Here is the original iPhone. Infogear was purchased by Cisco in 2000, hence they inherited the iPhone name. I used to do tech support for these iPhones back in the day so I did feel some nostalgia when the name was revealed for Apple's new product.
Infogear iPhone
I see one major issue with thinking the masses will try Linux. There is no marketing done for desktop users. Whereas plenty of posts on Slashdot point out that x distribution is good for new users, no one mentions that fact that there is no advertising done for them. Users are probably going to switch to Macs long before Linux. Apple does extensive marketing on billboards, TV, and the internet. These are avenues that "average joe" sees. If a Linux company started up a good marketing campaign and got the name Linux out to the market, it could happen.
Actually, the iPhone from Infogear was released in 1997, which the trademark being registered a few years prior. Infogear was acquired by Cisco in 2000. The iPhone was even the subject of a Slashdot article here. It was very deliberate on Apple's part to use a name that was already used for a product owned by Cisco.
There are better ways to hijack someone's phone than to big the physical phone. There are backpack devices that act as miniature cell phone towers you can use. Cell Phone users can dial out on them and see service on their phone, they just won't receive incoming calls. The hijacker can then listen in while they think they are on their carrier's network. I believe the range to be a few hundred feet on these devices. Seems much easier than gaining access to someone's phone.
There is big money in hijacking windows boxes. You can pump spam through them or inundate them with advertisements through spyware. Considering that most users have Windows, there is more advertising money there. I think spammers and spyware people would rather have the number of windows users out there viewing their junk than the number of Apple users. However, expect that to change as Apple's marketshare grows.
Getting out of the current middle eastern conflict will not fix things. Al-qaeda, PLO, Hamas, Hezbollah, (insert villainous group here), will only plot to kill Americans elsewhere. I point to September 11th, Kenya, and Khobar Towers as examples. Even if peace were declared throughout the Middle East, they would still want to kill us. Why? No idea, my best guess is that the anti-Israel propaganda is so ingrained in their heads now that they would want to kill westerners even if Israel no longer existed. Why does Israel exist? Well, that opens a can of worms. The current incarnation was arbitrarily created post-World War II. However, they have been fighting wars since Abraham moved to Canaan. Can Jews, Muslims, and Christians coexist? Certainly, look at most western countries. The real issue in the Middle East may be the social problems (high unemployment, poverty, etc.). That type of environment breeds extremism (look at the FARC, Khmer Rouge, Congo, Rwanda, etc.) Just my $0.02.
Good try, but no longer accurate. The Government Purchase Cards (Gov't credit cards) with the 2500 limit now require 3 approvals to purchase anything (in the military at least). The cardholder, the requestor, and the billing official. A further hoop was installed recently that requires that the billing official sign off on the amount BEFORE the purchase is made (defeating most online orders unless you have friendly relations with the billing official). If you then factor in how many places reconciliation each month must happen with the GPC, it almost requires a fulltime job just to hold a card (I was one for 3 years...just left the military). You cannot simply go out and purchase equipment over 2500. Yes, you can use previous contacts to get bids from the same 3 companies, but it still must be bid. I always found the GSA schedule (the minority, small-business, etc.) contracts usually charged over what was found in the open market). Check out gsaadvantage.com to see what I mean. Big corruption is usually found at EOY (end of the gov't fiscal year Sept 30). Spending like mad occurs as the attitude in gov't is "spend it or don't get it next year." As such, the coffers are open to purchasing almost anything (fancy office furniture, pricy chairs, etc.). The money "must" be spent, so they will find a way to spend it.
This is very prevalent in the federal government. The feds train you to give your social for every piece of paperwork you ever fill out. I was a federal employee and it amazed me that *everything* required a social. When these employees are so used to carelessly using their SS#'s, it is obvious why other people's data is treated the same. Social security numbers in the government are used everywhere and not nearly treated with the care that they should be.
