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Not enough money to switch to Mac...
So I started computing with a TI 99 Computing. (It Played some games, and I learned to program in Basic, I didn't have any way to save my programs)
Then I switch to an Amstrad 8086 PC, with DOS and GEM Desktop. (I consider it my first real computer.) I collected a lot of DOS apps made some fun little programs
Then I got a 486dx with MS DOS and Windows 3.1 Where I played my DOS Games and some new stuff and it had a modem to dial into BBS's. After a bit I switched from Windows to Desqview because it multi-tasked better... Then I got Linux Slackware which Multi-tasked a lot better. I switched mostly because I was under the impression that I needed to use a system the the real pro's were using and Linux was a Free (as in beer) Unix with all the features of an OS costing thousands of dollars appealed to me. I kept duel boot for when I wanted to play games. Messed around with DOS Emu and a bunch of other stuff.
Then I got my Duel CPU Pentium 200. I stayed mostly with Linux, I flirted with FreeBSD and BeOS but went back to Linux. Back then I was a big Open Source Zealot. After a while the reason why I liked Linux wasn't because of the Open Source it was because I just liked the Command line interface and Linux and Unix has a robust command line interface that allows me to do a lot.
Then I got a SUN Ultra 10. I was use to installing software via Make Clean, Make, Make Install (I liked doing it as separate commands ) So going to a full Unix system was the next step. Going to the Solaris on the Sun, I found out in Linux I was doing a lot of fighting with the OS to get the hardware to work that Solaris seems to do nicely.
Next up was a Power Book. Mostly because I wanted a Laptop and OS X was Unix based so it seemed like a good choice. Then my eyes were opened to what a modern UI and system can do. It made me realize a lot of the stuff in Unix systems are decades out of date and they didn't realize it. Sure at first I was reluctant and the UI bothered me and I have messed up the system fairly bad because I wasn't doing things the easy way. But after I learned about how the UI works I got use to it, and began to understand and really like it. OS X isn't about eye candy every element and effect had a point (Unlike kSmile or xSnow).
Then I got a Mac Book Pro I still couldn't bring myself to a windows box and I had baught Photoshop for the Mac so I figured Ill just stay with a Mac.
Now during this time Have been using Windows on everyone else computer and at work. I know how to use well Windows 3.1, 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, 2003, 2008, VISTA, and 7.
And now I am under the impression why are people still using Windows it is because there is no compelling reason to switch. Whatever platform you currently have and invested time in is probably good enough for you and switching isn't going to solve that many more problems.
Windows 7 is solid and has a good UI, OS/X is solid and has a good UI, Ubuntu is solid and has a Good UI. What am I going to gain from switching, not too much. Just trying to find alternatives to the software I liked.
Actually, I think I've got at least one pretty compelling reason to switch, which has to do with reinstallation. Occasionally Windows needs to be reinstalled due to either infection, registry corruption, or other software/hardware issues. This gets into some really interesting problems, because in order to reinstall Windows, you need:
A) A Windows CD that matches the license key given to the machine. This isn't as simple as it sounds, because license keys are tied to build version, not just the Windows version. So it's not enough to have a copy of "Windows XP Home" if that's what's on the box.
B) Device drivers for Windows for the machine, either via downloads from the manufacturer or from a motherboard CD. End-users typically either forget where this CD is, don't know they ever had it, or were never given it in the first place. "What would I need that for?"
C) Backups? "Oh, yeah, that. No, I don't have a rolling backup of the machine. Can't you just back up the files before reinstalling Windows?" Except on Windows machines, the user's files can be all over the place. If the computer technician is lucky maybe the user only used their home directory, but in practice this is often not the case.
D) It's common on Windows machines to have commercial software installed that the end user doesn't have license keys or reinstallation disks for. So the user doesn't want their machine reinstalled unless it's absolutely necessary.
The end result is that it's often a painful, long process to reinstall a Windows box. You need to prepare by downloading the necessary drivers and have them on hand, get a license for the correct version of Windows -- and that's assuming the version of Windows is supported on the hardware -- and then spend hours doing the install and going through multiple reboots to add drivers, and then lots more reboots that come along with doing Windows updates.
Let's contrast this with installing a Linux distribution -- for argument's sake let's say it's Debian Stable, and go down the same list:
A) Assuming a fast internet connection is available, download and burn the latest netinstall.iso. No license key issue.
B) Generally speaking (although there are exceptions), no special drivers are necessary to do the installation. [Brand new hardware may not be fully supported, so there can occasionally be issues with missing disk drive interface drivers or network drivers. These occasional issues can be tricky to work around.]
C) User files go in
D) Most people only need software within the Debian tree, so even there there's no software disks to find, and no license keys to look for. [The exceptions are for commercial software, but usually the list of this software if there is any at all is small by comparison to most Windows machines.]
The end result is that reinstalling Debian can be finished much faster than for Windows, and without lots of reboots.
However, this seems to be forgotten most of the time, because *nix free software distributions generally don't need reinstallation in the first place.
So looking at it that way, there's a major benefit of getting off of Windows, if possible.
This is actually more a profound statement than most would think......
With OSX, you have *nix level CLI tools such as bash (yes, its a shell, I know), grep, cat, vim, awk, pwd, who, ls, etc..etc.. WITH Microsoft branded applications like Office.
OpenOffice is great, but in a Windows environment, Outlook is KING, and there is no open-source equivalent.
I am speaking as someone who now runs OSX on the desktop (company provided) supporting Sun and Linux Servers, and running Win7 at home.
I do believe it would be beneficial for Apple to adopt a traditional key-mapping, though.
Adobe software and games - that's about it.
Sadly Gimp is no replacement for Photoshop at this point.
Just games. I don't know much about Adobe software, but there's plenty available for Mac. For games, however, Windows is still the leading platform.
Similarly, I dual boot, the only time I boot Windows is to play some Windows only games and I don't do that very often. I spend more time playing games on the console than I do on Windows now. I've found that computer games have become much less compelling, and that many of the games I might want to play on the PC have console ports. The gamin companies I used to respect have mostly been bought and sold and are now soulless shells of their former selves.
I find GIMP is easier for me to use than Photoshop, but that may be because I never learned "the Photoshop way" of doing things. So really, nothing is keeping me on Windows, I just keep a copy around because it came with my computer and I may occasionally want to use it for something.
Ditto. I switched to console gaming a few years ago because I really couldn't be bothered with Windows at home any more.
Recently though I've decided that there are a few games worth playing on PC. WINE still isn't really perfect, but I can use Windows as a base OS and run Linux VMs inside of it, so I get the best of both worlds without having to dual boot.
At work, I've been running Linux as a base OS with occasional use of a Windows VM when necessary.
Couple of things off the top of my head which Windows still would do better in an ideal world:
Yep. Seconded. Thanks to Microsoft's proprietary DirectX, almost no new game runs worth a damn in wine vs windows. If it wasn't for that, I'd have no reason to use windows.
Eh, I do a pretty fair amount of stuff with GIMP and Inkscape. Photoshop definitely has its pluses and if it were open source there'd be no reason not to switch, but it sure as heck isn't worth what they ask for it unless you're making money off it, that's for sure. Even if I WAS running Windows I'd still be using the free stuff.
In my world the only thing missing on Linux at this point is
Clearly though application availability is Linux's desktop achille's heel, as ever. In any way you can measure my system runs better, is more stable, and more secure than what I see people running with either OSX or Windows.
7 is at least two orders of magnitude better than the 9x series, and one above 2k and early XP... I'll agree.
But I've still seen it bluescreen. Or redscreen. Sure it may be bad drivers, but the fact they can *still* cause problems is not a good thing.
I keep win 7 around for games but for anything else I get frustrated at the lack of tools and useful software available at the click of a button, something I've got used to with Linux.
But I've still seen it bluescreen. Or redscreen. Sure it may be bad drivers, but the fact they can *still* cause problems is not a good thing.
Not me. Never. And if you have, I suspect you're talking about the x86 version with someone's ancient drivers. It's only true that they *still* cause problems if you *still* keep trying to jam those drivers in where they don't belong. You can't do it on the x64 version, which requires code-signed drivers, and is the version that ships with pretty much all new hardware these days.
I use Linux exclusively at home. At work, they give me a laptop installed with the company default stuff. I could switch to Linux if I wanted to, but then, every time ANY thing went wrong, I'd be blamed for it, because I had gone off the "standard" and used "weird" software.
Don't underestimate the power of the Microsoft drones.
I quite like the outside view it offers me. Plus it lets some light in. More people should have windows installed.
When I game, I don't want to have to mess around with drivers/tuning/performance/etc. That's my relaxation time, and running (for example) Diablo 3 -> DX11 -> Windows 7 x64 -> solid graphics card(s) is really the only solution.
yeah, same here, with sleep, every time I sleep I realize I could do something productive.
or same with spending time with other people, I could be doing something productive then.
Same with being on slashdot discussing why I am on linux rather then on windows. I could do something productive instead of that.
For me, spending time with people and sleeping is actually productive
And spending time with your spouse can be reproductive.
Gaming is the reasing I actually stick with Linux. Everytime I was gaming, I realized that I wasted my time instead of doing something productive. With non Win/Mac-OSes I'm very limted with this and won't be tempted.
Your priorities are screwed up. You do productive stuff in order to get money in order to do things that are completely unproductive but make you happy. Ideally, you wouldn't do anything productive at all, and you'd spend all your time doing entertaining things with your family and friends (and by yourself, because honestly, we all need a break from people).
But ideally all of us would find at least one pet project that we devote some of our free time to - soup kitchens, political lobbying (for a worthy cause), volunteer work at a school, volunteer work at a library, mentoring kids, contributing to Wikipedia and similar projects, maintaining a historical monument, improving energy efficiency, or writing free software.
If doing those things make you happy, and it does to most people, then by all means. You don't do them because they're "productive" activities, though. You do them because you get enjoyment out of them.
The point I was trying to make is that a worthwhile activity is not determined by a measure of how much you got done, but rather by a measure of whether you enjoyed yourself while doing it. Don't go volunteer to mentor kids if you hate kids just because you think the world is in need of mentors. Go volunteer to mentor kids if you enjoy spending time with them. Similarly, don't decide you shouldn't play games because "nothing was accomplished" while you were gaming. If you enjoyed your time playing, it was time well-spent.
This. Absolutely and definitely this. And nothing will dislodge Windows from absolute dominance in the desktop market until something happens to change the fact that "computer gaming" basically means "Windows gaming".
This is why it's always surprised me that MS pushed into console gaming. People keep Windows on their home PC because they and/or their kids use it for games. Dual-booting is possible, but is more of a pain in the backside than most people are prepared to countenance. Because of this, we have a general population which knows how to use and is comfortable with Windows - but not other desktop OSes.
And because of this, businesses and public sector employers know that if they run Windows on their office desktops, they can assume that 95% of new employees will know how to do at least the basics - move files around, use Word and Powerpoint and so on. This is a huge saving in terms of staff training. This virtuous circle - which is rarely remarked upon - is, I suspect, a big part of the reason why Windows has proved basically impossible to dislodge from the desktop market over the last couple of decades. As I said before, I'm just surprised that MS don't seem to realise this themselves - if they did, I can't believe they'd jeopardise it by pushing so heavily at a competing console gaming platform (and I say this as a perfectly contended Xbox 360 owner).
Oh, and by "games", I mean proper, big budget commercial games. Call of Duty, Mass Effect, Skyrim, that kind of thing - not a bunch of low budget indie roguelikes and puzzlers - if you're pointing at the presence of those as a reason why another OS is competitive in gaming terms, then I suggest you pay reality a visit once in a while. I also mean "being able to play it on the day it's released", not "somebody will have a hack to get it working in a month or two". My view - until there's another desktop platform that can offer the above, Windows will never suffer any kind of serious challenge to its desktop dominance - and given the number of games that depend on directx, I can't see that happening any time soon.
Cloud gaming services? Maybe they'll be what tips it. But I've yet to be convinced.
Call of Duty, Mas Effect or Skyrim aren't the big PC pushers. Most of those AAA games have been targeted at consoles first and foremost for a while now, with the PC getting mediocre to acceptable ports (with a few notable exceptions) of them.
There are very few developers who consider the PC their primary platform, and the real reason PC gaming is still popular isn't what it was 10 years ago.
On one hand, you have the "big gaming" with the last entrenched PC devs/publishers: Valve, Blizzard, Paradox, CD Projekt, etc. More and more of these games are distributed through the likes of Steam, GOG.com, Gamersgate, Impulse, Greenmangaming, etc. THIS is where a lot of the strength of PC is found; DD on PC is much better, much more varied, and often insanely cheaper. Pricing on PC games is lower at launch and goes down faster than on consoles, to the extent that unless the PC port is absolutely terrible or the game is unsuitable to the PC, it's often better to wait a few months and get it on PC for 50% off while it's still full price on console for the next three years.
On the other hand, you have "social" gaming. This means both MMOs and Facebook. These two things make up an extremely large amount of gamers who plain and simply cannot play on consoles. The Xbox 360's online architecture prevents most MMOs from operating and Sony's lackluster infrastructure means they tend to avoid the PS3. This leaves the PC for all MMOs, of which there are now hundreds. The elephant in the room, WoW, is still grossing millions every month, despite a decrease in subscribers. Then you have Facebook, whose gaming platform has created tens of millions of "casual gamers". They likely never will move from Farmville, but they're still gaming on PC and often spending money on the platform.
Facebook is currently the sole thing easily transfered to another OS since it does not rely on DirectX. Anything else will be hard work. I also dearly hope that cloud gaming like OnLive and Gaikai fail miserably. If people complain about Ubisoft's DRM now, I don't know what they'll do about how restrictive cloud gaming is...
i think it is because humans still combine "gaming" with "kids" and dont take it seriously. which is simply not the truth about games.
you need games in your daily life, since this is the major way to learn and train intelligence (not knowledge). because of our society marking you as "adult" if you reach a certain age, part of this "maturity" is to stop gaming, or at least, hide your gaming habits or even repress them until they express themselves as perversions (like playing games with people).
microsoft is a business company. it evolved in the era of humankind, where serious business evolved into a fantastic myth of adults doing hard and serious stuff and only being a serious managing adult mature business man in a suit and a thousand certificates can be trusted upon, while a playful (childish) person might not be trustworthy. while daily life tells us, actually its the other way round most of the time.
it is this image, which not only haunts microsoft, but currently the whole western civilization. there are lots of other hints about this actually, if you study history, the "cultivation" of the "adult" myth even leads to great misconceptions about children per se, or how we perceive the past, and leads to major crisis in a lot of people's lives, who stay juvenile the rest of their lives (because the juvenile person is the one who tries to negate his childhood)
i could go on and on about this topic, since it even hits deep foundations of christian and jewish faith ("respect your elders" e.g. as a commandment was actually meant for adults, to respect old people because "if you want your days to grow long" means, you should treat an elder person, like you want to be treated if YOUR days get long),...
people are children. and people take the easy route. also, those who really taught the adults how to use computers, actually were their children most of the time.
to realize, your platform is actually successful because it is mostly used for gaming, well, that would conclude not only a lot of things about your customers, your product, but also about yourself.
Since the most powerful people on earth are usually not the most intelligent or reflected ones, even if they think they are, I dont think, this will ever be widely discovered, I rather think, somebody comes along and proves another wild theory which does not involve confessing that actually everybody is just a big child out there, cultivated thru a harsh millenia old society of distrust, and explain, that in reality, windows conquered the market because of stuff like "office", or because of piratery, which may be cofactors, but the reason why you pirated DOS or windoze back in the days, were still games, and they were better than the AMIGA or C64 stuff, so yeah, you started using IBM machines to play civ, bubble bobble or prince of persia.
the games on mac sucked, they had to turn their whole OS into a game to reconquer the market.
so. if you know, its gaming, which makes you use windows, at least you can conclude, being mature does not mean to stop being the child you once were inside, but rather taking responsibility for yourself.
I like PC gaming far more than console gaming for many reasons, and Windows is the platform for that.
Another big thing that rules Linux out for me is media. I mess around with media creation a whole lot and the tools I've been shown on Linux are extremely poor at best and usually abysmal. They are free to be sure, but I'll drop a couple hundred dollars to have stuff that works well, sounds good, and so on. I've seen nothing that even comes close to the software and samples available for Windows (and Mac too).
Finally it is just the ability to get shit to work. Perhaps it is just because I've done more support on Windows but I find it is much easier for me to solve problems on. I have trouble getting Linux to do many of the things I want and I also seem to have a talent for finding near unsolvable problems in Linux quickly (like I ask experts to help me and they end up saying "I dunno"). Computer support is my profession so at home I want them to "just work". For me, I find Windows does that. It has few problems and when it does have one, I find it easy to fix.
Plus the only real reason to switch would be lower cost, which isn't very much for me. I'm willing to pay to have things I want. I'm a pragmatist, not an idealist, I won't use Linux for idealistic reasons, only practical ones. Thus I'd have to see a way that it is at least as good as what I have now, and probably better since there is just the inertia of why change what works.
For quite some time Radeon was actually quite stable and useful under linux, but after some kernel changes and a decision not to update old drivers from ATI, I can no longer use "latest and greatest" linux.
Windows on the other hand, works just fine.
Also, a lot of windows tools are vastly superior to the Linux alternatives, for instance IntelliJ vs. Eclipse. (Yes intelliJ costs money, but compared to the hassle of Eclipse you are saving money in the long run).
Gaming under WINE still lacks as far as I can tell, I know some of my friends manage to play EVE under WINE, but they often complain about problems; in windows, it just works [tm].
Why you would want to pull a windows=intellij vs linux=eclipse stunt, when it is trivial to see that both are available for both platforms is beyond me.
Shame as the rest of you argument is valid. I myself migrated back to windows mostly for lightroom and for lack of expendable money to spend on a mac
Modern Warfare 3.
Heck, Steam in general.
(And yes, I know there are hacks, but Windows Just Works for me. I can't think of a good reason to switch.)
You want Steam's catalogue on Linux and that's a different thing. Getting Steam on Linux wouldn't be all that hard. As Valve demonstrated recently, they can port it if they want to when they ported it to Mac. However all that would do is get you the tiny library of Linux titles on Steam. What you want is all those Windows games. Unfortunately that is a completely different thing. You'd need all the developers to port all the games and that isn't happening.
Remember: Steam is just a distribution service. It just lets people sell their games in an easy way (also gives them free DRM to use). It doesn't have anything to do with development or porting. That is still 100% on the developer.
Games. And sometimes, random apps that don't want to work well in Wine.
Also, I honestly don't mind using Windows. I'll just work with whatever OS I happen to be in. I dual boot, so I will occasionally reboot my system as the urge to do something that works better in the other OS grows (Windows for playing games, Linux for developing stuff).
