Before people tear down Dell any more, I would like to share a positive experience.
I realize that buying a Dell may not be considered "geek", but I really do enjoy the deal I got.
Basic specs: P4 670 (3.8 Ghz) 1GB 667Mhz RAM XP Pro (for all them games) ATI X850 XT PE (this is the Dell version, but I don't mind) 80GB WD 10k RPM HDD (times 2 in raid 0) CD Burner, DVD double layer burner (dual drive option) 3 years "plus" support (accidental coverage) 19" Analog monitor, doesn't look to bad really free crappy color printer, but hey - I needed one for the house
I got this system for $2700 on one of Dell's super deals. The system got here in 3 days, the printer about 7.
I did a real simple software clean up when I got it, removing AOL - etc. Took about 15 minutes.
It's run great. I do have the ocasional lock up in a couple games, but I've traced that back to the game itself. I had a question regarding the DVD dual layer drive and called Dell - I waited about 2 minutes before I had my answer.
I realize there ARE better machines, but for me I was happy with what I got.
Why I got it: 1) I have 3 small kids - accidental coverage - you do the math. 2) I fix computers all day long. I don't wanna come home and fix another one - I wanna game. For 3 years if this thing breaks, my kids spill juice inside, or I drop it down the stairs at a LAN party, some other unlucky bloke has to come out and fix it. 3) I'm pretty sure Dell isn't going anywhere for at least the next 3 years.
How about legos? Provide a general 'concept' of an object you want people to build. Let teams of people build what they think matches the concept best. Share all of the results as a group, then choose the best one out of the several made. Then take this one and extend and improve it as a group.
Another approach would be to start with a 'base' for a particular object, then pass it around the room and have people 'extend' it. You could be the project 'mantainer' and decide if a persons 'extensions' really improve the object or not.
I think this would show the benefit of FOSS pretty well. With proprietary system you don't get the 'blocks' to rearrange things and make improvements. You also don't get the benefit of collaborative effort guided by some general leadership.
Perhaps another idea is to introduce WikiWkiWebs, and how they are constantly improved because everyone can change them.
As has been hashed and re-hashed, the state is mostly LDS. Many LDS church leaders (bishops, etc.) have publicly told church members that if they have Internet access at home, they need filtering software to block questionable content (or at the very least strongly consider it). This is also the same state that has video rental stores that rent edited rated-R movies to remove offensive content. The LDS church has a strict moral code, and a very devout base of members. The bottom line is that many in Utah want filtering.
Now, the money flows:
With so many people needing/wanting filtering services this has lead to quite a market for it. It's big business in Utah. There is a large section of the economy in Utah that caters specifically to members of the LDS church. Some ISPs have been set up to specifically target LDS members concerned about following this moral code. A lot of ISPs offer filtering as a premium service. It's about the money. Now the state has passed a law that says they must provide these services for free (from what I understand). I'm sure there might be some altruistic constitutional protective motivations by some - but this is mostly about money. We shouldn't forget that.
In Utah nearly every one will do so. I bet most of the ISPs outside of the Salt Lake area will just block by default and 'include' you in upon request instead of exclude.
The REAL beef the ISPs have with this in Utah is that here (due to the Mormon religious views) filtering is _big_ business. ISPs charge extra for that. Now they have to give it to you for free. That hits them in the bottom line.
For those that don't know. Mormons have a strict code of morality they follow. Not following it prevents members from participating in certain church services, and could lead to church disciplinary action. Also, church leaders have very strongly been against the Internet due to the 'readily accessibly filth' that apparently comes at you left and right while searching for dead relatives at genealogy sites. So, from a social, religious, and moral stand point Utah is really big on Internet filtering. They have a love hate relationship with the Internet. They love it for the genealogy, they hate it for the porn.
The culture here is very big on this thing. It's not just the Internet. They even have video stores here with edited rated-R movies to make them more "PG" friendly.
I have a diced up version of "Office Space" with 'offensive' words cut out, and little 'black dots' over the actors mouths when they curse so you can't "mentally" see what they are saying. Now, you gotta love that.
