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User: doublem

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  1. The way to complain to CueCat on Linux Drivers For Free Barcode Scanner Cease-And-D... · · Score: 1

    Below is an e-mail I just sent the firm that distributes CueCat. Let's not flame these guys. It was probably a clueless order from someone who didn't understand what's going on. Once they understand we just want to use the thing without using Windows, and they realize they might be able to build a large and enthused user base they'll probably relent.

    To Whom it may concern,

    I just picked up a CueCat at Radio Shack and I was wondering if Digital:Convergence intends to release Linux drivers for the device. I know there is a third party program that emulates the functionality of your Windows software, but I've also heard you sent the developer a cease and desist order.

    My primary OS at home is Linux (Mandrake 7.0 to be exact) and I'm afraid the device isn't much use to me without a Linux driver. Do you plan to release your own Linux software or work with the existing Linux port to produce an "authorized" version? Given the speed and ease with which a port was developed, I don't see any reason for you to not release a Linux version of the software, unless there is some contractual or financial pressure to support only specific Operating Systems.

    On a separate note, I am the MIS Director of Educational Training Systems Inc. and I'm interested in adding our courseware to your database. I would like to be able to add the appropriate CueCat bar codes to the books themselves so people could find information on them more easily. Additionally, our sales department is interested in using CueCat in conjunction with bulk mailings to potential clients. Specifically, they would like to put a CueCat barcode on the mailings so clients could just scan it in and be taken directly to the appropriate order form or information page on our web site.

    We have several other ideas for integrating your technology into our advertising and customer service areas, and I would like to discuss what costs and procedures are involved in using your technology.

    Matthew Miller
    MIS Director, Educational Training Systems, Inc.


    Matthew Miller,

  2. "Get rid of those computer wires!!!" on What Kind of Office Space Do You Want to Work In? · · Score: 1

    My boss and his wife run the office. Common things I've gotten chewed out for include:

    Visible wires: He once yanked out all the visible wires on my computer because it made everything look "cluttered." Result was I had no keyboard, no mouse no monitor no network....

    "Junk" everywhere: Boss was furious about all the computer parts I had lying around during a major upgrade process. He didn't like having "gutted" computers visible. I explained that the ONLY was to upgrade the hardware inside was to open the case. Didn't let up until I said, "You can't replace spark plugs without opening the hood and you can't replace the muffler without going under the car. I'm replacing the engine, gas tank, exhaust and braking system while adding 4-wheel drive!"

    Asked for ergonomic desk and chair when I started showing signs of carpel tunnel. Was put in charge of purchasing new workstations for whole office. Was taken to used furniture auction by bookkeeper and left when I didn't see anything that was even remotely ergonomic. Was chewed out by owner for "Turning down some great deals." New desks were purchased without my input. I was not given one of the new desks, but a desk that was smaller and less comfortable then the one I had before. It was just as well because the new desks were no more ergonomic than a folding table. Was told to "Crank your chair up," when I asked about getting a keyboard tray.

    Visible Wires (round two): Moved to new office space. Has windows, but no shelving or storage space. Was yelled at because I positioned my desk at the only angle where I didn't have monitor glare from the windows because "We can still see the wires. Our Network Admin has his desk against the wall!"

    I explained that there are exactly two positions in the office where desks could be put where the windows would not conceal the monitors with glare, and only one of them was against the wall. (I'm in a corner with a window on each wall. If I go against either wall, I have glare from the other window. Result, I have windows, but can't see out of either one without craning my neck. *sigh*)


    Matthew Miller,

  3. A few examples of name changes: on Samba Runs Into Naming Problems In Germany · · Score: 1

    Chevy Nova: Means "No Go" in Spanish

    Colgate: Slang for "Go hang yourself" in some parts of Mexico

    Cowpis: Japanese Mountain Dew rip off that bombed in the USA (Say the name out loud if you're still confused)


    Matthew Miller,

  4. Re:486?? on 486 PC In 5 Cubic Inches? · · Score: 1

    The same shuttle mission where they fixed the problems with Hubble's main mirror (Remember that scandal?) they also upgraded the main processor from a 386 to a 486.