Skyrim. As good as Wine and Transgaming are doing, until I can play a new release on the day it comes out, I will continue to need a Windows machine for the most important thing computers do (gaming).
OTOH, my employers keep the terminals on Windows for proprietary network monitoring software that doesn't run correctly in a virtual environment (even though we have one program that has to be run in the virtual XP mode since it is so old!)
As a user:
1) It works. Pretty well.
2) It's supported by 99% of software makers
3) It works. Pretty well.
As an administrator:
1) Active Directory
2) It works. Pretty well.
3) Active Directory
Very true on the admin side. I have found nothing nearly as easy to setup and use as AD. We were a novell and linux shop that just moved to AD. We never had a windows server before about 6 months ago. I was very impressed by how easy it was to get setup and migrated. I'm kinda starting to become a little bit of a MS fan.
$349 Win7 laptop + $99 Office 2010 and you're good to go.
Currently, everything I need to do for work, home, or anywhere else runs on windows just fine. Additionally, most any program that I want to use is primarily supported on windows, and only marginally supported on Mac or Linux distros. So, put simply, the other operating systems either 1) don't do what I need to, or 2) don't have the support for what I need to run.
And sure, from the work perspective, we MIGHT be able to use other programs, but that requires going through a complete Verification and Validation of the software, which takes more time and money than it's worth. Especially if the software is written by volunteers, we can't necessarily get support quickly or hold people accountable for issues as they arise. The medical field (where I work) requires too high of reliability to simply switch for the sake of switching, there needs to be a measurable and tangible benefit.
I suppose learning the nuances of new programs is somewhat of a trivial reason to stay with what I'm using, but I'd rather continue being productive with what I'm familiar with than spend days learning the new programs simply for the sake of learning them. And yes, I have tried venturing out into the Ubuntu and Open Source realms.
Why would i switch?
Windows 7 hasn't crashed on me a single time. It's fast, it uses my SSD drive and memory well.
Every application i want to run, and might want to run in the future just works.
Device drivers are plentiful, i won't have to choose devices according to Linux support.
I'll need the same antivirus etc for linux as well.
My laptops also run Windows, the hibernate, the wifi, gps, 3g all work out of the box.
I'm happy to pay 100 euros for a working product.
Why would i switch to Linux? I ran Linux only on all my computers for about 3-5 years before getting a new computer and going Windows.
And you know what? I've had a lot less problems with Windows than what i had with Linux..
I was on Mac (2001-2008, then Linux (2008-2010), but then my linux buddy switched back to Windows 7. I was skeptical at first, but his glowing reviews that "everything just worked on the desktop - graphics card, drivers, audio, sleep/restore, etc every time. No more configuring random crap to try and get it to work until a real patch was released. He and I still deploy Linux for work servers, but on day to day desktop, I've seen the light, and it's Windows 7. I installed Win7 in ~Sept 2010 and haven't had any configuration problems since then. It's super speedy and all my games work with it.
Coding is a bit of an issue on Windows, but Python, Ruby and Java are easy enough to develop on the Windows platform these days. Between CoreFTP, WinSCP, Putty and the other various tools, Windows is extremely functional for day to day power users. Linux had started getting an edge over XP, but Win7 is just so easy to use, it's really difficult to switch back to tinkering with things 2-3 times a week with Linux. OEM copies of Win7 are often $100 on NewEgg - when I think about it, $100 is well worth me not spending 10-20 hours a year configuring and tweaking my OS to keep it running in top shape.
I dearly want to love Ubuntu on the desktop, but after 9.10 they switched to Unity and it makes me sick to my stomach to use that crap interface. Gnome 2 was rock solid and a very functional interface. I might look at Ubuntu again once they solve all the problems with Unity, or Gnome3 is fully usable. Wine is top notch these days and handles 95% of my windows needs.... but for $100, Windows7 is just less of a hassle to deal with right now.
I was on Mac (2001-2008, then Linux (2008-2010), but then my linux buddy switched back to Windows 7. I was skeptical at first, but his glowing reviews that "everything just worked on the desktop - graphics card, drivers, audio, sleep/restore, etc every time. No more configuring random crap to try and get it to work until a real patch was released. He and I still deploy Linux for work servers, but on day to day desktop, I've seen the light, and it's Windows 7. I installed Win7 in ~Sept 2010 and haven't had any configuration problems since then. It's super speedy and all my games work with it.
Similar is my story: I was a Linux user for almost 10 years, but then sometime after Win7 was released I finally got tired with the constant need to fix or tweak this or that to keep things working and tried Win7. Haven't looked back since, 7 just works and it works well. Not to mention that I can actually use all the features my hardware supports whereas I'd be missing some very important features if I went back to Linux. I only use it on my server where it works fine.
Sure, I am an F/OSS supporter and I really do wish F/OSS philosophy was even more widespread than it already is, but.. well, I don't want to constantly have to fix things getting broken and I want to be able to fully utilize whatever hardware I have and Linux just doesn't fit the bill.
Pretty much matches my experience. The Windows 7 experience is so good, I have no real desire to spend a lot of time making something else work. Additionally my experience with desktop Linux, even Ubuntu has been no where as good as Windows 7.
"Options for word processing, spreadsheets, etc. have grown. "
Not quite true.
For simple things, yes, LibreOffice works great, but, in most cases, you can not change the MSExcel to a economist.
Also, In my personal experience, MSVisio is a must have, and there is not a real replacement. In fact, there is not any alternative at all if you receive visio files. You can even open them to look at them.
At home (suft the web mostly) I use Ubuntu. Perfect.
At work, I have a Mac and I love it, but I sill have to run XP in VBox just to run Visio.
I really like visio as well. But on Mac I use graffle [omnigroup.com], and also about a decade I used concept draw [conceptdraw.com] which at the time was more full featured than Visio (!). If you are a Mac guy might be worth taking a look.
Programs, or apps as the kids say. There are people I work with that require software that is unavailable on Linux. Or what is available on Linux isn't sufficient.
I use a custom made program for work that only runs on Windows.
I use a service that requires what I send them to be in MS Publisher format. (And even if they didn't the closest to Publisher on Linux is Scribus but it lacks mail merge which I require.)
And for work I use Skype a lot. The Linux version is old and doesn't support a number of features I use regularly. I'm on my linux machine most of the day so I have Skype running on it for chat and single person voice but when I need to do group stuff, I have to switch over to my Windows machine and run skype there. I don't foresee Microsoft pouring a lot of effort into the Linux Skype client any time in the near future.
I think those 3 things are all that's left. I don't mind it though. I spend 90% of my time on my Linux machines and hop over to Windows as required. It's not a big deal. My normal work day I use 3 machines, two running Fedora and one running Windows 7. I have synergy to share a keyboard/mouse between them and I don't have a hard time doing what I want. When I travel I often only have the Windows machine as it's the smallest and has the best battery life. But I don't do a lot of heavy work on the road either. Mostly presentations, email, etc. If I knew ahead of time I would want to really do a lot of work somewhere else, I'd bring the Linux laptop instead.
I pretty much use Mac (client) and Linux (server) for everything.
But I still use Windows because there are some specific, very useful apps, that are Windows native, so I run them on a PC or on Parallels. Yes, there are web-based alternatives, but, to be honest, they suck to use - the web app UIs are clunky and slow compared to a native app. In the long run, I hope that web based alternatives surpass the native Windows apps, but right now it's more important that I be able to work efficiently than be cross-platform. Parallels is cheap and works fine, so I can run Windows apps on my Mac and they nearly feel like native apps.
Yeah, it's puzzling the way the contributor has posed the question. It's phrased like, of course, everyone would like to dump Windows and move to Linux, but something is stopping them, damn it!
This is a false premise.
Windows does what I need. It is what I'm most used to. I can be reasonably assured that for every computing need I have, there's a Window based solution for it. Linux is a excellent server environment, but is still a long behind Windows in providing what I require from a desktop computer. Too many of its fringe applications and products suck big time, either in functionality, usability or stability. It would simply be giving me extra work and hassle to change to Linux, now and for all the foreseeable future. So why on earth would I want to do that?
I am not financially strapped, nor am I fanatical masochist who will never, ever use propriety software, even if my life depended on it. So whether it is open source or free does determine my choice of OS or software. I try to pick what's best for the job.
Talk of Wine and other compatibility products is foolishness. Why would I want something that's kind of sort of like Windows, sometimes, when I can have the actual Windows. I don't want to spend any of my time struggling to get a Windows application functioning correctly on not-Windows.
At work - my boss, and MS Exchange. The MS Exchange thing can be solved technically, but the "boss" part of the equation can't.
At home - some games, slightly better support of unusual video formats. But I'm semi-switched already, and run Linux regularly on both my primary desktop and my netbook.
People use computers to solve problems and in many cases to make money. When taken as an entire ecosystem, the Windows Server environment is reasonably priced for the value it offers. Once you get past acquisition cost differences, the included network management tool exceed those available for Linux, and when you factor in the purchase price of Linux management tool the price differential tilts towards Windows in many cases.
The much discussed 'Windows Tax' on computers amounts to about $30-40/year, and for that a home computer user gets a computer running the most popular operating system in the world (by a wide margin), ready access to a large number of pro bono support people (relatives, co-workers, neighbors), they can run almost anything on the shelf at GameStop, best buy, or other retailer, and their computer hardware purchases are typically priced lower than comparable Apple offerings. And bespoke Linux hardware/software offerings (PCs w/ Linux pre-installed typically aren't cheaper than systems on sale at Dell, Best Buy, etc.
Linux is phenomenal at certain tasks, but those tasks represent a small portion of the installed computer base - web & file servers aren't ubiquitous (yet), so it is no surprise that the OS with the largest paid & unpaid support infrastructure, widest support OS application software, and lowest hardware prices is still dominant.
Back with Windows 3.1 went to Windows 95, I went from Windows 3.1 to Linux.
Most say they are on windows for the games well, I have a PS2, PS3, Wii, and Xbox360 for games. Less hassles and plays on the big screen.
Ill admit that I was a VERY early adopter of Linux and I have never regretted it. It has been a struggle at times, but well worth it.
early adopter of Linux and I have never regretted it. It has been a struggle at times, but well worth it.
Me too. But man, it's still a struggle actually. I bought a new laptop and installed Ubuntu. Of course, sleep/wakeup doesn't work (just crashes the laptop). But I like the fights, the struggle!
Like you, I suffer from Stockholm Syndrome. I tell Linux, "come here baby". Then she smiles and sits on my lap, looks me in the eye and then slaps me in the face. She says, hand raised again: "you like that, huh bitch?" Teary-eyed, I stammer, "yes, Linux, I like that." Then she slaps me again, two or three times, while saying: "What about this?" *slaps* "And this, you goddamn pussy!"
And then Ubuntu upgrades the kernel, and my WiFi no longer works. The pain is now in a whole new dimension. But as you said, it's a struggle, but it's worth it.
Like you, I suffer from Stockholm Syndrome.
Nuh uh. Stockholm Syndrome is when an abducted person feels sympathy for their captor. You're describing simple masochism. Weirdo.
Billing people who use products that only run on Windows. It may not be the best rate, but it is consistent and in my industry the people who build the products have no interest in moving off Windows.
MS Office is the defacto standard. I need it to inter-operate in my workplace.
Despite all the progress made by AbiWord and even LibreOffice they're still not good enough at interoperability.
On the other hand http://abicollab.net/ [abicollab.net] offers a different and genuine way around it. Once you do real real-time collaboration in the cloud, emailing MS Office docs around seems pretty stupid.
(Disclaimer AbiWord and http://abicollab.net/ [abicollab.net] are my babies)
I found out that if you really need to use MS Office, you can just run in on a virtual machine.
If you use seamless mode it works perfectly, and you get the advantages of running a Linux desktop (virtual desktops, for one). Copying text works between systems, and you can configure it so that Windows has read-write access to whatever folders you need on your host computer.
The only issue I have is that I use Alt-F# to move between my virtual desktops, and the virtual machine steals those.
For that reason, I always keep Windows on the 4th desktop, so that I don't press Alt-F4 and close the currently running program.
I used to only use my Windows box to play games. Now the humble bundles have removed that need. I don't play any games on windows anymore.
And yet, I still have to run a windows VM. I own a iPod Nano 6g, can't get RockBox on it, and am stuck using friggin' iTunes. What cripple-ware we put up with -- would it have killed them to let me drop files onto it as a storage device? (I guess it would have, they SO want me to be stuck using iTunes, thinking I'll buy their music. Not a chance, guys -- already got more than I need.) If only someone else would make a small player with a good, solid clip!
Then I could completely ditch Windows.
I'm a mac guy at home, but my employer gives me a PC. Until that changes, I'll keep using Windows...
As windows has matured too, I find that there's nothing I can't be doing in windows 7. It has an uptime longer than I care for, allow me to play any game I wish at full speed and without hassle, allows me to run VMs of linux if I need it, I ssh into my servers, vnc into others or even remote desktop without problems. It has no problem with 3 dell 3007wfp running on 3d accelerated sli-ed video cards (I just stopped trying on linux), the multimedia stack is way better and allows me to play 3d video or games on my hdtv without hassle too, and my sound system is automatically recognized and adjusted.. So, the question should perhaps be, why would we be interested in switching our main computer to linux ?
Seriously, most of the responses are going to be along the same lines: games, work, not on windows. I'd be interested in the numbers.
As for me, personally, I run Win7 at work because I have to, Win7 on the "family" computer because that's where the games are, WinXP on the HTPC because that's what I got to work (after trying Ubuntu, Mythbuntu, Win2k, and Win7), and Debian/Xfce on my personal laptop because the other systems address all of my issues with doing so.
...but what keeps me with Windows is the fact that, in my mind, nearly every important system variable can be accessed via a GUI element that's usually in an obviouis/sane place. Sure, there is the odd occasion where you'll have to dig into the registry, or open the command line, but generally you won't have to.
Linux, on the other hand, necessitates that you drop into a terminal to change some trivial value. Or it'll be stored in a random text file that has its own unique format, which you MUST adhere to or you'll hose the whole system. Sure, you can recover from that and probably a lot easier than recovering a windows installation, but that's not the point.
I would, genuinely, LOVE to switch to Linux. Aside from gaming, I don't have a need to run windows for every day tasks like web browsing, document writing and even development (I do use VS as it's what I do with my day job, but I'm happy enough with Eclipse or Code::Blocks), but the fact that I know how it all works keeps me here. Every time I make the switch to Linux, I always find myself fighting for hours on finding a missing driver, figuring out how to INSTALL that missing driver (assuming it exists) and configuring the system for every day tasks. Not to mention that learning an entirely new UI isn't easy, especially when Linux seems to have at least 5 popular flavours of UI, with people being unable to agree which is "best" or even what "best" is).
Seriously, if someone could make a Linux distro that was Linux in every way, but had the same UI layout as Windows, I'd give it a go. And by UI Layout, I don't just mean looks a bit like windows, I mean it has all the usual options in the same place Windows does. Call it Control Panel, call it Add/Remove Programs, hell call it C:\ drive, do it and I'll switch.
I use Windows 7 at home because I have four monitors. In my attempts to install Linux on my system, I find I'm only able to use one monitor. The docs I've found on line to use multiple monitors are pretty much for a dual monitor setup and not for dual card dual monitor per card setup. So it's a hassle to go through all the work to try to get it working when Windows 7 natively supports four monitors and lets me rotate them to support my layout. One center monitor, one flipped 180 and above it, one to the right rotated 90* and one to the left rotated 270*. So I have a couple of other systems that I can ssh to (cygwin is installed on the windows box) and I have virtualbox where I can startup ubuntu or freebsd when needed.
Shouldn't the question be why should I switch? It works and it's easy to use. It's like asking what would it take me to switch to hopping on one leg while rubbing my belly instead of just walking.
I use Ubuntu at home.
I use Gentoo on a laptop but might change it to Ubuntu.
I use CentOS, RHEL or Solaris on all but 2 servers at work. We need to test our software on windows so we need a couple of machines for that.
Almost everyone at my work uses CentOS on their desktops.
A few finance staff use windows because they need software that only runs on windows. Maybe it would run under wine, we never tried.
Three stubbon office staff insist on windows not linux because they refuse to use anything new. Given the choice I'd fire them. If they won't learn anything new they are a liability to the company.
Windows has already lost as far as I'm concerned. The world is better off without it. Now if only I could buy laptops without paying for a windows license..
Windows is the only platform for which one can reliably download binaries directly from software authors.
On Linux, if you want software, you use apt-get, yum, etc. If the package you want exists in the repository, great. If not, things get tricky. Enter building from source, tracking down dependencies, and praying you get through
Some Mac software is available in binary form in nice DMG images, and when it is, installation is a snap. But these images are still much less ubiquitous than Windows installers, and when they are not available, you're left typing "./configure; make" just like on Linux -- only now with less support.
An advantage to the Windows culture of software distribution is that you can have a relatively unchanging operating system running underneath everything without lagging behind in terms of individual programs. Contrast this with the unpleasant choice you face if you want to run Linux: Choose e.g. Debian Stable, and get new software years after it comes out; or choose e.g. Ubuntu and jump through a distro upgrade (which breaks everything) every year. Ironically, the issue is that, culturally, it's Linux distros that are centralized and Windows that's distributed.
Much of Windows' usability also comes, again perhaps with a bit of irony, from Open Source programs. Right now, I'm running Firefox, Thunderbird, and SMPlayer. For instant messaging, I use Pidgin. For LaTeX, I use MiKTeX (which is the most complete LaTeX distribution I've seen on any platform) and TeXStudio (which is just as good as Kile). I even get bash and ssh from Cygwin. Why do I need Linux when all the best open source programs have easy-to-install Windows binaries?
Long background, short summary: Been fiddling with Linux since 1999-2000, switched to Linux as primary desktop in 2007 and returned to Windows in April last year.
Primary reasons:
1. Applications. Games. The Linux knock-offs - and yes, that's what they mostly are - aren't nearly as good and WINE, Virtualbox is more tedious than just running them under Windows. Too many people with a reality distortion field stronger than Steve Jobs, but of the one man variety.
2. A lot of the open source applications that are actually worth having also exist for Windows, so I didn't actually lose anything much going back. It's more going back to a best of breed-solution than abandoning all open source, as long as I got rid of the sore points.
3. Less hardware/driver/version/plugin/upgrade issues. I sort of hoped the snowball would start rolling but it never really did. When I switched to Linux it was to get away from Vista, but in the years I was on Linux they went from Vista SP0 to Win7 SP1 while my Linux desktop still had glitches.
4. A change of attitude, a bigger interest in just paying my way out of problems. I still think it's fun to tinker with computers but not that kind of tinkering. Now I'm writing more code, not fixing broken systems or tweaking WINE settings.
5. Less ideology. I'm tired of being told I should just accept that it sucks because of $reason. That's an explanation, but it doesn't really change the situation. There's only so long you bother fighting the windmills, particularly when you realize they're not coming down.
If Microsoft pulls another Vista then I wouldn't mind trying again when Win7 is approaching EOL, I'm not in the "never again" category. But I'm on a platform now that works really well, simple as that. I've got no plans to upgrade to Metro or to a Mac or back to Linux any time soon. Testing, switching and getting used to everything has its costs and they're just not worth doing too often.
Houston, Tranquillity Base here. The Eagle has landed. -- Neil Armstrong