From one who might be considered a professional admin I might throw my comments into the ring. Much of what I think has been said already, but I might explain a bit further.
I think the answer you are looking for is RedHat Enterprise Server. There are many software vendors out there that only certify and QA their product on RedHat ES. It is one of the more popularly required distributions out there. I might add that while you might want to become proficient in RHES you should expose yourself to many other distributions of GNU/Linux. You or your client/company won't always want to purchase a license from RedHat for an internal application test server, or other 'non-critical' servers that won't be running software with a vendor requirement.
If you reach such a point you really do have a lot of control as to what you end up running (unless your supervisor happens to have an opinion). I can tell you that speed matters. With many other projects or items you might be working on, you won't have days to research that new distro that just came off the block and why it won't work with your RAID card - and you certainly won't have time to compile the software you will need for your entire system. You will need to depoly something you know how to run, you can trust, and goes up quickly.
In this situation I suggest learning systems that many other distros tend to base their designs off of. Debian is a good example. Learn Debian and you have learned the basics you will need to pick up many other distributions.
Learning many distributions gives you the ability to adapt quickly when a new vendor comes in with a different requirement (like SuSE for example) - or your shop changes it's preferred platform. I really enjoy running Debian/Knoppix for many of my personal projects - but you might find Gentoo or some other distro fits your style more.
It really comes down to cozying up to something and starting to learn all the aspects and quirks behind it. You might find that once you become very skilled in two or three distributions you will be able to pick up new ones with little trouble. At that stage you begin to understand what kind of knowledge it takes to be considered an expert. It might take you several years after that to achieve your personal ideal of what a professional should know (or the rest of your career).
In closing I might say that the best advice I could give to the aspiring Linux Sys Admin is simply to start. Grab the nearest iso you've got, install it, then grab a different one and install that. Dive in there and start learning as much as you can - you will never learn it all, but the pursuit of higher knowledge will result in your reaching a plateau that tends to provide enough income to scratch out a descent living.
Also, do not forget the many other skills you will need as a professional. Working with others in a team, treating customers with respect at all times, and maintaining a positive attitude even in stressful situations are all very important aspects of being a professional. Mastering these elements will get you farther in a career than memorizing the structure of a file descriptor or all the switches to rpm (which might be good to know any way, but won't necessarily help you keep your job).
I, for one, am just thrilled with Utah's participation in this program. Terrorism is such a major problem in Utah, and we as Utahns need to do our part in preventing it. As I am sure you are all aware terrorist have a major hatred against Mormons, and want to destroy the Mormon run state as quickly as possible. Many of us here in Utah believe that the 9/11 attacks were planned in Utah. That's serious business.
Also, Utah is such an ethnically diverse state terrorists from all nations have an easy time hiding amongst the extreamly large population.
There have also been roumers that the salt lake is used as a gigantic swimming pool to train terrorists on how to work in salty environments.
I am proud that our state is the first state to participate in this most important plan. I have been suspecting that my neighbors might be terrorists. The own lots of guns, they have several off road vehicals, and they talk funny. They have also been known to go "deer hunting" which as we all know is really terrorist trainning. I feel a bit safer knowing that the FBI will soon be paying them a visit once they open up their file.
Not only is the Parker "Jotter" a great value, it will last you forever! I used a Jotter for 2 years straight nearly all day long. I had no access to a computer for 2 years, so the Parker and slips of paper were how I got things done. I also wrote countless letters. After two years I finally got back to "civilization" and had a computer again. I have heard from several people that use Parkers that they have recieved 5 years or more of heavy usage using the Parker "Jotter." You can pick one up at your local mass consumer outlet (ie. Wal-Mart) for ~$15.
I'm not a SCO supporter by any means, but these guys have a history of suing people and winning. I know we all asume that McBride is a moron, but what if he's actually clever. They could be "throwing" everyone off by making themselves look like idiots. Has it dawned on anyone that maybe the code snippets that were leaked were meant to be leaked? Perhaps they knew someone would be there with a camera and stick the pictures out on the Internet.
