Come on. Santa Cruz Operation(SCO) is a tough one to work with too! Santa Cruz was the epicenter for the 1989 San Francisco Earthquake. They've simply decided to work with the other short straw.
rhadc
Re:Yes, but why does Microsoft need a stand...
on
Linuxworld Fun
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· Score: 5, Insightful
I don't mean to burst your bubble, but Microsoft knows everything it needs to know to "offer ways for both systems to peacefully coexist."
On the technology front, the source for anything linux is there. But why would they need that? They have been involved with writing UNIX programs for quite a while. Its code is in SCO unixware. Hell, they wrote Xenix, their own UNIX operating system!
Peacefully coexist!? They could start by NOT building anti-GPL verbage into their license agreements.
Look, the bottom line is that Microsoft wants to destroy this open source community.
rhadc
Re:Linux for desktop, *BSD for servers?
on
FreeBSD 4.6
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· Score: 1
I've been using FreeBSD 4.5 with XFree86 4.2 and KDE 3.0 and 3.0.1. This combo has worked better as a unix desktop than any other I've worked with. It's more reliable, predictable, and more easily upgradeable than all of the Linux distros I've used.
It won't surprise me if at some point Linux will lose its popularity momentum to FreeBSD or a derivative.
As others have posted, O'reilly makes excellent books. Essential System Administration is great, and Practical UNIX and Internet Security is a good oine. There are lots of others good ones from them.
Outside of Oreilly, things get thinner. For a seriously solid networking overview, the Voice and Data Communications Handbook is a truly great book. Voice networking is something niglected by geeks, but a common necessity with employers. History, a whole bunch of 'whys', and a well-rounded technical overview is presented. This is one of the few computer books that I've honestly felt wiser for reading.
I use my Cisco CCNA Exam Guide as a general networking book. It's well-written, thorough, and has an absolutely great explanation of the OSI model.
I remember when 200mhz was the end of the road. 'They' always manage to give us another 10-15 years. It's like drilling for oil.
Besides, while Mhz makes a big difference to speed, design is more important. Even if we hit this wall, we'd just continue to improve in other areas.
This is a different kind of FUD, but FUD it is.
rhadc
Screwed by Besy Buy in GA
on
Worst Buy
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· Score: 1
As a resident of the Atlanta, GA metro area, I used to frequent the Best Buy stores quite a bit. After they lied (on multiple points) to me about what was covered on an extended warrantee, then not covering what they 'verbally' told me, I stopped doing business with them. I was able to recover some of my money - around $250. I still lost about $90 in the deal. I never persued it any further. I should have read the fine print and ignored the sales rep, who was probably purposefully misinformed. However, knowing the stores in the area, this does not surprise me at all.
Maybe I will go up to that Best Buy and ask them about this one! I'd love to get their response and post a follow-up.
Microsoft isn't stupid; they see that their biggest PR problem right now is security and they are doing something about it.
Exactly. Microsoft will focus on security for a while. We might even have 18 months of relative calm. It would be amazing. But by that time security wouldn't be the PR achilles heel, and Microsoft would let it slide again.
You can't tell me that a company that has put out pure crap since 1995(in regards to stability and security) will suddenly turn on its heels and fix everything. It's like getting back together with and ex-girlfriend. You'll find the same problems, maybe in slightly different forms.
Although this information tells a true story, it falls short of the truth. If I am compiling binaries for distribution to large audiences I would try to limit the number of versions of this software I'd have to support. One way to do this is to produce a new architecture-based binary only when necessary.
According to the article, the compiler optimizes the code for Intel's SIMD instructions. It supposedly optimizes well for the Intel and AMD chips that support these instructions. Code that I write would hopefully work on other systems as well, and I would choose compatibility over performance any day. I might make an exception for speed-hungry tasks. Most tasks aren't.
For me to find any value in Intels performance measurements I would have to see this code work on Pentium Non-MMX processors and AMD K6's up to whatever is current. If the compiler relies on SIMD instructions to make it faster then it naturally would be slower on non-SIMD systems.
If I understand correctly the GNU compiler doesn't automatically take advantage of these instructions. The output would be more generic.
My guess is that the resulting binaries do not have the same features. The Intel binaries work with only a few processors(SIMD compatible). The GNU compiler takes advantage of a mainly more traditional set of instructions. It would be possible to make a 386-and-up that is nearly as fast as a processor optimized version.
These are apples and oranges. I can't distribute the Intel binaries to most users. I'd have to distribute a more compatible binary as well.
