No, there is no way to make testing interesting. I hate it too. Its a "necessary evil" like grooming a dog. The dog survives without it, but that tick infestation can really stress your life out with bugs coming from all directions and showing up in places you never could have imagined.
Re:A Gnome user that wants to give this a try...
on
KDE 4.5 Released
·
· Score: 1
> I know that Kubuntu is not as polished as Ubuntu. What would be a good KDE distribution to give a try, to see the desktop environment for all it is?
Kubuntu, unfortunately...
"Polished" is a tough one... I still have to type '> BR <' on slashdot for new lines. But it's the best I've found for it's purpose, and I keep coming back to it...:) SuSE does have a lot of cool features that you may like (that will be in Kubuntu a few months later).
Have you considered handling printing with an applet to minimize browser cross-compatibility issues?
Sorry to plug my own (FOSS) software, but you can't simply pick a browser to code to, you can only pick a minimum supported browser version to code to, and you ALWAYS have to support the big names, and the big versions so your customers are happy.
Printing with jZebra might solve your main printing issues, especially if they're set up on the OS as Generic/Text printers.
-Tres
1. First reason I use KDE because it doesn't require me to open gconf to remap my "show desktop" icon. In fact, most key mappings can be remapped by right-clicking. This is an excellent reason to use ANY desktop environment: Customization.
2. Second reason is the idea of Right Click --> Properties on ANY shortcut/icon. Other desktops have different behavior depending on where the shortcut is located, and that makes it hard to learn how to make your own shortcuts. I like making my own fucking shortcuts.
4. Fourth reason is to have arguing ammunition with haters (read below, there's plenty of them!).
There are many other conflicting reasons that I like to use gnome (example: Pidgin/Empathy > Kopete, Firefox/Gimp more "native"). I simply use whatever works. I actually enjoy switching back and forth between desktops because the concept of a computer desktop is still young and subject to change.
No one desktop has even come close to perfecting human interaction, so we should praise the work that goes into improving them.
What are you doing specifically with PCL? Could you get away with sending raw commands to your printer(s)?
Sometimes providing a modern interface doesn't sacrifice customization. An earlier post suggests watching others use the tool to gauge how difficult it is. If you have the time to improve, deliver both and have the user compare. In the end it's the users that decide. As long as.bat/.cmd files are supported in Windows, your solution could be not only the most efficient, but the most desired.
> Java really only has tools for programmers, not psuedo-programmer artist types who typically create cool things in Flash. Sun seems to have never gotten this aspect.
Mine's called "Linksys" and the password is "1234", but there must be a problem because it always lists two of them and some times I make changes and it doesn't save.
Don't be discouraged by the people that learn by example. They just have a different way learning. Its no better or worse.
I think the OP is coding. The quizzes and assignments he speaks of include coding. Some of it more difficult than what a career programmer does on a daily basis.
There's two paths... 1. Learn more, or 2. Apply what you've learned.
If you decide to learn more (we're alway learning, right?), Servlets, Applets, MIDP are great paths to follow. They'll challenge you even more, and make you more hire-able than the millions of students out there that know classes, interfaces, data types and gui libraries.
Learning anything Thread related is great too. The concurrency packages introduced in more recent versions (Since 5.0 I believe) are great for writing server applications. Research Openfire as an excellent server project example that will win resume points.
To apply what you've learned (if you have the time, and it sounds you do), start a small project that solves a particular technology issue and make the world just a little bit better. It will all mesh together for your career.
For example, the differences in the Control Panel, Volume Controls, New Dialogs will all be there.
Give one advanced relative Ubuntu and see how they like it. If your use-case proves successful, upgrade the rest one-by one. Just because you are the "technical" resource in the family doesn't mean the other relatives don't talk. Let them decide what they like. Ubuntu spreads word for itself with many non-"Power Users". If you really want to use this opportunity, just plant the seed.
... people who aren't really technically savvy going to places like ITT Technical Institute, and end up working with computers in a place like help desk, or maybe in the lower echelons of the IT department...