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Purchase | Stream on Spotify
In a matter of days, Johnny Gargano came up short of capturing the NXT Tag Team Titles and was eliminated from the Cruiserweight Classic. How is Johnny Wrestling dealing with these setbacks?
If you've ever wanted to learn how to make a child cry, head on over to our partner site (Chuck-Taylor.org) for all the late-breaking news on the sexy Kentucky Gentleman. There, you can catch a glimpse of one of Johnny's most prominent tag team partners in their impressive gallery while keeping up-to-date on Kentucky's finest export!
Have you ever met Johnny Gargano? At a signing, on the street, a show? Nabbed a selfie with him? Maybe taken a photo of him at a show you've attended? Well, we've got a gallery that those photos would look plenty impressive in! If you'd like to donate candids, email at us at firstname.lastname@example.com. Any photos we receive will be posted with full credit to you. Alternatively, find a photo in our gallery that we don't have you credited for? Email us, we'll remedy the situation by attaching the correct credit or removing it entirely. 100% up to you.
Johnny just keeps adding those titles to his waist.
When will you???
At SMASH Wrestling's event 'The Art of War', Johnny finally got what was deserved and he brought gold straight into FOURTH GUNN. Killin' it, dude.
He faced off with longtime friend and foe, Matt Cross, for SMASH Wrestling's championship and came out the victor. We hope he keeps the belt for a long, long time.
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i kind of like get together and jump,though ;)
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i kind of like get together and jump,though ;)
That her song lyrics included the phrase "Let it will be". What the fuck do that mean?!?!? Using 'What it will be" would have worked much better. As in "Just let it be, what it will be" rather than "Just let it be, let it will be." Make more sense, fits rhythmically, and she can still call the song "Let It Be".
Get Together and Jump garbage? I'm Going To Tell You A Secret shouldn't have been released? Ticket prices too high? Go fuck yourself.
Best album : "True Blue" and "Confessions on a Dance Floor" - tie -
Best single : "Erotica"
I think her biggest regret is that commotion over the baby adoption. Poor David. Welcome to the famous world.
"Get Together" and "Jump" are not only the two best songs on the "Confessions" album but two of Madonna's best dance songs of her entire career.
My biggest Madonna regret is that she agreed to compromise her artistic integrity and remove the crucifixation scene from NBC's airing of the "Confessions" tour show. HBO, which has aired three of her past tours, would easily have paid her more money to air the "Confessions" tour intact. I'm not sure why she would even agree to let NBC air her show, given the hardline right-wing mentality of their corporate execs, which goes against everything Madonna believes in politically, philosophically and philanthropically.
There are always discussions about the best madonna song, but wat aboiut the worst!
"I'm Going Bananas" off I'm Breathless has to be her worst song, and
I'd hav to say Crazy for You as her worst single. Dull, boring, and pointless really. she recorded it at a time when she really couldn't sing well and shouldn't hav attempted ballads (not that she can't sing now, she has a beatiful voice now). Likewise This Used to Be My Playground is abit of shocker.
Some of the songs off True Blue like "White Heat" "Love Makes The World Go Round" and "Jimmy, Jimmy" r also irritating.
I have to say American Life.I can't stand that song especially the rap part...noooooo !
I agree, America Life. Good lord, what was she thinking with that rap?
Honestly? I can't listen to anything she did in the 80's. It all sounds like 'nails on the chalkboard' to me now.
Every song except:
I'll Remember
Take A Bow
Don't Cry For Me...
You'll See
She's awful.
Music, Die Another Day, and Hung Up, are the only slightly listenable songs, every blue moon.
I love her, but I don't like Human Nature, Bad Girl and Love Don't Live Here Anymore.
The "i'm breathless" album was pretty hard to listen to. one song that's gotta wacky theme but i like is "supernatural'. she's fucking a ghost in the song?! wonder if that really happened? lol. I actually like all her stuff pretty much. each song reminds me of a time in my life." crazy for you" was one of my 1st 45's. i sat by the tv waiting for 'into the groove" to come on mtv so i could record it off my stereo."causing a commotion" was broadcast live on mtv when i was 14.i was playing baseball outside when 'papa don't preach' priemiered every hour on the hour. i remember watching "vogue' premiere at a gay bar when i was 18. i ran home from school to watch the premiere of 'like a prayer" and bought the tape while on spring break when i was 15. "keep it together" was one of the 1st songs i danced to at a gay bar at 16."spotlight" was playing at a family gathering when i was 14.i mowed a lawn to make money to buy her 1st album when i was like 12 so that i could get "holiday". when i was in college i took the campus bus off campus to buy"erotica" and than took the bus to my bf's dorm to have sex to it. i had sex to "bedtime stories' many,many times.i have other memories but do not wanna bore you all. but madonna holds a special place in my heart. good or bad i could listen to her all day and smile. she's the soundtrack to my life! lol
There is only one that really makes me cringe and that has to be "Hanky Panky", never the less I purchased the 12" picture disc of it - hopefully it will have some value and I can part with it on e-Bay one day:D
Although I buy most of her stuff - the single releases always stand out from the album fillers, especially on "True Blue".
Um, Missy, in my opinion, is an alright rapper, but apparently Madonna didn't learn much from her. But, it's part of why I like American Life as a song. I don't know why I like it, but I do for some reason. Maybe it's the beat. Maybe its laughing at the bad rapping. I don't know, but its on my MP3 player lol
dont know many of her songs but i hate that fucking 'like a virgin' song
I think American Life is a great song. I love almost everything she does... but the few songs I don't like of hers are
* Crazy For You
* Where's The Party
* Over and Over
* Nobody Knows Me
* Shoo Bee Doo
Personally, I loved American Life. Know the rap by heart thank you very much. Took me longer to learn the one in Mother and Father, but whatever.
Hmmm...worse Madonna song. I'm not a big fan of Papa Don't Preach. That's the only one I can think of right now.
That she didn't use any material by her gifted brother-in-law Joe Henry. I'm not really a Madonna fan but it would be interesting to hear a real collaboration between her and Joe.
I know that rap by heart too. LMFAO. Sad. I'm drinkin a soy latte, I get a double shotte, it goes a through my body and you know im satisfied, I drive my mini couper and Im feelin super duper people tell me im a trooper and you know im satisfied, i do yoga and pilates and the room is full of hotties...lmfao ok thats enough
That she chose not to bring her tour to Australia.
There's just so many to choose from...but definately her work off 'Confessiions of a Mediawhore'
*shrugs* I truly think she's overrated. Most of her songs are complete carp imo... she's had a few hits, but so many misses it's a surprise to me that she's still around.
If I had to choose something, probably something FROM the American Life album, though not American Life itself. Maybe "I'm So Stupid" (though there are actually some really good songs on that album too...IMO)
Or possibly from Music, my least favourite album..."Nobody's Perfect".
1. jimmy, jimmy
2. love makes the world go around
3. cry baby
4. over and over
5. keep it together
1. impressive instant
2. live to tell
3. get together
4. x-static process
5. papa don't preach
6. oh, father
7. express yourself
8. love don't live here anyomoret
9. nobodys perfect
10. waiting
The worst Madonna song is better then the best Mariah, Whitney, Christina, Beyonce song...
Umm, personally I think she should have left American Pie alone. Others that have been previously mentioned include Jimmy Jimmy, Love Makes The World Go Around and Die Another Day to name a few.
Oh yeah, what about that song she did with Britney that I don't even know the name to?
Um, he probably meant American PIE...cause you know, she did remake it.
ME AGAINST THE MUSIC was a good song, I thought - I think Madonna should have stayed away from it though because her verse in the end slows the momentum of the song. I like the vocals she did on it, but not the verse.
Remember that show on Mtv called the Mtv Icon? It was done every year and eacht time there was this legendary artist being honored. First it was Janet Jackson, then Aerosmith then Metallica? then the Cure. What the hell happened to that tribute show? it was the best idea ever and I haven't heard anything about it and they didn't do it last year. I always thought Madonna was gonna be next, cuz she's the queen of pop!! Plus her album rwas a hit and it would've been a chance for Mtv to have Christina, Shakira,Britney, Beyoncé, Pink, Gwen Stefani, Fergie, Kelly Clarkson and all those other hot female artists out there singing Madonna's songs.
I'd have Christina singing "Like a prayer", Britney singing "Like a virgin" maybe? What do you think? and do you know what happened to the show?
The janet one was good. Pink's performance was good, her dancing was awsome.
Thye could definotly get gwen as she;s abit of a madonna immitator.
And Madonna really put MTV on the map (so to speak). She was one of the first artists to really understand the concept of Music Television and used it to her advantage. The first MTV Music Awards would never have been remembered had it not been for her live performance of Like a Virgin. She was made for MTV and it was made for her.
Yeah they def need to do one for Madge, EVERYONE would show up for that.
I don't know why they did away with it. Madonna was definitely an MTV Icon of all sorts, but I wonder why they took it away? Maybe low ratings?
I love her effort in making the MTVs livelier and attention grabber - I like what was done with her Like A Virgin, Material Girl, Like A Prayer, Express Yourself, Vogue and more.. the fact that she was not just singing but entertaining the hungry eyes.
I miss the Material Girl MTV. so cool.
Yeah, "Icon" was such good event to watch for those few years they put it on MTV. I still remember Aaliyah introducing Pink, Usher & Mya for Janet's dance homage..........
A Madonna Icon would be incredible!!!!
i remember that madonna was supposed to be the first MTV ICON but she declined.
Madonna is the best selling female artist of all time having sold over 200 million albums. And now her Confessions Tour has set the record for being the top grossing tour by a female artist ever! And to top it off, her televised concert special, "Madonna: The Confessions Tour Live From London will be airing on NBC Wednesday November 22nd here in the United States.
Her Confessions Tour was a 60 show arena tour that took place in North America, Japan and Europe. What was so remarkable about that tour was, all 32 shows here in the United States alone were sold out and a total of 58 out of 60 shows around the world were sold out!...58 out of 60, thats amazing!... with the two shows that werent sold out, the seats from each of those shows were over 90% full, so each of those two shows were almost sold out! Anyway Ive found that wikipedia.com is a great site to find more information on celebrities. Please click on this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confessions_Tour for more information on that famous tour of hers, including an explanation on how spectacular her shows were being sold out around the world in merely minutes!
Okay, I just missed the promotional commercial for her televised concert special on NBC, but Ive just checked their schedule online. Madonna: The Confessions Tour Live From London will air on Wednesday primetime 8-10pm ET/PT: http://www.nbc.com/Schedule. I'm so excited, I can't wait!
I'll be watching for sure, even though television can't possibly capture the magic of seeing her show live. I had the good fortune to see her opening night performance in L.A., and the "Confessions" show was one of her best ever out of all of her tours.