What would the performance of that one look like? 5-10% faster?
rhadc
Naysayers are crazy on this one
on
This is IT?
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· Score: 2, Insightful
I can't believe some of you can't realize how this can effect travel.
There's no reason to drive 3000lbs of metal around on fuel that comes from the other side of the planet(for some, for the other's it's processed on the other side of the planet).
This thing is intended for cities. When I went to college, I had a transportation dillema. From the dorm room to the college classroom, it took 30 minutes to walk, 30 minutes to drive, 30 minutes to ride public transportation, 15 minutes to ride a bicycle, and maybe 10 to ride a motorcycle. This thing would do the job in ten, or less.
It's not large, so you can fit many in one place. You might be able to ride them inside buildings. It can go fast, or slow. It's safer than almost any other form of transportation, and can be enjoyed by a wider audience.
For long distances cars may be work better. Likewise for rainy days. However, city-dwellers experience the effects of both less, making this more useful.
On top of that, you can avoid short bits of bad terrain by hopping off and carrying it to your next bit of (roughly)flat surface.
If just 15% of people started using these for their 1-5 mile travels, you'd see traffic problems in major cities ease.
Many people who live in major cities don't even buy cars. I believe they'd enjoy this quite a bit. Plus, for people who only need to travel 1-5 miles for most things, this might be a better idea.
Or take the 3-person family. Mom and Dad don't drive 14-year-old junior everywhere. Mom and Dad only need one car, because on most days neither drive them to get to work. The car is for the larger grocery runs and trips to grandma's house.
So instead of paying out $30k-$60k for the vehicles, the family pays half to serve the same needs.
Look at suburbia! When I was in High School it was important to know someone who was 16 so that they could drive you around. I was in prison at home. Not any more. Now I could go wherever I needed.
And the need for busses(crowding our roads, carrying our children) will decrease. If the infrastructure is done right, the kids won't need those busses, and we replace bus drivers with a few cops on scooters patrolling the Segway-sidewalks.
A trip to the convenience store takes me 15 minutes. I go to my car and start it up, wait until i think the oil has risen into the engine and coated my precious engine walls, and I drive along the roads, which aren't always well-placed or direct. I find a place to park(if i'm lucky), lock my doors, and go in to get what I want. I leave to get back into my car, try to get out of the parking lot with traffic coming at 45-60 mph, and get on the road, weaving round a not-so-direct path back home. this one-mile-each-way drive would be 5-10 minutes on the segway, 15 in the car.
When the segway hits the sidewalks, we will realize that it is actually easier to go about most daily travels on it, rather than in a car.
rhadc
Will there be no easy distribution channels left?
on
Kazaa to be shut down?
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· Score: 1
As a musician who would love for everyone to hear his music for free, I find it very offensive that the best distribution methods for getting my music out there are getting shut down.
The Music Industry wants to control distribution of music at my expense to that they can peddle their 2 new bands per week.
I'll never have a contract with these guys, and I wouldn't want them if I understand the terms correctly.
But there are plenty of musicians who would give their music away for free. And I mean successful ones. There is no good way to _prove_ that a file is legal. The infrastructure has obsoleted the record industry for the small-time musician. But these thousands(millions) of musicians will be silenced to allow the record industry to sell their ever-shrinking selection of new music. We really listen to what is advertised, do we not?
In my recent experience, the IT industry crunch has brought more workload and demands more flexibility from me. So I find that I am able to do things that were more fun than the things I did before the crunch. I also find that I do things that are not as fun.
As an IT grunt, I never expected to represent my customers(major telcos) in person(I mistakenly thought it would happen when _I_ was ready..cough). I also didn't think I would be writing design documentation in quantity that I do now. And although I can't say that I like some of these things, or the pressure, I know it makes me stronger. I do like that.
I would prefer to spend time working on our decaying infrastructure, coming up with ways to make things more efficient and cheaper with technology. This I can do, but not with the focus I once had, or the authority I now have.
For the time being, my goals have remained the same. Get better at anything I can to be ready for anything that gets thrown at me. And enjoy the ride.
As a matter of fact, I'm on hold with AT&T "Digital Broadband" billing right now. I don't pay a whole lot of attention to the name of the provider.
However, I do pay attention when my provider puts me through absolute hell to get any kind of service.
Since I'm at work, I don't have my cable modem bill handy. This means I have to find the support numbers on the web. It took me too long to find them. 15-30 minutes? The technical support web site doesn't list any support numbers. I happened upon the number when I went to a generic AT&T phone number. There I found the number.