I don't disagree with your point, however the company I work for has hired 7 ITT Technical Institute graduates since I started 5 years go, including myself. College, training and good work ethics have produced some excellent help desk technicians for us. Although ITT's TV commercials are a bit outrageous, ITT's an institution that teaches Windows, Linux, Programming and 2D/3D Graphics.
I am "tech savvy" and I still took a lot of good from that place. The "echelons" that you speak of often aren't paid enough to be "tech savvy" lifers. I just wish companies would value them for what they are and not promote them to a business or management positions by their seniority in the company alone.
Pre-fixing or post-fixing the name with something significant to it's location (such as department number) can be a lazy-man's replacement for a spreadsheet, but may require a rename when the computer's re-purposed.
Store the owner's name in the database (if one exists) if it's valid to the location. Even if the person leaves or gets fired, half of the department may know his name better than his job description.
Zebra brand printers work great for barcode labels and take special command sequences that don't require any special drivers because they support "raw" printing. Depending on the type of label you are trying to print (thermal, etc) this might be worth looking into. Instead of printing an image or document created with third party software (word, open office, paint application, etc), you write an application to send "printer commands" straight to the printer, and it can draw text, pictures, barcodes, all programatically. Perhaps the case for other printers too, but if you find one that does, it's fairly simple to print to using a generic/text driver, you just need to send the commands directly to the device bypassing the print driver by printing in "raw" mode. This can be done in many programming languages.
The downside of course is that you won't have a WYSIWIG (what you see is what you get) editor, but for commercial type printing, it works great. They can even print images and shapes given the proper data format with no proprietary driver installed.
Here's a GPL Java API I've started to do this programatically (work for web pages or stand-alone java applications): http://code.google.com/p/jzebra/
This API has been tested with Zebra brand (and legacy Eltron) type printers working in both Ubuntu and Windows with both Firefox and Internet Explorer, locally attached and network attached.
Feel free to contact me from the google code link above.
Am I the only one confused as to why ANYONE is giving credit to "purists" or "pragmatists" for switching to "git"? Also, where does Gnome come into discussion here?
Linus is the reason git is as popular as it is. He's the one who spoke in front of the Google staff and called them "ugly and stupid". Linus is also the founder of Minix and everything he creates for the Linux community is pure in its licensing nature.
Just because BitKeeper didn't end up being the end-all solution to code management, doesn't make the purists right. Likewise, just because BitKeeper worked for him as long as it didn't doesn't make the pragmatists right. Linus was right to start the git project because he saw a need. That doesn't retroactively give ANYONE credit. This isn't the superbowl, and we shouldn't treat a decision of a developer as any MVP award to a bunch of arguers on a web site.
Likewise, some of the Gnome arguments aren't arguments at all, simply bitterness. Linus saw a need to improve the desktop and constructively criticized the work of others. Put your MVP arguments aside, Gnome and KDE both have a lot to offer and simply because someone says the latter offers more doesn't make the prior unappreciated. We don't shut out new innovation simply because it obsoletes hard work and appreciation of your old -- and now ugly -- innovation.
These things you are all arguing about... CVS, git, Gnome, KDE... have been building blocks for Linux and OSS for years. What good does it do for tomorrow's new neat product to argue about yesterday's RIGHT or WRONG?
Don't get down on yourself. I'm speaking of the ever-reproducing families (often job-less) carrying all 5 kids at once -- every time -- that we get stuck behind in the grocery store.
The ones where Momma doesn't look good, never looked good, and is expecting more children.
Sure, good looking people are reproducing, but not like rats. Not where I live at least. It's a different breed of human. Reproduction seems to be filtering in the other direction round here.:)
-Tres
"Dramatic irony is a disparity of expression and awareness: when words and actions possess a significance that the listener or audience understands, but the speaker or character does not"
I agree that his meeting is coincidence, as he's aware. Spending his time on Slashdot, and falling victim to his own concerns I'll have to argue could be perceived as ironic.
"you better hope your boss is smart enough to recognize that you need long chunks of time to work in"
From a reader's perspective, spending paid time to submit Slashdot articles can certainly come off as ironic.
That said, I spend my last few minutes before meetings on Slashdot too, so I'm not being a critic. Cheers.