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- Fed Cup
Great Britain book April play-off appearance
Great Britain are through to the Fed Cup World Group II play-offs after victory over Bulgaria on Sunday.
As had been the case throughout the week's Europe/Africa Group I matches, Laura Robson and Heather Watson once again did the business for Judy Murray's side - winning both their singles matches to give Great Britain an unassailable 2-0 advantage.
The pair will now return to represent their country in April, where a victory against their as-yet unknown opponents will see them elevated into the second tier of the competition for 2014.
The draw for the round will be made on Wednesday - a home contest for Great Britain would be their first since 1993.
Robson set the tone for the impressive victory on Sunday, as she demolished the unheralded Dia Evtimova 6-0 6-4 despite concerns for her fitness, after her Saturday singles success was overshadowed somewhat by concerns over a troublesome shoulder injury.
That left Watson, the British No. 1, knowing a victory over the well-matched Tsvetana Pironkova would secure a place in the April play-off. But Watson did not start well, taking the first game of the match before dropping the next seven in succession.
A second set break seemed to steady Watson's nerves, however, as she went on to edge that stanza to set up the decider. Victory in the first four games of that third set provided a welcome platform for victory, as Watson eventually sealed a 1-6 6-4 6-2 triumph that sparked wild celebrations among the close-knit British squad.


