Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect.
Just reading that made me smile. Everybody takes this whole MS vs. the world thing so seriously its great someone can sit back and still have fun with it.
You know, Mr. Gates would likely get a chill, not a chuckle.
There is nothing more scary than someone bent on your destruction, who truly doesn't give a flying fuck about you, and actually has the weapons to disp[ose of you. No chance to fight to the death, no calling out for the final showdown - just getting tossed aside like trash. Truly, and ignomious end. As it should be - Welcome to capitalism.
By it's very definition, Linux is an Open Standard - you or I or my kids can produce a Linux distribution given enough education and guidance. (Turn about is fair play, BTW)
Try writing Windows on your own, without previously selling your intellectual discoveries to Microsoft, or investing too much time and effort.
Using things that *you* have control over is a sound strategic business decision. Those who have a long term vision - in business and those who actaulaay care about providing the public sound, long term IT infrastruture - see this. The time of One True Vendor is drawing to a close - long live the *Open* Market.
The AC who responded to my post beside you had it dead on:
I agree. You do your voting on the touch screen. Confirm your results and submit. The results go to a db, and a hard copy gets printed out, that you then drop in the ballot box.
The electronic copy is there for instant counting, but there are actual ballots to count if something goes wrong (and something will...).
Heck, you could even have pictures next to the names so that folks who have trouble reading can get in on the voting action.
That's one of the downfalls of having Anonymous Cowards - you can't thank them personally when they deserve it.:-/
Perhaps the voting machine's purpose should be 2 fold - to do an electronic tally at the time of vote selection as well as print out a hard copy ballot recording the person's vote. Basically, the computer becomes a electronic front end to the usual system of voting with pen and paper, just replacing the pen, not the paper. This copy should be human readable so the voter can chack that the machine did indeed register his desired choices, as well as machine scannable to facilitate electronic re-counts. Heck, human readable means manual re-counts are available too. Technology has progressed far enough to do this reliably, hasn't it?
I'm sure there is an equilvent fix for sendmail. If you are running MS Exchange, the best way to fix your server is by taking a knife to its network cable....or go get Antigen from Sybari, which has the ability to kill those dangerous attachments before the user sees them - even in a zip file. Not to pricey either - if you're stuck with a Exchange server already, it's worth the money. (If you want a link, try Googling for it, m'kay?);
As tech savy users, you and I are willing to put up with the compromises of a laptop - screen and keyboard at a fixed distance, screen at a fixed height, etc. We understand how they are engineered and why those limitations exist. Yes, IBMs design adds a bit of complexity to a laptop, which isn't good. Or is it?
A non-techie usually isn't willing to accept the limitations of a laptop - witness the amount of docking stations and extra perepherals bought by people who want a full size keyboard and an adjustable screen. I have seen very, very few docking stations that were reliable and inexpensive. Nothing like adding cost and complexity in the name of convenience, eh?
This is an elegant way of simplifying the design for those who don't want to be limited by current laptop design. IMHO, simpler == better. I like what they've done - add a proper tilt to the keyboard, a USB keypad and there's really nothing else you need to have your PC and take it with you, too. Note that USB devices are intended to be hot-plugged - Linux and Windows (most flavours of it anyway) handle USB changes with elan.
In Canada, we have regional monopolies on telco and cable too. My regional provider for DSL, Bell Canada, is notoriously clueless and uses IMHO deceptive advertising in prmoting thier service.
(OT: I'm on cable - the techs @ Cogeco have a large amount of clue. Fast, steady service at an acceptable price and they leave you alone as long as you don't hurt thier gear. I've recommended them many times to friends and family who don't question my expertise./end_plug)
We have 3 things that you don't, however:
1. A government who isn't shy about investing in infrastructure that benefits all of it's citizens 2. A national railway that stretches from one side of the country to the other 3. The CRTC who keeps the rates the providers charge to an accepatble level. (Oh, and don't forgte that the Cable and DSL providers compete against each other, too)
So, we had a source of capital and a ready made right of way to almost everywhere in the country that was populated. The government paved the digital road, and now the providers fight for our attention to use the road.