When I called the number, I was put through a series of questions. When I chose my option, I was forwarded to a BUSY SIGNAL. I tried again with a different, but applicable menu options. BUSY SIGNAL again. When I think back on it, every time I have ever called AT&T support, I have experienced what I thought was either a broken, misconfigured, or unethically configured PBX. This is beyond long hold times.
So now I'm trying a menu option that gets me into an on-hold queue. There is no comfort here.
I've been on the phone now for 45 minutes. This is stupid. This is what happens when companies make too much money. Since I have been waiting, I've spent 10-15 minutes away from the phone, or on another call. When I get back, I'm still on hold. Insane.
Yesterday I was told that AT&T now has the worst reputation for customer support. I believe it.
Reading this makes me realize how lucky I am. My company has flown me out of the country(my country is the US) for training, as well as to several major US cities.
In 18 months, I have spent 7.4 weeks in training. I've been trained on a major voicemail system, as well as had general Telecom training. I've been trained on a DACS, and spent some time learning about some of my company's other products. We have more training planned for the future.
I work with a small group(a division of a much larger company) maintaining, installing, and upgrading platforms used for outsourced services in a variety of different applications.
In addition to this training, the company provides > $4000 for (approved) college course reimbursement.
I have not worked for another company that provides as much education. However, I believe that this practice is fairly typical of large telecommunication companies that maintain either an operation or an international travelling field engineering group.
In the event that you don't have the money to spend, your solution is much easier had than under Windows.
Ok, it's clear from your response that you obviously are unfamiliar with Windows.
Been using Windows since 91. Regularly. It used to be an opportunity. Now it is a burden. If I'm not completely schooled in the products of Microsoft beyond 1999, it's because that's when I stopped considering their solutions.
Their security model is based on security-through-obscurity and a daddy-knows-best approach.
Their marketing department goes beyond the normal stretching of the truth. It works on FUD, false charity, lies, and propaganda to maintain the monopoly.
How can using this software be worthwhile? It is worthwhile when you are a beginner, or are unwilling to think about what you want to do with your computer. Windows is pretty good at being a single-user, several-purpose operating system. Load it down with lots of applications and you have yourself the slowest 1GHz machine around.
Not only does the operating system cost money, but the easily-attainable software still writhes in a pit of shareware, crippleware, etc. When designing or implementing a solution, you have to consider a few more factors that would otherwise not exist.
I prefer to NOT pirate software. I don't have to. You can't tell me all your Windows software is legal with a straight face. I've been there.
If you can't use Unix, don't. But if you can't acknowledge that Windows is limited in many ways compared with linux, or any Unix for that matter, you are uninformed.
Windows can do plenty of things Linux can't. Like force the user to make choices he doesn't want to. Example: MSN Messenger: "There is a new version of MSN Messenger available. Upgrade?" Choice A: Yes. Choice B: No(ask me next time I run MSN Messenger) Choice C: No - ask me next week.
I'm looking for the option that says: No, don't ask me again. Ever.
That's not available. I can try to hunt down a registry key to set "next week" to 2030, but besides that, I am trapped. Microsoft clearly aims to control.
One great response is: It's free, don't complain.
Well, my other software is free, and I can do what I want.
The obvious answer is, don't use Microsoft products or services.
So let me make this really easy for you. You obviously enjoy being microsoft's bitch. So go ahead. But don't tell me that being Microsoft's bitch is preferable to making decisions and having control.
One other thing: If Linux can't do it right now, all I have to do is write it. It costs me nothing but time.
You can't do that with Windows unless you use those same development tools that I have under linux. Gnu stuff. But they aren't exactly design for Windows, so they will be cumbersome. If you want to write software for Windows in an environment, you have to buy the software.
I've done this for a living: code for Microsoft OS's in Visual C++ and Visual Basic. I know what you can and can't do. The bottom line is, in Linux you CAN, FREE, and quicker than Windows. In Windows, you have plenty of CAN'Ts, for Money, and really really slow. Coding for windows is far more difficult than for Linux. This explains the poor quality of Windows software, especially shareware.
We'll both sit here. You with your Windows(9x,NT,2k,Me, your choice) Box. Me with my Linux box.
Who can do the following easier and faster?
1. Find out what TCP ports the other is running, identify the other's operating system.
2. Run a reverse-arp server. Or TFTP. Or a number of other servers.
3. Find out how many files that start with the letter 'T' there are on the system, then sort by size. Ascending.
4. Stop the other's machine from running.
GUI
1. More configurabilty for look and feel. Don't buy it? Visit e.themes.org, kde.themes.org, gtk.themes.org... www.themes.org See for yourself.