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Teen Charged With Vandalizing Laurens Church Cemetery | News
The Laurens County sheriff says they've charged a 15-year-old with vandalizing dozens of graves at a church cemetery.
Sheriff Bill Harrell says they suspect the damage was done sometime Sunday. The teenaged boy was arrested that night after a tip.
It happened at the Bethsaida Baptist Church on Highway 80, west of Dublin.
Headstones were toppled, boards cracked, and plants damaged for most of the graves there.
Frances Dominy, a church member says several of her relatives are buried in the cemetery, as well as a grave for her young son, who died in 1963 when he was 5 months old.
The baby's headstone with a little lamb on top of it was toppled and smashed.
"I can't figure out how anybody could do something like this," Dominy said.
Harrell says he's not sure why the boy vandalized the cemetery, but he suspects just one person was involved. The boy is being held at a Youth Detention Center.
While there are some historic tombstones, much of the cemetery is filled with deceased relatives whose immediate family members are still alive.
Church members say insurance won't cover the thousands of dollars worth of damage, likely leaving families with that burden.
But in addition to the monetary burden, church members say it has taken an emotional toll.
"I just hope that he'll find God and see where he was wrong," says Dominy. "And that he can find some kind of peace after doing something like this."
Those interested in donating towards the church's cemetery fund can write checks to Bethsaida Baptist Church, 2519 Hwy. 80 West, Dublin, GA 31021.
You can follow Tom George on Twitter @thetomgeorge


