Let's wait and see. I think Red Hat are smart enough to know that one of the primary characteristics that made Linux, hence Red Hat, successful was "openness." I'm sure their investors are smart enough not to discount the value of goodwill on the part of the developer/user communities, so they're probably in sync with Red Hat's biz plan. If they blow it and go wildly non-standard, they'll tank and developers will move on to Debian or some other more ideologically pure distribution.
A lot of the Bad Outcomes(TM) from the corporate investments folks are worried about probably won't happen, but we won't know for another year or two. At any rate, Red Hat don't own the code and the investors knew this from the outset, so I'm inclined to believe that this will all work out pretty well over the long haul.
The biggest difference between distributions (someone correct me if I'm wrong) is the system library version. Some distributions are still based on libc5, while others (Red Hat, for one) have moved to glibc2. There are other differences that effect the way servers are started, etc. but they aren't that tough to work around, at least from what I've seen so far.
You may be on to something there. I recall having read something about Microsoft adding more support for ERP apps a few weeks ago. I found this on the MS site. Looks like they may be "innovating" themselves into the ERP market one step at a time.
It's time for the corporations that are benefitting from Open Source to assign some of their people (and more money) to lend Eric a hand. This would allow him to have a life and would greatly improve the corporate world's perception of Open Source software.
For those of you who think corporations are evil and ESR is the anti-christ, you're entitled to your (broken) opinions, but if it weren't for the price Eric has paid, many of us would have no hope of being able to use anything but Microsoft to get our work done. Is that what you want? Not I.
Some complain that Eric is self-promoting, but his "self" is worthy of promotion -- he doesn't sit on his ass complaining about the efforts of others, he gets results and should be commended. If you don't like what Eric's doing, do something different, something better if you can, but for God's sake, spare us the vitriol and spend your time making better software or writing documentation.
Reboot has been running on Cartoon Network for a couple of weeks now (I have to watch it, I have three boys). They're showing the episodes in their original order. Season 1, Episode 11 "Talent Night," runs Monday afternoon.
According to the web site, there's a chance they may produce a new season, but it seems to be up in the air.
I can't wait to see the episode where Sailor Moon gets squished just as she's about to save Mainframe...hehehe.
Were the prerequisites listed in the catalog? If not, I wouldn't waste my time whining about the counselor, I'd be looking for a professionally-run institution. If the prerequisites were listed, but you didn't take the time to check, that's your fault, not the counselor's.
Maybe you can learn a valuable lesson here: the school wants your money, the counselors are salesmen. If you can't be bothered to read for yourself, don't expect different results. Two hours spent reading through the catalog could have saved you the trouble.
I would think a bookmark feature would be more practical. It seems like this would be much easier to implement and not too much work for the server. Just stick a "Bookmark this" anchor at the bottom of each comment. Each bookmark would be cookied, then the article pages could stick a bookmark list on the sidebar for each article, maybe even a "per article" list on the front page, or, if there's a bookmark for a given article, stick in a "Jump to bookmark" underneath it.
I think that would be a nice feature, but then, I used Windows for about ten years, so how smart can _I_ be?
Am I the only one who isn't seeing the new mini-preferences/Reply To stuff in NS 4.51? I can log out and see it as an AC, but if I move off the page and return, it's gone.
My darling wife remarked just the other day, "Ya know, I haven't heard you screaming at your computer in about a year. What's up with that?" I got rid of Windows about a year ago. I feel much better now, thank you.
Big Companies still don't get Open Source!
on
Novell Opens Source
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· Score: 1
You're right, most of them don't get it and those who do are fighting an uphill battle. These folks have stockholders to answer to -- stockholders who don't know what Open Source is and don't care. All they (will) want to know is, "Why are you giving away our IP? What's going to happen to our stock?" If they try to move too far, too fast towards Open Source, they may find themselves pulling the ripcords on their golden parachutes. This is just the reality of doing business in a publically held corporation.
It's going to take another year or two for the OS/FS concept to establish a track record with the big ISVs, but we all know that it is a superior development concept that produces better software with smaller development costs in a shorter period of time. Once the numbers prove this, Apple, Novell, et all will begin to take the next logical step. In fact, I'd bet that the stockholders will begin to demand Open Source once the concept is proven.