    Matthew Miller,

  5. It is his duty on Forbes Reporter Refuses To Testify Against Crackers · · Score: 2

    While the law does not provide any "confidentiality" between a reporter and a witness, many reporters act as if it does. I've had a little journalism training, and the basic idea is a journalist has a moral obligation to protect his or her sources, even if that means jail time for "contempt of court."

    I think it's his moral obligation to protect the hackers unless he believes them to be a danger. Many reporters have spent time in prison for practicing this kind of integrity.


    Matthew Miller,

  6. Oh boy. on Razorfish Sued For "Shoddy Web Site" · · Score: 1

    I guess CK Interactive is out of business then. Look at the S*** they did for ETS, Inc. and DigitalCourses.com

    I hate popups! And talk about loadtimes. You'd better have Cable or DSL to view one of their sites baby!


    Matthew Miller,

  7. Re:Corel Linux on Corel Claims That The Worst Is Over · · Score: 1

    I use Mandrake 7.0 at home, and am testing 7.1 at work. One big difference between the two is 7.1 has X v4.0, which doesn't support that many graphics cards yet, but is supposed to be MUCH better than previous versions. (Faster, more features, auto detection of mouse wheel and so on)

    My first real Linux install was SuSe 6.1 and I liked their package management system. I haven't tried SuSe in a while though, and I've lined up Debian as my next test distro.

    I love Linux, but it's still a little rough around the edges. I'd look into using LyX on Linux for word processing. It's based on TeX and gives you much more exact and consistent results.

    If you have a recent WINE snapshot you should be able to run Word 95/97 "after a fashion" as well as Juno and Yeah Write!

    You also might want to try an Applixware demo.


    Matthew Miller,

  8. Re:Holy Shit! on Sen. Hatch Warns Labels: Don't Make Me Come Spank You · · Score: 1

    Didn't you notice that he's a composer whose albums have terrible sales? Napster could mean instant and massive exposure of his music. I'll probably look up his music tonight and give it a listen. If I like it, I'll buy an album from his site and send him an e-mail about it.


    Matthew Miller,

  9. The reason we suffer so is simple on Is Technology Killing Leisure Time? · · Score: 2

    In the days of the Romans, they used "Bread and Circuses" to keep the population stated. Today, bread is not a problem. There is more than enough food for all on Earth, and those who need to be controlled are given the bread. Those who do not are left to starve or are simply shot.

    Gladiatorial matches have been replaced with WWF and sitcoms, but technology has offered new challenges to those who rule our lives.

    The wealthy and powerful realized long ago that allowing technology to develop and reach the masses would allow them to do the same work in less time, so they filled our minds with visions of a "Jetsons" future with flying cars and 3 day work weeks.

    In reality, they were pushing us harder. The changes were small and hard to notice.

    The principle was simple. If you put frog in boiling water, it leaps out, but if you put it in cool water and slowly turn up the heat, it remains until cooked.

    This is how they have kept us under control. Instead of allowing us to finish our work in less time and thus have the leisure to improve our minds and challenge their power, they have increased our work and demanded that everyone accomplish more.

    Work using technology IS more efficient. We accomplish 40% more than our parents did in the same time, but we are asked to do 60% more than they did and are thus destroyed and controlled.

    Here endeth the lesson.


    Matthew Miller,

  10. This frightens me on Leaked Quake IV Screenshots · · Score: 1

    OK, is anyone else disturbed by the fact that people are saying they were taken in and didn't realize it was fake until after "the first two screenshots?"

    I had a "What the -" reaction when I saw the headline, noticed the icon and thought, "Hope this is a good parody."

    BTW: Next /. pole, which sucks, the Fosters or the Coke?????


    Matthew Miller,

  11. Re:What's wrong with a sign. on Shutting Up Annoying Cellphones · · Score: 1

    In an ideal world where people did what they were asked, then yes, this would be fine.

    We don't live in an ideal world.

    Sadly, the world if full of rude and stupid people who go 50 miles per hour in a school zone and speed past stopped school busses even when the big red STOP sign is sticking out of the side. Signs don't bother them or change their behavior.

    The fact that you proposed just putting up a sign leads me to suspect you're the kind of person who would see such a sign and think "Gee, I forgot to turn off my pager. I'll do that right now so I don't bother anyone." If there were more people like that, we wouldn't have people getting funding to build this technology.