Price: $0. That's quite a bit ahead. On top of that, major bug fixes happen in hours or days. rarely do they take longer. Plus, if you're a company depending on this bug being fixed, you can do it yourself. That is, if you have a business case for it. If you are dependant on it, the money should be there to fix it. If not, you have other alternatives.
You can't get any of the following for free for Windows, as far as I know. A decent port scanner, MP3 Ripper, office suite. SNMP-enabled network management, monitoring...
On top of that, you can get involved in merely requesting features. More of your needs will be met that way.
Take it to the next level. You need to set up a trouble ticketing system? Easily done. Choose from several. You need something "Web Enabled", you can.
Next level. You want to implement a terminal server solution? There are several ways to do that.
Today, I might want to deny packets at my linux firewall based on the TOS field in the packet header. Easily done.
I've only just begun.
Come on, man. If you can't answer the question yourself, you're haven't even looked for the answer.
Most of my CDR's go towards trying out different versions of iso-based unux or unix-like OS install discs.
Debian, Progeny Debian, Solaris 8, FreeBSD 4.0,1,2,3... Telemetry Linux...
Because
1) Collector stuff - They aren't cheap enough or big enough to hold the collector stuff.
2) Windows Software - I can't imagine storing Windows software on CDRoms. Of course it will get outdated. It's not worth the CD-R Media. Most of the best Windows software is free. And the stuff that isn't free can be downloaded and cracked/patched/serialed with the utils on the web. Or by watching where the registry entries are stored and modifying those.
3) Music Leech - CD-R media is too small. Most of the music leeches would need 15-30 of these things. It would almost make more sense just to RAID two large, cheap drives for them. At least they'd be easily available.
Jeez. I thought it was just my hardware. Solaris 8 is slower than dir in terms of file IO compared to Linux, FreeBSD, and even Windows. Granted, this is a Dual Celeron 366 w/256Megs of Ram.
It loads slow. It responds slow. RC5 scores blow. The experience in general has been poor. I hadn't dipped too far into administration of a System V-style Unix much before, but.. Solaris really doesn't impress me at all.
According to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the clecs and dsl providers can have the local bells do certain work, such as laying copper and setting up equipment in a CO, at cost. Many of the CLECS who provide phone access don't have it as bad as the DSL providers. "Cost" is closer to the true cost than the "cost" for the DSL providers. I'm sure that the bells make lots of money off the DSL providers whom they are legally bound to serve at "cost".
However, the bells are quite good at organizing. In the case of the DSL providers, the bells organize confusion. For DSL providers and their customers, this means unpredictable setup times, long waits for service, etc.
The "cost" for DSL providers is higher than it should be. The DSL providers incur at least two major costs. One, the price per circuit provided to the customer. This price includes the price for certain guarantees made by the RBOC in regards to service. Two, bad service from the RBOC. The DSL provider can't do most of his own work on the line. He must wait for the RBOC.
In addition to these problems, all legacy Telcos work on a strange finger-pointing system where the end result is that the customer doesn't find out exactly what was wrong after a problem was resolved. What's worse, the immediate customer(CLEC or DSL provider) will not be provided any method for preventing the problem in the future. The infrastructure is not there, so the CLEC or DSL provider pays for the RBOC's inefficiency and infrastructure problems as part of "cost" associated with the circuit.
To quote one RBOC worker I spoke with personally, "CLECS are the enemy." So even on a personal level, at least one RBOC worker will do what he can to keep his company going, while providing minimal services required to the CLEC.
Well, online gaming may have been a big development, but it doesn't directly effect funfactor.
Online gaming is a word I generally fear.
There have been several series(es?) that I've wanted to play, but have gone online. I cannot devote any substantial time to something like that. Regular intervals are also hard to keep consistent.
It seems to me that much on online gaming is focused on long, drawn-out games that require one to spend lots of time.
On the other hand, maybe it's just that the best new games are more involved, and I'm just upset to not have the time to play them.
But really, games' ability to keep me(typical gamer?) interested has diminished. Maybe it's age.
Slashdot Mirror
I know someone who needed to do this same thing. They rented a slide scanner from their local university. This may be your best option, linux or not.
Colin Jaccino
Come on. Santa Cruz Operation(SCO) is a tough one to work with too! Santa Cruz was the epicenter for the 1989 San Francisco Earthquake. They've simply decided to work with the other short straw.
rhadc
I don't mean to burst your bubble, but Microsoft knows everything it needs to know to "offer ways for both systems to peacefully coexist."