-Tres
I see VMWare bringing back a lot of the mainframe hardware concepts, such as:
- Huge fricken box
- Everything in the company runs on it
As far as the "legacy" mainframe languages... IBM is still releasing OS updates to it's OS/400. Many business critical applications are still running strong in "legacy" programming languages like RPG.
To name one... Bally's (yeah the same as the fitness center company) sells one of the leading CRMs in the Casino industry... running on a green console.
There's almost nothing free you can put on a personal page that will be professional, cool, interesting and practical all at the same time.
If you're already using web 2.0 stuff (which it seems like you are), people would rather see your google calendar, facebook or linkedin page... something with content.
You don't need a dedicated domain for that, so stick with nothing and save the effort for another facebook quiz.:)
If you are really bored and want something as a place-holder, make a puzzle.
This is insightful, but some of the posts below show $500 dollar audio grade Ethernet cables and talks of die's.
Our resort has thousands of Ethernet cables created by hand. Each cable is fluke tested. That's not to say we are without problems, but our network has redundancy where it's needed in the event of flapping, packet loss or failure.
I guess I'm not sure the OP's question was answered.
Does the TCP/IP stack benefit from professional grade cable? In the OP's case, he has a main T1 VPN line, so perhaps that weights the answer toward "yes". I'd like to know the answer as well as this seems to be a valid topic of debate.
First learn java and what the latest technologies are, like Groovy, Ruby, JBoss, Eclipse, Netbeans, or the like. Read some editorials on the stuff and learn the limitations of the language they use day to day. Start to understand then workarounds out there. Lumbergh, if you are ahead of the game on the technology they need, they'll appreciate your input and they'll do what you need from them. One of the biggest mistakes management makes is trying to manage first and understand second.
Managing programmers often IS nagg-managing no matter how you look at it. If you run their project plans for them, they can focus on the nitty-gritty.
If you can understand their frustration and the logic problems they have, they'll respect you, even if you can't do the coding yourself.
If you can't understand the basics of what they do, or if you refuse to learn what they do, it will be much harder.
-Tres
I disagree. He's looking to save money, not incur design and casting costs.
For cheap or free, look to cars, ships and trains. You'll find junk yards full of some of the gears you need.
Rear ends in large trucks have gears that may be the size and shape that you're looking for. You'll often find a "grave-yard" of scrap metal if you know some enthusiasts in a related field! Its a good question because quite often these parts are cheaper than their value in metal if you know where to shop! Good luck!
-Tres
I disagree. Work for what is best.
Just a quick Wiki search will give you some great stats to put into an argument.
Here's an interesting excerpt:
"Despite the cold reception from Microsoft's top management, the Internet Explorer development team maintains a relationship with Mozilla. They meet regularly to discuss web standards such as extended validation certificates.[134] In 2005 Mozilla agreed to allow Microsoft to use its Web feed logo in the interest of common graphical representation of the Web feeds feature.[135]"
My boss outright rejects our company providing any FOSS to the outside world, however in about a year, he's installed Firefox out of curiosity. He lets me use Pidgin instead of IBM's "SameTime" for internal chat, and allows the Linux install of Lotus Notes to sit out on our install server.
I've recently placed GIMP on the install server, and I've used it for all GIF and ICO creation in-house!!
People forget that tools like VNC and PuTTY are open source too. So is Apache and MySQL! Infact, IBM's entire iSeries Toolkit (for connecting to their mainframes) is opensource.
Advice is... when you do it, don't make it sound like you are preaching a new type of religion. Start off with something small. Firefox has a lot of bad hype around it, especially from the Microsoft-heavy companies. Start with Pidgin and move your way up. Glamorize it's features and cost benefits, and remember to focus on the users, not yourself. A good argument can change a company for the better!
-Tres
Slashdot Mirror
No, there is no way to make testing interesting. I hate it too. Its a "necessary evil" like grooming a dog. The dog survives without it, but that tick infestation can really stress your life out with bugs coming from all directions and showing up in places you never could have imagined.
> I know that Kubuntu is not as polished as Ubuntu. What would be a good KDE distribution to give a try, to see the desktop environment for all it is?
