Does anyone else here think thiat there has been far too much effort put into making macs look pretty.
No. That's what Apple is about. Not just a high quality server platform, like Sun. Not just a mainstream so-so consumer platform, like Microsoft. But a real quality, high value, usuable interface. They did it again, and they did it well. Apple has the most defined most usable interfaces in existance.
This is most likely because anyone who has little enough knowledge of computer hardware to buy a prepackaged system at Best Buy, etc. is the same type of person who also lacks the experience to know a good ISP when they see one!
That's the whole problem with these rebates. It's the people that don't know better that are being duped. They'll realize the mistake later when they find out in a year that cable or DSL is better, but they can't get out of the contract without forking over $400.
Yes, maybe Microsoft is getting a ton of sign-ups now by people that don't know better, but what about later when people realize they can drop MSN for better Internet Service? That's when we'll start seeing people bow out. Of course, with MS' investments in Cable and Telco, maybe they'll have it in place so that people won't need to leave MSN for the faster access. Then they don't need to worry.
The Linux kernel is far more like a Cathedral built in full public view by a small crowd of highly skilled volunteers than a bazaar full of dirty tents and shouting people. Perhaps the users in the Linux community at large act as though they are in a bazaar, but the metaphor just doesn't fit, and LW points this out well.
Of course, the Linux Kernel isn't developed by volunteers, for the most part. It's more like building a cathedral that isn't blocked off by big "construction zone" signs. Then people with the ability are free to step on in and see whats going on, and perhaps point out problems or help in various ways.
I thought that Juno was that free e-mail company is their an ISP that has a similar name or has Juno changed it TOS now?
They've expanded. You can still get free e-mail. But now you can get... whoops, looks like they've changed their service plans again. You can get either free internet access, or Premium internet access. Oh, and they have WebMail.
I'm referring of course to geographic TLDs. The rule is simple. Names are first come first serve unless you present proof of a trademark in a given region. In the case of two companies having the same trademark in the same region, but in different businesses, the second applicant will just have to use a qualifier (Acme auto got there first so it got www.Acme.raleigh.nc.us, Acme fishing tackle will just have to settle for www.AcmeFishing.raleigh.nc.us)
This actually isn't a good solution. Unless you have a good way to lookup domains. Better then a search engine anyways. Or a national domain. Otherwise, what kind of domain would Amazon.com have? amazon.seattle.wa.us?? What if they move?
I cannot imagine the FSF would sanction a license that would require advertisement.
The submitter didn't mean that it would "require" an advertisement, he implied it would "allow" an advertisement.
The point being, if you have a public database, you can't just allow people to use it, the must have the ability to profit from it. Otherwise there's no incentive to using it. The GPL allows you to profit from source code.
One of their products uses Informix -- and requires 10 times the hardware resources it would need if it used Interbase.
Didn't I say, "Why use an 18 wheeler to move a 13" TV?" I'm not justifying using a product that wasn't designed for what you are using it for. And Oracle certainly wasn't designed for workgroup type applications.
Why would the craze around Linux fade? Windows 2000, freak. Remember, all those MS advocates believe that the only reason Linux was so popular this year was because techies needed something to "play with" while waiting for Windows 2000 to be released. Come Feb 17th, everyone will drop Linux and embrace W2K, just like good little people.
Unsurprisingly, they say that Linux will be used in embedded devices. Well, it's kind of hard to say that Linux has "faded" if it's going to dominant the most important computer market coming up. It's like people who say, "yes, Linux will take over the desktop, but only when we are all talking to our voice activated wearable PC's." But what is running our vioce activated wearable PC's? Not Windows. No, Linux is ready for that market now, Windows is playing catch up.
And they talk about "friendly interfaces" for Linux. Haha, I thought they were claiming that Linux couldn't have a friendly interface. Guess they are finally seeing the light.
Sure, perhaps Linux will fade in some markets, but that's only because those markets are fading.
