Her sister walked into Best Buy and despite my specific instructions, let the salesguy talk her into a much worse digital camera for $100 more. On another occasion, she was talked into a TV tuner card and a "special cable" that she couldn't use without an additional upgrade from her old video card... I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up buying Mac software for her Windows XP box.
Pah! That has little to do with women vs. men. Most of the advice I give to anyone is ignored...even when I'm asked for opinions first.
The conversion now goes something like this;
Them: "Should I get a Widget?"
Me: "What are you planning on doing?"
Them: "No, seriously, should I get a Widget?"
Me: "Well, if you are asking you're probably planning on getting one. If you're planning on getting one, you have probably already picked one out."
Them: "There's this one..."
Me: "Buy it."
Them: "I'm asking for your opinion."
Me: "Do you really want my opinion?"
Them: "Yes."
Me: "No, you want someone to tell you to buy something you've already chosen. Since you won't listen to me -- nobody does -- why not just buy what you wanted to in the first place?"
Them: "Well, I wouldn't ask if I didn't want your opinion. I don't know a thing about Widgets, and you do!"
(Long Q & A on what they are looking for and suggestions on what are the better choices.)
Me: "OK, from what you said and what I know about the Wankel Widget Mark III you're looking at...I suggest you wait 6 months and ask me again. No matter what, though, that Wankel Widget is a waste of time and money. The Bolox Widget ZX is 1/4 the price and does about the same thing...though even that's a waste of money right now. Sorry."
Them: "B-but...the Wankel Widget is so cool looking. It does everything."
Me: "You asked my opinion, and from what you've said, it's not only useless but a waste of your time and money. Wait 6 months and things might improve."
Them: "You know...I think I am going to get the Widget."
Me: "See, I told you nobody listens to me. Go buy it."
Them: "Hmmmmm...." (They go buy it and tell me in a few months that it was an 'OK' or 'poor' choice.)
Replace the " and" with a ";" and you'll have 3 more chars, to finish it with ("re."). Agree strongly with the quote btw.
Thanks. I'll make the change as you suggest in a moment....how's that? (Cut some spaces, used - instead of "and".)
Alternately; "Programs are plans of action. Software is often an assortment of unplanned code that should be avoided."...hmmmm.
The 'quote', isn't a quote though, it's an original. A friend and I passed a dozen or so messages back and forth, and this fell out of it;
Him: We have developed a program (a program, not software -- yet) that...
Me: That phrase popped out at me. Are you saying...
Software = a product in computer program form (a 'ware' or good)
Programs = a superset containing software and non-product computer programs
I like the distinction, though I've always used the two words interchangeably, usually leaning to software if the words "program" or "project" are used in a non-computer context at the same time.
Him: Nope. I'm making the distinction as in Webster's:
pro-gram n ... 3 a plan of action 4 a set of step-by-step instructions that tell a computer to do something with data
In other words, we've developed a set of operational procedures which, taken as a group, constitute a program which has nothing to do with computer programming.
Me: OK, so what you're saying is that software is not necessarily an embodiment of a 'plan of action' (a process). It might be, but it does not have to be. If that is the case...
I've seen plenty of software being created at ACME Inc..
I've seen very few programs, though.
Him: Now *that* I understand! They say that "where there's smoke, there's fire," but sometimes it's just an old tree stump.
My sig is an attempt to capture the same basic idea, though it depends on quite a few details before it makes any sense.
Needless to say, I'd rather be working on the same team he is...instead of the mixed group of smart but reactionary folks I'm with right now.
There are tons of games for Linux. All games for Windows, though, are not available...and that is what people tend to complain about. If you want all games for Windows, use Windows. If you want to play games and happen to use Linux, go get them.
They all want to be DIFFERENT from windows, but they fail to realize that windows isn't just decided upon by fiat, but instead is the result of endless focus groups and user surveys to determine exactly what grandma actually works most comfortably with!
If that's the case, why is Microsoft's Windows so inconsistant? GUI, toolkit, icons, CLI-to-file manager,... tons of stuff.
This word sounds like Phone, I am representing my client thomas edison and taking a 100% commision for you trampling all over his IP. My dad from the SCO conned me into doing this.
Alexander Graham Bell.
Shhhh! You don't want *him* to be sued too, do you?
You'd be amazed what goes on behind closed doors in that country, and what is tolerated at various foreign enclaves or compounds.