Well said. It is also depressing to know that your pay is based on rank, not skills and experience. The commercial sector values abilities, not that fact that you can take and pass tests about how to stand at attention. The military needs discpline, but they would do well to attract educated and highly skilled people. In the USAF, I have noticed there is a distinct trend of using contractors for the real work now and the "blue suiters" for help desk and pushing paper (certification and accreditation anyone?) The contractors only accomplish what is written into the contracts for the most part. Who likes to work for free for the gov't? I have been AGR, and am now a GS employee who is in the process of leaving. I personally plan on staying away from big corporations or the government because I have found most of my happiness in the field is in the SMB (small or mid-sized) market.
As a federal employee in I.T., I can guarantee that it is worse in the rest of the government that the military. I left an AGR position in the Air Guard to be a GS in I.T. I found the bureacracy destroys about any possible advance in technology or joy at work. I would see layers of people who have no "real" job function, other than to collect a paycheck and justify themselves. Job titles were made up and did not reflect what they did. I saw a "Senior Systems Analyst" who really did nothing more than secretarial work. I have a job in a mid-sized, growing company lined up and am leaving the civil service. I imagine corporations are similar to the government, except businesses need to make money. Governments just spend money. The distinct "spend it or lose it attitude" leads to waste upon waste. Add the inept employees ( gov't places more emphasis on race, gender, veteran status, connections, security clearance, etc. than actual skills). I recommend looking for a small or midsized company and helping them build it.
If anyone wants to know China's views on human rights and corruption, see the article at Money.cnn.com. As long as the Chinese economy plugs along, they are more than happy to undermine Western attempts at improving human rights. I point to the Chinese devices jamming dissident radio stations in countries that provide them with oil and using the Security Council to protect the massacres in the Darfur region in Sudan.
One must look at costs as well. The general public is more apt to enter Walmart and buy the cheapest product they have. This is similar to appliances. Consumers look for price as well. When cheap products are made, they will break more often. A factory cannot always stop the process to retool everything in the name of making a better product when senior management is busy looking at profit and goods made. I am sure excellent products can and are made, however, most consumers are not willing to pay the price. Even MS products would be great with enough money to spend. How many home users could purchase XP, a support contract, and a technician to install all the security tools needed (as well as the cost of the tools that need to be bought)? While a conspiratorial view that companies create products that will break intentionally will satisfy the/. crowd, I believe it comes down to a company's bottom line. Are they willing to create a more expensive (and better) product when their competitors are creating cheaper equivalents that work for the short term?
Caldera did buy SCO, however, the SCO employees mostly took over. The Caldera employees who were there when the purchase was made are mostly gone. They, like Ransom Love, saw what changes were being pushed by the new company and left or were laid off. I believe McBride to be one of the few that remain. Regardless, most of SCO's development seems to be done in India (hence the Caldera developers are probably long since gone). I noticed in their employment opportunities, that their software engineers are in Delhi, India. Perhaps some of the Indian readers of Slashdot would care to comment on what Indians think of SCO...
Not all the services use MOS...only the Marine Corp and Army. You also need to find out the appropiate AFSC (Air Force) or rate (Navy). Most of those who have spent time deployed do not care to comment on issues such as this in an open forum.
At the risk of becoming flamebait...it seems most people don't understand what this bill is attempting to do. It is more designed against illegal immigration. The terrorists and anyone else can waltz across the border with Mexico. Now, first gut reaction is...the Border Patrol needs to secure it. The manpower required to secure a 2000+ mile border 24/7 is beyond cost-prohibitive. This ensures that anyone who sneaks in can be caught later. I have crossed the Mexico border from vacations myself...and have never had anyone check me or care to ask what I was doing beyond the big city border checkpoints (try crossing somewhere else besides Tijuana or Ciudad Juarez). This is not an "internal passport", no one will be checking it at state borders nor will police ask for it when stopped (it is not a driver's license). Now, instead of mentioning privacy concerns, does anyone here have better ideas on securing the nation's borders? We all know the current system does not work. There are 10,000,000 illegal immigrants here...obviously no one has checked them. Now...the terrorists can do that just as easily. Anyone notice the Chinese guys who were picked up in Houston who were planning on setting off some bombs back east? My question still stands, does somewhere here have a better idea?