But is Oracle worth the price for most applications? In my experience, it is not.
What are "most" applications? Most of your applications? Most of my applications? You are right, Oracle isn't worth the price for most applications. So why would you use it? Oracle doesn't *want* you to use their database for most applications. That's why other databases like MySQL and Interbase exist.
For use as a database to track orders for a a company that does $1 million dollars a year in sales, Oracle would be a poor choice. But for a company that does $100 billion dollars a year in sales, Oracle is probably a very good price.
Don't think that 18 wheelers are a wasted product just because all your move around is a 13" TV. Be content with a pickup if that meets your needs.
The point I was trying to make was that the "Tier 1" DBMS vendors are unlikely to be seriously injured by InterBase becoming "free."
Ah. That's better. You are right, they won't be affected.
In contrast, those that were price-sensitive, and went with SOLID/ Altera/... may seriously consider trying out Interbase as an even less expensive alternative that doesn't tie them to proprietary licensing.
Yes, which is good for Inprise. It will force the competitors to compete differently though. But it's not the end of the world for them.
Granted, some of that money goes to employees, who then recycle it back into the economy, but most of it is in the form of lost productivity and revenue, which isn't recoverable. The Y2K bug has already taken its toll, and definitely should have been on the list (under "1970s", perhaps?).
Ah, but how much would it have cost if they'd done it right to begin with? I don't have any documentation to link to but I read that it may have cost more to be "Y2K" compliant right away then to leave it to be fixed later.
That would be an interesting study, if not down fully already. What was the savings for leaving a problem to be fixed later?
whilst people will still likely be prepared to "pay the bucks" to move up to "Tier 1" DBMSes like Sybase/Oracle/Informix/DB2
Why would open sourcing Interbase cause people "willing to pay" to move up to the tier 1 vendors? If they aren't willing to pay now, then why would they be willing to pay later? I think they'd continue using what they use now, if anything.
A better strategy to encourage is to open up the code from the start, and help build a userbase while the code is young.
Yes, but when the Interbase code was still young, "Open Source" wasn't something that was heard of. You want them to not open source now, just because the concept wasn't around when the product began?
Open sourcing older programs is a good idea. Companies have no experience in Open Source development. By starting with a product that you can't "lose" with, it gives companies a feel for how to best work with the Open Source community with their flagship products.
Have you priced Oracle lately. Here is what they quoted me.
It has nothing to do with price. For large enterprise databases, price isn't an issue. For smaller applications where Interbase would be used, Oracle would be a huge overkill.
A pickup truck can't haul as much as an 18 wheeler, but if you just have a desk to haul, an 18 wheeler isn't needed. Likewise, if you do have enough stuff to haul to need an 18 wheeler, the cost of the truck probably isn't going to be a problem.
Could anyone who has made that switch throw some info to me? It it worth it? What advantages does Debian have over RH (and any other for that matter)?
Simply the package management system. I've used Red Hat for a while, but when I learned about "apt-get install package" it was all over. I think when Potato is released all my boxes will be upgraded.
Just as Sun can decide to add anything they want to their operating systems, so can Microsoft with NT/2000 Server.
Yes. Good point. The DoJ didn't sue Microsoft for bundling IE with Windows. There is not problem with add value to your product. There's no problem with giving away products either. Many companies do.
The problem is, of course, using a monopoly in one market to force people to use a different product. Microsoft violated anti-trust law, because they tried to force IE on consumers by denying Windows Licenses to OEM's that felt that consumers wanted Netscape.
If Microsoft were to not allow customers to use NT if they also used Real, then the situation would be the same. Of course, because Microsoft has very little share in the server world, this would be foolish for them, since then people just wouldn't use NT. So they can add value to their product, and aren't violating anti-trust laws.
Wow! He predicted something that has been known by anyone interested in Mozilla since the opening of the source code...