On the technology front, the source for anything linux is there. But why would they need that? They have been involved with writing UNIX programs for quite a while. Its code is in SCO unixware. Hell, they wrote Xenix, their own UNIX operating system!
Peacefully coexist!? They could start by NOT building anti-GPL verbage into their license agreements.
Look, the bottom line is that Microsoft wants to destroy this open source community.
rhadc
I've been using FreeBSD 4.5 with XFree86 4.2 and KDE 3.0 and 3.0.1. This combo has worked better as a unix desktop than any other I've worked with. It's more reliable, predictable, and more easily upgradeable than all of the Linux distros I've used.
It won't surprise me if at some point Linux will lose its popularity momentum to FreeBSD or a derivative.
rhadc
As others have posted, O'reilly makes excellent books. Essential System Administration is great, and Practical UNIX and Internet Security is a good oine. There are lots of others good ones from them.
Outside of Oreilly, things get thinner. For a seriously solid networking overview, the Voice and Data Communications Handbook is a truly great book. Voice networking is something niglected by geeks, but a common necessity with employers. History, a whole bunch of 'whys', and a well-rounded technical overview is presented. This is one of the few computer books that I've honestly felt wiser for reading.
I use my Cisco CCNA Exam Guide as a general networking book. It's well-written, thorough, and has an absolutely great explanation of the OSI model.
rhadc
Atlanta, GA
How many times have we heard this prediction?
I remember when 200mhz was the end of the road. 'They' always manage
to give us another 10-15 years. It's like drilling for oil.
Besides, while Mhz makes a big difference to speed, design is more important.
Even if we hit this wall, we'd just continue to improve in other areas.
This is a different kind of FUD, but FUD it is.
rhadc
As a resident of the Atlanta, GA metro area, I used to frequent the Best Buy stores quite a bit. After they lied (on multiple points) to me about what was covered on an extended warrantee, then not covering what they 'verbally' told me, I stopped doing business with them. I was able to recover some of my money - around $250. I still lost about $90 in the deal. I never persued it any further. I should have read the fine print and ignored the sales rep, who was probably purposefully misinformed. However, knowing the stores in the area, this does not surprise me at all.
Maybe I will go up to that Best Buy and ask them about this one! I'd love to get their response and post a follow-up.
rhadc
Shame on me! I didn't check my link.
Here's Vote Auction.
I know this may sound wrong, but Vote Auction might be a very effective tool on this one!
Whether you agree with it or not, it's there.
rhadc
Microsoft isn't stupid; they see that their biggest PR problem right now is security and they are doing something about it.
Exactly. Microsoft will focus on security for a while. We might even have 18 months of relative calm. It would be amazing. But by that time security wouldn't be the PR achilles heel, and Microsoft would let it slide again.
You can't tell me that a company that has put out pure crap since 1995(in regards to stability and security) will suddenly turn on its heels and fix everything. It's like getting back together with and ex-girlfriend. You'll find the same problems, maybe in slightly different forms.
rhadc
A problem with statistics -- not enough samples.
Although this information tells a true story, it falls short of the truth. If I am compiling binaries for distribution to large audiences I would try to limit the number of versions of this software I'd have to support. One way to do this is to produce a new architecture-based binary only when necessary.
According to the article, the compiler optimizes the code for Intel's SIMD instructions. It supposedly optimizes well for the Intel and AMD chips that support these instructions. Code that I write would hopefully work on other systems as well, and I would choose compatibility over performance any day. I might make an exception for speed-hungry tasks. Most tasks aren't.
For me to find any value in Intels performance measurements I would have to see this code work on Pentium Non-MMX processors and AMD K6's up to whatever is current. If the compiler relies on SIMD instructions to make it faster then it naturally would be slower on non-SIMD systems.
If I understand correctly the GNU compiler doesn't automatically take advantage of these instructions. The output would be more generic.
My guess is that the resulting binaries do not have the same features. The Intel binaries work with only a few processors(SIMD compatible). The GNU compiler takes advantage of a mainly more traditional set of instructions. It would be possible to make a 386-and-up that is nearly as fast as a processor optimized version.
These are apples and oranges. I can't distribute the Intel binaries to most users. I'd have to distribute a more compatible binary as well.
What would the performance of that one look like? 5-10% faster?
rhadc
I can't believe some of you can't realize how this can effect travel.
There's no reason to drive 3000lbs of metal around on fuel that comes from the other side of the planet(for some, for the other's it's processed on the other side of the planet).
