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Same Problem by justanyone · 2004-02-20 06:41 · Score: 4, Informative · on ActivePDF-like Reports w/ Apache?

I work at a large bank. We had reports we needed to produce in PDF format with nice graphics. We tried many solutions including print-to-HTML from Excel, Crystal Reports, Ephiphany, and Insightful's S-Plus.

The best solution for a compact format was a scripted solution (VBA / COM) that prints XLS, DOC, PPT, etc. to a file with thus creating a postscript file, then using ghostscript to convert .ps to .pdf, then moving the files to a Solaris Apache webserver.

S-Plus required lots of programming and display was not compact enough. Ephiphany likewise. Crystal has a HUGE HUGE IMMENSE VAST WAY-BIG Learning curve and still didn't do what we wanted. Alas.

For all it's worth.
-- Kevin J. Rice, justanyone.com

Re:Positive sides by firewrought · 2003-06-30 17:41 · Score: 5, Insightful · on A Critical Look at Trusted Computing

I just wish people would remember all the _good_ parts of trusted computing.

TCPA is going to be bad for more reasons than just Palladium... it's going to be a major headache for IT departments trying to cope with software that is actively unfriendly. Why? It's about visibility. When an IT department needs to replace a legacy app, write bridge code to shuffle data b/t two different software systems, or make revisions to a relic in-house app, the amount of visibility will determine how quickly and cheaply the change can be accomplished.

Visible things include: good documentation, available source code, standard protocals, open data formats, strongly defined interfaces, generous/lax security, unencrypted traffic, non-regulated/classified data, informative error messages, enthusiastic vendor support, open bug databases, and software-oriented community forums (yay Google Groups!).

Invisible things include: missing/shoddy/incomplete documentation, overly-flexible products, binary network protocals and file formats, marketing-centric websites [heh... just try to find technical info about Crystal Reports], "friendly" error messages, abandoned development platforms, and (getting to the point)... stuff that's too locked down.

DRM and trusted computing will add yet another layer of flaky security that prevents casual intrustion while seriously hendering IT. Businesses will be tantalized by the idea that they can precisely control how a memo get distributed, archived, and destroyed. They will be oohed and ahhed that they can enforce their "email retention policies" through the use of TCPA. But this will come with some heavy costs... of which visibility is one of the major ones. I can see it now:

Client: "Here's that email you needed to hook up system A to system B, but I can't send it to you. It says it's protected. I tried taking a screenshot, but it came out all black. I can't seem to print it out either. We could probably call Ginger and find out who could give the authorization to transfer this, but she's not here today. How about I just read it to you over the phone?" [Stupid DRMish Feature]
Product Expert: "Oh yeah... to import text records into RiskModeller3000, you have to create an executable and pay the vendor a wad of cash to sign it. Only then will RiskModeller be willing to execute your binary and munch in the text it produces." [Stupid Licensing Scheme]
Packaging Expert: "To transfer this program from our testing environment to the produciton environment, you'll need to recompile the binary and sign it with this 'production certificate'... hope your build environment hasn't shifted around much or you'll blow the integrity of all that 'final release testing' your clients just spent four weeks on." [Stupid Security Requirement]

Visibility affects the agility of business and the cost of IT. It's not just an abstract good... it provides lubrication for business IT and reduces real cost. A company with a lot of visibility will be more agile and flexible than one without it. And, in the final analysis, a society with visibility will generate more wealth than one that gets too tangled up in an artifical form of security. TMCA is basically bad, because--while it could have good uses--it will ultimately reduce visibility and harm society.

It's not just about pirating MP3's... it's about the creation of real wealth and new technologies.