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A state lawmaker who heads the House homeland security committee is seeking ideas from educators and parents about ways to improve school safety.
Covington Rep. John Schroder has set up a special email address to solicit comments. He's asking people to send their ideas to email@example.com.
Schroder's committee held an earlier hearing to get suggestions from state education leaders and law enforcement officials about how to strengthen school security.
The review is prompted by the mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school. A gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
In addition to the House review of school safety preparations, Gov. Bobby Jindal formed a 13-member study group to look at the issue and offer ideas in advance of the regular legislative session.


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Wed Sep 11, 2013 2:18 pm
Thu Sep 12, 2013 10:06 am
Tony Trout wrote:Starting yesterday morning, my IPad2 began going on and off repeatedly and wouldn't stop. I plugged it into the computer and got a message from iTunes saying that the computer is in recovery mode. I tried all day yesterday to solve this problem but...it's still doing it.
Any suggestions? I already have had it backed up once and I'm using iCloud.
Edited To Add: The backup didn't work properly. The IPad2 is still shutting down and powering back up almost repeatedly...I guess I'm gonna have to find another one.... and I've had this one for less than a year....
Thu Sep 12, 2013 10:40 am
Thu Sep 12, 2013 12:10 pm
rjm wrote:Maybe this! Read it all!
Sent From My Phabulous Galaxy Note II Phablet Using Tapatalk 4
Thu Sep 12, 2013 1:17 pm
Thu Sep 12, 2013 1:34 pm
Apple Support Communities
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Apple Support Communities > iPad > Using iPad > Discussions
iPad keeps turning off and turning on, any ideas?
1600 Views 1 Reply Latest reply: Mar 11, 2013 2:49 PM by Philly_Phan RSS
Calculating status...
Mar 11, 2013 2:19 PM
I keep having problems with my iPad turning on and off. It seems to be like this for two to three days and then it seems fine for a few weeks again. This weekend whilst turning on and off the iPad came up with a black screen with write writing, which I have never seen before.
Any ideas if I can cure this myself or if I need to take it back to Apple.
First, try a system reset. It cures many ills and it's quick, easy and harmless...
Hold down the on/off switch and the Home button simultaneously until you see the Apple logo. Ignore the "Slide to power off" text if it appears. You will not lose any apps, data, music, movies, settings, etc.
If the Reset doesn't work, try a Restore. Note that it's nowhere near as quick as a Reset. It could take well over an hour! Connect via cable to the computer that you use for sync. From iTunes, select the iPad/iPod and then select the Summary tab. Follow directions for Restore and be sure to say "yes" to the backup. You will be warned that all data (apps, music, movies, etc.) will be erased but, as the Restore finishes, you will be asked if you wish the contents of the backup to be copied to the iPad/iPod. Again, say "yes."
At the end of the basic Restore, you will be asked if you wish to sync the iPad/iPod. As before, say "yes." Note that that sync selection will disappear and the Restore will end if you do not respond within a reasonable time. If that happens, only the apps that are part of the IOS will appear on your device. Corrective action is simple - choose manual "Sync" from the bottom right of iTunes.
If you're unable to do the Restore, go into Recovery Mode per the instructions here.
Thu Sep 12, 2013 2:03 pm
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Well our species isn't that old either so it's all legit as long as we're both underage.
I take it she doesn't even fall under the rule of 'if there is grass on the field play ball?'
Question.... Do you know it's a 'she'?
One word. Aerosmith.
Considering grass took over 4 billion years from formation to evolve here, you might be waiting a while.
Perhaps this is where SETI should be looking for life.
Not on the planet- but observing the planet.
Planet formation is bound to attract the interest of sentient life. Wouldn't be too unexpected if nearby there is sentient life that they have seen it too and have sent a probe.
If we had the technology- I bet we would send a probe there... so other sentient life might too.
Of course- if that probe is communicating back to the home-world, chances are any signal it sends back won't be pointing in our direction so we may not be able to intercept the communication anyway.
Most life is sentient, it's how they find mates, find food and avoid danger. While finding any life would be impressive, it's sapient life that would really blow our minds.
Interesting- thank you for the correction. I guess I wasn't aware of the true meaning of "sentient" , in its common usage it is [incorrectly] used as "sapient" is defined.
Technically though, I'm not sure that I'd agree that most life is sentient. Most "animal" life perhaps. Plants, bacteria, archaea, and fungi could not be considered sentient and they outnumber animals.
On the scale of time, development of planet (into something habitable) is an extremely long process compared to the observer's lifetime. We get very little more than a miniscule timeslice of what things were for a a very brief moment. Couple that with the fact that we not even getting a current, realtime view of said planet I wonder how useful any of the data is going to be.
On the scale of time, development of planet (into something habitable) is an extremely long process compared to the observer's lifetime. We get very little more than a miniscule timeslice of what things were for a a very brief moment. Couple that with the fact that we not even getting a current, realtime view of said planet I wonder how useful any of the data is going to be.
There are ways around such things, such as observing multiple planets at different stages of evolution and putting together the pieces. That is for example how we learn about the formation and evolution of star clusters, or the way stars evolve. You can't observe 1 star go through it's entire evolution, but there are lots of stars and you can piece it together. This is how much of astronomical science is typically done. We don't get it right first time every time either. That does not mean it is not worthwh
Theres that, but theres also the missing words 'thus far' which should be in the headline.
FTFA: "LkCa 15 b is the youngest planet ever found, about 5 times younger than the previous record holder," said astronomer Adam Kraus of the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy.
WTF is 5 times younger? Does he mean 1/5 as old? At the moment the planet first started to form, was it infinitely times younger? You'd think a scientist would know better. [wsu.edu]
Picky picky, do you have anything intelligent to add or are you just going to argue semantics rather than acknowledge good science?
This is actually a very important discovery, the circumstellar disk surrounding the young star has been found to have a deficit of emission ~55 AU in radius. The cause of holes or gaps in proto-planetary disks has been a matter of intense debate in recent years, some people favor planets clearing gaps, others favor emission from the star causing the disk to evaporate. This seems
Our business in life is not to succeed but to continue to fail in high spirits. -- Robert Louis Stevenson