This thing is intended for cities. When I went to college, I had a transportation dillema. From the dorm room to the college classroom, it took 30 minutes to walk, 30 minutes to drive, 30 minutes to ride public transportation, 15 minutes to ride a bicycle, and maybe 10 to ride a motorcycle. This thing would do the job in ten, or less.
It's not large, so you can fit many in one place. You might be able to ride them inside buildings. It can go fast, or slow. It's safer than almost any other form of transportation, and can be enjoyed by a wider audience.
For long distances cars may be work better. Likewise for rainy days. However, city-dwellers experience the effects of both less, making this more useful.
On top of that, you can avoid short bits of bad terrain by hopping off and carrying it to your next bit of (roughly)flat surface.
If just 15% of people started using these for their 1-5 mile travels, you'd see traffic problems in major cities ease.
Many people who live in major cities don't even buy cars. I believe they'd enjoy this quite a bit. Plus, for people who only need to travel 1-5 miles for most things, this might be a better idea.
Or take the 3-person family. Mom and Dad don't drive 14-year-old junior everywhere. Mom and Dad only need one car, because on most days neither drive them to get to work. The car is for the larger grocery runs and trips to grandma's house.
So instead of paying out $30k-$60k for the vehicles, the family pays half to serve the same needs.
Look at suburbia! When I was in High School it was important to know someone who was 16 so that they could drive you around. I was in prison at home. Not any more. Now I could go wherever I needed.
And the need for busses(crowding our roads, carrying our children) will decrease. If the infrastructure is done right, the kids won't need those busses, and we replace bus drivers with a few cops on scooters patrolling the Segway-sidewalks.
A trip to the convenience store takes me 15 minutes. I go to my car and start it up, wait until i think the oil has risen into the engine and coated my precious engine walls, and I drive along the roads, which aren't always well-placed or direct. I find a place to park(if i'm lucky), lock my doors, and go in to get what I want. I leave to get back into my car, try to get out of the parking lot with traffic coming at 45-60 mph, and get on the road, weaving round a not-so-direct path back home. this one-mile-each-way drive would be 5-10 minutes on the segway, 15 in the car.
When the segway hits the sidewalks, we will realize that it is actually easier to go about most daily travels on it, rather than in a car.
rhadc
As a musician who would love for everyone to hear his music for free, I find it very offensive that the best distribution methods for getting my music out there are getting shut down.
The Music Industry wants to control distribution of music at my expense to that they can peddle their 2 new bands per week.
I'll never have a contract with these guys, and I wouldn't want them if I understand the terms correctly.
But there are plenty of musicians who would give their music away for free. And I mean successful ones. There is no good way to _prove_ that a file is legal. The infrastructure has obsoleted the record industry for the small-time musician. But these thousands(millions) of musicians will be silenced to allow the record industry to sell their ever-shrinking selection of new music. We really listen to what is advertised, do we not?
rhadc
I find that getting the Dreamcast Broadband Adaptor is becoming increasingly difficult. For certain tasks, running linux on here would be great.
At this point I can only find this device on Ebay for inflated prices.
I believe that when the Broadband Adaptor becomes impossible to get, the Dreamcast's viability for any NOS will die. What a shame.
rhadc
In my recent experience, the IT industry crunch has brought more workload and demands more flexibility from me. So I find that I am able to do things that were more fun than the things I did before the crunch. I also find that I do things that are not as fun.
As an IT grunt, I never expected to represent my customers(major telcos) in person(I mistakenly thought it would happen when _I_ was ready..cough). I also didn't think I would be writing design documentation in quantity that I do now. And although I can't say that I like some of these things, or the pressure, I know it makes me stronger. I do like that.
I would prefer to spend time working on our decaying infrastructure, coming up with ways to make things more efficient and cheaper with technology. This I can do, but not with the focus I once had, or the authority I now have.
For the time being, my goals have remained the same. Get better at anything I can to be ready for anything that gets thrown at me. And enjoy the ride.
http://www.sky.com/skynews/storytemplate/storytopp ic/0,,30000-1029102,00.html
As a matter of fact, I'm on hold with AT&T "Digital Broadband" billing right now. I don't pay a whole lot of attention to the name of the provider.
However, I do pay attention when my provider puts me through absolute hell to get any kind of service.
Since I'm at work, I don't have my cable modem bill handy. This means I have to find the support numbers on the web. It took me too long to find them. 15-30 minutes? The technical support web site doesn't list any support numbers. I happened upon the number when I went to a generic AT&T phone number. There I found the number.