:) SuSE does have a lot of cool features that you may like (that will be in Kubuntu a few months later).
Kubuntu, unfortunately...
"Polished" is a tough one... I still have to type '> BR <' on slashdot for new lines. But it's the best I've found for it's purpose, and I keep coming back to it...
To the OP:
Have you considered handling printing with an applet to minimize browser cross-compatibility issues?
Sorry to plug my own (FOSS) software, but you can't simply pick a browser to code to, you can only pick a minimum supported browser version to code to, and you ALWAYS have to support the big names, and the big versions so your customers are happy.
Printing with jZebra might solve your main printing issues, especially if they're set up on the OS as Generic/Text printers. -Tres
1. First reason I use KDE because it doesn't require me to open gconf to remap my "show desktop" icon. In fact, most key mappings can be remapped by right-clicking. This is an excellent reason to use ANY desktop environment: Customization.
.
2. Second reason is the idea of Right Click --> Properties on ANY shortcut/icon. Other desktops have different behavior depending on where the shortcut is located, and that makes it hard to learn how to make your own shortcuts. I like making my own fucking shortcuts.
3. Third reason is because it
4. Fourth reason is to have arguing ammunition with haters (read below, there's plenty of them!).
There are many other conflicting reasons that I like to use gnome (example: Pidgin/Empathy > Kopete, Firefox/Gimp more "native"). I simply use whatever works. I actually enjoy switching back and forth between desktops because the concept of a computer desktop is still young and subject to change.
No one desktop has even come close to perfecting human interaction, so we should praise the work that goes into improving them.
What are you doing specifically with PCL? Could you get away with sending raw commands to your printer(s)?
.bat/.cmd files are supported in Windows, your solution could be not only the most efficient, but the most desired.
Sometimes providing a modern interface doesn't sacrifice customization. An earlier post suggests watching others use the tool to gauge how difficult it is. If you have the time to improve, deliver both and have the user compare. In the end it's the users that decide. As long as
Password rotation doesn't help with hackers, but it helps when a coworker learns what your password is.
Until they add 1 to the end and get back in.
> Java really only has tools for programmers, not psuedo-programmer artist types who typically create cool things in Flash. Sun seems to have never gotten this aspect.
They actually have, and it's called Java FX.
Mine's called "Linksys" and the password is "1234", but there must be a problem because it always lists two of them and some times I make changes and it doesn't save.
Don't be discouraged by the people that learn by example. They just have a different way learning. Its no better or worse.
I think the OP is coding. The quizzes and assignments he speaks of include coding. Some of it more difficult than what a career programmer does on a daily basis.
There's two paths... 1. Learn more, or 2. Apply what you've learned.
If you decide to learn more (we're alway learning, right?), Servlets, Applets, MIDP are great paths to follow. They'll challenge you even more, and make you more hire-able than the millions of students out there that know classes, interfaces, data types and gui libraries.
Learning anything Thread related is great too. The concurrency packages introduced in more recent versions (Since 5.0 I believe) are great for writing server applications. Research Openfire as an excellent server project example that will win resume points.
To apply what you've learned (if you have the time, and it sounds you do), start a small project that solves a particular technology issue and make the world just a little bit better. It will all mesh together for your career.
-Tres
Yes, if all they use is internet, IM, email, then the Windows 7 transition may no be as hard as you think.
You can make most Linux distributions look and feel like Windows XP, but the differences between XP and 7 will still be there with XP and skinned-Linux.
For example, the differences in the Control Panel, Volume Controls, New Dialogs will all be there.
Give one advanced relative Ubuntu and see how they like it. If your use-case proves successful, upgrade the rest one-by one. Just because you are the "technical" resource in the family doesn't mean the other relatives don't talk. Let them decide what they like. Ubuntu spreads word for itself with many non-"Power Users". If you really want to use this opportunity, just plant the seed.
-Tres
... people who aren't really technically savvy going to places like ITT Technical Institute, and end up working with computers in a place like help desk, or maybe in the lower echelons of the IT department...
