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User: walt-sjc

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  1. Re:Microsoft Monopoly & Windows Genuine Advant on Aero To Be Unavailable To Pirates · · Score: 1

    Here's the deal.

    You are ALREADY paying extra on hardware you buy for use with linux for the hardware developers to write Windows drives that you will never use, or for the "bonus" software bundled with various equipment. The cost of signing is insignificant, but WILL probably slow the release of new drivers.

    Worse, the manufacturers frequently refuse to release full documentation which would allow Linux developers to write a driver. This is one reason I will never buy ATI video cards. At least nvidia has linux drivers for the common platforms, but they still annoy me by not releasing programming docs.

  2. Re:So unplug the damn thing on Aero To Be Unavailable To Pirates · · Score: 1

    Yeah, I saw your smiley, but IE does run on Linux under WINE.

  3. Re:PDAs just turned into phones on The Future of the PDA · · Score: 1

    Screen is WAAAAY too small (240x240,) it runs Windows, and worst of all, Verizon service and their massive crippling.

  4. Re:PDA? What is "PDA"? on The Future of the PDA · · Score: 1

    Most in the business class are SHITTY phones and are SHITTY PDA's. So instead of a superset, it's a subset of both.

  5. Re:Defining Your Terms on The Future of the PDA · · Score: 3, Insightful

    My biggest beaf with smartphone/PDA's is that (in the US) they are exclusive to the cell phone company for the most part. They have a vested interest in NOT supporting WiFi, and DEFINATELY not VoIP via WiFi. Some companies (Verizon) also make it nearly impossible to install non-verizon applications on it, or deliberately cripple a device that was originally capable of doing much more.

    You end up with abortions like the Treo which is a really crappy phone and a pretty crappy PDA. Hell, you can't even get a decent simple phone with bluetooth without also getting the crappy MP3 player and crappy camera (and crippled bluetooth as well.) Furthermore, if you want to send an email they seem to want to tack on another $50 / month on top of a $60 voice plan. Considering DSL can now be had for $20/month, that's insane. Ya, it's wireless, but still...

    Now that's not to say that someone couldn't do one of these combo units RIGHT, but given history it is extremely unlikely that we will see it done well in the near future. The cell phone companies just don't get it.

    So anyway, I'm still waiting for something like a modern Zaurus which Sharp seems to have discontinued in the US for the most part. Nobody else seems to have anything close. Considering I can get a 1G SD card for $80 retail, these little 64M PDA's are just toys. Give me some ROOM man! Give my the ability to REALLY sync my mailbox which is running about 360M now... Frankly, I don't Need it to be a cellphone - not that I really want to put a brick up to my ear anyway, but I'd use it with a bluetooth headset. And VoIP over WiFi is mandetory.

  6. Re:Linux is NOT Fat on Negroponte says Linux too 'Fat' · · Score: 1

    Um, why would you do the build on the laptop??? Or was that a poor attempt at humor?

  7. Re:I would love to cancel my AT&T / SBC servic on AT&T Forwarding All Internet Traffic to NSA? · · Score: 1

    Um, VoIP T.38 fax support is NOT the same as VoIP MODEM support. Modem support is still very spotty at best. You will be lucky to get 9600 to work, although most security systems are still 300 / 1200 anyway which you will have better luck with. Latency is still a killer, as is exactly which codec is used (must be non-compressed - g711.) There is a third alternative of Modem Passthrough. Good luck finding hardware and a provider that supports it.

    T.38 in an oversimplified view, is basically a fax relay, decoding the fax audio, sending as data, reencoding the audio for dumping into the telco network. While fax and modems are similar, they are not the same.

  8. Re:Bug fixed in IE7b2 on New Phishing Flaw in Internet Explorer · · Score: 2, Informative

    The NoScript FF plugin allows selective use of javascript without messing with "security zones." Quite nice actually. Default deny, and partially allow as needed.

  9. Re:Why?? on New Phishing Flaw in Internet Explorer · · Score: 2, Interesting

    My father-in-law is another just like that. Imagine a guy that worked for 20 years at Digital (sales) and loses his 3-pane view in OE. Needs help getting it back. Said his speakers didn't work, found they were plugged into the mic jack. The guy is 70, so it's somewhat understandable, but it's amazing how many 30 year olds are like that too.

    My help-desk employees never fail to inform me of the latest escapades from the "famous five" users that just can't seem to grasp the basics and cause 70% of all the helpdesk calls. Unfortunately, it's viable from a business perspective to damn near dedicate a low-level help desk person to help these people rather than just fire them for incompetance (not having the skills needed to do the job.) These people are NOT trainable. They never learn from mistakes.

    The common computer user is lucky enough to have the basic skills to surf the net at all, and send email. Installing firefox is WAY over the top, no matter how easy. It's also "unintersting". They have better things to do, and IE DOES work - well enough anyway.

  10. Re:Come to Berkeley! on Google/Earthlink Wins San Francisco WiFi Deal · · Score: 1

    Nice troll, but the truth is that this project is not tax-funded. In fact, google / earthlink will be leasing antenna location space from the city, generating revenue for SF. Google / Earthlink intend to pay for the whole thing from ad revenue.

