Slashdot Mirror

Brian
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Having relatively recently graduated from college, I don't really see a way that this can be done. Most of my group experiences involved maybe half of the group caring about their grade, and the other half being ok with a C. You then end up with an extremely unbalanced work load as the ones who care the most do the most and produce the better product. Then they usually have to go around and fix up the people's work who really didn't care as much. All in all, it rarely leads to a produtive group and doesn't teach you much about the work force.

Oh boy can I tell you just graduated from college. What you just described is _exactly_ how it works in the real world.

Very, Very, Very rarely will you be fortunate enough to have an assignment to complete on your own. The vast majority of the time you will be working with a team. A team consisting of:

• 50% Morons
• 30% Unmotivated sloths who surf the web all day
• 10% Motivated, yet incompetent programmers who produce the most buggy, god awful code ever.
• 10% Motivated, Competent programmers

No this is not an exageration. This is how the real world works. The 10% of us who can pull our own weight often times pull the weight of the other 90%.

I've never had the pleasure of being on a team where a majority of the team members were usefull or productive. Perhaps I'm just really unlucky. If that is the case, I hope you end up working with a better calibre of folks than I have!

Take care,

Brian
100% Linux Web Hosting - 0% Windows

Anyone got a mirror site/link?

Brian
--
100% Linux Based Web Hosting

Good!

I hate getting stuck at those sites. Unfortunately, pop-ups and pop-unders are becoming all the rage. I hope they FTC can use their authority to close down some more of these sites.

Brian
* 100% Linux Web Hosting - NO Windows - No Code Red - No Nimda Worms

I graduated from a Liberal Arts college. My degree is a Bachelors of Arts in Computer Science.

While I recieved a lot of education in areas outside of Computer Science, I spent more than half of my time studying CS and Math. I wouldn't say I know a little about everything and nothing about anything specific. Quite the opposite in fact. I know as much or more about CS than folks from more focused backgrounds.

I do believe there is a value in learning outside of your particular vocation. For instance, I know work for a large financial firm. I think that the fact that I took some accounting and economics in college helps me understand and be more effective in my current career. Not only can I develop software for them, but I can actually understand what they are talking about. CS is more than just coding, you have to be able to communicate, and you have to be able to understand the subject matter of your work. I think by experiencing a wider range of courses in college, it helps you gain undertanding of various subject matter quicker than if you hadn't had that exposure.

My 2 cents of course, and YMMV, but I am quite pleased with how well my education prepared me for a successful career.

Take care,

Brian
100% Linux Based Web Hosting, No Windows, No Code Red Worms, No Nimda worms...

Nice. :-)

But seriously...

I doubt Microsoft's EULA is enforcable. I do not see how they can legally restrict free speach in this manner. (At least in the US - hello 1st amendment!) And even if they did, how could they prove you used Frontpage to do it?

I can write a page in my favorite text editor that can do anything Frontpage does. So, how could they possibly prove you wrote it in Frontpage? What are they going to do, storm your house and confiscate your hard drive!?!? I don't think so...

Brian
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AssortedInteret.com
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Errr.

No, I don't think so. The article you are refering to was actually about building a server with 1 TB of storage for under $10,000. I don't think it had anything to do with clustering. See it here:

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/07/19/155421 6&mode=thread

That was over 2 months ago, so the price is probably even less than $10K now...

Take care,

Brian
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The more interesting part is perhaps where it will go in the future. Many people point out that it won't take too much extra computing power before your PDA can present HTML as well as a desktop browser. This is all well and good, but it doesn't take into account the extra funtions that are planned for WAP such as location based services, phone functionality etc. These are things that have no place in HTML, so a separate language of some sort is probably the best way to go.

Absolutely. In fact, a Palm or newer cell phone can do a decent job as an HTML browser. Remember that you don't need a 1ghz P3 to run Lynx or your favorite text browser. The real issue would then become getting the data to the wireless device. Existing and future wireless data transfer technology has enough bandwidth to support decent text based web browsing.

The more interesting part is perhaps where it will go in the future. Many people point out that it won't take too much extra computing power before your PDA can present HTML as well as a desktop browser. This is all well and good, but it doesn't take into account the extra funtions that are planned for WAP such as location based services, phone functionality etc. These are things that have no place in HTML, so a separate language of some sort is probably the best way to go.

I don't buy it at all. HTML is the data, not how it is interfaced to the device. The browser should adapt to the device, not the data itself.

This is like saying, lets build a new language for every variation we come across of the same problem. It doesn't make any sense.

Stick with developing HTML based content, WAP is not going anywhere. By the time it is ready for prime time, we will have devices that can surf the REAL web.

Take care,

Brian
100% Linux Based Hosting - 100% Code Red Worms Free

Amen. Jakarta is a walk in the park compared to installing Websphere. Even IBM's own consultants couldn't get Websphere 3.0.2 to install and run on Solaris...

Take care,

Brian
100% Linux Web Hosting, No Windows, No Viruses, No Worms...

