" Not a huge deal since they did not use any Microsoft products before, but the fact that they chose Linux and AIX over Microsoft just goes to show that the financial sector wants security and reliability (Hey has Microsoft patented daily crashes yet?). I do not blame them for using Linux since uptime on them tend to be very high (sometimes in the order of years) and does not require a reboot every single time you make the tiniest most insignificant patch."
Those comments right there tell me you are a fanboy and do not know much about the M$ side of the shop.
The company I work for runs over 25,000 servers. We use Windows, Suse, Red Hat, and some AIX. This depends on which works best for the application it is used for. Anyone thinks that doing everything on one platform is best or even possible is not all there.
Second saying M$ has to reboot for every little patch is not even remotely close anymore, at one time yest. As for crashing, we have over 18,000 Windows boxes (2000, 2003) and they have almost the exact same uptime as the Linux servers. Crashes in Windows again are no where near what they used to be in the pre-2000 servers.
I am not a M$ fanboy, as I primarily work on both sides of the shop. However people who do not see that both have their places in an IT shop or that Linux is all everything needs to pull their head out of their a$$.
The biggest problem with M$ is their marketing strategies and bullying tatics.
It is sad that something like this is not surprising. Here you have a high school with good grades that wrote an essay that is disturbing to someone either because he has issues and needs help or to test the boundary's.
It seems that no thought was put into what really should have happened here.
Should there be an investigation into the essay and student? Sure, but not a criminal investigation. If they go by the reasoning for arresting him, they could arrest 90% of the authors of all books ever written.
Sometimes authority figures like teachers, principles, etc, really just need to step back, breath, count to 10, etc. and try to figure out a proper way to deal with the potential issue. Not just have a knee jerk reaction.
This could have serious repercussions on this young man's future. What if it keeps him from going into the Marines? What if he has an issue and instead of helping him and having him arrested pushes him further down that path.
I am really tired of people looking out for themselves. Sure you can argue they were trying to do the right thing to protect the school. However they could have accomplished the same thing with outgoing down this type of path. I am all for some suspension or temporary off campus schooling why they try to find out what was really going on, but as far as I am concerned the teacher and principle have done far more damage than a "private" essay could have done.
I find it sad that I find us (Americans) becoming so paranoid that being imprisoned for thoughts, cry for helps, etc. is becoming a possibility.
I am no M$ fanboy, but they used to push out patches constantly, but most IT shops do not want that. Generally IT shops like to validate the patches before applying them to their machines to make sure poorly written software does not have issues with a patch.
No on in their right mind would push patches out directly to the corporate computers without testing them. By having the patches come out on the same day every month you allow preparation and planning.
Really Apple is no more secure than Windows, Linux yes Apple no. It all comes down to how you configure it after you get it in any case. I have done plenty of penetration tests on Apple, M$, and several Linux distros. M$ is no where near as bad as it once was.
Actually my ATI 1900 drivers work fine in both 64 and 32 bit versions of Vista. Are they perfectly optimized yet no, but I get almost identical fps marks in the many games I play. I have yet to crash. Not to say that others have not had issues, but I have not. I update my drivers regularly since they are still evolving for vista.
Actually the company I work for is rolling out Vista to the 75,000 computers and really there has been very few problems or complaints. Then again they are making sure that every PC has 2GB of memory, decent video card, etc. It just has to be planned out right. It has been on my desktop for almost 3 months as n early adopter. So far not one crash and it runs great. I use Linux at home (Ubuntu) so I have no love for M$, but most of the problems are exaggerated. Working in IT, I hav not heard too many problems as of yet.
"but there is something about the iPod, call it social acceptance or prestige of owning one, its kind of a status symbol to own an iPod."
prestige? status symbol?
You really need to get a life if you think owning an ipod gives you prestige or is a status symbol. I have nothing against them, they are fine devices.
I personally just do not like them all that much. I owned an earlier model and traded it in. Not because it was not good, just not what I wanted.
This was not an initiative by either M$ or Apple.
Personally I know I will get reamed by the Apple fan boys on this, but Apple is every bit the evil empire M$ is. So to say M$ is riding coat tales, may be true in this instance, but to think Apple is any better. Only in a fan boys eyes.
Apple is just by far better at PR and Marketing. They both want just one thing, more money and to squash the other players out there. Apple just knows how to do the dirty work and come out clean.
I have used both MAC OSX and Windows XP/Vista quite a bit both in labs and personally. The only thing I see as an advantage for MACs is that it is different and has great marketing. The software that comes with it is in my opinion lacking in several areas. Sure the software that works on both is even, but other than that it is no better.
Windows has more issues pop up because it has a far larger user base and much larger suite of applications that some are poorly written.
Security wise, I am sorry to say MACs are no more secure. Hacking a MAC is easier overall than Windows, trust me I do a lot of penetration testing. Again as far as attempts Windows gets hit more because of sheer size.
MACs are prettier and that is about it, but then again so is Vista and you see how "great" that is. To me Vista may be Microsofts biggest enemy.
Personally Linux is better than both in security, performance, etc. Just not great for gaming.
I am a power user so I expect more out of systems than every day people. I think MACs are great machines. I also think that Windows blows them away in the business sector and in high end home users (gamers mainly). MACs are great in Creative circles and basic home users who want a trendy machine.
To each their own, everyone needs to go with what they are comfortable.
Slashdot Mirror
"
Not a huge deal since they did not use any Microsoft products before, but the fact that they chose Linux and AIX over Microsoft just goes to show that the financial sector wants security and reliability (Hey has Microsoft patented daily crashes yet?). I do not blame them for using Linux since uptime on them tend to be very high (sometimes in the order of years) and does not require a reboot every single time you make the tiniest most insignificant patch."