People are people, no matter where you go... they often have the same yearnings, and yes, that includes vices... take my word for it, the Saudis are NO exception, you just have to know where to go.
That I don't doubt! Erm...so I guess I wouldn't be amazed.
Informally, I've noticed that communities in the US that have a high ratio of bars or strip clubs also have a high ratio of churches. Care to guess which one follows the other?
People can only deny so long before the 'sin' shows up somewhere.
The only thing 'sinful' or just plain wrong is usually a lack of moderation shrouded in the odd notion that abstainance in anything is a good idea. If you have to abstain, you relly don't want to, and eventually you won't!
Anthropology rule: If there is a law or edict against something, you can be certian that that thing is occuring. After all, there are laws against besatiality though there are none against eating excrement.
It's been my impression that the BSD communit{y,ies}, in general, understand Linux far better than the Linux communit{y,ies} understand BSD. I have a few theories on why that is, but that's not really relevant. I think a lot of Linux people get turned off BSD because they don't really understand how and why it's put together.
Replace Linux with Windows, and BSD with Linux, and much of the same could be said about the technical Windows crowd.
That said, Unix is Unix, even if it is a Unix-like OS.
I have plenty of machines to run *BSD on, and occasionally I do. The choice to use Linux every day over any of the other Unix/Unix-like operating systems is mostly based on familiarity, though the difference between a Linux-based system and a BSD-bases system is minor if the tools and apps are all there. With Windows, it is a major pain to get things Unix-like working as they do under a Unix/Unix-like system.
That said, for personal use I would not consider a Solaris or HPUX system. They are a pain to use when compared to a half decient Linux ditribution. I would not be in too much pain switching to one of the *BSDs.
Re:Why I use Mozilla instead of Mozilla Firebird
on
Mozilla 1.6 Released
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· Score: 1
Composing with Mozilla? I thought composing was meant to be done in emacs.
You're looking for the VI vs. Emacs discussion. Nobody gets worked up over the choice of editor for HTML and web.
Why I use Mozilla instead of Mozilla Firebird
on
Mozilla 1.6 Released
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· Score: 1
Well, first off, it's a lie. I'm using Firebird right now. That said, Composer is not part of Firebird (as Firebird is focused on browsing) so I end up using Mozilla suite most of the time.
I believe this bug is fixed if 2.4 line. I'm using 2.4.24, but I think it's been around since 2.4.21 or earlier.
You have to select "Code maturity level options" and say "y" to "Prompt for development and/or incomplete code/drivers". Then, under "SCSI support", say "y" to "Enable extra checks in new queueing code".
Thanks! That's probably it (hope). This had been driving me nuts for 1/2 a year or more (easily before 2.4.21) so I finally gave up a few months back and shelved my second drive case. This suggestion is new, and fits with what I'd expect from a kernel change that would address this type of problem.
I'd moderate you up, but I've already posted to this 'story', so can't.
I have 2 seperate dual USB 2 and Firewire cases, and both drop files, has bus time outs, locks the bus or the whole machine...under Linux using EXT2!
This only happens on large transfers (say dd of a 5 or 20gb drive, or cp of the files). Small files or copying one a small number of files works fine. The drives I use are from Maxtor; 1 120gb, and another 40gb.
Really #@#@$ me off. If anyone has encountered this with the 2.4.22 and earlier kernels and knows a fix (even if "move to 2.6.x") I'd appreciate knowing it!
It can't be the drives since I've used different ones (unless Maxtors have some generic problem).
It can't be the bus since I've used USB, USB 2, and Firewire.
It can't be the chipset since the two cases use different chipsets from different manufactureres (and yes, I checked that they were supported before purchase).
It can't be the machine itself since I've tried connecting it to a couple different systems (all Intel, one Celeron 1.4g desktop, another PIII 500 laptop).
Tried formatting the drives in the external case, and reformatting them in the desktop first.
A little more behind the scenes negotiations before making this an even bigger issue might have been prudent.
Yes, Kiss stole from Mplayer. Calling them on it early and harshly, though, might have been the wrong tactic as it forces Kiss to defend an unethical position or to admit they are thieves.
Now, it's an issue of ego and anger where it could have been a largely uninvolved and low key licence dispute.
Case in point: Anyone remember Marion Barry, former Washington DC mayor? He was caught buying crack cocaine -- and ended up a hero to many people because he fought back from an ethically undefendable position where he had already lost everything. Barry is still involved in DC politics.