This sounds rather suspicious. So is this Microsoft's way of testing the market? If any of these companies succeed, Microsoft will buy them out when they become profitable. On the flip side, if any of these companies fail, no harm done to Microsoft. This may be a convenient way to reduce marketing, production, and shipping costs for new products. The companies will need to show the money and merely pay licensing or royalty fees to Microsoft.
You live in Utah? Utah is notorious for a large I.T.-saavy population with few jobs to go around. I recall my first Systems Administrator job paying me $10/hr there to manage 16 NT servers.
M$ products are used because it is easier to sit a guy down who has used Windows at home for 3 months (length of USAF network admin school) and learn Windows NT/2000/2003. Sitting a guy who thinks they are elite because they are script kiddies and know ot burn a CD at a Linux machine to be trained as an administrator is difficult at best. Linux requires some knowledge to be an administrator. Windows has nice GUI buttons that tell you how to do everything. Face it, Microsoft products are easier to train people on in a short period of time. Yes, there are bright people out there, but the military needs training programs that work for *everybody*, not juct the technical-saavy.
He probably wants to cover his company no matter what happens. This is understandable as his customers and employees rely upon stability. Hopefully, the SCO lawsuit will lose in court and SCO will cease to exist, but it appears that this gentleman merely wants to insure himself against anything bad (ie SCO wins by a miracle)that may happen.
On a side note, he probably should have proofread his letter as it is full of grammatical errors.
I'm a former employee...and employed elsewhere! (-: When I worked there, it was still Caldera, had Mickey Mouse ears as a logo, and was pro-Linux. This was years ago. It appears that the buying of SCO and subsequent takeover by the bought company changed their views towards Linux a bit. I do not believe most of the former employees will have a difficult time. Many of the employees are grunts, having to defend the company now because they are paid for it. I'd be curious to hear the true feelings of many of their employees.
Slashdot Mirror
Here is the original iPhone. Infogear was purchased by Cisco in 2000, hence they inherited the iPhone name. I used to do tech support for these iPhones back in the day so I did feel some nostalgia when the name was revealed for Apple's new product. Infogear iPhone
I see one major issue with thinking the masses will try Linux. There is no marketing done for desktop users. Whereas plenty of posts on Slashdot point out that x distribution is good for new users, no one mentions that fact that there is no advertising done for them. Users are probably going to switch to Macs long before Linux. Apple does extensive marketing on billboards, TV, and the internet. These are avenues that "average joe" sees. If a Linux company started up a good marketing campaign and got the name Linux out to the market, it could happen.
Actually, the iPhone from Infogear was released in 1997, which the trademark being registered a few years prior. Infogear was acquired by Cisco in 2000. The iPhone was even the subject of a Slashdot article here. It was very deliberate on Apple's part to use a name that was already used for a product owned by Cisco.
There are better ways to hijack someone's phone than to big the physical phone. There are backpack devices that act as miniature cell phone towers you can use. Cell Phone users can dial out on them and see service on their phone, they just won't receive incoming calls. The hijacker can then listen in while they think they are on their carrier's network. I believe the range to be a few hundred feet on these devices. Seems much easier than gaining access to someone's phone.
One word...marketshare.
There is big money in hijacking windows boxes. You can pump spam through them or inundate them with advertisements through spyware. Considering that most users have Windows, there is more advertising money there. I think spammers and spyware people would rather have the number of windows users out there viewing their junk than the number of Apple users. However, expect that to change as Apple's marketshare grows.
Getting out of the current middle eastern conflict will not fix things. Al-qaeda, PLO, Hamas, Hezbollah, (insert villainous group here), will only plot to kill Americans elsewhere. I point to September 11th, Kenya, and Khobar Towers as examples. Even if peace were declared throughout the Middle East, they would still want to kill us. Why? No idea, my best guess is that the anti-Israel propaganda is so ingrained in their heads now that they would want to kill westerners even if Israel no longer existed. Why does Israel exist? Well, that opens a can of worms. The current incarnation was arbitrarily created post-World War II. However, they have been fighting wars since Abraham moved to Canaan. Can Jews, Muslims, and Christians coexist? Certainly, look at most western countries. The real issue in the Middle East may be the social problems (high unemployment, poverty, etc.). That type of environment breeds extremism (look at the FARC, Khmer Rouge, Congo, Rwanda, etc.) Just my $0.02.