So while the community is thinking everything is just fine because SCO doesn't have jack, they are sitting on one or two really excellent examples of IP ownership they haven't released yet. This way when the code is released we will all be caught with our jaws gaping open and our feet stuffed into them. They are just down the street from me, I know some of these guys. They are slippery. The best way to kill a fox is not by chasing it.
Now maybe what they do have is small and can be replaced simply. That doesn't matter because on the phsycological front the open source / free software camp just took a hit. Unfortunatly it's too late to do anything about it.
I think a good approch is the "show us the code" approch. Not the "you must be an idiot smoking crack" approch. Hubris is a good thing when hacking code, but not when dealing with a bunch of lawyers. I urge a level headed course of action rather than a kick SCO's butt becuase there is no way we can be wrong action. Use caution - I promise there is an "Ace" up their sleave. Or at least a "Queen of Hearts".;-)
------- Sent to ValueWeb customers ------- ValueWeb has been informed by a number of our bandwidth providers (MCI, Sprint, and Level 3) that they will be undergoing maintenance that may cause widespread Internet slowness between 3:00 and 6:00 am EST, July 17th, 2003
It's possible to file a 'zero return' with both the state and feds (check with your state tax laws). Depending on your state it's possible to file both online. You can file a zero return when there is no profit made, or when your expenses exceed your income. It should be fairly inexpensive to have a CPA prepare a zero return. It's still possible to do it on your own though. It usully requires filling out only one or two forms, sticking zeros in just about every line. My state's web site has a great section for small businesses that describe federal and state tax requirements. You might want to start looking on your state's web site.
I have to say, I called it here (attached to the previous story). If you think about it for a moment you realize it's an interesting idea. I wouldn't expect this to work for another 2 or 3 years though. There simply aren't enough people (and devices) that need/want wireless access to the Internet when they are mobile. A cell phone is more than sufficient for most people. I was approched by a company just a few months ago that is going to do something very similar in a large chain of retail stores. Wireless is the next "big thing", but you aready knew that... right?
Rather than throw out all those pay phones, I think it would be much more interesting to see them reused. Perhaps as 802.11 access points or something. Just replace the phone with a digital pay box with an antenna on top. Simply swipe your credit card, hook into the network, and roam around with 20 or 30 minutes of wireless access.
It is generally a bad idea to hook up several HUNDERED THOUSAND volts to any computer. Unless you have that one from the Superman movie (and have some one-man blimps to carry you and your henchmen to your secret lair*).
"We've had you guys slaving away 15 hours a day and the amount of time squashing bugs has increased 200%. You're just not working hard enough. As of today we will require all programmers to move into the office so that you can work without wasting valuable time commuting. Cots will not be allowed inside the cubes so you will need to bring your own sleeping bags and pillows. You will be allowed 5 hours of sleep every 15 hours only if your code is 99% bug free. Visiting slashdot is off limits, and any programmer attempting to do so will be forced to write documentation for 36 hours straight. Those of you who are married will need to sign the divorce papers by next Tuesday to retain employment with the company. That is all."
Cleaning out the basement of an old historic building I used to work in we found something very similar to this. It was a glass sphere containing what appeared to be water. It looked a little like a lightbulb. It was attached to a holder on the wall with a spring loaded pin pointed at the sphere. Holding the pin in place was some sort of metal that looks like it would melt under heat (thus releassing the pin, bursting the bulb, and releasing the liquid). There is a picture of it here. I showed this to my father and step-father who are both professional firefighters (L.A. and Las Vegas). They mentioned that these things were very dangrous and were destoyed, they were used clear up to the 1950's. Apparently the clear liquid is a fire-retardant that upon hiting the fire puts it out, but also releases DEADLY fumes. Not to mention the shards of glass that fly everywhere. These devices were also ment to be used as "hand-grenades." Perhaps the innovation of the stories topic "invention" is that it doesn't have these draw backs.