The USA and Canada are very different countries, eh?
If you've listened to one Britney Spears song day and night for the past month and nothing else...
Any human being that would subject themselves to this kind of torture can't be anything but clinically insane. As such, his plan has to be almost as looney.:P
If you are making a business call, you will probably want to refer to your notes. This is not an easy task if you are wearing a darkened helmet in a swimming pool.
This is a tool of the Dark Side! It will seduce our business leaders and make them slaves to dark forces that only MBAs will understand! Oh, wait...
That would be wonderful, but is, of course purely speculative.
Many have said that SCO picked the wrong company to start this little fiaSCO with, and this might show exactly why.
Given the nature of the IBM legal team, it's possible that they're not just going to remove SCO from threatening Linux and AIX (and by extention a major slice of IBMs business future) but the people pulling SCOs strings.
BTW, that should be Ralph J. Yarro, I think. Do a google search on Ralph J. Yarro - the first page is almost all links to "insider trading" going on not only SCO, but Altiris as well.
Soko
Re:Yes, I posted this story yesterday
on
SCO Roundup
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
I never thought I would see IBM on the right side of IT, but there we have it.
All as it takes is one sanguine person to turn the tide. Remember that.
(I read about one OSS advocate who @IBM who caught the attention of Mr. Gerstner. That was when I was sober...)
You: Hi. My Inspiron laptop is busted - the PC-Card slot is fried. Dell: OK, service tag? You: 8xchyyw Dell: OK. What do Windows diagnostics say? You: Windows? This is running Linux. Dell: Sorry sir, your laptop is supposed to be running Windows, and is now out of warranty. You: What? How could running Linux possibly void my warranty? Dell: Please read your EULA again, sir. Have a nice day. *click*
I'd read all of the agreements if I were you, friend. Lawyers can be nasty creatures.
You seem to be accusing the respondents of profiteering from thier misfortune. I have a hard time accepting that.
It just might be that they can't release the info you want due to the advise of thier counsel, or perhaps even a court order. Most businessmen are ethical, honest and forthright, it's only when the figures get too large that we end up with the Darly McBrides of the world. As well, they seem to have good counsel - which I'm sure will cost them in excess of $19K.
Give them that nickel or dime, dude - if nothing else to show them that they've doen us all a service by smacking down a predator like PanIP.
Actually in McBride's case, I'm waiting for them to find a way to reconstruct what's inside his skull, not outside. That may fall outside the prevue of real science, however.
I agree that SCO is sailing into very dangerous waters - I am just postulating why they're doing so:
1. GPL is declared "supreceded by US Copyright Law". SCO gets to revoke the GPL license of any Unix code in GNU/Linux. (BTW, they'd have to do the same for the BSD license).
2. If that fails and GPL code _is_ declared public domiain, the code no longer matters really, but UNIX trademarks and patents do. SCO goes into the IP licensing business, not the Software licensing business.
3. Profit!!!!
I have no idea how they would propose to produce the anti-miracle (miracles are good things - can't think of an appropriate term for it's polar opposite) of invalidating the GPL, but it's a high risk gamble with huge potential payoffs.
Slashdot Mirror
Thanks for your reply, friend.
Soko
Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect.
Just reading that made me smile. Everybody takes this whole MS vs. the world thing so seriously its great someone can sit back and still have fun with it.
You know, Mr. Gates would likely get a chill, not a chuckle.
There is nothing more scary than someone bent on your destruction, who truly doesn't give a flying fuck about you, and actually has the weapons to disp[ose of you. No chance to fight to the death, no calling out for the final showdown - just getting tossed aside like trash. Truly, and ignomious end. As it should be - Welcome to capitalism.
Soko
By it's very definition, Linux is an Open Standard - you or I or my kids can produce a Linux distribution given enough education and guidance. (Turn about is fair play, BTW)
Try writing Windows on your own, without previously selling your intellectual discoveries to Microsoft, or investing too much time and effort.