Yes, his whole argument was silly. He had "facts", but those facts didn't have anything to do with his conclusion. It's like me saying that the sun will go down Dec 31, it'll be dark, and people will drive with their headlights on. Because of that, there will be no Y2K problems. All of those were facts, and all will be true, but they have nothing to do with Y2K.
So, if anything, this should be marked up as "Funny", but having a few facts in a post that has nothing to do with the facts presented, is *not* "Informative".
If memory serves me right, when M$ came down and helped out apple, the "community" response was bloody M$, don't stick your wallet where it isn't wanted. Now... when a linux person does it for M$, the response is "Look, we saved megacorp from drowning, aren't we swell". Irony?
Not really. MS just "saved" Apple because it was a way to get out of several lawsuits. They also "needed" the competition. Without Apple, MS would have had even bigger problems.
On the other hand, we don't "need" Microsoft. It is of no difference to us whether Hotmail is around or not. We aren't being sued by Microsoft, either.
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No. That's what Apple is about. Not just a high quality server platform, like Sun. Not just a mainstream so-so consumer platform, like Microsoft. But a real quality, high value, usuable interface. They did it again, and they did it well. Apple has the most defined most usable interfaces in existance.
-BrentYes, but who's going to run OS X on low mem machines? We're talking about serious work horses here. 128x128 icons won't even be noticeable.
-BrentThat's the whole problem with these rebates. It's the people that don't know better that are being duped. They'll realize the mistake later when they find out in a year that cable or DSL is better, but they can't get out of the contract without forking over $400.
Yes, maybe Microsoft is getting a ton of sign-ups now by people that don't know better, but what about later when people realize they can drop MSN for better Internet Service? That's when we'll start seeing people bow out. Of course, with MS' investments in Cable and Telco, maybe they'll have it in place so that people won't need to leave MSN for the faster access. Then they don't need to worry.
-BrentOf course, the Linux Kernel isn't developed by volunteers, for the most part. It's more like building a cathedral that isn't blocked off by big "construction zone" signs. Then people with the ability are free to step on in and see whats going on, and perhaps point out problems or help in various ways.
-BrentThey've expanded. You can still get free e-mail. But now you can get ... whoops, looks like they've changed their service plans again. You can get either free internet access, or Premium internet access. Oh, and they have WebMail.
-BrentNo, No. We *must* call it MicroHURD
-BrentThis actually isn't a good solution. Unless you have a good way to lookup domains. Better then a search engine anyways. Or a national domain. Otherwise, what kind of domain would Amazon.com have? amazon.seattle.wa.us?? What if they move?
-BrentThe submitter didn't mean that it would "require" an advertisement, he implied it would "allow" an advertisement.
The point being, if you have a public database, you can't just allow people to use it, the must have the ability to profit from it. Otherwise there's no incentive to using it. The GPL allows you to profit from source code.
-BrentSorry, I should have been more articulate. This is what the MS Advocates propose. The second part was my own take.
-BrentI think I was...
One of their products uses Informix -- and requires 10 times the hardware resources it would need if it used Interbase.Didn't I say, "Why use an 18 wheeler to move a 13" TV?" I'm not justifying using a product that wasn't designed for what you are using it for. And Oracle certainly wasn't designed for workgroup type applications.
-BrentUnsurprisingly, they say that Linux will be used in embedded devices. Well, it's kind of hard to say that Linux has "faded" if it's going to dominant the most important computer market coming up. It's like people who say, "yes, Linux will take over the desktop, but only when we are all talking to our voice activated wearable PC's." But what is running our vioce activated wearable PC's? Not Windows. No, Linux is ready for that market now, Windows is playing catch up.
And they talk about "friendly interfaces" for Linux. Haha, I thought they were claiming that Linux couldn't have a friendly interface. Guess they are finally seeing the light.
Sure, perhaps Linux will fade in some markets, but that's only because those markets are fading.
Weep and cry. Windows die.