I would never offer to take a cut in pay or perks to telecommute. Often times you have to work more and harder as a telecommuter to prove that you aren't slacking at home. The economy may be slowing, but it shouldn't be THAT hard to find a job closer to home (or where you want to move) if you can't stand the commute.

Take care,

Brian
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AssortedInteret.com
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It was interesting reading the story of how Slashdot remained up. I must have been one of the folks who tried to hit it at the time it died because for a while I couldn't get in on Tuesday. After that though, it was pretty smooth sailing the rest of the day. CNN.com was probably the only other site which remained live for most of the day. I couldn't get to WashingtonPost.com, ABCNews.com or many others until later in the evening.

It is really a testament to open source software that a system built (almost?) entirely from free, open software was able to stand up to an amazing user and processing load as well as or better than many other news sites.

Congrats on a job well done!

Brian
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AssortedInteret.com
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Try us risk free with our 30-Day Money Back Guarantee
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Not all code is built so poorly. In fact, most code is built quite well.

Just like things in the physical world, code almost always does what it was built to do quite well. For example: Microsoft Word is an excellent Word Processor, but a poor/pathetic drawing program.

Also just like things in the physical world, code is used for things it was not intended to be used for. Have you ever driven your Geo Metro through a river? Have you ever driven a tractor trailer over an old wooden 1 lane bridge? No, probably not. You would be crazy to try something like that.

People try to do things with software all the time that it was never designed to do. That is a big reason why software fails so often.

Of course most of these "things software wasn't designed to do" aren't always documented. For instance, Outlook Express is a decent mail program, but did you know that it almost always fails when you have more than 10000 emails in your database? It is not documented anywhere by Microsoft, but they have admitted to myself and others on their tech support line that Outlook Express fails due to faults in the mail database. Their theory is that OE was never meant to be used "that much" - so you should use the "industrial strength" Outlook instead.

If only we all knew what the true design limitations of the software we use were we would be much better off. In the physical world, this is very easy to measure. That bridge you just drove over to get to work? It has a nice little sign that says "capacity 6 tons". You would be a little nuts to drive a 40 ton cement truck over it now wouldn't you? People do that sort of thing with their computers all the time and just never know that they are doing it...

Take care,

Brian

100% Linux Web Hosting - No Windows - Fanatical Technical Support - Customer Loyalty Discounts

Cube's really aren't that bad. Really.

In the DC area, real estate is expensive enough that you typically are given a choice when you join a company. Either you have a small cube to yourself, or you share a somewhat larger office with someone else.

I work much better in my own little world. Sharing an office causes countless distractions. Twice as many calls, twice as many visitors, half as much room, arguments that the heat or AC is two high or low, etc. I find it much less productive.

A cube to yourself is your own little world. You can spread your books, papers, disks, and work stuff all over the place without regard for someone else's space. You can come and go as you please, and you don't have to be interrupted by someone else's calls or visitors.

Take care,

Brian
100% Linux Web Hosting, No Windows, No Code Red Worms...

Talkback data shows that recent 0.9.2 branch builds are more stable than Netscape 4.78

It is pretty sad that they are comparing their reliability to Netscape's reliability. When Mozilla has less issues than Internet Explorer, then we can talk...

Take care,

Brian

100% Linux Web Hosting - No Windows - No Code Red

I wonder if the name is already taken...

But seriously, I have to wonder how much you could see with the camera, being that it is not lighted inside your body. It better have some pretty decent lighting attached.

Take care,

Brian

100% Linux Web Hosting Services, 99+% Uptime Guaranteed!

The concept is called the "dollar vote". Spend your money somewhere where the vendor will sell an OS free or Linux loaded PC. They do exist. "Vote" with your purchase in support of these vendors.

Dell is just one (albeit a big one) of thousands of manufacturers. If you don't like their offerings, go elsewhere, or build it yourself!

Take care,

Brian

100% Linux Web Hosting Services, 99+% Uptime Guaranteed!

So long as Linux and *BSD run on cheap Intel PC's I don't see that we will ever have a bad time for UNIX and free software.

What more could you ask for?

Take care,

Brian

Learn why AssortedInternet.com has the best Linux Web Hosting Services available:
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Actually, its more like 25000 copies of StarOffice running on Windows. You did know that StarOffice runs on Windows right?

I think CmdrTaco forgot that there is another OS besides Linux out there...

Take care,

Brian

Find out why AssortedInternet.com offers the BEST Linux Web Hosting Services Available:
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Actually, it has 2 USB ports.

And if 6.9 lbs is too heavy, you need to eat your wheaties.

Brian
Consulting and Hosting Services -- AssortedInternet.com

Here ya go:

Toshiba Satellite 1755:

Processor Mobile Intel® Celeron(TM)

Speed 700MHz

Display XGA 13.3" Active Matrix

Memory 64MB SDRAM

Graphics ATI Mobility-C graphics controller with 4MB SGRAM

Hard Drive 10 Gigabyte

Multimedia 6x max speed DVD-ROM

Modem Integrated V.90/56K modem

Retail: $1199.

Add a $25 10/100 Ethernet Card, and if for some reason you actually have a Firewire drive, add the appropriate card. For 99.9% of the computing population, that won't be necessary.