Don't forget the inevitable part that any Y2K fallout will play in the future direction of the industry. Y2K wouldn't even be a topic for discussion if Open Source were the norm.
I can see a couple reasons for the current pricing.
Dell are just getting their feet wet with Linux pre-installs.
The tech-support and customer service costs are an unknown at this point (we all know they'll be cheaper, assuming Dell do things the right way).
At this point, Dell probably want to make sure that customers order machines with Linux pre-installed for the right reasons, not just on a whim. This will probably change too.
BG was not bad to begin with--it was kind of cutting edge for its day. They lost me with the "Battlestar Galactica Meets C.Hi.P.S" episode.
and you're missing his point.
on
Linux on CNN
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· Score: 1
Exactly right, "they" want a computer that works like a freakin' toaster, only a computer isn't a freakin' toaster. Microsoft have been selling this brain-dead myth for years and they have yet to deliver it. They never will deliver it--their time has expired--we're moving on.
We're overlooking the most important aspect of all this: take the average chucklehead Ziff-Davis "writer" who whines about how hard it is to install Linux and plunk him down in front of a brand spankin' new PC with a clean hard drive, no partitions. Hand him a Windows CD and tell him to call you when he's finished installing it. You'd better hand him a fifty-cent piece before you leave, because by the time he gets it installed a phone call will cost fifty cents.
The point is, Linux is no more difficult to install than Windows. If PCs with Linux pre-installed were readily available, installation issues wouldn't even be on the radar. Give the average Windows user a PC with any Linux distro and KDE or GNOME installed and he'll have no problem learning to use it. Maybe we should spend more time trying to figure out ways to get PC vendors to start shipping pre-installed boxes instead of worrying about how hard Linux is to install.
The problem you site is part of the damage done by the Microsoft.Madison_Avenue crowd and their "computer as toaster" hype. Instead of promoting computer literacy, Windows and other "point-n-clickers" have dumbed down users. There will always be folks who will refuse to learn to do things the right way. However, the net effect of widespread adoption of Linux and the BSDs is going to be an overall increase in computing proficiency. The next generation of programmers and admins are going to hit the marketplace with a much better understanding of what makes systems work and how to solve problems. Corporate IT departments are going to begin to expect more from IT workers, be they programmers, admins or users. Knowing VB/VBA (or whatever MS replaces it with) isn't going to count for much five years from now.
Hmm..that's funny. I just got a new box, installed RH 5.2 and had everything (built RIVA TNT X server, WM, etc., built cust. kernel) up and running in less than 24 hours, and this only during free time between projects. By this time tomorrow, I should have egcs 1.1.x, glibc 2.x, kernel 2.2.3, etc. built and installed. Granted, I've got a little (a year) experience with Linux, but it's not that difficult if you do your homework.
I know I'm preaching to the choir, but geez, this guy's clueless. More difficult to set up? Naw, he just knows the Windows install proggie real well because he has to re-install Windows about once a month.
This fits right into the "new IT market paradigm," which is results oriented, rather than process oriented. Linux, *BSD, etc. are showing folks that the elusive productivity gain, until recently only a Microsoft.Myth, is possible. Adobe, et al are beginning to realize that paying for results is much more cost-effective than paying for process.
The comments about "bountyware" bypassing all the hassles that come with employment makes me think that the gubmints must be getting a little nervous about this. They could stand to lose a lot of money and power if this concept succeeds (I think it will).
I envy the younger geeks who are just getting involved--the software industry is finally getting its act together and I'll be dead or hopelessly senile in thirty years. Damn. At least if I'm only senile I'll be able to go to work for Microsoft. I wonder if they allow employees to wear polyester and carry drool cups?
Can you say "incompetent?" There, I knew you could
on
NSI Loses Records
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· Score: 1
These guys are obviously incapable of handling there job. I know this has been suggested before, but why not let the folks who really know what they're doing handle domain names? Eventually, domain names are going to become a commodity anyway--do USPS charge extra for someone to have a house number? I realize that the domain name is an added layer of abstraction, but eventually people are going to get sick of these hassles and demand something more convenient. Open competition will allow someone to offer something easier--hopefully.
