken from you at any time or itself requiring an external server.

The bits you want to own must be entirely self-contained, and able to be screwed using whatever software you may choose, especially open source (though if the format is fully documented so that anyone can create and distribute a viewer, the software need not be open source.)

See also, The Right to Read. https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.en.html

The only difference between those files and, say, a DVD, is that the encoding is more space-efficient.

Also that it's (depending on the format) perhaps not illegal to use the content in the file wit any viewer you choose.

Or praying silently to yourself in a No Praying Zone!

I suppose the bulb could get hot enough to burn the media storing the books.

My favorite teacher strike was when the teachers stopped doing work when they weren't being paid. The district quickly caved.

is there shortage of teachers in USA?

No, there is a steady stream of teachers being fed into the maw of public education. The pay is low and job security is terrible until you get tenure. My wife was a teacher; I have heard horror stories.

You get paid based on a combination of how much money you earn your employer and how easy you are to replace. Schools get paid by taxes, and there are a ton of them produced every year. So, the pay is abysmal.

unwillingness to fund education.

"The United States spent $15,500 per FTE student at the elementary/secondary level, which was 38 percent higher than the average of OECD countries3 reporting data ($11,300). The United States had the fifth highest expenditures per FTE student at the elementary/secondary level in 2019 after Luxembourg, Norway ($18,000), and Austria and the Republic of Korea ($15,900 each)."

Source: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cmd/education-exp...

It's literally less traumatic for a child to be in an active war zone than to be separated from their parents.

Unless they happen to go to war themselves, vanquishing an evil queen with the help of a lion and becoming kings and queens, and reigning for a long while themselves.

Those kids seem to mostly turn out alright. Small sample size though.

Yeah, but if I’m not customizing it, Linux is just worse in every way

I strongly disagree.

You can customize Linux, but that's not its only benefit.

If you are going to do that why not just buy a Mac

Because I don't want iOS. I want Linux.

If you ban loud bass I don't think I'd mind

Not sure what you mean. I've been to many lakes and have yet to hear any bass.

I don’t have time to futz around installing Linux distros instead of getting laid like I did as a teenager

Good news! These days, you can just buy a computer with Linux preinstalled, with support!

Just leave the distro it shipped with alone and live your life.

Ah, dang. Thanks for responding anyway!

Fascinating! Only tangentially related: I've definitely heard of PMMA, and didn't realize it was plexiglass! It's used regularly in semiconductor fabrication. https://kayakuam.com/product/structsure/pmma-positive-resist...

(also waaaay down on the list of uses at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poly(methyl_methacrylate) but I thought that first link was clearer. Look for "In semiconductor research and industry, PMMA aids as a resist in the electron beam lithography process.")

Where is your thesis available?

Or the soviets did to believers, for that matter

should open their eyes to the world around them

Amazingly brazen assumption right there.

That is a lot of words for "my negative steroetypes about you and your country are fine, actually. Don't take it personally, bro. Maybe you're one of the few good ones!"

Most of HN readers/writers are American, of course they won't do anything unless they personally profit off it, the entire culture is built around this mindset

American culture is highly varied. For some this is true, for others this is wrong and highly insulting.

Maybe try a narrower brush next time.

someone has to pay for administrators

Turns out, this is also research grant money. Half or more of every grant usually goes straight to the university.as "overhead."

The universities could change this so more finding went to researchers, but they have zero incentive to.

For women: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0d59e7wjlo