Didn't the Gartner Group "thin server" study compare FreeBSD with Linux 2.0? Unfortunately, the Gartner Group study is no longer online (according to freebsd.org). I would bet Linux 2.2 would be (almost?) as fast as current FreeBSD.
FreeBSD may be faster now, but Linux is getting better faster. With millions more people using Linux, it has reached a critical mass FreeBSD never will. How long until Linux surpasses FreeBSD's networking performance?
Who will maintain the 2.2 kernel series? Alan Cox?
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Info About Kernel 2.3
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Will Alan Cox still maintain the 2.0 kernel series? Seems like developing 2.3 while maintaining 2.0 and 2.2 would be a lot of work kernel?
Does anyone still maintain/use the old 1.2 kernel?
NT does support clustering: Wolfpack
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Linux 2.3.0
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Microsoft's clustering software for NT is called W olfpack, though it can only cluster two servers together.
How can userland threads take advantage of SMP?
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*BSD News
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How can a mutlithreaded application using userland threads take advantage of SMP? The kernel will only schedule the process on one processor and then all the userland threads must take turns running on that single processor. Kernel threads let one process run threads on multiple processors simultaneously.
How does one find a job with a start-up company?
on
The Dark Side of IT
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· Score: 1
Seems like most start-up companies are small and very private. How do you find them? How do start-up companies typically look to hire people? I would appreciate any job hunting tips from people who already work for a start-up company. I'm especially interested in any information particular to the San Francisco Bay Area job market.
I've worked for a large software company and I got sick of being just another unappreciated cog. I want to find a job with a cozy start-up company where I can still make a real contribution (and maybe make some money on the side).
One evil company cannot corrupt all FreeBSD users
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AOL teams up with NCI
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If one evil company "steals" FreeBSD (or even Linux) code, their actions do not prevent others from still using and contributing to the FreeBSD and Linux open source projects.
Your career interests should determine what degree you might want. From what I understand, many companies do not hire PhDs because they expect more pay but their extra knowledge is very specialized. If you are interested in being a college professor or starting a researchy start-up, a PhD might work. I knew a PhD was not right for me. I just wasn't interested in the academia.
I decided to go back to school and finish my Master's (in only 1.5 years) to give my brain a "mental gear shift". After working 60 hours per week coding and debugging, I wanted to change my mental (and social) pace. I also hope my Master's degree will help differentiate me from other job applicants. School is also a great place to "network" and make business contacts. I've had many job tips and opportunities from other students who work Real Jobs during the day.
Programming is about code. Software development is about people.
I've worked at two "great jobs" at growing software companies, but I'm still unhappy. As it happens, there is more to life than computers and work. I just need to find it. I have a fantasy about quiting my job and traveling abroad for many months. It takes courage to leave one's complacent "safey nest". There is so much more out there in the Real World..
Relax and enjoy school and Life. Work can wait...
on
The Dark Side of IT
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· Score: 1
I already had a CS college degree and a "great job". So why was I so unhappy? Everyone around me was all work-work-work. I didn't connect with these workaholics. I decided to go back to school and get a Master's degree in CS. Will it make me a better programmer? No, but I'm learning more about the "big picture" of software. Plus most of the students have real jobs and real experience. There is much to be learn and share with new friends.
Many people on Slashdot point out that you don't need a college degree to get good IT jobs. That is true, but that's only half the story. Work will always be there. Take your time in school. Don't overload yourself too much. Take time to really get into your classes and enjoy them. Plus take time out for the Real World. There is more to Life then computers or work.
Where's FreeBSD? Why did they ignore the *BSDs?
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NOS Crossroads
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· Score: 2
I was looking forward to (finally) seeing FreeBSD pit against the "whole gang": Linux, Solaris, NT. Like Linux and Solaris, the userland applications would be mostly the same: Samba and Apache. That leaves just the kernel for comparison.
In Seattle, TCI Cable provides cable modem service (via At Home). Unfortunately, it is not actually available in Seattle proper. It's only available in West Seattle and Mercer Island, two small parts of town. bummer..