-BrentWhat are "most" applications? Most of your applications? Most of my applications? You are right, Oracle isn't worth the price for most applications. So why would you use it? Oracle doesn't *want* you to use their database for most applications. That's why other databases like MySQL and Interbase exist.
For use as a database to track orders for a a company that does $1 million dollars a year in sales, Oracle would be a poor choice. But for a company that does $100 billion dollars a year in sales, Oracle is probably a very good price.
Don't think that 18 wheelers are a wasted product just because all your move around is a 13" TV. Be content with a pickup if that meets your needs.
-BrentAh. That's better. You are right, they won't be affected.
In contrast, those that were price-sensitive, and went with SOLID/ Altera/Yes, which is good for Inprise. It will force the competitors to compete differently though. But it's not the end of the world for them.
-BrentAh, but how much would it have cost if they'd done it right to begin with? I don't have any documentation to link to but I read that it may have cost more to be "Y2K" compliant right away then to leave it to be fixed later.
That would be an interesting study, if not down fully already. What was the savings for leaving a problem to be fixed later?
-BrentWhy would open sourcing Interbase cause people "willing to pay" to move up to the tier 1 vendors? If they aren't willing to pay now, then why would they be willing to pay later? I think they'd continue using what they use now, if anything.
-BrentOpen sourcing the browser had nothing to do with being bought by AOL. AOL would have bought Netscape no matter what they did.
-BrentYes, but when the Interbase code was still young, "Open Source" wasn't something that was heard of. You want them to not open source now, just because the concept wasn't around when the product began?
Open sourcing older programs is a good idea. Companies have no experience in Open Source development. By starting with a product that you can't "lose" with, it gives companies a feel for how to best work with the Open Source community with their flagship products.
-BrentIt has nothing to do with price. For large enterprise databases, price isn't an issue. For smaller applications where Interbase would be used, Oracle would be a huge overkill.
A pickup truck can't haul as much as an 18 wheeler, but if you just have a desk to haul, an 18 wheeler isn't needed. Likewise, if you do have enough stuff to haul to need an 18 wheeler, the cost of the truck probably isn't going to be a problem.
-BrentAccording to LWN 108.
-BrentNo, that's be VA Linux (LNUX) now :)
-BrentSimply the package management system. I've used Red Hat for a while, but when I learned about "apt-get install package" it was all over. I think when Potato is released all my boxes will be upgraded.
-BrentYes. Good point. The DoJ didn't sue Microsoft for bundling IE with Windows. There is not problem with add value to your product. There's no problem with giving away products either. Many companies do.
The problem is, of course, using a monopoly in one market to force people to use a different product. Microsoft violated anti-trust law, because they tried to force IE on consumers by denying Windows Licenses to OEM's that felt that consumers wanted Netscape.
If Microsoft were to not allow customers to use NT if they also used Real, then the situation would be the same. Of course, because Microsoft has very little share in the server world, this would be foolish for them, since then people just wouldn't use NT. So they can add value to their product, and aren't violating anti-trust laws.
And there's no problems.
-BrentYeah, they're *still* rebooting. You just can't tell it anymore because they've added enough servers so they aren't all rebooting at the same time :)
-BrentYes, his whole argument was silly. He had "facts", but those facts didn't have anything to do with his conclusion. It's like me saying that the sun will go down Dec 31, it'll be dark, and people will drive with their headlights on. Because of that, there will be no Y2K problems. All of those were facts, and all will be true, but they have nothing to do with Y2K.
So, if anything, this should be marked up as "Funny", but having a few facts in a post that has nothing to do with the facts presented, is *not* "Informative".
-BrentNot really. MS just "saved" Apple because it was a way to get out of several lawsuits. They also "needed" the competition. Without Apple, MS would have had even bigger problems.
On the other hand, we don't "need" Microsoft. It is of no difference to us whether Hotmail is around or not. We aren't being sued by Microsoft, either.
So there.
-Brent