    Of course, if there were more people who paid attention to signs, smoking would stop, no one would speed, no one would pirate M$ products, all forest fires would be the result of lightning and lava flows and that athletic baby boomer jock wouldn't park in the space reserved for the WWII war vet with a walker and a false leg.
    In short, there are too many jerks to just put up a sign.


    Matthew Miller,

  12. Places I want to see this: on Shutting Up Annoying Cellphones · · Score: 1

    Let's see here

    First of all, it's not censorship. Grow up and stop complaining every time someone does something that means you can't run around being a jerk.

    Second, let's see my list of places I'd like to see this deployed:

    1. Discounts to Churches, Synagogs, Mosques and any other place held holy by a religion. There's just something tacky about bringing a cellphone to church. If you disrespect the religion so much as to bring in a cellphone or a beeper, then you shouldn't bother coming.
    2. I know everyone and their mother has mentioned this already, but movie theaters. I saw Phantom Menace twice before I knew how lousy it was because at the start of the film a woman answered her cellphone and talked right up to where Darth Maul gets cut in half! Her voice was so annoying, I didn't even HEAR Jar-Jar.
    3. Funeral homes. Never seen it myself, but you know there is some SOB who took a call during the eulogy.
    4. Weddings. The happiest day of a woman's life should not be punctuated by digital bells.

    That's just a partial list, but then I'm in favor of ridding the world of all the morons when I become the evil overlord of the world. (Click the link for my homepage to see the details.)




    Matthew Miller,
  13. What I'd like to see. on How Is Wine Doing These Days? · · Score: 1

    I've accepted having to reboot to run games, it's no big deal for me, but my understanding is if DirectX is implemented, any games that run under Windows 2000 should run under Linux. (Actual programmers, please correct me if I'm wrong here)

    The only reason Linux isn't my primary OS is Homesite, (But GPL products with the features I need are coming along nicely, so that shouldn't be an issue for much longer) Juno (It was running under the Wine version that shipped with Mandrake 7.0, but I upgraded and everything went to heck) and Planescape: Torment. Once Mozilla is up and running and video playback under Linux is as good as it is under Windows I'll be set.


    Matthew Miller,

  14. Re:Eliminates costly programming errors ... on Microsoft Releases C# Language Reference · · Score: 1

    Moderate this guy up. (Shouldn't have posted AC buddy!)

    I loved automatically initialized variables when I was a beginner just figuring out how to make the speaker beep. These days automatically initialized variables would cost me hours and hours of time. The log processing client I'm working on now has spit out 20 errors about mistyped variables today (I'm an average coder but a miserable typist) and if I'd had to find them myself I'd still be working of features I finished last week!

    GWBASIC and BASICA had automatic variable initialization. When was the last time you used them for a serious program? Hmmmmm? Heck, even VB allows you to turn off automatic variable initialization.


    Matthew Miller,

  15. Hybrid of C and C++ my A***! on Microsoft's New Language · · Score: 1

    The new language, expected to be called C# and pronounced "C sharp," is a hybrid of C and C++, two of the most popular programming languages used by software developers to write applications for the Windows operating system, said Tony Goodhew, a Microsoft product manager.

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't C++ a superset of C, and therefore C a subset of C++??? Why is it every C and C++ programming book I've read told me things like, "If you know C, you already know a good deal of C++" and why do all my C programs compile under C++ compilers?!?!?!?!

    Hmm, something a M$ developer said contradicts my six years of experience, I guess I'm wrong...


    Matthew Miller,

  16. Re:x86 code? on Transmeta To Unveil New Notebooks Next Week · · Score: 2

    Last I heard (Shortly after they said ANYTHING about what they were making, I haven't been keeping up) there were two different chips, one optimized for running Linux and the other for Windows. The Linux chip had lower Mhz, but since Linux is more efficient anyway performance will probably be comparable.

    If my memory is accurate, Linus was hired because of his knowledge of the x86 architecture. Linux became big while he was there. I read in a Linux journal interview with Linus that one thing he liked about Transmeta was they let him work on Linux. I'm pretty sure Linux compatibility was one of the tasks Linus worked on.