I don't disagree with your point, however the company I work for has hired 7 ITT Technical Institute graduates since I started 5 years go, including myself. College, training and good work ethics have produced some excellent help desk technicians for us. Although ITT's TV commercials are a bit outrageous, ITT's an institution that teaches Windows, Linux, Programming and 2D/3D Graphics. I am "tech savvy" and I still took a lot of good from that place. The "echelons" that you speak of often aren't paid enough to be "tech savvy" lifers. I just wish companies would value them for what they are and not promote them to a business or management positions by their seniority in the company alone.
Service tag for the win.
Pre-fixing or post-fixing the name with something significant to it's location (such as department number) can be a lazy-man's replacement for a spreadsheet, but may require a rename when the computer's re-purposed.
Store the owner's name in the database (if one exists) if it's valid to the location. Even if the person leaves or gets fired, half of the department may know his name better than his job description.
pdk,
Zebra brand printers work great for barcode labels and take special command sequences that don't require any special drivers because they support "raw" printing. Depending on the type of label you are trying to print (thermal, etc) this might be worth looking into. Instead of printing an image or document created with third party software (word, open office, paint application, etc), you write an application to send "printer commands" straight to the printer, and it can draw text, pictures, barcodes, all programatically. Perhaps the case for other printers too, but if you find one that does, it's fairly simple to print to using a generic/text driver, you just need to send the commands directly to the device bypassing the print driver by printing in "raw" mode. This can be done in many programming languages.
The downside of course is that you won't have a WYSIWIG (what you see is what you get) editor, but for commercial type printing, it works great. They can even print images and shapes given the proper data format with no proprietary driver installed.
Here's a GPL Java API I've started to do this programatically (work for web pages or stand-alone java applications):
http://code.google.com/p/jzebra/
This API has been tested with Zebra brand (and legacy Eltron) type printers working in both Ubuntu and Windows with both Firefox and Internet Explorer, locally attached and network attached.
Feel free to contact me from the google code link above.
-Tres
Am I the only one confused as to why ANYONE is giving credit to "purists" or "pragmatists" for switching to "git"? Also, where does Gnome come into discussion here?
Linus is the reason git is as popular as it is. He's the one who spoke in front of the Google staff and called them "ugly and stupid". Linus is also the founder of Minix and everything he creates for the Linux community is pure in its licensing nature.
Just because BitKeeper didn't end up being the end-all solution to code management, doesn't make the purists right. Likewise, just because BitKeeper worked for him as long as it didn't doesn't make the pragmatists right. Linus was right to start the git project because he saw a need. That doesn't retroactively give ANYONE credit. This isn't the superbowl, and we shouldn't treat a decision of a developer as any MVP award to a bunch of arguers on a web site.
Likewise, some of the Gnome arguments aren't arguments at all, simply bitterness. Linus saw a need to improve the desktop and constructively criticized the work of others. Put your MVP arguments aside, Gnome and KDE both have a lot to offer and simply because someone says the latter offers more doesn't make the prior unappreciated. We don't shut out new innovation simply because it obsoletes hard work and appreciation of your old -- and now ugly -- innovation.
These things you are all arguing about... CVS, git, Gnome, KDE... have been building blocks for Linux and OSS for years. What good does it do for tomorrow's new neat product to argue about yesterday's RIGHT or WRONG?
-Tres
Don't get down on yourself. I'm speaking of the ever-reproducing families (often job-less) carrying all 5 kids at once -- every time -- that we get stuck behind in the grocery store.
:)
-Tres
The ones where Momma doesn't look good, never looked good, and is expecting more children.
Sure, good looking people are reproducing, but not like rats. Not where I live at least. It's a different breed of human. Reproduction seems to be filtering in the other direction round here.
Sorry to argue...
"Dramatic irony is a disparity of expression and awareness: when words and actions possess a significance that the listener or audience understands, but the speaker or character does not"
I agree that his meeting is coincidence, as he's aware. Spending his time on Slashdot, and falling victim to his own concerns I'll have to argue could be perceived as ironic.