Total Cost: $1224, with a larger, better screen, and a DVD Player

If you can't deal with the track stick, add an optical mouse for $25 more. Still, its a better deal than an iBook anyday.

Brian

Consulting and Web Hosting Services -- AssortedInternet.com

I was an Apple advocate/zealot for 15 years. Finally in the past year, I saw through the haze and realized I was paying a fortune for Apple hardware and software that was no better than what I could get on the PC side of things.

Now I see, Apple is taking their customers to the cleaners again. I cannot believe that they would expect their customers to want to pay hundreds more for a monitor. Granted I've seen their 22" (@ $4000!) in MicroCenter and it is Gorgeous - but still.

So, now a quick check of the Apple Store shows that the cheapest 466 mhz Power Mac G4 w/Apple Monitor is $2299. I can get one amazing Athlon or P4 system with monitor for that cost. We're talking 1.3ghz or faster, oodles of HD and RAM, and a sweet 21" CRT.

Its insanity, pure insanity. I cannot believe that they haven't scared away all of their customers with "advancements" like this. Please, before you buy, look at Dell, IBM or HP and see what you'd get for that same $2299. You'll be very surprised.

Brian

Consulting and Hosting Services -- http://www.assortedinternet.com

I agree absolutely. I supose I didn't get this across before, but we operate similarly. Everyone gets access to their CPanel3 Control Panel, and those clients who request it get access to the shell.

Take care,

Brian

http://www.assortedinternet.com

Being a long time consumer and now provider of web hosting services I've found that you just need to have shell access available.

I've never even considered hosting on a service that didn't offer shell accounts - in fact, when I started hosting my own websites there really weren't any HTML Control Panels. You had to do everything yourself. Now with Control Panels there is an option to do it through a GUI, but for a lot of things you still want/need to do through a shell. There is only so much a control panel can do, and where it falls short, there is always the command line.

Having said that though, control panels like CPanel3, Cobalt Raq's CP, Webmin, etc are great for doing a wide variety of common tasks. Adding users, subdomains, viewing logs, file management, statistics, etc. Doing it through a GUI is nice, fast and far easier for the vast majority of users. So now we use and offer CPanel3 since it generally makes life easier.

I definitely believe that having both is preferable for power users. For less experienced users, they will probably only ever use the Control Panel, but should they want to use the shell, it should be there.

Brian
http://www.assortedinternet.com

that they were switching to Windows 2000 instead of FreeBSD.

Brian
http://www.assortedinternet.com

That was quick. Only 16 comments and the site is down already. (http://www.gri.org/laser)

Anyone have a mirror site up?

Brian
http://www.assortedinternet.com

Apple has been doing nothing but blowing it big time for more than a year now. I'd been an avid Apple fan for over 15 years, until just last year. The last two things I bought from Apple were an iBook 300 and MacOS X beta.

After seeing where Apple was going with OS X Beta, UNIX underpinnings or not, I felt that there simply were NO more advantages to having a Mac.

Now they blow it again, making promises they can't keep. Come on man, OS X wasn't that great to begin with, now they ship a half finished product?? That is sure way to lose even more people like me to Windows and Linux.

Brian http://www.assortedinternet.com

They should have made it come in 5 fruity flavors and called it the iSun. It could have been the "UNIX Workstation for the rest of us".

Brian
http://www.assortedinternet.com

This can't be good to get high speed access to the masses. If you can't get cable and Covad goes under, then there may be no real alternative short of expensive ISDN or T1 circuts.

I hope that wireless solutions like Starband and Teledesic can come through to offer a decent performing and priced solution.

Until then, we wait...

Brian
http://www.assortedinternet.com

I sometimes spend hours after work playing Starcraft/Brood War. Sure I trash talk, taunt and even threaten my opponents. I have even told my opponents to drop dead on more than one occasion.

After reading this article, I am deathly afraid!

I better run home now and delete Starcraft from my hard disk. Then I need to burn the CD's and spread the ashes in a river. Then, I need to call Blizzard and have them remove me from Battle.net servers, but only from a pay phone. I don't want anyone to know that it was me, and I don't want anyone to be able to track me down. I don't want them to take my computers and throw me in jail!!

But seriously, this is just plain dumb. Its a game man, that is all it is.

Did kids get busted in the 50's and 60's for taunting the pitcher in a baseball game?
Brian
http://www.assortedinternet.com

As a kid, I watched pretty much every contemporary cartoon. You know, GI Joe, Transformers, Thundercats, Voltron, Tom & Jerry, etc.

Pretty much every cartoon I every watched was violent, but I was taught at a young age to realize the difference between reality and cartoons. So, I never tried to iron my brothers tounge, blow up my brother, etc. I just knew that you didn't do stuff like that.

I think some parents today try to cop-out of responsibility for their kids and they don't teach them the simple lessons that they need. Like for instance "Cartoons and TV is not real".

Teach that one lesson, and stop blaming TV and media for the problems of the world, and we will be a better society for it.

Brian
For Reliable Hosting Services visit us @ http://www.assortedinternet.com