If you had read the article, you would find out that the error was noticed by the County office, and was corrected. Unfortunately, the programming was defective, as the corrections were not properly carried forward into the data that was used to set tax rates.
I don't know about Indiana, but in Iowa, subject to limits, the budgets are set in dollars, and the tax rate is calculated to raise the specified amount. The city didn't necessarily get a real increase in dollars, but now it will see a real decrease due to the error. Bad management - yes, bad programming - worse.
The plan does not require the use of Open Source software or OSes. It does require that the information be saved in a format that can always be read by anyone with a strong enough desire to read it. This distinction is often misunderstood, or misrepresented. Openness of the information that I create should not be a fad, it should be common sense. The last time I checked, I sometimes got garbled and misformatted output if the document if I tried to open was heavily formatted and used certain "features" from Microsoft Word. I should not have to own commercial products to communicate with my government.
At worst, I will move it to Debian - that's what I did with an old iMac that wasn't powerful enough to support OSX. With Linux, it still does a fine job of web browsing and word processing for an undemanding user. If I do that with the mini, it is still small, quiet, and cost less than the mini_ITX. I am sure Apple will support if for several years, and that is probably long enough for a $600 computer. I agree that the AMD chip might have an advantage in 3rd party software that isn't always available for the PPC.
About a year ago I built a silent computer based on a mini_ITX for my wife. Her requests were 1) Small and 2) Silent. It went together easily and has done an excellent job of general basic service. It installed Debian (first testing, and now Sarge) without any undue problems. Three months ago, I bought a Mac mini for my daughter to take to school. Everything she has tried has worked perfectly. If the Mac had been available when my wife needed a new computer, I probably wouldn't have bothered with the homebuilt, as the mini is about the same price and is more powereful. Stability hasn't been an issue with either one.
There are a lot of modifications that could be needed that don't involve mucking around in the OS. In a business that just uses computers, not develops/extends or whatever it is that Google does to them, we are constantly stymied by wanting to pass an older computer on, or deploy it for another use only to find that it is missing some trivial software component, or worse, has it but in some incompatible version. The basic hardware isn't worth the cost of upgrades, especially with corporate procurement processes, and "help" desk involvement. I know that the problem is partially of our own making, but with open source, or even site licensed products the problem simply doesn't exist. The result of commercial solutions is that every computer becomes a "one off" solution, as we cannot replicate configurations as we need them. We are currently running every version of Windows from '98 on. No reasonable organization would choose to do that, but the practical alternative would be to scrap the computers.
Not to belabor the point, but GET OFF YOUR SOAPBOX. I am not a programmer, I am an engineer (MSME, BSEE, PE). I design mechanical systems, and work on a daily basis with programers who write control software for these systems, and who develop application tools to help themselves, me, and the end users benefit from our products. I say that I am not a programmer because I understand enough about programming to know that the data analysis, scripts and simple routines that I create do not make me a "programmer." I can recognize good code when I see it, but I am not skilled enough to create it. I have used enough poor software to recognize that many of Joel's ideas are practical and useful. I may propose ideas that I develop from reading many sources, of which JoelOnSoftware is one (many of the "classics" and "greats" are others). If as a group, we think that the ideas have merit, we work with them. If they don't, we develop better ones.
The replies to this post seem to fall into two catagories: 1. I haven't heard of him, therefore he must not be important and 2. He can think and write, therefore I read his log.
I definitely fall into catagory 2. I am not a programmer, but I work with programmers, request changes from them, and depend on their work. Insights that I gain from his website and his books have lead to more understanding on my part, and better results. That's good enough for me.
from "Profession" by Isaac Asimov: "And those who don't? The ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine that don't? We can't have all those people considering themselves failures. They aim at the professions and one way or another they all make it. Everyone can place after his or her name: Registered something-or-other. In one fashion or another every individual has his or her place in society and this is necessary."
"But we?" said George. "The one in ten thousand exception?"
"You can't be told. That's exactly it. It's the final test. Even after we've thinned out the possibilities on Education Day, nine out of ten of those who come here are not quite the material of creative genius, and there's no way we can distinguish those nine from the tenth that we want by any form of machinery. The tenth one must tell us himself."
"How?"
"We bring you here to a House for the Feeble-minded and the man who won't accept that is the man we want. It's a method that can be cruel but it works. It won't do to say to a man, 'You can create. Do so.' It is much safer to wait for a man to say, 'I can create, and I will do so whether you wish it or not.' There are ten thousand men like you, George, who support the advancing technology of fifteen hundred worlds. We can't allow ourselves to miss one recruit to that number or waste our efforts on one member who doesn't measure up."