    Matthew Miller,

  17. One Distro on Linux Mergers? · · Score: 3



    One distro to rule them all, and in the darkenss bind them.

    Yes, he will buy them all. He will buy them all.

    Resistance is futile. Innovation is inevitable. You will be embraced and extended.


    Matthew Miller,

  18. Re:Looks like an ex. on Taking On A Spammer · · Score: 1

    Hey, when the lights are out, all that matters are a lady's natural skills, and she was VERY skilled..... ;P~


    Matthew Miller,

  19. How to bill spammers on Taking On A Spammer · · Score: 2

    Whenever we receive SPAM mail, I send this reply:

    The Windmill e-Mail Parsing System(c) indicates that the message you have sent is an advertisement, commonly known as SPAM mail. If your message is NOT Spam, please click your e-mail program's "Reply" button and re-send your message.

    If your message IS Spam, be advised that this is a Business E- Mail address, and and as such costs money to maintain.

    Your e-mail costs us money.

    Any further advertisements sent to this address will be invoiced to your firm at $5.00 per message. The act of sending further e-mail messages to this address is considered acceptance of this billing arrangement.

    MIS Department
    Accounts Receivable


    If they send us more SPAM, I send them this:

    Please consider this your invoice for $5.00.

    Reply promptly with information regarding your preferred payment method. You will not be invoiced for any e-mails exchanged regarding your account.

    Your Customer Number is SPM23975, please use your customer number in all correspondence with ETS, Inc.

    Have a nice day.

    Accounts Payable

    Nothing has ever come of it, but it makes me feel better.


    Matthew Miller,

  20. No there isn't silly lad! on Taking On A Spammer · · Score: 1

    If your connected through a LAN, you never see an icon indicating the existence of a net connection. As soon as my company switched from dialup to ISDN we had to get used to the fact that we had no way of knowing if we had an active net connection without launching some program that checked it. (NetMonitor, Netscape, IE, Ping)


    Matthew Miller,

  21. Who else thinks Rodona Garst is cute? on Taking On A Spammer · · Score: 1

    OK, who else thinks Rodona Garst is kinda cute? I mean, she may be an immoral slimeball, but she looks like a fun lady to get together with. Did anyone notice a wedding ring on her finger? Anyone ever find infor about her on any Swingers' sites? Did she write the kinky stories????

    Why do I get the feeling I REALLY need a date....

    http://homepages.manawatu.net.nz/~alanjb/RodonasBr eastSize.htm


    Matthew Miller,

  22. Why me??? on Taking On A Spammer · · Score: 1

    I showed the article to my boss and he told me to print up the contact information the guy stole. He wants to start doing business with them. *SIGH* I reminded him we'd set up our own SMTP server for sending SPAM and were just waiting for him to write the copy.

    What he doesn't know is Spamming every possible e-mail address @aol.com will result in AOL blocking the IP ASAP, so while j1234567890@aol.com is still getting his spam, AOL will be making sure our IP NEVER spams AOL again.... (HE HE)

    then he'll hire somebody to do it, but the guilt won't be mine!!!


    Matthew Miller,

  23. At least the WHOIS is real on Taking On A Spammer · · Score: 2

    Well, the WHOIS info he lists for PREMIERSERVICES.COM is accurate. Check out http://www.networksolutions.com/cgi-bin/whois/whoi s?STRING=PREMIERSERVICES.COM&S TRING=Search


    Matthew Miller,

  24. Let it be true!! on Taking On A Spammer · · Score: 1

    I SOOO want this to be true, and even if it isn't it's a great read. Spammers are evil and must be stopped.

    I'd pay $$$ to "see a movie" about a task force, funded by disgruntled ISPs, that does this exact sort of thing, tracking down spammers and cracking their systems...

    The frustrated writer begins to ponder a novel......


    Matthew Miller,

  25. Re:Game engine? on Daikatana Sucks: It's Official · · Score: 1

    It's based on the Quake II engine. NOT the Quake III engine, but the Quake II engine.

    It would have been nice if they'd made things look BETTER than Quake II, but really, the levels you can download off the web for Quake II blow Dikacrapa out of the water.


    Matthew Miller,