Good try, but no longer accurate. The Government Purchase Cards (Gov't credit cards) with the 2500 limit now require 3 approvals to purchase anything (in the military at least). The cardholder, the requestor, and the billing official. A further hoop was installed recently that requires that the billing official sign off on the amount BEFORE the purchase is made (defeating most online orders unless you have friendly relations with the billing official). If you then factor in how many places reconciliation each month must happen with the GPC, it almost requires a fulltime job just to hold a card (I was one for 3 years...just left the military).
You cannot simply go out and purchase equipment over 2500. Yes, you can use previous contacts to get bids from the same 3 companies, but it still must be bid. I always found the GSA schedule (the minority, small-business, etc.) contracts usually charged over what was found in the open market). Check out gsaadvantage.com to see what I mean.
Big corruption is usually found at EOY (end of the gov't fiscal year Sept 30). Spending like mad occurs as the attitude in gov't is "spend it or don't get it next year." As such, the coffers are open to purchasing almost anything (fancy office furniture, pricy chairs, etc.). The money "must" be spent, so they will find a way to spend it.
American != white person
I am sure Americans of Chinese or Indian ethnicities will blend in just fine.
This is very prevalent in the federal government. The feds train you to give your social for every piece of paperwork you ever fill out. I was a federal employee and it amazed me that *everything* required a social. When these employees are so used to carelessly using their SS#'s, it is obvious why other people's data is treated the same. Social security numbers in the government are used everywhere and not nearly treated with the care that they should be.
Well said. It is also depressing to know that your pay is based on rank, not skills and experience. The commercial sector values abilities, not that fact that you can take and pass tests about how to stand at attention. The military needs discpline, but they would do well to attract educated and highly skilled people. In the USAF, I have noticed there is a distinct trend of using contractors for the real work now and the "blue suiters" for help desk and pushing paper (certification and accreditation anyone?) The contractors only accomplish what is written into the contracts for the most part. Who likes to work for free for the gov't?
I have been AGR, and am now a GS employee who is in the process of leaving. I personally plan on staying away from big corporations or the government because I have found most of my happiness in the field is in the SMB (small or mid-sized) market.
As a federal employee in I.T., I can guarantee that it is worse in the rest of the government that the military. I left an AGR position in the Air Guard to be a GS in I.T. I found the bureacracy destroys about any possible advance in technology or joy at work. I would see layers of people who have no "real" job function, other than to collect a paycheck and justify themselves. Job titles were made up and did not reflect what they did. I saw a "Senior Systems Analyst" who really did nothing more than secretarial work.
I have a job in a mid-sized, growing company lined up and am leaving the civil service. I imagine corporations are similar to the government, except businesses need to make money. Governments just spend money. The distinct "spend it or lose it attitude" leads to waste upon waste. Add the inept employees ( gov't places more emphasis on race, gender, veteran status, connections, security clearance, etc. than actual skills). I recommend looking for a small or midsized company and helping them build it.
If anyone wants to know China's views on human rights and corruption, see the article at Money.cnn.com. As long as the Chinese economy plugs along, they are more than happy to undermine Western attempts at improving human rights. I point to the Chinese devices jamming dissident radio stations in countries that provide them with oil and using the Security Council to protect the massacres in the Darfur region in Sudan.
Government contracts perhaps?
What happened to having a Linux version of netscape? Perhaps I just missed it? Some of us do use alternate operating systems...
One must look at costs as well. The general public is more apt to enter Walmart and buy the cheapest product they have. This is similar to appliances. Consumers look for price as well. When cheap products are made, they will break more often. A factory cannot always stop the process to retool everything in the name of making a better product when senior management is busy looking at profit and goods made. I am sure excellent products can and are made, however, most consumers are not willing to pay the price. /. crowd, I believe it comes down to a company's bottom line. Are they willing to create a more expensive (and better) product when their competitors are creating cheaper equivalents that work for the short term?