I want my software written by George! Google for the entire story if you are interested - it is one of my all-time favorites (written in 1957).
I built a mini-ITX computer for my wife about a year ago. My specs were 1) Small and 2) Quiet. I used a Ontonashi fanless case from http://www.scythe-usa.com/cooler/epia.htm to satisfy #2. The only OS installed is Debian unstable. My total cost was $600-700 without CD burning capability. If the Mac-mini had been on the market, I would never have bothered, and I doubt that I would have worked with Debian either (as much as I like if for my use). The mini, with OS-X would have been easier to support, smaller, and lower cost. I will probably buy a mini for my college bound daugher soon. You could build a mini-ITX for less, but you wouldn't get all of the features in the mini.
As a computer user who travels, I hope that you never have to type your possword in another country! I know that your "easy" passwork will not work in Germnay, and I don't think it will work in France or Spain, but because of different keys. Passwords based on the position of the keys are very difficult to remember when the keys more. Good luck in an internet cafe outside of the US.
I wanted a copy of Nero to replace the software that came with my burner (to save rebooting from the occasional journey to Windows). Choking on the retail price, I waited until I could pick up a discount burner on sale for $9.99 after rebates. It came with a bundled copy of Nero Lite, which was good enough for me.
Please tell me again why I had to buy the hardware, when what I wanted was Nero. I would have happily downloaded if for the same $9.99 that I paid for the bundle.
I don't know about her credibility, but her writing style is incomprehensible. Entire paragraphs consist of one long, run on sentence. IANAEM (I am not an English Major), in fact, I am an Engineer. My career still depends on communicating the results of my work clearly and concisely to those who have paid me to do it. Maureen O'Gara is apparently being paid to communicate. Between the poor prose and the lousy web site she is failing on both content and presentation.
I have two Waterfield SleeveCases (purchased from http://www.sfbags.com/). They come in sizes to actually fit your laptop, and with side loading for regular soft bags, or top loading for backpacks. Your laptop is secure, and the bag doesn't scream "Take Me." The shipment was prompt, and the quality good.
Unless those are the worlds smallest servers, I think those look like Duplo blocks, not Legos. I have boxes of both. Duplos are simpler, and about twice the size - although Duplos and Legos can be mixed. The thick Duplo baseplates make a much better case cover, as they would be stiffer than Legos. I especially like the operators' faces as a part of the case.
Slide rules cannot be beat for ratios. In my work (transmission design), I can set a ratio on the slide rule, and see at a glance pairs of integers that will work. No calculator or spreadsheet can come close. Try http://www.taswegian.com/SRTP/javaslide/javaslide. html for a demo!
I have used Parker and Mont Blanc ink in my Lamy pens without any problems. Usually, pens aren't fussy about the brand, although some inks are thicker than others (Mont Blanc), and may dry out more quickly if the pen is uncapped. www.levenger.com is pricey, but they have a good selection of colors (my daughter loves colors). Lamy cartridges are readily available in Europe. but I have never tried to mail order them.
Here is a simpler example - With a 40 foot implement (what the tractor is pulling), an average driver may overlap the end of the implement 3 feet into the previous pass to be sure that he doesn't miss any soil. It is hard work to drive accurately enough to be closer than this. With GPS, the overlap can be cut to 1 foot. The tractor is now doing 5% more work (39 vs 37 feet) with the same fuel and wear and tear. This can quickly pay for the GPS.
I think that you missed the point. You stated in your post that you would have needed the services of a structural engineer for guidance. In that case, you do not need to be an engineer, because {s}he is. The resulting work would have then been a joint project, and should have been covered under the engineer's insurance/bond as long as {s}he was willing to "sign off" on it. The engineer would have then been responsible in the eyes of the law for verifying that the software was reliable, both in function and implementation. This is the purpose of the law. Someone responsible for the project has to have the proven background to certify that it meets accepted levels of reliablilty and technical soundness. If you want to perform these functions yourself, you need the credentials to do so.
P.S. I am a registered Professional Engineer. While I write software, I would never claim to have the skill level of those who are trained and do so as a career.
I live next door to Cedar Falls, but not in their service area. High speed Internet was introduced there first. After a referendum to allow fund a study to allow competition was turned down in my town, my bill went up by $10/month. It appears that competition is working well.
For the definitive answer to this thread, see "Profession" by Isaac Asimov. If you search, the text is available on the web. I won't ruin the story by giving away the ending, but it is one of my all-time favorites.
