Ubuntu is, or was initially, an African distro. It is, AFAIK, the only distro with extensive African language translations. The South African government is committed to open source in all state departments including education and is actively migrating its proprietary software to open source http://www.ioltechnology.co.za/article_page.php?iSectionId=2888&iArticleId=3695987. It will only allow proprietary where there is no open source equivalent, which explains why MS is upset. South Africa may not be a large market by MS's standards, but the government's stance is already having a knock-on effect with some large industry players opting for open source as well. http://www.tectonic.co.za/wordpress/?p=1562&src=digg
Good one, but what about people like me who, due to bad experiences in the past are shit scared of authority figures? I always get stopped going through customs & immigration because I can't help looking guilty, even though I'm completely innocent. I've just resigned myself to putting up with the inconvenience of having my bags thoroughly searched and a grilling from uniforms every time I travel. I haven't been to the USA for a while, but I wouldn't be surprised to get a free trip to Guantanamo next time I go...
I file my tax returns from work (why would I waste valuable leisure time doing that?), so even though I am a dyed-in-the-wool linux user, I download the Windows version, because that is what I'm forced to use at work. I don't think these sort of statistics are in any way informative or useful.
I suspect that you are correct. If so, you should immediately apply to MS for a technical authoring job at an astronomical salary -- you managed to explain it more clearly in about a quarter of the words.
Incidentally, we now know that when Windows installation breaks, it isn't a bug, it's a "...a rich and complex installation experience."
many of their press releases are so obfiscated, long winded, badly phrased and rambling I find it difficult to follow.
I couldn't agree more. Their manuals are no better; here's an example from the C# programming manual:-
The ButtonProperty value is a string that represents the property name used by the installer to retrieve the value of the button group. This property can be referenced by custom launch conditions to make decisions concerning application installation. For example, if the ButtonProperty is set to Buttons, you create a launch condition that examines the value of the Buttons property. If the first radio button is selected, Buttons takes the value contained in the Button1Value property. Likewise, if the second radio button is selected, Buttons takes the value contained in the Button2Value property. Many of the customizable dialog boxes have similarly configurable properties, which allow you to create a rich and complex installation experience for your users.
There's generic PC User Groups (well, used to be anyhow) but no Windows User Groups... Why?
The workplace is a WUG, but they have to pay you to show up.
What the hell is an automobile association, and why did we need them?
The AA started in the UK to tell motorists where the speed traps were. Since then it has expanded to become a motorists lobby group. They also provide roadside assistance if you break down, and sell car first aid kits and other junk.
An interesting point is that the GPS satellites were paid for by the US taxpayer; those of us in other parts of the world get a "free lunch". The reason for this is that the US military can degrade the satellite data or even take the satellites offline when it suits their tactical interests. If civil aviation is to depend on these, then a charge should be levied on airlines using the technology so the poor old taxpayer in the US can get some of his money back.
Microsoft wrote the OS and it isn't open-source, so they could have engineered any number of "back doors" without there being any way for the user to find out or protect himself.
"If you're military, sure, it's useful. But if you're a normal person, it's kind of dumb."
Which confirms what I have long suspected: that the military are not normal.
Reading the article it is clear that he was not threatened with termination; nor had he mentioned the company's name. His employers had not even read his blog. He should have given them a copy of what he wrote and pointed out (in writing) that he had not brought the company's name into disrepute. That would have cleared the air and allowed him to continue without fear of dismissal, because any action taken against him by his employers would be unlawful.
My bank sends a OTP (one-time PIN) by SMS to my cellphone when I try to login. Without inputting that as well as username and password access is denied. That's much simpler than doing an audit on whatever PC I'm using at the time.
Slashdot Mirror
Exactly. The same monkey in fresh lipstick since NT.
Do it by email. That way they cannot put you on hold and you have a record of exactly what you said and when you said it.
Ubuntu is, or was initially, an African distro. It is, AFAIK, the only distro with extensive African language translations. The South African government is committed to open source in all state departments including education and is actively migrating its proprietary software to open source http://www.ioltechnology.co.za/article_page.php?iSectionId=2888&iArticleId=3695987. It will only allow proprietary where there is no open source equivalent, which explains why MS is upset. South Africa may not be a large market by MS's standards, but the government's stance is already having a knock-on effect with some large industry players opting for open source as well. http://www.tectonic.co.za/wordpress/?p=1562&src=digg
Good one, but what about people like me who, due to bad experiences in the past are shit scared of authority figures? I always get stopped going through customs & immigration because I can't help looking guilty, even though I'm completely innocent. I've just resigned myself to putting up with the inconvenience of having my bags thoroughly searched and a grilling from uniforms every time I travel. I haven't been to the USA for a while, but I wouldn't be surprised to get a free trip to Guantanamo next time I go...
Yes, the pebble bed modular reactor is due to start construction in South Africa in 2009. You can read more about it http://www.pbmr.com/ here.
Very nice, but no camera, 2.5G. Surely they should launch with a 3G version since 3G has been standard for so long? Also price: $300 is a bit steep.
In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. Yogi Berra
I file my tax returns from work (why would I waste valuable leisure time doing that?), so even though I am a dyed-in-the-wool linux user, I download the Windows version, because that is what I'm forced to use at work. I don't think these sort of statistics are in any way informative or useful.
I suspect that you are correct. If so, you should immediately apply to MS for a technical authoring job at an astronomical salary -- you managed to explain it more clearly in about a quarter of the words. Incidentally, we now know that when Windows installation breaks, it isn't a bug, it's a "...a rich and complex installation experience."
An interesting point is that the GPS satellites were paid for by the US taxpayer; those of us in other parts of the world get a "free lunch". The reason for this is that the US military can degrade the satellite data or even take the satellites offline when it suits their tactical interests. If civil aviation is to depend on these, then a charge should be levied on airlines using the technology so the poor old taxpayer in the US can get some of his money back.
Bummer if 300 people die because the pilot's "time has come".
True, but only for very large values of 2.
In South Africa it looks as though XP home is R600 (~$85) dollars more expensive than SUSE. I have no idea why the Dell Ubuntu machines would be more expensive. Doesn't make much sense. http://www.techdigital.co.za/category.aspx?categor yID=1459&affid=52
Microsoft wrote the OS and it isn't open-source, so they could have engineered any number of "back doors" without there being any way for the user to find out or protect himself.
SMS is free and no, they don't have a link to send user name.
"If you're military, sure, it's useful. But if you're a normal person, it's kind of dumb." Which confirms what I have long suspected: that the military are not normal.
Reading the article it is clear that he was not threatened with termination; nor had he mentioned the company's name. His employers had not even read his blog. He should have given them a copy of what he wrote and pointed out (in writing) that he had not brought the company's name into disrepute. That would have cleared the air and allowed him to continue without fear of dismissal, because any action taken against him by his employers would be unlawful.
My bank sends a OTP (one-time PIN) by SMS to my cellphone when I try to login. Without inputting that as well as username and password access is denied. That's much simpler than doing an audit on whatever PC I'm using at the time.
If Paris is acting she deserves an Oscar. I doubt that she is, though; she really is as thick as two short planks.
Was it a free-range egg?
Please use the "reply" button.
Will they know? It says the index is stored locally, does that mean it never goes to Google?