How dare you imply that the users of the tools are responsible in any way for their actions? I hear that people can read books that teach you how to do many illegal things. Just yesterday I saw a book on airbrush art. Next thing you know people will be buying spray cans and defacing public property with that..that.. GRAFFITI! These publishers should be brought in line before they cause more grievous harm to our subways and walls. And that freaking Apache group. I've also heard that many people use their software for, get this, PORN SITES! Their software is directly responsible for the decline of morality. They should be banned from releasing anything ever again.
Re:Finally, a story with some real value
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Geeks vs. Nerds
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· Score: 1
I've only recently come to grips with the taunting and ridicule I received throughout my school years. I still have no social skills (at 29 years) but at least don't automatically draw strange looks from people on the street. Even among nerds and geeks I'm seen as a little weird (shunned by the shunned, sad irony, no?). The other day I jumped up with joy when I got a compressed remote X session to work properly. Most of the my time is spent in front of Yorick or Octave though. To pay my mortgage I sit in a little room and find new ways to put big data into little containers. They pay me well but it's really boring. Sometimes I wish that I was popular.
I've only purchased a couple Linux games (Myth II and Civilization). Though the Linux version of Myth II is perfectly playable it does not have 3D support for my card (a Matrox). On my G200/Win95 box it is a very *pretty* game. However, the Windows version has crashed on me and taken down the entire machine. The Linux version allows full screen only with a root login (which I'm generally loath to do). However, its software 3D is better than the Windows software 3D. I wish someone would port Warcraft II to Linux. I'll buy as many copies as it takes to get my entire network playing (8 machines).:)
I agree, and am one of those who have been using microcomputers since the late 70s. But I disagree that it isn't yet ready for non-computer geeks. For the most part, most other OS's are pre-installed. If Linux were similarly installed (ie, the user isn't the one partitioning disks and configuring the system) then I firmly believe that the Linux system would be just as easy for the newbie. I believe that the only reason people find Linux (or other Unices for that matter) difficult is because it is not what they are used to. This is a hurdle when trying to roll out Linux in the enterprise with experienced computer users as opposed to the average new home user. However, I believe that the benefits of the Linux OS far, far outweigh this problem. As far as the article is concerned, there are a few "Enterprise" features that need work. Though journalled file systems are being worked on, it's not yet 100%. Other shortcomings are being addressed. This in mind, think of this: I was in a user group meeting yesterday (FLUX.ORG) when the presenter showed how many database companies are porting to Linux. In my company we have many, many machines that access databases. They don't need any office software such as Access or Excel and would perform equally well with an X based front end to one of the many Linux database clients. In my company, on this floor alone, we could save upwards of $50,000 ( a conservative estimate based on the 250 machines at $200 each for the OS, 3270, ODBC). This is in license costs alone. If we factor in the server licenses that number goes to $70,000. Granted, a really large company may not have a problem with $50,000 here or there...they can use Windows. But for medium-sized businesses, Linux could mean the difference between a profit and loss for the year.
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How dare you imply that the users of the tools are responsible in any way for their actions? I hear that people can read books that teach you how to do many illegal things. Just yesterday I saw a book on airbrush art. Next thing you know people will be buying spray cans and defacing public property with that..that.. GRAFFITI! These publishers should be brought in line before they cause more grievous harm to our subways and walls.
And that freaking Apache group. I've also heard that many people use their software for, get this, PORN SITES! Their software is directly responsible for the decline of morality. They should be banned from releasing anything ever again.
I've only recently come to grips with the taunting and ridicule I received throughout my school years. I still have no social skills (at 29 years) but at least don't automatically draw strange looks from people on the street. Even among nerds and geeks I'm seen as a little weird (shunned by the shunned, sad irony, no?).
The other day I jumped up with joy when I got a compressed remote X session to work properly. Most of the my time is spent in front of Yorick or Octave though. To pay my mortgage I sit in a little room and find new ways to put big data into little containers. They pay me well but it's really boring.
Sometimes I wish that I was popular.
I've only purchased a couple Linux games (Myth II and Civilization). Though the Linux version of Myth II is perfectly playable it does not have 3D support for my card (a Matrox). On my G200/Win95 box it is a very *pretty* game. However, the Windows version has crashed on me and taken down the entire machine. :)
The Linux version allows full screen only with a root login (which I'm generally loath to do). However, its software 3D is better than the Windows software 3D.
I wish someone would port Warcraft II to Linux. I'll buy as many copies as it takes to get my entire network playing (8 machines).
I agree, and am one of those who have been using microcomputers since the late 70s. But I disagree that it isn't yet ready for non-computer geeks. For the most part, most other OS's are pre-installed. If Linux were similarly installed (ie, the user isn't the one partitioning disks and configuring the system) then I firmly believe that the Linux system would be just as easy for the newbie. I believe that the only reason people find Linux (or other Unices for that matter) difficult is because it is not what they are used to. This is a hurdle when trying to roll out Linux in the enterprise with experienced computer users as opposed to the average new home user. However, I believe that the benefits of the Linux OS far, far outweigh this problem.
As far as the article is concerned, there are a few "Enterprise" features that need work. Though journalled file systems are being worked on, it's not yet 100%. Other shortcomings are being addressed.
This in mind, think of this: I was in a user group meeting yesterday (FLUX.ORG) when the presenter showed how many database companies are porting to Linux. In my company we have many, many machines that access databases. They don't need any office software such as Access or Excel and would perform equally well with an X based front end to one of the many Linux database clients. In my company, on this floor alone, we could save upwards of $50,000 ( a conservative estimate based on the 250 machines at $200 each for the OS, 3270, ODBC). This is in license costs alone. If we factor in the server licenses that number goes to $70,000.
Granted, a really large company may not have a problem with $50,000 here or there...they can use Windows. But for medium-sized businesses, Linux could mean the difference between a profit and loss for the year.