As an "engineer", I welcome the updated software release, but I don't expect to run out of things to do!
"This policy is intended to fight mailing-list "spamming". "
"The Debian mailing lists accept commercial advertising for payment. The fee for advertisments is a donation of USD 1000 or more to "Software in the Public Interest" (SPI). One donation per advertisement, please. If you prefer to pay in arrears, simply post your advertisement to the list, and the list operator will bill you USD 1999. The list operator will donate this amount, minus the expense of collecting it, to SPI. Please note that the lists are distributed automatically -- messages are generally not read or checked in any way before they are distributed. "
"The act of posting an advertisement indicates your willingness to
accept responsibility for the fee, indemnify the list operator against any legal claims from you or others in connection with your advertisement, and pay any legal and business expenses incurred in collecting late payment. Our liability to you is limited to a good-faith effort to deliver your message. "
"Reduced rates and/or waiver of fee are available for Debian-related advertisements. You must consult the list operator in advance of posting for any reduction or fee waiver. "
I could not find confirmation, but I have heard that Debian was once able to collect a useful server as the only asset that a spammer had to pay under the terms of this policy.
Of course, some computers can be both. My family has happily run Linux (LinuxPPC and Debian) on Macintosh computers. We had a beige G3, and now have an older iMac. My purple computer is usually an eye-catching display in a sea of beige at Linux Install-A-thons. For the most part, our iMac is interchangeable with my Athlon based system. The only problems are from vendors who provide non-open sourced apps, but only for Intel/Athlon systems (Adobe, RealPlayer - I am glad for the support, but wish you supported PPC as well!) The Mac lets my younger children be compatible with school, while my older son can use the software he wants. I run netatalk and samba on another Linux computer, and the Mac has a shared partition that can be used by both Linux and MacOS, so file access between OS's and systems is no problem.
The author said that this model did not have an adb (apple desktop bus) port. I would investigate either the connection for the internal keyboard/mouse, or the pin outs for the mini-dock. Perhaps the wires are available to add a port. If you are capable of tearing the computer apart, hot glueing the parts to a frame, and ending up with a working machine, you should be able to add an adb connector to the proper leads.
Slashdot Mirror
If you had read the article, you would find out that the error was noticed by the County office, and was corrected. Unfortunately, the programming was defective, as the corrections were not properly carried forward into the data that was used to set tax rates.
I don't know about Indiana, but in Iowa, subject to limits, the budgets are set in dollars, and the tax rate is calculated to raise the specified amount. The city didn't necessarily get a real increase in dollars, but now it will see a real decrease due to the error. Bad management - yes, bad programming - worse.
The plan does not require the use of Open Source software or OSes. It does require that the information be saved in a format that can always be read by anyone with a strong enough desire to read it. This distinction is often misunderstood, or misrepresented. Openness of the information that I create should not be a fad, it should be common sense. The last time I checked, I sometimes got garbled and misformatted output if the document if I tried to open was heavily formatted and used certain "features" from Microsoft Word. I should not have to own commercial products to communicate with my government.
At worst, I will move it to Debian - that's what I did with an old iMac that wasn't powerful enough to support OSX. With Linux, it still does a fine job of web browsing and word processing for an undemanding user. If I do that with the mini, it is still small, quiet, and cost less than the mini_ITX. I am sure Apple will support if for several years, and that is probably long enough for a $600 computer. I agree that the AMD chip might have an advantage in 3rd party software that isn't always available for the PPC.
About a year ago I built a silent computer based on a mini_ITX for my wife. Her requests were 1) Small and 2) Silent. It went together easily and has done an excellent job of general basic service. It installed Debian (first testing, and now Sarge) without any undue problems. Three months ago, I bought a Mac mini for my daughter to take to school. Everything she has tried has worked perfectly. If the Mac had been available when my wife needed a new computer, I probably wouldn't have bothered with the homebuilt, as the mini is about the same price and is more powereful. Stability hasn't been an issue with either one.
There are a lot of modifications that could be needed that don't involve mucking around in the OS. In a business that just uses computers, not develops/extends or whatever it is that Google does to them, we are constantly stymied by wanting to pass an older computer on, or deploy it for another use only to find that it is missing some trivial software component, or worse, has it but in some incompatible version. The basic hardware isn't worth the cost of upgrades, especially with corporate procurement processes, and "help" desk involvement. I know that the problem is partially of our own making, but with open source, or even site licensed products the problem simply doesn't exist. The result of commercial solutions is that every computer becomes a "one off" solution, as we cannot replicate configurations as we need them. We are currently running every version of Windows from '98 on. No reasonable organization would choose to do that, but the practical alternative would be to scrap the computers.