The phone company offers DSL, but not in all areas. You must live within 1-2 miles of your neighborhood phone hub.
This demonstrates how the cable and phone companies really are monopolies. The offer poor service in a limited section of Seattle. I know so many people who want either cable modems or DSL.. and there is no company able to fill their desires! These monopolies are leaving money on the table.
Mr Government: let other companies swoop in and start some real competition!
You found bugs? SO REPORT THEM!! Help the cause!
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Mozilla M5 Released
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Go to bugzilla.mozilla.org and file a bug report. I've reported a dozen rendering bugs and the Mozilla developers have been very keen about fixing these "minor" bugs. Rock on!
I've worked for two commercial software companies. I'm also working on my Master's degree in computer science part-time. I enjoy my grad classes. The work is stimulating and fun.
I've seen code crappy code written by people without degrees and people with PhDs. Having a degree does not make one a better coder, but it does increase your exposure to software and algorithm fundamentals. Yes, there are other students in my grad program that write crappy code. But the developers I've met that don't have degrees often fail to understand the Big Picture. They read "Learn C++ in 21 Days" and could fake it through an interview, but they usually aren't the team's star player.
I heard "somewhere" that Microsoft sold Xenix to SCO with the promise the Microsoft would never compete in the "Unix market".
Anyone have any more information?
but maybe KDE or Gnome can adopt these ideas?
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UNIX for Moms
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· Score: 1
I agree that Microsoft usually butchers the implementation of good UI ideas. But what if projects like KDE or Gnome adopt some of the cool "browser-like shell" ideas from Neptune.. and do it right! KDE and Gnome seem to just be copying all of Microsoft and Apple's UI mistakes. Why not leapfrog them with a clean, powerful implementation of something new?
Of course, "quality is job one" but at this rate, Mozilla will never ship. Mozilla is a glowing example of Fred Brooks' Second System Effect. Given the chance to "do Netscape the Right Way", the Mozilla skunkworks will never release anything. If you want to ship a product, the last thing you want to do is add new features late in the game.
Netscape had been working on Netscape 5.0 before Mozilla was open sourced. Their schedule slips. Then they add Gecko to the schedule. It slips again. Then they want to redo the Mail reader. The schedule slips again. Now they want to add Necko and overhaul the network code. Will Mozilla ship anytime soon?
Software will never be perfect. Mozilla is having a difficult time because they are straddling the chasm between the "worse is better" marketplace demands and coders' gold-plated cool features. All software ships with bugs. Dumping tons of new code into Mozilla is not the best way to stablize the system..
Microsoft occasionally has a good idea or two
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UNIX for Moms
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Regardless of whether the browser is part of the OS or not, I think Micorosoft's Neptune project looks promising. Dvorak has an article describing it "Microsoft's Secret OS Plan" and a screenshot. Most users are not tool-oriented, they are task-oriented. They think "I want to copy my resume to that floppy disk", not "I need to mount my/dev/fd0 and blah blah".
Capabilities and ACLs have the same purpose: access control. They're just different ways of specifying what actions users can invoke on OS objects (like files or sockets). An ACL is a list attached to the object, listing which users can access the object. A capability is just the reverse. A user has a capability list, which lists which actions he can perform on which objects.
ACLs and capability lists each have different pros and cons. To me, ACLs seem cleaner and easier to admin. You have a centralized list of everyone who can access this object. Capabilities are (supposedly) more flexible because you can programs can pass around capabilities for special actions (like giving someone the key to your car).
NT and some Unicies use ACLs. Off hand, I don't know of any (non-research) operating systems that use capabilities. Does anyone know of such a system?
In Rapid Development, Steve McConnell recommends writing your prototype in a "rapid prototyping" language, like VB. That way you can't (shouldn't) use the prototype as the real product! When you're done with the prototype, throw it away (thank you, Fred Brooks) and start the real product with some learned lessons under your belt.
Why give $1,000,000,000 to a well-off private school? Because Melinda Gates' went to school there..
