Slashdot Mirror


IEEE Spectrum Open Source issue

David McWha writes "The cover story of the May issue of IEEE Spectrum is on open source systems, and gives a good balanced view of the competition between Windows NT and various Unices (including Linux). There is a nice unbiased review of the pros and cons of each. The whole story from the history through to the commercial model of open source is there. The article is available online, but you have to be an IEEE member to get in, so join! "

9 of 26 comments (clear)

  1. Re:"Protected" Content and Pirating by Rene+S.+Hollan · · Score: 3

    I disagree.

    It should be up to /.ers to decide what's "exceptional". Do we really want /. to filter the news to us like the major media players do?

    Perhaps some sort of per-article tag, relating to kind of content, restrictions, etc. could be used so that indivudual /.ers could select appropriate filters for themselves.

    As for copyright violation, I don't see that as Rob's problem.

    --
    In Liberty, Rene
  2. Re:"Protected" Content and Pirating by Pudding+Yeti · · Score: 2
    It should be up to /.ers to decide what's "exceptional". Do we really want /. to filter the news to us like the major media players do?

    I don't know whether "we" want it or not, but I am pretty certain there's some filtering going on, anyhow. I'm 1 for 4 when it comes to seeing stories I've submitted appear. I'm not complaining about this state of affairs, either. I read Slashdot precisely because it's a filter. It's what I 'pay' Rob et al for when I get rid of that adfu.blockstackers.com line in my Junkbuster configs.


    ----------
    mphall@cstone.nospam.net

    --
    ----------
    mphall@cstone.nospam.net
    "A horse laugh is worth a thousand syllogisms"
  3. Sheesh, haven't you people ever heard of a library by xyzzy · · Score: 4

    Or a (well stocked) news stand? Or maybe a friend who is a member?

    IEEE is a non-profit professional organization. The costs they charge just cover the services they give.

  4. Re:Ironic (and moronic also) by David+McWha · · Score: 2
    An article about Open Source software and the article itself isn't viewable except by members.

    A bit ironic, I agree, but I wager it is available in the library of every university in the world with engineering or comp sci.

    /. provides pointers to interesting articles I wouldn't otherwise see. Surely this goes double for member-only publications, and you might just look out for it next time you are in the library.

    I was once a member of IEEE, the organization itself sucks like hell, at least here in Mexico. I really regretted shelling out the money to subscribe, specially being a hungry student at the time (and their "computer" mag was always late on everything, playing catch-up to byte, etc).

    I couldn't disagree more. For students IEEE is incredible value for money. Last year I paid US$46 for 30 issues of 3 high quality technical publications - $1.50 each! Plus other member benefits. Full membership is more expensive, but try hitting up your employer for a "technical development" cost.

    IEEE Computer is not trying to compete with Byte, it has a lot more technical and theoretical detail, it's not a consumer mag.

  5. Filter if requires account. by Binary+Ninja · · Score: 2


    It would be nice to be able to filter out any article that requires a signup to read.

    BN

  6. Slashdot doesn't have "members" by Stephen+Williams · · Score: 3

    Why should the Slashdot team do any "actual work" to "provide...members a real service"? Slashdot doesn't have members. No-one pays to use Rob's cool site. Rob and the team don't owe us anything.

    I for one am delighted that the Slashdot team provide the service that they do at no charge to the users. Keep up the sterling work, people :-)

  7. Ironic (and moronic also) by RangerElf · · Score: 4

    An article about Open Source software and the article itself isn't viewable except by members.

    I was once a member of IEEE, the organization itself sucks like hell, at least here in Mexico. I really regretted shelling out the money to subscribe, specially being a hungry student at the time (and their "computer" mag was always late on everything, playing catch-up to byte, etc).

    I coincide, /. shouldn't display pay-subscription-site news. Like the guy said, 99.9999% of us won't subscribe just to read the thing.

    -elf

  8. "Protected" Content and Pirating by L1zard_K1n6 · · Score: 3

    It would probably behoove /. to not make links to "member-only" articles unless they are extremely exceptional. Not only is it a pain in the rump for the 99.99999% of us who are not, nor will ever be, IEEE members, but it encourages some here to "pirate" the article and paste it in here, which I would assume runs counter to the intention of having it on a members-only site to begin with.

  9. "Protected" Content and Pirating by Weezul · · Score: 5

    Perhaps we should have a policy of making ``more desciptive posts'' when we make links to member only sites, i.e. ask for a summery with any link to a members only site. This seems like a good policy since it allows potentially valuble content to be posted and those of us who don't want to join can still get the message.

    In this case it would have been worth providing a basic list of what they liked and didn't like about the various OSes. This could probable have been done in one paragraph without even a hint of copyright enfriengment.

    --
    The Christian religion has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world. -- Bertrand Russell