Using things that *you* have control over is a sound strategic business decision. Those who have a long term vision - in business and those who actaulaay care about providing the public sound, long term IT infrastruture - see this. The time of One True Vendor is drawing to a close - long live the *Open* Market.
Soko
The AC who responded to my post beside you had it dead on:
:-/
I agree. You do your voting on the touch screen. Confirm your results and submit. The results go to a db, and a hard copy gets printed out, that you then drop in the ballot box.
The electronic copy is there for instant counting, but there are actual ballots to count if something goes wrong (and something will...).
Heck, you could even have pictures next to the names so that folks who have trouble reading can get in on the voting action.
That's one of the downfalls of having Anonymous Cowards - you can't thank them personally when they deserve it.
Soko
Oddly enough, my sign is Virgo, the Virgin. I'm also happily married with a daughter - no virgin here.
From the "IT horrorscope" for Virgo: Personal keyword: paradox
Ph34r.
Soko
Interesting idea.
Perhaps the voting machine's purpose should be 2 fold - to do an electronic tally at the time of vote selection as well as print out a hard copy ballot recording the person's vote. Basically, the computer becomes a electronic front end to the usual system of voting with pen and paper, just replacing the pen, not the paper. This copy should be human readable so the voter can chack that the machine did indeed register his desired choices, as well as machine scannable to facilitate electronic re-counts. Heck, human readable means manual re-counts are available too. Technology has progressed far enough to do this reliably, hasn't it?
Nothing like a hard copy audit trail...
Soko
Don't think so. After thier Rights Management System (RMS) will come the Extended System Recovery (ESR) client.
Soko
I'm sure there is an equilvent fix for sendmail. If you are running MS Exchange, the best way to fix your server is by taking a knife to its network cable. ...or go get Antigen from Sybari, which has the ability to kill those dangerous attachments before the user sees them - even in a zip file. Not to pricey either - if you're stuck with a Exchange server already, it's worth the money. (If you want a link, try Googling for it, m'kay?);
Soko
As tech savy users, you and I are willing to put up with the compromises of a laptop - screen and keyboard at a fixed distance, screen at a fixed height, etc. We understand how they are engineered and why those limitations exist. Yes, IBMs design adds a bit of complexity to a laptop, which isn't good. Or is it?
A non-techie usually isn't willing to accept the limitations of a laptop - witness the amount of docking stations and extra perepherals bought by people who want a full size keyboard and an adjustable screen. I have seen very, very few docking stations that were reliable and inexpensive. Nothing like adding cost and complexity in the name of convenience, eh?
This is an elegant way of simplifying the design for those who don't want to be limited by current laptop design. IMHO, simpler == better. I like what they've done - add a proper tilt to the keyboard, a USB keypad and there's really nothing else you need to have your PC and take it with you, too. Note that USB devices are intended to be hot-plugged - Linux and Windows (most flavours of it anyway) handle USB changes with elan.
Now, I just need the $BLING$ to acquire one...
Soko
Don't give him more credit than he deserves.
Soko
In Canada, we have regional monopolies on telco and cable too. My regional provider for DSL, Bell Canada, is notoriously clueless and uses IMHO deceptive advertising in prmoting thier service.
/end_plug)
(OT: I'm on cable - the techs @ Cogeco have a large amount of clue. Fast, steady service at an acceptable price and they leave you alone as long as you don't hurt thier gear. I've recommended them many times to friends and family who don't question my expertise.
We have 3 things that you don't, however:
1. A government who isn't shy about investing in infrastructure that benefits all of it's citizens
2. A national railway that stretches from one side of the country to the other
3. The CRTC who keeps the rates the providers charge to an accepatble level. (Oh, and don't forgte that the Cable and DSL providers compete against each other, too)
So, we had a source of capital and a ready made right of way to almost everywhere in the country that was populated. The government paved the digital road, and now the providers fight for our attention to use the road.
The USA and Canada are very different countries, eh?