Have you ever eaten at "KenTacoHut"?
on
SGI Name Change
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· Score: 1
KenTacoHut = KFC + Taco Bell + Pizza Hut
PepsiCo owns KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut. To maximize their patrons choices, PepsiCo has merged these three restaraunts in a few locations. I know there is at least one in San Diego. I've never eaten there, though. (I am a paranoid vegetarian.)
Slashdot Mirror
Didn't the Gartner Group "thin server" study compare FreeBSD with Linux 2.0? Unfortunately, the Gartner Group study is no longer online (according to freebsd.org). I would bet Linux 2.2 would be (almost?) as fast as current FreeBSD.
FreeBSD may be faster now, but Linux is getting better faster. With millions more people using Linux, it has reached a critical mass FreeBSD never will. How long until Linux surpasses FreeBSD's networking performance?
Will Alan Cox still maintain the 2.0 kernel series? Seems like developing 2.3 while maintaining 2.0 and 2.2 would be a lot of work kernel?
Does anyone still maintain/use the old 1.2 kernel?
Microsoft's clustering software for NT is called W olfpack, though it can only cluster two servers together.
How can a mutlithreaded application using userland threads take advantage of SMP? The kernel will only schedule the process on one processor and then all the userland threads must take turns running on that single processor. Kernel threads let one process run threads on multiple processors simultaneously.
Seems like most start-up companies are small and very private. How do you find them? How do start-up companies typically look to hire people? I would appreciate any job hunting tips from people who already work for a start-up company. I'm especially interested in any information particular to the San Francisco Bay Area job market.
I've worked for a large software company and I got sick of being just another unappreciated cog. I want to find a job with a cozy start-up company where I can still make a real contribution (and maybe make some money on the side).
If one evil company "steals" FreeBSD (or even Linux) code, their actions do not prevent others from still using and contributing to the FreeBSD and Linux open source projects.
Your career interests should determine what degree you might want. From what I understand, many companies do not hire PhDs because they expect more pay but their extra knowledge is very specialized. If you are interested in being a college professor or starting a researchy start-up, a PhD might work. I knew a PhD was not right for me. I just wasn't interested in the academia.
I decided to go back to school and finish my Master's (in only 1.5 years) to give my brain a "mental gear shift". After working 60 hours per week coding and debugging, I wanted to change my mental (and social) pace. I also hope my Master's degree will help differentiate me from other job applicants. School is also a great place to "network" and make business contacts. I've had many job tips and opportunities from other students who work Real Jobs during the day.
Programming is about code. Software development is about people.
I've worked at two "great jobs" at growing software companies, but I'm still unhappy. As it happens, there is more to life than computers and work. I just need to find it. I have a fantasy about quiting my job and traveling abroad for many months. It takes courage to leave one's complacent "safey nest". There is so much more out there in the Real World..
I already had a CS college degree and a "great job". So why was I so unhappy? Everyone around me was all work-work-work. I didn't connect with these workaholics. I decided to go back to school and get a Master's degree in CS. Will it make me a better programmer? No, but I'm learning more about the "big picture" of software. Plus most of the students have real jobs and real experience. There is much to be learn and share with new friends.
Many people on Slashdot point out that you don't need a college degree to get good IT jobs. That is true, but that's only half the story. Work will always be there. Take your time in school. Don't overload yourself too much. Take time to really get into your classes and enjoy them. Plus take time out for the Real World. There is more to Life then computers or work.
I was looking forward to (finally) seeing FreeBSD pit against the "whole gang": Linux, Solaris, NT. Like Linux and Solaris, the userland applications would be mostly the same: Samba and Apache. That leaves just the kernel for comparison.
In Seattle, TCI Cable provides cable modem service (via At Home). Unfortunately, it is not actually available in Seattle proper. It's only available in West Seattle and Mercer Island, two small parts of town. bummer..
The phone company offers DSL, but not in all areas. You must live within 1-2 miles of your neighborhood phone hub.
This demonstrates how the cable and phone companies really are monopolies. The offer poor service in a limited section of Seattle. I know so many people who want either cable modems or DSL.. and there is no company able to fill their desires! These monopolies are leaving money on the table.
Mr Government: let other companies swoop in and start some real competition!