Kiss currently can cause Mplayer and other projects trouble, and since Kiss also -- potentially -- has nothing additional to loose there is little reason for them not to be defiant and to basically say "No, you're wrong" to Mplayer.
The only thing that will change this is if the dammage of caving in is less than the dammage of fighting this.
clearcase runs on linux as well as many UNIX platforms.
Yes it does. It's also an additional licence cost, so I can't get it. Most of the time, I'm entering in reports for ClearQuest (not case), and the web interface I'm stuck with for that is horrid.
That, and if neither ClearCase or ClearQuest are managed, they are largely useless. They are not self-maintaining, and to keep the clutter down -- by default -- they require an admin to make some changes that the user should be able to make.
(Unfortunately, I'm stuck with ClearQuest and the developers here don't read anything. The fact that I write anything up at all doesn't matter much. They seem to be much more interested in meetings where I basically read the #@!$-en email to them again! Oh, to be back with professionals! Please!!! How can [blank] corporation make any money???)
In case of the former, just hire a temp and have 'em type the entries into an OO template.
I just tried it, and the built-in autotext works (OOo 1.1). The list of canned autotext included with OOo is fairly extensive. To take a look, go to Edit...Autotext and poke around.
The Autotext dialog has an import function that defaults to Word templates. A quick check on Google shows no mention of import problems, though I haven't tried it myself.
Call me a pedant, but Apple Israel offered to foot the localization costs, not Microsoft Israel, the difference being that releasing the source to a subsidiary is completely different from releasing it to a competitors subsidiary.
Did Apple say they would make the changes, or that they would pay MS to make the changes?
I like OOo, and use it myself on my Linux systems (that would be everything I control minus the old Sun boxes and the AIX system). One friend of mine who like the idea of OOo still complains that it's not perfect yet. He is comming around, though. On one point, you might want to reconsider your thoughts;
I'm not sure what exactly Project is, but I doubt there's too many people who would miss it short of a few much disliked suits.
It's a project planning tool. Think glorified Gantt charts, (though if you don't know what a Gantt chart is, you might want to take a very few minutes searching and reading so you don't look irrelevent to PHBs).
MS Project is a fairly good project planning tool, but by no means the best. If you manage projects of moderate size, you need something like it or you will drive yourself nuts.
My immediate boss uses MS Project and he's not a PHB; he kicks ass. (I'm slowly pulling him into thinking about open source more, though it will take a while; old dogs can be retrained.)
In good-old-Microsoft style, though, almost nothing reads the files it creates MS Project files. Because of that, I've occasionally had to grab a Windows desktop or VNC into one to use MS Project. I've seen a web-based viewer for MS Project files, though that one is not gratas let alone open, so convincing someone to pay for it is unlikely.
If the data isn't captured in the first place, getting a better analysis tool won't help.
I'm spoiled with the feedback from Unix-style systems.
That said, if there is a way to improve the volume and quality of what is being logged, I would appreciate hearing about it. (Yes, I've tweaked the default log settings for the system, and have enabled what I can for the apps I find. DR Watson is moderately useful when apps crash.)
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Pah! That has little to do with women vs. men. Most of the advice I give to anyone is ignored...even when I'm asked for opinions first.
The conversion now goes something like this;
Me: "What are you planning on doing?"
Them: "No, seriously, should I get a Widget?"
Me: "Well, if you are asking you're probably planning on getting one. If you're planning on getting one, you have probably already picked one out."
Them: "There's this one..."
Me: "Buy it."
Them: "I'm asking for your opinion."
Me: "Do you really want my opinion?"
Them: "Yes."
Me: "No, you want someone to tell you to buy something you've already chosen. Since you won't listen to me -- nobody does -- why not just buy what you wanted to in the first place?"
Them: "Well, I wouldn't ask if I didn't want your opinion. I don't know a thing about Widgets, and you do!"
(Long Q & A on what they are looking for and suggestions on what are the better choices.)
Me: "OK, from what you said and what I know about the Wankel Widget Mark III you're looking at...I suggest you wait 6 months and ask me again. No matter what, though, that Wankel Widget is a waste of time and money. The Bolox Widget ZX is 1/4 the price and does about the same thing...though even that's a waste of money right now. Sorry."
Them: "B-but...the Wankel Widget is so cool looking. It does everything."