Those comments right there tell me you are a fanboy and do not know much about the M$ side of the shop.
The company I work for runs over 25,000 servers. We use Windows, Suse, Red Hat, and some AIX. This depends on which works best for the application it is used for. Anyone thinks that doing everything on one platform is best or even possible is not all there.
Second saying M$ has to reboot for every little patch is not even remotely close anymore, at one time yest. As for crashing, we have over 18,000 Windows boxes (2000, 2003) and they have almost the exact same uptime as the Linux servers. Crashes in Windows again are no where near what they used to be in the pre-2000 servers.
I am not a M$ fanboy, as I primarily work on both sides of the shop. However people who do not see that both have their places in an IT shop or that Linux is all everything needs to pull their head out of their a$$.
The biggest problem with M$ is their marketing strategies and bullying tatics.
It is sad that something like this is not surprising. Here you have a high school with good grades that wrote an essay that is disturbing to someone either because he has issues and needs help or to test the boundary's.
It seems that no thought was put into what really should have happened here.
Should there be an investigation into the essay and student? Sure, but not a criminal investigation. If they go by the reasoning for arresting him, they could arrest 90% of the authors of all books ever written.
Sometimes authority figures like teachers, principles, etc, really just need to step back, breath, count to 10, etc. and try to figure out a proper way to deal with the potential issue. Not just have a knee jerk reaction.
This could have serious repercussions on this young man's future. What if it keeps him from going into the Marines? What if he has an issue and instead of helping him and having him arrested pushes him further down that path.
I am really tired of people looking out for themselves. Sure you can argue they were trying to do the right thing to protect the school. However they could have accomplished the same thing with outgoing down this type of path. I am all for some suspension or temporary off campus schooling why they try to find out what was really going on, but as far as I am concerned the teacher and principle have done far more damage than a "private" essay could have done.
I find it sad that I find us (Americans) becoming so paranoid that being imprisoned for thoughts, cry for helps, etc. is becoming a possibility.
Sorry I will step down from the podium now...
Actually that is far from the truth.
I am no M$ fanboy, but they used to push out patches constantly, but most IT shops do not want that. Generally IT shops like to validate the patches before applying them to their machines to make sure poorly written software does not have issues with a patch.
No on in their right mind would push patches out directly to the corporate computers without testing them. By having the patches come out on the same day every month you allow preparation and planning.
Really Apple is no more secure than Windows, Linux yes Apple no. It all comes down to how you configure it after you get it in any case. I have done plenty of penetration tests on Apple, M$, and several Linux distros. M$ is no where near as bad as it once was.
I think SCO has absolutely no credibility anymore.
Please Apple has just a many hidden motives and questionable tactics as M$. They both are just as evil. M$ is just better at being evil. ;)
Apple is better at eye candy and marketing at this time though.
However I do agree if something like this is created it needs to be truly standards compliant and run on all OSs. M$ has a bad history in this area.
Actually my ATI 1900 drivers work fine in both 64 and 32 bit versions of Vista. Are they perfectly optimized yet no, but I get almost identical fps marks in the many games I play. I have yet to crash. Not to say that others have not had issues, but I have not. I update my drivers regularly since they are still evolving for vista.
I have to agree. Personally if an idiot is stupid enough to open it, they deserve what they get.
I agree with that, the Zune is horrible looking, I would not own one of those either.
Actually the company I work for is rolling out Vista to the 75,000 computers and really there has been very few problems or complaints. Then again they are making sure that every PC has 2GB of memory, decent video card, etc. It just has to be planned out right. It has been on my desktop for almost 3 months as n early adopter. So far not one crash and it runs great. I use Linux at home (Ubuntu) so I have no love for M$, but most of the problems are exaggerated. Working in IT, I hav not heard too many problems as of yet.
"but there is something about the iPod, call it social acceptance or prestige of owning one, its kind of a status symbol to own an iPod." prestige? status symbol? You really need to get a life if you think owning an ipod gives you prestige or is a status symbol. I have nothing against them, they are fine devices. I personally just do not like them all that much. I owned an earlier model and traded it in. Not because it was not good, just not what I wanted.
This was not an initiative by either M$ or Apple. Personally I know I will get reamed by the Apple fan boys on this, but Apple is every bit the evil empire M$ is. So to say M$ is riding coat tales, may be true in this instance, but to think Apple is any better. Only in a fan boys eyes. Apple is just by far better at PR and Marketing. They both want just one thing, more money and to squash the other players out there. Apple just knows how to do the dirty work and come out clean.
I have used both MAC OSX and Windows XP/Vista quite a bit both in labs and personally. The only thing I see as an advantage for MACs is that it is different and has great marketing. The software that comes with it is in my opinion lacking in several areas. Sure the software that works on both is even, but other than that it is no better. Windows has more issues pop up because it has a far larger user base and much larger suite of applications that some are poorly written. Security wise, I am sorry to say MACs are no more secure. Hacking a MAC is easier overall than Windows, trust me I do a lot of penetration testing. Again as far as attempts Windows gets hit more because of sheer size. MACs are prettier and that is about it, but then again so is Vista and you see how "great" that is. To me Vista may be Microsofts biggest enemy. Personally Linux is better than both in security, performance, etc. Just not great for gaming. I am a power user so I expect more out of systems than every day people. I think MACs are great machines. I also think that Windows blows them away in the business sector and in high end home users (gamers mainly). MACs are great in Creative circles and basic home users who want a trendy machine. To each their own, everyone needs to go with what they are comfortable.