Slashdot Mirror
Let's wait and see. I think Red Hat are smart enough to know that one of the primary characteristics that made Linux, hence Red Hat, successful was "openness." I'm sure their investors are smart enough not to discount the value of goodwill on the part of the developer/user communities, so they're probably in sync with Red Hat's biz plan. If they blow it and go wildly non-standard, they'll tank and developers will move on to Debian or some other more ideologically pure distribution.
A lot of the Bad Outcomes(TM) from the corporate investments folks are worried about probably won't happen, but we won't know for another year or two. At any rate, Red Hat don't own the code and the investors knew this from the outset, so I'm inclined to believe that this will all work out pretty well over the long haul.
The biggest difference between distributions (someone correct me if I'm wrong) is the system library version. Some distributions are still based on libc5, while others (Red Hat, for one) have moved to glibc2. There are other differences that effect the way servers are started, etc. but they aren't that tough to work around, at least from what I've seen so far.
You may be on to something there. I recall having read something about Microsoft adding more support for ERP apps a few weeks ago. I found this on the MS site. Looks like they may be "innovating" themselves into the ERP market one step at a time.
Uh, all of them? Seriously, their platforms list is at http://www.sap.com/products/techno/t csm_pl.htm.
The port was mentioned a few weeks ago, the investment announcement came out either yesterday or today, so it's news (good news).
It's time for the corporations that are benefitting from Open Source to assign some of their people (and more money) to lend Eric a hand. This would allow him to have a life and would greatly improve the corporate world's perception of Open Source software.
For those of you who think corporations are evil and ESR is the anti-christ, you're entitled to your (broken) opinions, but if it weren't for the price Eric has paid, many of us would have no hope of being able to use anything but Microsoft to get our work done. Is that what you want? Not I.
Some complain that Eric is self-promoting, but his "self" is worthy of promotion -- he doesn't sit on his ass complaining about the efforts of others, he gets results and should be commended. If you don't like what Eric's doing, do something different, something better if you can, but for God's sake, spare us the vitriol and spend your time making better software or writing documentation.
Reboot has been running on Cartoon Network for a couple of weeks now (I have to watch it, I have three boys). They're showing the episodes in their original order. Season 1, Episode 11 "Talent Night," runs Monday afternoon.
According to the web site, there's a chance they may produce a new season, but it seems to be up in the air.
I can't wait to see the episode where Sailor Moon gets squished just as she's about to save Mainframe...hehehe.
Were the prerequisites listed in the catalog? If not, I wouldn't waste my time whining about the counselor, I'd be looking for a professionally-run institution. If the prerequisites were listed, but you didn't take the time to check, that's your fault, not the counselor's.
Maybe you can learn a valuable lesson here: the school wants your money, the counselors are salesmen. If you can't be bothered to read for yourself, don't expect different results. Two hours spent reading through the catalog could have saved you the trouble.
Go, Salukis!
I would think a bookmark feature would be more practical. It seems like this would be much easier to implement and not too much work for the server. Just stick a "Bookmark this" anchor at the bottom of each comment. Each bookmark would be cookied, then the article pages could stick a bookmark list on the sidebar for each article, maybe even a "per article" list on the front page, or, if there's a bookmark for a given article, stick in a "Jump to bookmark" underneath it.
I think that would be a nice feature, but then, I used Windows for about ten years, so how smart can _I_ be?
From the Read The Fine FAQ Department: registered users' comments receive a one by default.
Am I the only one who isn't seeing the new mini-preferences/Reply To stuff in NS 4.51? I can log out and see it as an AC, but if I move off the page and return, it's gone.
My darling wife remarked just the other day, "Ya know, I haven't heard you screaming at your computer in about a year. What's up with that?" I got rid of Windows about a year ago. I feel much better now, thank you.
You're right, most of them don't get it and those who do are fighting an uphill battle. These folks have stockholders to answer to -- stockholders who don't know what Open Source is and don't care. All they (will) want to know is, "Why are you giving away our IP? What's going to happen to our stock?" If they try to move too far, too fast towards Open Source, they may find themselves pulling the ripcords on their golden parachutes. This is just the reality of doing business in a publically held corporation.
It's going to take another year or two for the OS/FS concept to establish a track record with the big ISVs, but we all know that it is a superior development concept that produces better software with smaller development costs in a shorter period of time. Once the numbers prove this, Apple, Novell, et all will begin to take the next logical step. In fact, I'd bet that the stockholders will begin to demand Open Source once the concept is proven.