Me: "You asked my opinion, and from what you've said, it's not only useless but a waste of your time and money. Wait 6 months and things might improve."
Them: "You know...I think I am going to get the Widget."
Me: "See, I told you nobody listens to me. Go buy it."
Them: "Hmmmmm...." (They go buy it and tell me in a few months that it was an 'OK' or 'poor' choice.)
Thanks. I'll make the change as you suggest in a moment. ...how's that? (Cut some spaces, used - instead of "and".)
Alternately; "Programs are plans of action. Software is often an assortment of unplanned code that should be avoided." ...hmmmm.
The 'quote', isn't a quote though, it's an original. A friend and I passed a dozen or so messages back and forth, and this fell out of it;
Me: That phrase popped out at me. Are you saying...
I like the distinction, though I've always used the two words interchangeably, usually leaning to software if the words "program" or "project" are used in a non-computer context at the same time.
Him: Nope. I'm making the distinction as in Webster's:
In other words, we've developed a set of operational procedures which, taken as a group, constitute a program which has nothing to do with computer programming.
Me: OK, so what you're saying is that software is not necessarily an embodiment of a 'plan of action' (a process). It might be, but it does not have to be. If that is the case...
Him: Now *that* I understand! They say that "where there's smoke, there's fire," but sometimes it's just an old tree stump.
My sig is an attempt to capture the same basic idea, though it depends on quite a few details before it makes any sense.
Needless to say, I'd rather be working on the same team he is...instead of the mixed group of smart but reactionary folks I'm with right now.
There are tons of games for Linux. All games for Windows, though, are not available...and that is what people tend to complain about. If you want all games for Windows, use Windows. If you want to play games and happen to use Linux, go get them.
If you move Word documents to OpenOffice, edit them, and then export them back...well, your results will be like using an older version of Word.
If that's the case, why is Microsoft's Windows so inconsistant? GUI, toolkit, icons, CLI-to-file manager, ... tons of stuff.
While I agree, a few years ago I started to think wrinkles could be 'cute' too, so why listen to an old^ guy like me?
( ^ - Old being relitive. I'm still mistaken for ~28 on a regular basis and referred to as 'kid' by 60 year olds. )
Alexander Graham Bell.
Shhhh! You don't want *him* to be sued too, do you?
People are people, no matter where you go... they often have the same yearnings, and yes, that includes vices... take my word for it, the Saudis are NO exception, you just have to know where to go.
That I don't doubt! Erm...so I guess I wouldn't be amazed.
Informally, I've noticed that communities in the US that have a high ratio of bars or strip clubs also have a high ratio of churches. Care to guess which one follows the other?
People can only deny so long before the 'sin' shows up somewhere.
The only thing 'sinful' or just plain wrong is usually a lack of moderation shrouded in the odd notion that abstainance in anything is a good idea. If you have to abstain, you relly don't want to, and eventually you won't!
Anthropology rule: If there is a law or edict against something, you can be certian that that thing is occuring. After all, there are laws against besatiality though there are none against eating excrement.
[leaps behind politically correct flame-proof wall]
Replace Linux with Windows, and BSD with Linux, and much of the same could be said about the technical Windows crowd.
That said, Unix is Unix, even if it is a Unix-like OS.
I have plenty of machines to run *BSD on, and occasionally I do. The choice to use Linux every day over any of the other Unix/Unix-like operating systems is mostly based on familiarity, though the difference between a Linux-based system and a BSD-bases system is minor if the tools and apps are all there. With Windows, it is a major pain to get things Unix-like working as they do under a Unix/Unix-like system.
That said, for personal use I would not consider a Solaris or HPUX system. They are a pain to use when compared to a half decient Linux ditribution. I would not be in too much pain switching to one of the *BSDs.
You're looking for the VI vs. Emacs discussion. Nobody gets worked up over the choice of editor for HTML and web.
Well, first off, it's a lie. I'm using Firebird right now. That said, Composer is not part of Firebird (as Firebird is focused on browsing) so I end up using Mozilla suite most of the time.
Agreed. Good thing that inodes make most updates -- except mainly the kernel -- simple and quick.
I thought that too...no dice. One of the many things I've attempted as workarounds.
You have to select "Code maturity level options" and say "y" to "Prompt for development and/or incomplete code/drivers". Then, under "SCSI support", say "y" to "Enable extra checks in new queueing code".