Go to bugzilla.mozilla.org and file a bug report. I've reported a dozen rendering bugs and the Mozilla developers have been very keen about fixing these "minor" bugs. Rock on!
Which, pray tell, languages are named after oysters and French towers?
My friend has a nice photo (he took) of an airport flight arrival kiosk that has blue screened. :-)
I've worked for two commercial software companies. I'm also working on my Master's degree in computer science part-time. I enjoy my grad classes. The work is stimulating and fun.
I've seen code crappy code written by people without degrees and people with PhDs. Having a degree does not make one a better coder, but it does increase your exposure to software and algorithm fundamentals. Yes, there are other students in my grad program that write crappy code. But the developers I've met that don't have degrees often fail to understand the Big Picture. They read "Learn C++ in 21 Days" and could fake it through an interview, but they usually aren't the team's star player.
I heard "somewhere" that Microsoft sold Xenix to SCO with the promise the Microsoft would never compete in the "Unix market".
Anyone have any more information?
I agree that Microsoft usually butchers the implementation of good UI ideas. But what if projects like KDE or Gnome adopt some of the cool "browser-like shell" ideas from Neptune.. and do it right! KDE and Gnome seem to just be copying all of Microsoft and Apple's UI mistakes. Why not leapfrog them with a clean, powerful implementation of something new?
Aren't you being a bit harsh?
Of course, "quality is job one" but at this rate, Mozilla will never ship. Mozilla is a glowing example of Fred Brooks' Second System Effect. Given the chance to "do Netscape the Right Way", the Mozilla skunkworks will never release anything. If you want to ship a product, the last thing you want to do is add new features late in the game.
Netscape had been working on Netscape 5.0 before Mozilla was open sourced. Their schedule slips. Then they add Gecko to the schedule. It slips again. Then they want to redo the Mail reader. The schedule slips again. Now they want to add Necko and overhaul the network code. Will Mozilla ship anytime soon?
Software will never be perfect. Mozilla is having a difficult time because they are straddling the chasm between the "worse is better" marketplace demands and coders' gold-plated cool features. All software ships with bugs. Dumping tons of new code into Mozilla is not the best way to stablize the system..
Regardless of whether the browser is part of the OS or not, I think Micorosoft's Neptune project looks promising. Dvorak has an article describing it "Microsoft's Secret OS Plan" and a screenshot. Most users are not tool-oriented, they are task-oriented. They think "I want to copy my resume to that floppy disk", not "I need to mount my /dev/fd0 and blah blah".
For more info (and strong opinions) about UI usability, check out Alan Cooper's company. His book About Face : The Essentials of User Interface Design focuses on Windows (including many jabs a Microsoft Word), but it's applicable to any UI.
Capabilities and ACLs have the same purpose: access control. They're just different ways of specifying what actions users can invoke on OS objects (like files or sockets). An ACL is a list attached to the object, listing which users can access the object. A capability is just the reverse. A user has a capability list, which lists which actions he can perform on which objects.
ACLs and capability lists each have different pros and cons. To me, ACLs seem cleaner and easier to admin. You have a centralized list of everyone who can access this object. Capabilities are (supposedly) more flexible because you can programs can pass around capabilities for special actions (like giving someone the key to your car).
NT and some Unicies use ACLs. Off hand, I don't know of any (non-research) operating systems that use capabilities. Does anyone know of such a system?
There was a lot of talk about ACLs in 2.3.x on the linux-future list. Check out the archive.
Capabilities now seem to be the big topic on the list these days, though..
In Rapid Development, Steve McConnell recommends writing your prototype in a "rapid prototyping" language, like VB. That way you can't (shouldn't) use the prototype as the real product! When you're done with the prototype, throw it away (thank you, Fred Brooks) and start the real product with some learned lessons under your belt.
Why give $1,000,000,000 to a well-off private school? Because Melinda Gates' went to school there..
KenTacoHut = KFC + Taco Bell + Pizza Hut
PepsiCo owns KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut. To maximize their patrons choices, PepsiCo has merged these three restaraunts in a few locations. I know there is at least one in San Diego. I've never eaten there, though. (I am a paranoid vegetarian.)