When I called the number, I was put through a series of questions. When I chose my option, I was forwarded to a BUSY SIGNAL. I tried again with a different, but applicable menu options. BUSY SIGNAL again. When I think back on it, every time I have ever called AT&T support, I have experienced what I thought was either a broken, misconfigured, or unethically configured PBX. This is beyond long hold times.
So now I'm trying a menu option that gets me into an on-hold queue. There is no comfort here.
I've been on the phone now for 45 minutes. This is stupid. This is what happens when companies make too much money. Since I have been waiting, I've spent 10-15 minutes away from the phone, or on another call. When I get back, I'm still on hold. Insane.
Yesterday I was told that AT&T now has the worst reputation for customer support. I believe it.
Maybe this merger stuff
Reading this makes me realize how lucky I am. My company has flown me out of the country(my country is the US) for training, as well as to several major US cities.
In 18 months, I have spent 7.4 weeks in training. I've been trained on a major voicemail system, as well as had general Telecom training. I've been trained on a DACS, and spent some time learning about some of my company's other products. We have more training planned for the future.
I work with a small group(a division of a much larger company) maintaining, installing, and upgrading platforms used for outsourced services in a variety of different applications.
In addition to this training, the company provides > $4000 for (approved) college course reimbursement.
I have not worked for another company that provides as much education. However, I believe that this practice is fairly typical of large telecommunication companies that maintain either an operation or an international travelling field engineering group.
rhadc
Yes, you could go through point by point but...
In the event that you don't have the money to spend, your solution is much easier had than under Windows.
Ok, it's clear from your response that you obviously are unfamiliar with Windows.
Been using Windows since 91. Regularly. It used to be an opportunity. Now it is a burden. If I'm not completely schooled in the products of Microsoft beyond 1999, it's because that's when I stopped considering their solutions.
Their security model is based on security-through-obscurity and a daddy-knows-best approach.
Their marketing department goes beyond the normal stretching of the truth. It works on FUD, false charity, lies, and propaganda to maintain the monopoly.
How can using this software be worthwhile? It is worthwhile when you are a beginner, or are unwilling to think about what you want to do with your computer. Windows is pretty good at being a single-user, several-purpose operating system. Load it down with lots of applications and you have yourself the slowest 1GHz machine around.
Not only does the operating system cost money, but the easily-attainable software still writhes in a pit of shareware, crippleware, etc. When designing or implementing a solution, you have to consider a few more factors that would otherwise not exist.
I prefer to NOT pirate software. I don't have to. You can't tell me all your Windows software is legal with a straight face. I've been there.
If you can't use Unix, don't. But if you can't acknowledge that Windows is limited in many ways compared with linux, or any Unix for that matter, you are uninformed.
Windows can do plenty of things Linux can't. Like force the user to make choices he doesn't want to. Example: MSN Messenger: "There is a new version of MSN Messenger available. Upgrade?" Choice A: Yes. Choice B: No(ask me next time I run MSN Messenger) Choice C: No - ask me next week.
I'm looking for the option that says: No, don't ask me again. Ever.
That's not available. I can try to hunt down a registry key to set "next week" to 2030, but besides that, I am trapped. Microsoft clearly aims to control.
One great response is: It's free, don't complain.
Well, my other software is free, and I can do what I want.
The obvious answer is, don't use Microsoft products or services.
So let me make this really easy for you. You obviously enjoy being microsoft's bitch. So go ahead. But don't tell me that being Microsoft's bitch is preferable to making decisions and having control.
One other thing: If Linux can't do it right now, all I have to do is write it. It costs me nothing but time.
You can't do that with Windows unless you use those same development tools that I have under linux. Gnu stuff. But they aren't exactly design for Windows, so they will be cumbersome. If you want to write software for Windows in an environment, you have to buy the software.
I've done this for a living: code for Microsoft OS's in Visual C++ and Visual Basic. I know what you can and can't do. The bottom line is, in Linux you CAN, FREE, and quicker than Windows. In Windows, you have plenty of CAN'Ts, for Money, and really really slow. Coding for windows is far more difficult than for Linux. This explains the poor quality of Windows software, especially shareware.
rhadc
Man, you had to ask.
We'll both sit here. You with your Windows(9x,NT,2k,Me, your choice) Box. Me with my Linux box.
Who can do the following easier and faster?