Not to belabor the point, but GET OFF YOUR SOAPBOX. I am not a programmer, I am an engineer (MSME, BSEE, PE). I design mechanical systems, and work on a daily basis with programers who write control software for these systems, and who develop application tools to help themselves, me, and the end users benefit from our products. I say that I am not a programmer because I understand enough about programming to know that the data analysis, scripts and simple routines that I create do not make me a "programmer." I can recognize good code when I see it, but I am not skilled enough to create it. I have used enough poor software to recognize that many of Joel's ideas are practical and useful. I may propose ideas that I develop from reading many sources, of which JoelOnSoftware is one (many of the "classics" and "greats" are others). If as a group, we think that the ideas have merit, we work with them. If they don't, we develop better ones.
The replies to this post seem to fall into two catagories:
1. I haven't heard of him, therefore he must not be important and
2. He can think and write, therefore I read his log.
I definitely fall into catagory 2. I am not a programmer, but I work with programmers, request changes from them, and depend on their work. Insights that I gain from his website and his books have lead to more understanding on my part, and better results. That's good enough for me.
from "Profession" by Isaac Asimov:
"And those who don't? The ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine that don't? We can't have all those people considering themselves failures. They aim at the professions and one way or another they all make it. Everyone can place after his or her name: Registered something-or-other. In one fashion or another every individual has his or her place in society and this is necessary."
"But we?" said George. "The one in ten thousand exception?"
"You can't be told. That's exactly it. It's the final test. Even after we've thinned out the possibilities on Education Day, nine out of ten of those who come here are not quite the material of creative genius, and there's no way we can distinguish those nine from the tenth that we want by any form of machinery. The tenth one must tell us himself."
"How?"
"We bring you here to a House for the Feeble-minded and the man who won't accept that is the man we want. It's a method that can be cruel but it works. It won't do to say to a man, 'You can create. Do so.' It is much safer to wait for a man to say, 'I can create, and I will do so whether you wish it or not.' There are ten thousand men like you, George, who support the advancing technology of fifteen hundred worlds. We can't allow ourselves to miss one recruit to that number or waste our efforts on one member who doesn't measure up."
I want my software written by George! Google for the entire story if you are interested - it is one of my all-time favorites (written in 1957).
I built a mini-ITX computer for my wife about a year ago. My specs were 1) Small and 2) Quiet. I used a Ontonashi fanless case from http://www.scythe-usa.com/cooler/epia.htm to satisfy #2. The only OS installed is Debian unstable. My total cost was $600-700 without CD burning capability. If the Mac-mini had been on the market, I would never have bothered, and I doubt that I would have worked with Debian either (as much as I like if for my use). The mini, with OS-X would have been easier to support, smaller, and lower cost. I will probably buy a mini for my college bound daugher soon. You could build a mini-ITX for less, but you wouldn't get all of the features in the mini.
As a computer user who travels, I hope that you never have to type your possword in another country! I know that your "easy" passwork will not work in Germnay, and I don't think it will work in France or Spain, but because of different keys. Passwords based on the position of the keys are very difficult to remember when the keys more. Good luck in an internet cafe outside of the US.
I wanted a copy of Nero to replace the software that came with my burner (to save rebooting from the occasional journey to Windows). Choking on the retail price, I waited until I could pick up a discount burner on sale for $9.99 after rebates. It came with a bundled copy of Nero Lite, which was good enough for me.
Please tell me again why I had to buy the hardware, when what I wanted was Nero. I would have happily downloaded if for the same $9.99 that I paid for the bundle.
I don't know about her credibility, but her writing style is incomprehensible. Entire paragraphs consist of one long, run on sentence. IANAEM (I am not an English Major), in fact, I am an Engineer. My career still depends on communicating the results of my work clearly and concisely to those who have paid me to do it. Maureen O'Gara is apparently being paid to communicate. Between the poor prose and the lousy web site she is failing on both content and presentation.
I have two Waterfield SleeveCases (purchased from http://www.sfbags.com/). They come in sizes to actually fit your laptop, and with side loading for regular soft bags, or top loading for backpacks. Your laptop is secure, and the bag doesn't scream "Take Me." The shipment was prompt, and the quality good.
Isn't lib.exe in the platform SDK (with MIDL et al) instead?