  11. Re:Indictment of the US "Justice" system on IBM Says SCO Willfully Failed To Detail Evidence · · Score: 1

    It's very clear what IBM's strategy is. Make sure there is absolutely no possible grounds for appeal, and then go after SCO for lawyers fees which will be more than their net worth. They may even go after the corporate officers personally, who have been profiting from this insane lawsuit.

  12. Re:Pick the right person on Should the Computer Science Guy Be CEO? · · Score: 1

    I'd suggest reverse: CTO/CEO and CFO/COO.

    Why? Because CEO / CTO deals with vision, direction, relationships, etc.

    COO deals with day to day operations, financial issues, HR, etc.

    Once the company gets going, you split both again. You may hire a good CEO for vision / partnerships or you may hire a really good technical person to be the CTO. Depends on where the skill sets fit the best.

    On the other COO/CFO side, you get an anal finance guy as the CFO and a really good MBA type for COO. A COO has to be a really good manager first.

    There will never be a perfect split, and you do have to devide up responsibilities. Best to do that among classical lines however to ensure smooth growth. I wouldn't give yourself both titles, just the duties - but keep it in mind for the future potential split.

    Even more important is getting a good board of directors that will help guide your business. they can help with your current decisions.

  13. Re:Ummm.... on Buy PC Without an OS... Get a Visit From MSFT? · · Score: 3, Insightful

    But a legal definition is not the the same as a dictionary definition. From a legal standpoint they ARE a monopoly.

  14. Re:Two people? on Buy PC Without an OS... Get a Visit From MSFT? · · Score: 1

    My guess is that they will go after business customers that have volume agreements. When you read the contract, MS reserves the right to audit you for compliance. This is typical of expensive volume licensed software.

  15. Re:Headline wrong on Buy PC Without an OS... Get a Visit From MSFT? · · Score: 2, Funny

    Mod me down. I didn't read far enough :-(

  16. Headline wrong on Buy PC Without an OS... Get a Visit From MSFT? · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The headline talks about buying, yet TFA is about selling. Way to go...

  17. Re:Is interest low or do these devices simply work on Interest in Embedded Linux Remains Low · · Score: 1

    Considering the amount of quality that is in a conventional modern name-brand toaster (since most are made in China) and how frequently they fail, the answer may surprise you. I've been in search of a good quality simple toaster that sells for under $100 for quite some time. Haven't found any yet - and the quality seems to be getting worse all the time. Even the expensive cuisinart stuff is crappy quality made in China. Nothing against China, but most products that companies have made there to save costs end up sucking.

  18. Re:It's about economics on Interest in Embedded Linux Remains Low · · Score: 2, Informative

    I've just learned that modern versions of the wrt54G are vxworks based, but the old versions are still out there that are linux based so my point still stands as the example is mirrored in other linux based products.

    Not saying linux is better, but I am questioning whether it is worse in an embedded environment, or if it's about the same...

  19. Re:It's about economics on Interest in Embedded Linux Remains Low · · Score: 1

    I replied to a similar comment above, and question this statement. Looking at a networkable Linux based product like the Linksys WRT54G, it only had 3 security advisories from 2003-2006 according to Secunia. That's not a bad record.

    Many product advisories are application related, not necessarily the underlying platform.

    Also keep in mind that many of the linux kernel adviseries would not be applicable to an embedded platform.

  20. Re:Dlink on Interest in Embedded Linux Remains Low · · Score: 1

    embedded RTOS's like VxWorks tend to have fewer security updates than Linux.

    Just curious here on that statment. Are you talking about Linux as in the kernel, or linux as in a distribution like redhat? Just thinking about real-world implementations of embedded Linux such as Tivo and Linksys routers... Don't recall seeing tons of security advisories for them, and they are pretty popular. Even then, most of the advisories are about APPLICATION problems and not the underlying OS.

  21. Re:Post Petroleum economy solved! on Giant Cloud of Methanol Found in Space · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Also note that you could smoke a bushel of industrial hemp and not get high. You don't need BC superweed to make methonol or use the fiber in other products. The US and other countries could just allow certain seed stock that has a very low THC content to be grown. May even be able to be genetically engineered out.

  22. Re:ROFL on Unisys Smoking Hot Demo at Linux World Boston · · Score: 1

    [cue foghorn leghorn voice] It's a joke, son.

  23. Re:ROFL on Unisys Smoking Hot Demo at Linux World Boston · · Score: 1

    I take it that these were not the Self Healing servers that they sell...

  24. Re:It's time.... on Microsoft Says Recovery From Malware Becoming Impossible · · Score: 1

    Um dude. Where did I suggest that this be done without approval? This is a solution to a problem.

  25. Re:But you never could... on Microsoft Says Recovery From Malware Becoming Impossible · · Score: 1

    Solution: use SELinux. Comes enabled standard on RHEL4 / Centos4. Minor configuration and problem solved.