What is really amazing about this technology is that it throws out the correct frames, not just any frame. Even the casual observer will occasionaly notice when a frame is dropped (in a fade out, or cross fade for example). So this device (apparently) can throw out only the frames you won't miss as a viewer. What's amazing is that it does it all 'real time.' Of course real time in television does not mean the same thing in the computer world. Other products have this feature (adobe after effects, others) but they lack the horsepower to do it 'on the fly' (the video world slang equivilant to the computer world 'real time'). The networks have already become increasingly careful about how much time they show you a black screen. Often they won't fade to black any longer, but prefer hard cuts to commercials and other scenes. Television equipment is horribly expensive, and the amount that union workers get paid to run the equipment is unreal, not to mention how much talent wants now-a-days to perform. I'm sure that everyone is trying new ways to insert an extra 30 seconds into a broadcast just to pay for it all, and still make a large enough profit to justify their existance.
One thing that gets me in the article is that you have to run the spot in front of the show (time delay)! So what happens when the machine can't remove enough frames.... now you are 30 seconds behind. I can just imagine all the complaints when the station chops off the last bit of a show containing the punchline so they can meet back up with the network at the top of the hour (resync for news/live events).
This is absolutly the future of networking. Wireless topology can be constructed so quickly that the types of networks described in the story will flourish. Already several cities around the world have this type of grass roots movment happening in them. The best part about it is that large corporations really can't do anything to stop them. Hopefully it won't be too long before a central repository for information regarding these growing networks springs to life. The speed at which these networks can grow is truly the most important asspect. I suspect in five years or less these types of systems will be so common that one could visit nearly any city with a population over 50,000 and connect to a network.
Not to be oudone by Lucas putting N'Sync in Episode II, Speilberg will supposedly call the next Indiana Jones: "Indiana Jones And The Backstreet Boys." Speilberg would neither confirm nor deny if Kevin would have the starring role.
It seems like it would be an easy task for even a mediocre 'power-user' running Microsoft Windows to find/get/steal/download software that would allow them to bypass or encrypt their communications. There are so many subtle ways to send messages via TCP/IP that I don't think this is going to stop people who REALLY want to send anti-communist material via the Internet in/out of China. How many people in China even have access to the Internet, and use it? It seems to me the real concern the Chiniese goverment has is anon people posting anti-china comments on web sites. Eventually people are going to figure out how to get aroud this, if they haven't already.
Recently I've noticed the AT&T cable boys out and about in thier trucks. Usually when they come in force to our apartment complex it means trouble. Last time they came I didn't have Internet access at home for over a week. So far I have been under impressed with attbi and all of their strange network quirks that make life difficult. Perhaps it is this reason (poor technical ability, screwing customers) that broadband appears to be dying a slow, painful death. There has been talk of the government getting involved in broadband Internet somehow, but will they really do a better job than AT&T?
I've heard a lot of talk at the local ISP (who gave up Linux for FreeBSD) that *BSD is some how more secure (which IMHO is relative). Why would an ISP think such a thing? And, if infact it is somehow more secure, then isn't having the wonderful tools of Debian running on it very very good? Regardless, I think it's really neat to see Debian growing in all kinds of interesting directions.
The comments I've recieved from my above words has ranged from total flames to actual good advice (thanks). Perhaps I was over reacting. I actually (as of yet) have not noticed ANY major problems with the various 2.4.x kernels I am running. I'm assuming this is based on pure luck, or I'm just not doing a whole lot with them. I am an end user of Linux, meaning I don't actually participate in the development of any major open source projects (except the occassional one written in Perl). I am learning C though in hopes of one day being able to get involved in the process. Until I can, it makes me kringe everytime I hear a 'beware' story about a certain asspect of Linux. Guess that just comes with the territory.
Slashdot Mirror
Before people tear down Dell any more, I would like to share a positive experience.
I realize that buying a Dell may not be considered "geek", but I really do enjoy the deal I got.
Basic specs:
P4 670 (3.8 Ghz)
1GB 667Mhz RAM
XP Pro (for all them games)
ATI X850 XT PE (this is the Dell version, but I don't mind)
80GB WD 10k RPM HDD (times 2 in raid 0)
CD Burner, DVD double layer burner (dual drive option)
3 years "plus" support (accidental coverage)
19" Analog monitor, doesn't look to bad really
free crappy color printer, but hey - I needed one for the house
I got this system for $2700 on one of Dell's super deals. The system got here in 3 days, the printer about 7.