Unless those are the worlds smallest servers, I think those look like Duplo blocks, not Legos. I have boxes of both. Duplos are simpler, and about twice the size - although Duplos and Legos can be mixed. The thick Duplo baseplates make a much better case cover, as they would be stiffer than Legos. I especially like the operators' faces as a part of the case.
Slide rules cannot be beat for ratios. In my work (transmission design), I can set a ratio on the slide rule, and see at a glance pairs of integers that will work. No calculator or spreadsheet can come close. Try http://www.taswegian.com/SRTP/javaslide/javaslide. html for a demo!
I have used Parker and Mont Blanc ink in my Lamy pens without any problems. Usually, pens aren't fussy about the brand, although some inks are thicker than others (Mont Blanc), and may dry out more quickly if the pen is uncapped. www.levenger.com is pricey, but they have a good selection of colors (my daughter loves colors). Lamy cartridges are readily available in Europe. but I have never tried to mail order them.
Of course you don't understand - after all, this time it really IS rocket science.
Here is a simpler example - With a 40 foot implement (what the tractor is pulling), an average driver may overlap the end of the implement 3 feet into the previous pass to be sure that he doesn't miss any soil. It is hard work to drive accurately enough to be closer than this. With GPS, the overlap can be cut to 1 foot. The tractor is now doing 5% more work (39 vs 37 feet) with the same fuel and wear and tear. This can quickly pay for the GPS.
I think that you missed the point. You stated in your post that you would have needed the services of a structural engineer for guidance. In that case, you do not need to be an engineer, because {s}he is. The resulting work would have then been a joint project, and should have been covered under the engineer's insurance/bond as long as {s}he was willing to "sign off" on it. The engineer would have then been responsible in the eyes of the law for verifying that the software was reliable, both in function and implementation. This is the purpose of the law. Someone responsible for the project has to have the proven background to certify that it meets accepted levels of reliablilty and technical soundness. If you want to perform these functions yourself, you need the credentials to do so.
P.S. I am a registered Professional Engineer. While I write software, I would never claim to have the skill level of those who are trained and do so as a career.
I live next door to Cedar Falls, but not in their service area. High speed Internet was introduced there first. After a referendum to allow fund a study to allow competition was turned down in my town, my bill went up by $10/month. It appears that competition is working well.
For the definitive answer to this thread, see "Profession" by Isaac Asimov. If you search, the text is available on the web. I won't ruin the story by giving away the ending, but it is one of my all-time favorites.
As an "engineer", I welcome the updated software release, but I don't expect to run out of things to do!
The Debian "advertising" policy is listed below:
"This policy is intended to fight mailing-list "spamming". "
"The Debian mailing lists accept commercial advertising for payment. The fee for advertisments is a donation of USD 1000 or more to "Software in the Public Interest" (SPI). One donation per advertisement, please. If you prefer to pay in arrears, simply post your advertisement to the list, and the list operator will bill you USD 1999. The list operator will donate this amount, minus the expense of collecting it, to SPI. Please note that the lists are distributed automatically -- messages are generally not read or checked in any way before they are distributed. "
"The act of posting an advertisement indicates your willingness to
accept responsibility for the fee,
indemnify the list operator against any legal claims from you or others in connection with your advertisement, and
pay any legal and business expenses incurred in collecting late payment.
Our liability to you is limited to a good-faith effort to deliver your message. "
"Reduced rates and/or waiver of fee are available for Debian-related advertisements. You must consult the list operator in advance of posting for any reduction or fee waiver. "
I could not find confirmation, but I have heard that Debian was once able to collect a useful server as the only asset that a spammer had to pay under the terms of this policy.
Of course, some computers can be both. My family has happily run Linux (LinuxPPC and Debian) on Macintosh computers. We had a beige G3, and now have an older iMac. My purple computer is usually an eye-catching display in a sea of beige at Linux Install-A-thons. For the most part, our iMac is interchangeable with my Athlon based system. The only problems are from vendors who provide non-open sourced apps, but only for Intel/Athlon systems (Adobe, RealPlayer - I am glad for the support, but wish you supported PPC as well!) The Mac lets my younger children be compatible with school, while my older son can use the software he wants. I run netatalk and samba on another Linux computer, and the Mac has a shared partition that can be used by both Linux and MacOS, so file access between OS's and systems is no problem.
The author said that this model did not have an adb (apple desktop bus) port. I would investigate either the connection for the internal keyboard/mouse, or the pin outs for the mini-dock. Perhaps the wires are available to add a port. If you are capable of tearing the computer apart, hot glueing the parts to a frame, and ending up with a working machine, you should be able to add an adb connector to the proper leads.