1. Find out what TCP ports the other is running, identify the other's operating system.
2. Run a reverse-arp server. Or TFTP. Or a number of other servers.
3. Find out how many files that start with the letter 'T' there are on the system, then sort by size. Ascending.
4. Stop the other's machine from running.
GUI
1. More configurabilty for look and feel. Don't buy it? Visit e.themes.org, kde.themes.org, gtk.themes.org... www.themes.org See for yourself.
Price: $0. That's quite a bit ahead. On top of that, major bug fixes happen in hours or days. rarely do they take longer. Plus, if you're a company depending on this bug being fixed, you can do it yourself. That is, if you have a business case for it. If you are dependant on it, the money should be there to fix it. If not, you have other alternatives.
You can't get any of the following for free for Windows, as far as I know. A decent port scanner, MP3 Ripper, office suite. SNMP-enabled network management, monitoring...
On top of that, you can get involved in merely requesting features. More of your needs will be met that way.
Take it to the next level. You need to set up a trouble ticketing system? Easily done. Choose from several. You need something "Web Enabled", you can.
Next level. You want to implement a terminal server solution? There are several ways to do that.
Today, I might want to deny packets at my linux firewall based on the TOS field in the packet header. Easily done.
I've only just begun.
Come on, man. If you can't answer the question yourself, you're haven't even looked for the answer.
rhadc
Most of my CDR's go towards trying out different versions of iso-based unux or unix-like OS install discs.
Debian, Progeny Debian, Solaris 8, FreeBSD 4.0,1,2,3... Telemetry Linux...
Because
1) Collector stuff - They aren't cheap enough or big enough to hold the collector stuff.
2) Windows Software - I can't imagine storing Windows software on CDRoms. Of course it will get outdated. It's not worth the CD-R Media. Most of the best Windows software is free. And the stuff that isn't free can be downloaded and cracked/patched/serialed with the utils on the web. Or by watching where the registry entries are stored and modifying those.
3) Music Leech - CD-R media is too small. Most of the music leeches would need 15-30 of these things. It would almost make more sense just to RAID two large, cheap drives for them. At least they'd be easily available.
rhadc
Jeez. I thought it was just my hardware. Solaris 8 is slower than dir in terms of file IO compared to Linux, FreeBSD, and even Windows. Granted, this is a Dual Celeron 366 w/256Megs of Ram.
It loads slow. It responds slow. RC5 scores blow. The experience in general has been poor. I hadn't dipped too far into administration of a System V-style Unix much before, but.. Solaris really doesn't impress me at all.
rhadc
According to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the clecs and dsl providers can have the local bells do certain work, such as laying copper and setting up equipment in a CO, at cost. Many of the CLECS who provide phone access don't have it as bad as the DSL providers. "Cost" is closer to the true cost than the "cost" for the DSL providers. I'm sure that the bells make lots of money off the DSL providers whom they are legally bound to serve at "cost".
However, the bells are quite good at organizing. In the case of the DSL providers, the bells organize confusion. For DSL providers and their customers, this means unpredictable setup times, long waits for service, etc.
The "cost" for DSL providers is higher than it should be. The DSL providers incur at least two major costs. One, the price per circuit provided to the customer. This price includes the price for certain guarantees made by the RBOC in regards to service. Two, bad service from the RBOC. The DSL provider can't do most of his own work on the line. He must wait for the RBOC.
In addition to these problems, all legacy Telcos work on a strange finger-pointing system where the end result is that the customer doesn't find out exactly what was wrong after a problem was resolved. What's worse, the immediate customer(CLEC or DSL provider) will not be provided any method for preventing the problem in the future. The infrastructure is not there, so the CLEC or DSL provider pays for the RBOC's inefficiency and infrastructure problems as part of "cost" associated with the circuit.
To quote one RBOC worker I spoke with personally, "CLECS are the enemy." So even on a personal level, at least one RBOC worker will do what he can to keep his company going, while providing minimal services required to the CLEC.
I hope this sheds some light.
rhadc
Well, online gaming may have been a big development, but it doesn't directly effect funfactor.
Online gaming is a word I generally fear.
There have been several series(es?) that I've wanted to play, but have gone online. I cannot devote any substantial time to something like that. Regular intervals are also hard to keep consistent.
It seems to me that much on online gaming is focused on long, drawn-out games that require one to spend lots of time.
On the other hand, maybe it's just that the best new games are more involved, and I'm just upset to not have the time to play them.
But really, games' ability to keep me(typical gamer?) interested has diminished. Maybe it's age.
Another 2 cents.
We've had a lull in the gaming world for the past few years. All technology, no development in gameplay.
Is this guy gonna change anything?