Even MS products would be great with enough money to spend. How many home users could purchase XP, a support contract, and a technician to install all the security tools needed (as well as the cost of the tools that need to be bought)?
While a conspiratorial view that companies create products that will break intentionally will satisfy the
Caldera did buy SCO, however, the SCO employees mostly took over. The Caldera employees who were there when the purchase was made are mostly gone. They, like Ransom Love, saw what changes were being pushed by the new company and left or were laid off. I believe McBride to be one of the few that remain.
Regardless, most of SCO's development seems to be done in India (hence the Caldera developers are probably long since gone). I noticed in their employment opportunities, that their software engineers are in Delhi, India. Perhaps some of the Indian readers of Slashdot would care to comment on what Indians think of SCO...
Not all the services use MOS...only the Marine Corp and Army. You also need to find out the appropiate AFSC (Air Force) or rate (Navy). Most of those who have spent time deployed do not care to comment on issues such as this in an open forum.
At the risk of becoming flamebait...it seems most people don't understand what this bill is attempting to do.
It is more designed against illegal immigration. The terrorists and anyone else can waltz across the border with Mexico. Now, first gut reaction is...the Border Patrol needs to secure it. The manpower required to secure a 2000+ mile border 24/7 is beyond cost-prohibitive. This ensures that anyone who sneaks in can be caught later. I have crossed the Mexico border from vacations myself...and have never had anyone check me or care to ask what I was doing beyond the big city border checkpoints (try crossing somewhere else besides Tijuana or Ciudad Juarez). This is not an "internal passport", no one will be checking it at state borders nor will police ask for it when stopped (it is not a driver's license).
Now, instead of mentioning privacy concerns, does anyone here have better ideas on securing the nation's borders? We all know the current system does not work. There are 10,000,000 illegal immigrants here...obviously no one has checked them. Now...the terrorists can do that just as easily. Anyone notice the Chinese guys who were picked up in Houston who were planning on setting off some bombs back east? My question still stands, does somewhere here have a better idea?
This sounds rather suspicious. So is this Microsoft's way of testing the market? If any of these companies succeed, Microsoft will buy them out when they become profitable. On the flip side, if any of these companies fail, no harm done to Microsoft. This may be a convenient way to reduce marketing, production, and shipping costs for new products. The companies will need to show the money and merely pay licensing or royalty fees to Microsoft.
Time to call the Martian Automobile Association? I recall one of the rovers being mysteriously fixed before (possible dirt devil I think)...
You live in Utah? Utah is notorious for a large I.T.-saavy population with few jobs to go around. I recall my first Systems Administrator job paying me $10/hr there to manage 16 NT servers.
M$ products are used because it is easier to sit a guy down who has used Windows at home for 3 months (length of USAF network admin school) and learn Windows NT/2000/2003. Sitting a guy who thinks they are elite because they are script kiddies and know ot burn a CD at a Linux machine to be trained as an administrator is difficult at best. Linux requires some knowledge to be an administrator. Windows has nice GUI buttons that tell you how to do everything. Face it, Microsoft products are easier to train people on in a short period of time. Yes, there are bright people out there, but the military needs training programs that work for *everybody*, not juct the technical-saavy.
He probably wants to cover his company no matter what happens. This is understandable as his customers and employees rely upon stability. Hopefully, the SCO lawsuit will lose in court and SCO will cease to exist, but it appears that this gentleman merely wants to insure himself against anything bad (ie SCO wins by a miracle)that may happen.
On a side note, he probably should have proofread his letter as it is full of grammatical errors.
I for one would be amused to drive through the streets in New Mexico on a weekend night and watching the cars all honking and flashing their lights...
I'm a former employee...and employed elsewhere! (-: When I worked there, it was still Caldera, had Mickey Mouse ears as a logo, and was pro-Linux. This was years ago. It appears that the buying of SCO and subsequent takeover by the bought company changed their views towards Linux a bit. I do not believe most of the former employees will have a difficult time. Many of the employees are grunts, having to defend the company now because they are paid for it. I'd be curious to hear the true feelings of many of their employees.