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Portland, OR – Portland State University is joining forces with various Portland area businesses and enthuasists of the location-based mobile phone application Foursquare to celebrate Foursquare Day on Monday, April 16. A grass roots event started by Foursquare enthusiasts in Tampa, Florida in 2010, Foursquare Day is an annual event celebrated by thousands of communities around the world. Foursquare Day in Portland will bring various local businesses together to offer specials, discounts, and giveaways for customers who visit their locations and check in using the mobile phone application. The day will culimate in a special, free event at the Portland food cart, Whiffies Fried Pies, at 6 p.m. where Foursquare enthuasiasts can meet up over food and refreshments.
Portland State University is participating in Foursquare Day through a unique, all-day celebration called "PSU Foursquare Trail." The trail will have students checking in at various points around the campus to unlock deals and get free PSU swag. Participating businesses include Ben & Jerry's, 7-11, Seattle's Best Coffee, PSU Bookstore, Pizza Schmizza, and Greenline Market. PSU's own Academic Student and Recreation Center, Smith Memorial Student Union (Spirit Store), and Viking Information Center will also be participating and offering students check-in specials. A complete list of specials and rewards can be found here.
In recognition of Foursquare's benefit to local businesses, the city of Portland made it official by mayoral proclamation that April 16 is Portland Foursquare Day. "Foursquare is all about location and therefore helps spotlight local community," said Christian Aniciete, PSU's Social Media Specialist. "When you check in at a business, your friends see that you are a patron there. As a result, this social media app provides digital word-of-mouth that helps generate awareness and new business."
Portland State has been an ardent supporter of social media's power to reach out to students and build community on campus digitally and in person. PSU established its official Foursquare presence in 2011 and it has grown a following of over 300 students and Foursquare enthusiasts. PSU's Foursquare has added value to its campus tours as well as events like commencement and new student orientation activtiies. PSU's partnership with the city of Portland on Foursquare Day hopes to continue to celebrate the various businesses around campus and activate their growth.
PSU's official social media presence can be found on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, Foursquare, and Google+.
About Portland State University
Located in Portland, Oregon, PSU has about 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students. PSU's motto is "Let Knowledge Serve the City," and we provide every student with opportunities to work with businesses, schools and organizations on real-world projects. Our downtown campus exhibits PSU's commitment to sustainability with green buildings, while sustainability is incorporated into much of the curriculum.
About Foursquare
Foursquare is a mobile application that makes places easier to discover and cities more interesting to explore. It is a friend-finder, a social city guide, and a game that challenges users to experience new things, and rewards them for doing so. Foursquare lets users "check in" to a place when they're there, tell friends where the yare and track the history of where they've been and with whom they've checked in."


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'Conversations' to discuss experiences of a theater director
It's extremely rare for anyone to make a living as a theater director, but that's just what Di Trevis has been doing for 30 years. When she began, it was almost unheard of for a woman to direct, especially in a respected and professional capacity, but after eight years as an actress, she transitioned to directing and has had a successful career. She'll talk about her journey with host Patty Satalia on "Conversations from Penn State." The show will air at 12:30 p.m. March 21 on the Big Ten Network. It also will air at 9 p.m. March 24 and 6 p.m. March 27 on WPSU-TV.


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The Florida Marlins got the W in Fort Lauderdale tonight, but make no mistake. They didn't win the game. The Pirates lost it. There were no extra inning heroics to overcome the self-inflicted wounds this time.
They could have easily chased Scott Olsen out of Dolphin Stadium in the first two innings. But after the one-two hitters reached base in the first, the heart of the order struck out looking and hit into a broken bat double play.
In the second, a runner was picked off second. Pittsburgh plated three runs; they could have just as easily had 5 or maybe more before the fans found their seats. That might have been enough to put it to bed early.
The Marlins kept pumping fastballs over the heart of the plate, in the high 80's early when Olsen was pitching and the low 90s when Florida got to their pen. They went right at the hitters, and they won. Pirate batters either swung through them or fouled them back. Pittsburgh flunked BP!
They committed errors number 5 and 6 in one Abbott and Costello sequence, allowing a run. Two guys were thrown out at second, and another was picked off after a bunt attempt went astray. Pittsburgh scored when Doumit ran through a stop sign. Who's running the asylum?
There was again no production from the 3-4 spots in the lineup. Jason Bay and Adam LaRoche have no, as in zero, RBIs yet this year. Xavier Nady can't save their bacon every night.
Matt Morris - Matty Mo, as FSN announcers call him - left far too many of his balls up in the second and third. He threw over 60 pitches in just those two innings and was lucky to escape with just a three spot against him, although he did settle down during the fourth and fifth. Heck, even the pitcher hit a pair of shots off him, including a two-out RBI liner into right.
And what's with Freddie Sanchez? We'd like to know what's really wrong with his shoulder - inflammation is a symptom, not an injury. Did he get any cortesone or treatments, or is this going to be a long term problem?
We hope warm weather is the cure, but in the back of our minds, we're suspecting something worse than a sore, puffy shoulder. The brass said today's scratch was precautionary, so maybe they are just using kid gloves in the short term.
As for our other boo-boo boy, John Russell said that team doctors will evaluate Jack Wilson over the next few days, and determine whether or not he'll have to be placed on the 15-day disabled list. It doesn't sound good to us.
Gonna be a busy month for Luis Rivas. We may see a lot of him and Chris Gomez manning the middle infield.
The schedule makers were kind to the Bucs, starting them off against Atlanta and Florida. But with the Cubs, Reds, Dodgers and Cubs again next on the slate, they better straighten out fast or they'll be facing a long April. It's only four games in, but the wheels need oiled already.
On the contract front: The Pirates inked Matt Capps to a two-year deal worth $3,050,000 before today's game. His 2008 salary was increased a bit to $500,000 and he was given a $250,000 signing bonus.
He'll make $2,300,000 in 2009, which is his first arbitration year. He can earn up to $150,000 in performance bonuses the second year, based on games closed: $50,000 each for 50, 55 and 60 games finished.
Both sides are happy. Capp was shown some love, and the Pirates have a window to determine his 2010 market value, not to mention the all-important cost certainty that the arrangement brings to both parties.
The Pirate payroll is now at about $51,500,000 this year. We're in Oakland's ballpark, but way below the other NL Central teams. The payrolls as of opening day: AP MLB Payrolls


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Aftermarket Car Electronics Installation
Integrating an aftermarket product into today's vehicles can be extremely challenging. Connecting to the wrong circuit can damage sensitive electronic components. After performing thousands of such installations, we've got the experience and the knowledge to secure the system and provide flawless integration with existing systems.
- Certified technicians working
on your car
- White Glove Treatment
- Superior Resources & Experience
- A new product demonstration
We will...
- For headrest systems, carefully replace factory headrests with special-ordered video headrests.
- For overhead systems, permanently cut and modify the roof of the vehicle to mount the video housing. Often requires disassembly and modification of factory overhead consoles.
We will...
- Drill a hole for camera lens and carefully mount camera in rear bumper cover.
- Install rear-view video monitor in place of existing rear-view mirror.
- Connect monitor to rear-view camera located on rear license plate or bumper.
We will...
- Add an external antenna to increase accuracy and mounting flexibility.
- Integrate the power circuit so the unit will turn on and off with the vehicle (so there's no risk of draining the battery when you forget to turn the unit off).
- Install a vehicle specific mount to improve usability and cosmetics.
- Demonstrate how to use the unit in your car.
We will...
- Determine necessary parts for bypassing factory alarm or keyless systems.
- Carefully disassemble dashboard, steering column, doors, interior, etc.
- Install alarm siren in engine compartment location protecting it from theft, heat, moisture and moving parts.
- Make secure electrical connections for multiple vehicle wires, including ignition wires, brake wires, interior and exterior lights, fuse panel, door locks, hood pin, truck release, etc.
- Drill into vehicle dashboard panel to install LED status indicator.
- Install antenna receiver through vehicle A-pillar/windshield.
- Program remote controls and extra vehicle keys needed for bypass kits.


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Digital workshop
El Dorado animation
Saturday 8 February 2014,
Samsung Centre
Free, limited places
Recommend this event
Explore the stories behind El Dorado and then create a film based on these fantastic tales using animation software.
Activity takes 30–40 mins.
Age: 7+
You might also like
- All daytime events
- All digital workshops
- All Beyond El Dorado: power and gold in ancient Colombia events


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This dude was picked in the 1st round, ahead of RM and Chris Johnson, in 2008. He averaged 9 yards a carry in 2007 for Arkansas and 8 yards a carry the year before that. If he can find it again (it being his shiftiness) then Bell may get to take a back seat and get some well deserved rest. I like what we may have in this guy and so do the Steelers.
Maybe the Steelers are thinking, "We finally got the RB we wanted in '08".........................hmmmm


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Attorney General Bill Lockyer Asks State Supreme Court to Resolve Same-Sex Marriage Litigation
(SAN FRANCISCO) – Attorney General Bill Lockyer today formally asked the California Supreme Court to agree to hear and resolve the lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of California's laws that prohibit same-sex marriage. If granted, Lockyer's request will ensure that Californians obtain a statewide, binding and final judgment on same-sex marriage much sooner than if the traditional appellate process is followed, which could delay a final ruling until 2007 or later.
The Attorney General's request comes almost exactly one-month after filing notices of appeal of the same-sex marriage judgments issued by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard A. Kramer. The trial court ruled California's statutes that limit marriage to one man and one woman violate the state Constitution's equal protection guarantees.
Pursuant to the State Constitution and California's Rules of Court, the state Supreme Court is authorized to transfer to itself a case that is currently pending in a Court of Appeal if it involves an issue of great public importance that should be promptly resolved.
In his petition filed with the state Supreme Court, the Attorney General stressed the same-sex marriage cases present an issue of great interest to many Californians who would benefit greatly from a binding, statewide ruling on this contentious issue. As Lockyer said in his brief:
"Review by the Court of Appeal will necessarily and substantially extend the uncertainty regarding whether California's marriage laws are constitutional. Same-sex couples should be given a prompt determination as to whether they can marry, and should not have to put their lives and affairs on hold indefinitely while this matter works its way through several levels of court proceedings. In addition, federal, state and local public officials should be given prompt clarification of their duties and responsibilities under California's marriage laws."
The Supreme Court has no deadline to act on the Attorney General's request. If the Supreme Court declines to transfer the same-sex marriage cases to itself, the First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco will retain jurisdiction over them. Under the standard procedures used by the appellate courts, it is likely the District Court of Appeal will not rule on the constitutionality of state law until sometime in 2006. A petition for review then would be filed with the California Supreme Court by the losing party, and a decision from the high court could be issued as late as 2007 or beyond.
The same-sex marriage litigation involves four separate lawsuits: City and County of San Francisco v. State of California, et al.; Clinton v. State of California, et al.; Tyler v. State of California, et al.; and, Woo v. Lockyer et al.
While separate petitions were filed for each of the four cases, they are identical in content. A copy of the Attorney General's petition can be found at his website: www.ag.ca.gov/newsalerts/index.htm.