Don't forget the inevitable part that any Y2K fallout will play in the future direction of the industry. Y2K wouldn't even be a topic for discussion if Open Source were the norm.
A good definition:
http://www.iversonsoftware. com/sociology/l.html#Luddite
Think this through. If you don't like the moderation as is, visit the Preferences page and knock your threshold down to -5 or something.
A killfile would be cool, but I wonder what the /. overhead would be?
If these are the seeds I've heard about recently, they won't germinate anyway -- they're engineered not to.
Perhaps FSF should start a Free Seeds movement. After all, aren't the gene wizards twiddling with the most important software of all?
I can see a couple reasons for the current pricing.
BG was not bad to begin with--it was kind of cutting edge for its day. They lost me with the "Battlestar Galactica Meets C.Hi.P.S" episode.
Exactly right, "they" want a computer that works like a freakin' toaster, only a computer isn't a freakin' toaster. Microsoft have been selling this brain-dead myth for years and they have yet to deliver it. They never will deliver it--their time has expired--we're moving on.
We're overlooking the most important aspect of all this: take the average chucklehead Ziff-Davis "writer" who whines about how hard it is to install Linux and plunk him down in front of a brand spankin' new PC with a clean hard drive, no partitions. Hand him a Windows CD and tell him to call you when he's finished installing it. You'd better hand him a fifty-cent piece before you leave, because by the time he gets it installed a phone call will cost fifty cents.
The point is, Linux is no more difficult to install than Windows. If PCs with Linux pre-installed were readily available, installation issues wouldn't even be on the radar. Give the average Windows user a PC with any Linux distro and KDE or GNOME installed and he'll have no problem learning to use it. Maybe we should spend more time trying to figure out ways to get PC vendors to start shipping pre-installed boxes instead of worrying about how hard Linux is to install.
it's going to be an uphill battle
The problem you site is part of the damage done by the Microsoft.Madison_Avenue crowd and their "computer as toaster" hype. Instead of promoting computer literacy, Windows and other "point-n-clickers" have dumbed down users. There will always be folks who will refuse to learn to do things the right way. However, the net effect of widespread adoption of Linux and the BSDs is going to be an overall increase in computing proficiency. The next generation of programmers and admins are going to hit the marketplace with a much better understanding of what makes systems work and how to solve problems. Corporate IT departments are going to begin to expect more from IT workers, be they programmers, admins or users. Knowing VB/VBA (or whatever MS replaces it with) isn't going to count for much five years from now.
Englishish.
Any other questions?
"...pain...to set up."
Hmm..that's funny. I just got a new box, installed RH 5.2 and had everything (built RIVA TNT X server, WM, etc., built cust. kernel) up and running in less than 24 hours, and this only during free time between projects. By this time tomorrow, I should have egcs 1.1.x, glibc 2.x, kernel 2.2.3, etc. built and installed. Granted, I've got a little (a year) experience with Linux, but it's not that difficult if you do your homework.
I know I'm preaching to the choir, but geez, this guy's clueless. More difficult to set up? Naw, he just knows the Windows install proggie real well because he has to re-install Windows about once a month.
This fits right into the "new IT market paradigm," which is results oriented, rather than process oriented. Linux, *BSD, etc. are showing folks that the elusive productivity gain, until recently only a Microsoft.Myth, is possible. Adobe, et al are beginning to realize that paying for results is much more cost-effective than paying for process.
The comments about "bountyware" bypassing all the hassles that come with employment makes me think that the gubmints must be getting a little nervous about this. They could stand to lose a lot of money and power if this concept succeeds (I think it will).
I envy the younger geeks who are just getting involved--the software industry is finally getting its act together and I'll be dead or hopelessly senile in thirty years. Damn. At least if I'm only senile I'll be able to go to work for Microsoft. I wonder if they allow employees to wear polyester and carry drool cups?
These guys are obviously incapable of handling there job. I know this has been suggested before, but why not let the folks who really know what they're doing handle domain names? Eventually, domain names are going to become a commodity anyway--do USPS charge extra for someone to have a house number? I realize that the domain name is an added layer of abstraction, but eventually people are going to get sick of these hassles and demand something more convenient. Open competition will allow someone to offer something easier--hopefully.
See /usr/src/linux/Documentation/Changes. It holds the cure.