Soko
I stopped reading right here:
:P
If you've listened to one Britney Spears song day and night for the past month and nothing else...
Any human being that would subject themselves to this kind of torture can't be anything but clinically insane. As such, his plan has to be almost as looney.
Soko
Isn't there an election coming up in 2004? Funny, dat.
Soko
If you are making a business call, you will probably want to refer to your notes.
This is not an easy task if you are wearing a darkened helmet in a swimming pool.
This is a tool of the Dark Side! It will seduce our business leaders and make them slaves to dark forces that only MBAs will understand!
Oh, wait...
Soko
I'm also not trolling, but with the US governments slant to the right, anything critical of them would have to slant the other way, n'est pas?
Soko
Heh, that reminded me of a quote from from alt.sysadmin.recovery :
" I love the way Microsoft follows standards. In much the same manner that fish follow migrating caribou." - Paul Tomblin
Soko
*Ahem*
Can we embelish this a tad to add even more relevance, please?
T-shirt in 22nd century: "DiSCO _still_ sucks." (origionally from an old Omni magazine contest)
Soko
Send in the notarized form with Jack Velenti's name and picture on it: Priceless.
That would be wonderful, but is, of course purely speculative.
Many have said that SCO picked the wrong company to start this little fiaSCO with, and this might show exactly why.
Given the nature of the IBM legal team, it's possible that they're not just going to remove SCO from threatening Linux and AIX (and by extention a major slice of IBMs business future) but the people pulling SCOs strings.
BTW, that should be Ralph J. Yarro, I think. Do a google search on Ralph J. Yarro - the first page is almost all links to "insider trading" going on not only SCO, but Altiris as well.
Soko
I never thought I would see IBM on the right side of IT, but there we have it.
All as it takes is one sanguine person to turn the tide. Remember that.
(I read about one OSS advocate who @IBM who caught the attention of Mr. Gerstner. That was when I was sober...)
Soko
You: Hi. My Inspiron laptop is busted - the PC-Card slot is fried.
Dell: OK, service tag?
You: 8xchyyw
Dell: OK. What do Windows diagnostics say?
You: Windows? This is running Linux.
Dell: Sorry sir, your laptop is supposed to be running Windows, and is now out of warranty.
You: What? How could running Linux possibly void my warranty?
Dell: Please read your EULA again, sir. Have a nice day. *click*
I'd read all of the agreements if I were you, friend. Lawyers can be nasty creatures.
Soko
You seem to be accusing the respondents of profiteering from thier misfortune. I have a hard time accepting that.
It just might be that they can't release the info you want due to the advise of thier counsel, or perhaps even a court order. Most businessmen are ethical, honest and forthright, it's only when the figures get too large that we end up with the Darly McBrides of the world. As well, they seem to have good counsel - which I'm sure will cost them in excess of $19K.
Give them that nickel or dime, dude - if nothing else to show them that they've doen us all a service by smacking down a predator like PanIP.
Soko
..and in case you think we're kidding, I present evidence:
Is Linus right that SCO is "smoking crack"?
Looks like the court of public opinion is speaking loud and clear.
Soko
Actually in McBride's case, I'm waiting for them to find a way to reconstruct what's inside his skull, not outside. That may fall outside the prevue of real science, however.
Soko
I agree that SCO is sailing into very dangerous waters - I am just postulating why they're doing so:
1. GPL is declared "supreceded by US Copyright Law". SCO gets to revoke the GPL license of any Unix code in GNU/Linux. (BTW, they'd have to do the same for the BSD license).
2. If that fails and GPL code _is_ declared public domiain, the code no longer matters really, but UNIX trademarks and patents do. SCO goes into the IP licensing business, not the Software licensing business.
3. Profit!!!!
I have no idea how they would propose to produce the anti-miracle (miracles are good things - can't think of an appropriate term for it's polar opposite) of invalidating the GPL, but it's a high risk gamble with huge potential payoffs.
Just my (likely) uninformed opinion.
Soko