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KUWAIT. Following is the text of the mission statement from the International Monetary Fund visit to Kuwait:
On June 15, 2012, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation[1] with Kuwait on a lapse of time basis. Under the IMF's lapse of time procedures, the Executive Board completes the Article IV Consultations without convening formal discussions.
The 2012 consultation discussions were held against the backdrop of significantly higher oil revenues for Kuwait, a product of higher global oil prices and an increase in oil production. The policymaking landscape changed significantly in 2011 and early 2012. After six cabinet resignations in the past five years, the Prime Minister resigned in late 2011 and new Parliamentary elections were held in early February 2012, producing significant gains for the opposition. A new government was formed shortly after.
Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in 2011 is estimated at around 8¼ percent, supported by a 15 percent increase in oil production. Higher oil revenues resulted in an increase in Kuwait's current account and fiscal surpluses to over 41 and 30 percent of GDP, respectively.
Growth in non-oil economic activity was moderate and is estimated at about 4½ percent in 2011, primarily driven by higher government expenditure--the government's wage bill and capital expenditure are estimated to have increased by almost 20 percent in FY 2011/12. Banks' private sector credit growth continued to be weak, at about 2½ percent, held back largely by a decline in lending to investment companies (ICs).
Headline inflation in 2011 increased to about 4¾ percent, from 4 percent in 2010, as food inflation increased to almost 9¼ percent (8¼ in 2010). On the other hand, nonfood inflation remained relatively subdued at 3½ percent, although somewhat higher than the almost 3 percent observed in 2010.
Equity prices in the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) came under renewed downward pressure and the stock market's unweighted index declined by almost 16½ percent--its fourth consecutive annual decline--although it showed some rebound in the first four months of 2012.
The financial sector faced a mixed environment in 2011. The banking sector remained well capitalized, liquidity conditions continued to be favorable, and lending to some sectors strengthened. Nevertheless, banks' profits remained largely flat due to a significant buildup in provisions. ICs hit renewed setbacks due to adverse market conditions and the reemergence of global liquidity strains. Average equity prices of ICs declined by almost 27 percent in 2011, which brought the cumulative decline vis-à-vis August 2008 to almost 79 percent.
Executive Board Assessment
In concluding the 2012 Article IV Consultation with Kuwait Executive Directors endorsed staff's appraisal, as follows:
The economic outlook for 2012 is broadly positive. Economic recovery is expected to strengthen, led by high government expenditure--particularly wages and capital expenditure.
High fiscal and external surpluses are expected to persist. Inflation is projected to moderate slightly due to a decline in global food inflation. Low implementation rates of the capital budget and legislative bottlenecks could, however, dampen the recovery.
Near term economic policies should continue to remain supportive. While the supportive fiscal stance is appropriate and has been called for in recent years in view of still-moderate economic growth and low inflationary pressure, the recurrent nature of expenditure growth increases the rigidity of the budget and complicates short-term fiscal management. Inflation is projected to remain low, but inflation risk is on the upside and the authorities should be ready with a strategy for fiscal adjustment if inflationary pressures build up. This strategy should safeguard the capital budget as much as possible. The real exchange rate is broadly in line with fundamentals.
Kuwait has significant fiscal space but the country is now at a crossroads as regards conserving wealth for its future generations. Kuwait's non-oil primary deficit is above the estimated baseline benchmarks that take into account intergenerational equity in the distribution of oil wealth. Furthermore, rising public sector wage and pension costs and rapid population growth are expected to exert pressures on public finances in the medium term. If Kuwait is to preserve wealth equally for its future generations, fiscal consolidation will be needed in the medium term.
Overall, there is a need to improve the productivity and welfare impact of government spending. Reallocating government expenditure toward capital expenditure would enhance non-oil GDP growth and improve the long-term outcomes of the fiscal accounts, while improving the productivity of government expenditure and contributing to the diversification objectives of the DP.
In this connection, the authorities are encouraged to improve the government's capacity to implement the capital budget, contain the growth of the public sector wage bill, avoid a further buildup of the pension system's unfunded liabilities, and avoid new measures that would further increase current expenditures.
The introduction of a VAT would be a step forward. The adoption of a medium-term budget framework and a well-designed fiscal rule could improve fiscal management. Finally, the phased retargeting of fuel-related subsidies to the most vulnerable segments of the population should be part of a medium- to long-term fiscal reform program.
Legislative and other reforms are needed to improve Kuwait's business environment and employment opportunities for Kuwaitis. Specific attention should be given to upgrading the education system to make it attuned to the needs of the business sector. Corporate governance should be enhanced by strengthening institutions' board member composition and member roles, and enforcing the appropriate implementation of auditing and reporting standards.
On the legislative side, the authorities should proceed with modernizing legislation to enhance the business environment, taking into account best international practices to avoid the pitfalls of recent legislative experience. Finally, the authorities are encouraged to undertake a comprehensive review of business procedures and requirements with the view to streamlining them.
The authorities are encouraged to continue to be vigilant toward existing and emerging financial sector risks. To this end, they should maintain their strategy of building precautionary provisions and retained profits by banks, continue to enhance ICs supervision, and develop the needed tools for ICs resolution. Furthermore, in developing a new and improved national legislative base, the authorities should continue to take into account the specific nature of the central bank's operations and the need to strengthen and preserve its operational independence.
There has been significant progress in improving Kuwait's statistical system, but further improvements are needed. In this regard, the authorities are encouraged to provide the needed resources to the Central Statistical Bureau.


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I'm a future:
Aviation Maintenance Management
2+2 Major, Bachelor of Science Degree
The Aviation Maintenance Management option is a 2+2 program for students that have earned an associate degree in a related field and have an FAA Airframe and Powerplant rating. This program will allow them to complete their bachelor's degree requirements at the University of Central Missouri in Aviation Maintenance Management.
Why choose Aviation Maintenance Management 2+2 at UCM?
- All undergraduate aviation programs at UCM are accredited through Aviation Accreditation Board International.
- UCM owns an airport with 18 flight-ready aircraft, including a fleet of Cessna 172 Skyhawks, multi-engine aircraft and gliders are for flight training.
- The university has a hot-air balloon, which may be used to earn a rating.
- The department's flight simulation equipment includes several advanced aviation flight training devices, including a 737 NG AAFD.
What will I study?
The Aviation Maintenance Management program prepares you for supervisory roles in airline, corporate and general aviation maintenance departments. The program will help you to develop and use accounting and budgetary data to assist management in decision-making and control activities. Students will understand the design, function, and operation of aircraft systems.
What can I do with a degree in Aviation Maintenance Management?
- Aircraft Reliability Auditor
- Airport Manager
- Flight Dispatcher
- Loss Control
- Scheduling Coordinator
How can I get involved outside the classroom?
At UCM, we value an engaging learning experience that includes student involvement and service-learning projects.
In Aviation, there are several opportunities to be involved:
- Alpha Eta Rho
- Aviation Student Government
- National Intercollegiate Flight Team
- Women in Aviation International
Browse additional careers and opportunities.
About our Faculty:
The student to faculty ratio at UCM is 20 to 1, which allows professors to get to know students and provide personalized attention.
The aviation faculty and staff members at UCM represent a wide range of academic and professional training. All faculty hold terminal degrees in their areas of specialization and practices in the field.
Learn more about Aviation at UCM:
Department of Aviation


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Episode #103
series: Billy Connolly's Route 66
air date: 6/19/14 1:00 AM
Billy travels from Oklahoma City, OK to Monument Valley, UT, visiting a cattle auction, the Devil's Rope (barbed wire) museum, Cadillac Ranch, a ghost town, Los Alamos and a Navajo healing ritual.
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amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research
March 2011—HIV and hepatitis C are often more prevalent in prison settings than in the general population due to the over-representation of people who inject drugs.1 Improved access to voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) during the prison intake process may vastly improve identification of infected inmates, improve access to HIV treatment, and facilitate prevention after release. While HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs are generally limited in prisons in Southeast Asia, Indonesia has made significant progress in addressing HIV in prisons. To understand the behavioral correlates of HIV and other blood-borne infections among Indonesian prisoners and to explore the impact of prison-based VCT, a cross-sectional study was conducted in the West Javan city of Bandung in Banceuy prison, one of two in the region for drug-related offenses.
Among the 639 incoming prisoners who agreed to be tested, the prevalence of HIV was 7.2 percent, 5.8 percent for hepatitis B, and 18.6 percent for hepatitis C.2 A history of injection drug use was strongly associated with HIV and hepatitis C infection. Hepatitis B and C were more common among prisoners with tattoos. Current prisoners with self-reported risk behavior or signs and symptoms related to HIV infection were also offered testing. Of the 57 inmates who were tested, 29.8 percent had HIV and 37.7 percent had hepatitis C. All who were diagnosed with HIV received further CD4 count testing and ART according to national guidelines.
VCT for incoming prisoners is an important but often missed opportunity to provide timely diagnosis and treatment of HIV. It may also provide an opportunity to inform and educate inmates who are engaging in high-risk practices. The researchers emphasized the importance of supportive prison policies, collaboration between the prison and healthcare facilities, and the involvement of staff and prisoners to successfully implement a comprehensive testing and treatment program.
1 Dolan, K, et al. HIV in prison in low-income and middle-income countries. Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2007; 7: 32-41.
2 Nelwan, EJ, et al. Human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B and hepatitis C in an Indonesian prison: Prevalence, risk factors and implications of HIV screening. Tropical Medicine and International Health. 2010; 15 (12): 1491-98.
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