"you better hope your boss is smart enough to recognize that you need long chunks of time to work in"
From a reader's perspective, spending paid time to submit Slashdot articles can certainly come off as ironic. That said, I spend my last few minutes before meetings on Slashdot too, so I'm not being a critic. Cheers. -Tres
Am I the only one noticing the opposite? I find the ugliest people around are walking with the largest group of kids.
Isn't the irony that his article is about time management while he's posting at work? -Tres (Home. Sick.)
I see VMWare bringing back a lot of the mainframe hardware concepts, such as: - Huge fricken box - Everything in the company runs on it As far as the "legacy" mainframe languages... IBM is still releasing OS updates to it's OS/400. Many business critical applications are still running strong in "legacy" programming languages like RPG. To name one... Bally's (yeah the same as the fitness center company) sells one of the leading CRMs in the Casino industry... running on a green console.
There's almost nothing free you can put on a personal page that will be professional, cool, interesting and practical all at the same time.
:)
If you're already using web 2.0 stuff (which it seems like you are), people would rather see your google calendar, facebook or linkedin page... something with content.
You don't need a dedicated domain for that, so stick with nothing and save the effort for another facebook quiz.
If you are really bored and want something as a place-holder, make a puzzle.
SECURITY WARNING: MacOSX has a "flaw" where it renames folders ending in .App to executable applications!!
This is insightful, but some of the posts below show $500 dollar audio grade Ethernet cables and talks of die's.
Our resort has thousands of Ethernet cables created by hand. Each cable is fluke tested. That's not to say we are without problems, but our network has redundancy where it's needed in the event of flapping, packet loss or failure.
I guess I'm not sure the OP's question was answered.
Does the TCP/IP stack benefit from professional grade cable? In the OP's case, he has a main T1 VPN line, so perhaps that weights the answer toward "yes". I'd like to know the answer as well as this seems to be a valid topic of debate.
-Tres
First learn java and what the latest technologies are, like Groovy, Ruby, JBoss, Eclipse, Netbeans, or the like. Read some editorials on the stuff and learn the limitations of the language they use day to day. Start to understand then workarounds out there. Lumbergh, if you are ahead of the game on the technology they need, they'll appreciate your input and they'll do what you need from them. One of the biggest mistakes management makes is trying to manage first and understand second. Managing programmers often IS nagg-managing no matter how you look at it. If you run their project plans for them, they can focus on the nitty-gritty. If you can understand their frustration and the logic problems they have, they'll respect you, even if you can't do the coding yourself. If you can't understand the basics of what they do, or if you refuse to learn what they do, it will be much harder. -Tres
I disagree. He's looking to save money, not incur design and casting costs. For cheap or free, look to cars, ships and trains. You'll find junk yards full of some of the gears you need. Rear ends in large trucks have gears that may be the size and shape that you're looking for. You'll often find a "grave-yard" of scrap metal if you know some enthusiasts in a related field! Its a good question because quite often these parts are cheaper than their value in metal if you know where to shop! Good luck! -Tres
I disagree. Work for what is best. Just a quick Wiki search will give you some great stats to put into an argument. Here's an interesting excerpt: "Despite the cold reception from Microsoft's top management, the Internet Explorer development team maintains a relationship with Mozilla. They meet regularly to discuss web standards such as extended validation certificates.[134] In 2005 Mozilla agreed to allow Microsoft to use its Web feed logo in the interest of common graphical representation of the Web feeds feature.[135]" My boss outright rejects our company providing any FOSS to the outside world, however in about a year, he's installed Firefox out of curiosity. He lets me use Pidgin instead of IBM's "SameTime" for internal chat, and allows the Linux install of Lotus Notes to sit out on our install server. I've recently placed GIMP on the install server, and I've used it for all GIF and ICO creation in-house!! People forget that tools like VNC and PuTTY are open source too. So is Apache and MySQL! Infact, IBM's entire iSeries Toolkit (for connecting to their mainframes) is opensource. Advice is... when you do it, don't make it sound like you are preaching a new type of religion. Start off with something small. Firefox has a lot of bad hype around it, especially from the Microsoft-heavy companies. Start with Pidgin and move your way up. Glamorize it's features and cost benefits, and remember to focus on the users, not yourself. A good argument can change a company for the better! -Tres