Thanks! That's probably it (hope). This had been driving me nuts for 1/2 a year or more (easily before 2.4.21) so I finally gave up a few months back and shelved my second drive case. This suggestion is new, and fits with what I'd expect from a kernel change that would address this type of problem.
I'd moderate you up, but I've already posted to this 'story', so can't.
Does anyone have the same problems? Solutions? Very very curious!
This only happens on large transfers (say dd of a 5 or 20gb drive, or cp of the files). Small files or copying one a small number of files works fine. The drives I use are from Maxtor; 1 120gb, and another 40gb.
Really #@#@$ me off. If anyone has encountered this with the 2.4.22 and earlier kernels and knows a fix (even if "move to 2.6.x") I'd appreciate knowing it!
It can't be the drives since I've used different ones (unless Maxtors have some generic problem).
It can't be the bus since I've used USB, USB 2, and Firewire.
It can't be the chipset since the two cases use different chipsets from different manufactureres (and yes, I checked that they were supported before purchase).
It can't be the machine itself since I've tried connecting it to a couple different systems (all Intel, one Celeron 1.4g desktop, another PIII 500 laptop).
Tried formatting the drives in the external case, and reformatting them in the desktop first.
I mean with regards to putting it into action.
Erm...isn't the point of the list that someone did 'put it into action'?
Yes, Kiss stole from Mplayer. Calling them on it early and harshly, though, might have been the wrong tactic as it forces Kiss to defend an unethical position or to admit they are thieves.
Now, it's an issue of ego and anger where it could have been a largely uninvolved and low key licence dispute.
Case in point: Anyone remember Marion Barry, former Washington DC mayor? He was caught buying crack cocaine -- and ended up a hero to many people because he fought back from an ethically undefendable position where he had already lost everything. Barry is still involved in DC politics.
Kiss currently can cause Mplayer and other projects trouble, and since Kiss also -- potentially -- has nothing additional to loose there is little reason for them not to be defiant and to basically say "No, you're wrong" to Mplayer.
The only thing that will change this is if the dammage of caving in is less than the dammage of fighting this.
Any ideas?
Yes it does. It's also an additional licence cost, so I can't get it. Most of the time, I'm entering in reports for ClearQuest (not case), and the web interface I'm stuck with for that is horrid.
That, and if neither ClearCase or ClearQuest are managed, they are largely useless. They are not self-maintaining, and to keep the clutter down -- by default -- they require an admin to make some changes that the user should be able to make.
(Unfortunately, I'm stuck with ClearQuest and the developers here don't read anything. The fact that I write anything up at all doesn't matter much. They seem to be much more interested in meetings where I basically read the #@!$-en email to them again! Oh, to be back with professionals! Please!!! How can [blank] corporation make any money???)
In case of the former, just hire a temp and have 'em type the entries into an OO template.
I just tried it, and the built-in autotext works (OOo 1.1). The list of canned autotext included with OOo is fairly extensive. To take a look, go to Edit...Autotext and poke around.
The Autotext dialog has an import function that defaults to Word templates. A quick check on Google shows no mention of import problems, though I haven't tried it myself.
Did Apple say they would make the changes, or that they would pay MS to make the changes?
Tables, indexes, imbedded images. Strange fonts. Odd templates. Macros (occasionally).
The big problem is that RTF isn't imported/exported the same way for all programs that can use it. It's a horrible mechanism to share files with.
It's a project planning tool. Think glorified Gantt charts, (though if you don't know what a Gantt chart is, you might want to take a very few minutes searching and reading so you don't look irrelevent to PHBs).
MS Project is a fairly good project planning tool, but by no means the best. If you manage projects of moderate size, you need something like it or you will drive yourself nuts.
My immediate boss uses MS Project and he's not a PHB; he kicks ass. (I'm slowly pulling him into thinking about open source more, though it will take a while; old dogs can be retrained.)
In good-old-Microsoft style, though, almost nothing reads the files it creates MS Project files. Because of that, I've occasionally had to grab a Windows desktop or VNC into one to use MS Project. I've seen a web-based viewer for MS Project files, though that one is not gratas let alone open, so convincing someone to pay for it is unlikely.
I'm spoiled with the feedback from Unix-style systems.
That said, if there is a way to improve the volume and quality of what is being logged, I would appreciate hearing about it. (Yes, I've tweaked the default log settings for the system, and have enabled what I can for the apps I find. DR Watson is moderately useful when apps crash.)