I did a real simple software clean up when I got it, removing AOL - etc. Took about 15 minutes.
It's run great. I do have the ocasional lock up in a couple games, but I've traced that back to the game itself. I had a question regarding the DVD dual layer drive and called Dell - I waited about 2 minutes before I had my answer.
I realize there ARE better machines, but for me I was happy with what I got.
Why I got it:
1) I have 3 small kids - accidental coverage - you do the math.
2) I fix computers all day long. I don't wanna come home and fix another one - I wanna game. For 3 years if this thing breaks, my kids spill juice inside, or I drop it down the stairs at a LAN party, some other unlucky bloke has to come out and fix it.
3) I'm pretty sure Dell isn't going anywhere for at least the next 3 years.
"What is the best way for new IS managers to convince their superiors of the need for widespread change?"
Let it break.
I will leave it to you to decide if I'm funny, or informative.
How about legos? Provide a general 'concept' of an object you want people to build. Let teams of people build what they think matches the concept best. Share all of the results as a group, then choose the best one out of the several made. Then take this one and extend and improve it as a group.
Another approach would be to start with a 'base' for a particular object, then pass it around the room and have people 'extend' it. You could be the project 'mantainer' and decide if a persons 'extensions' really improve the object or not.
I think this would show the benefit of FOSS pretty well. With proprietary system you don't get the 'blocks' to rearrange things and make improvements. You also don't get the benefit of collaborative effort guided by some general leadership.
Perhaps another idea is to introduce WikiWkiWebs, and how they are constantly improved because everyone can change them.
First the set up:
As has been hashed and re-hashed, the state is mostly LDS. Many LDS church leaders (bishops, etc.) have publicly told church members that if they have Internet access at home, they need filtering software to block questionable content (or at the very least strongly consider it). This is also the same state that has video rental stores that rent edited rated-R movies to remove offensive content. The LDS church has a strict moral code, and a very devout base of members. The bottom line is that many in Utah want filtering.
Now, the money flows:
With so many people needing/wanting filtering services this has lead to quite a market for it. It's big business in Utah. There is a large section of the economy in Utah that caters specifically to members of the LDS church. Some ISPs have been set up to specifically target LDS members concerned about following this moral code. A lot of ISPs offer filtering as a premium service. It's about the money. Now the state has passed a law that says they must provide these services for free (from what I understand). I'm sure there might be some altruistic constitutional protective motivations by some - but this is mostly about money. We shouldn't forget that.
Some things never change.
In Utah nearly every one will do so. I bet most of the ISPs outside of the Salt Lake area will just block by default and 'include' you in upon request instead of exclude.
The REAL beef the ISPs have with this in Utah is that here (due to the Mormon religious views) filtering is _big_ business. ISPs charge extra for that. Now they have to give it to you for free. That hits them in the bottom line.
For those that don't know. Mormons have a strict code of morality they follow. Not following it prevents members from participating in certain church services, and could lead to church disciplinary action. Also, church leaders have very strongly been against the Internet due to the 'readily accessibly filth' that apparently comes at you left and right while searching for dead relatives at genealogy sites. So, from a social, religious, and moral stand point Utah is really big on Internet filtering. They have a love hate relationship with the Internet. They love it for the genealogy, they hate it for the porn.
The culture here is very big on this thing. It's not just the Internet. They even have video stores here with edited rated-R movies to make them more "PG" friendly.
I have a diced up version of "Office Space" with 'offensive' words cut out, and little 'black dots' over the actors mouths when they curse so you can't "mentally" see what they are saying. Now, you gotta love that.
Her name is Paula Houston:
See here.
From one who might be considered a professional admin I might throw my comments into the ring. Much of what I think has been said already, but I might explain a bit further.
I think the answer you are looking for is RedHat Enterprise Server. There are many software vendors out there that only certify and QA their product on RedHat ES. It is one of the more popularly required distributions out there. I might add that while you might want to become proficient in RHES you should expose yourself to many other distributions of GNU/Linux. You or your client/company won't always want to purchase a license from RedHat for an internal application test server, or other 'non-critical' servers that won't be running software with a vendor requirement.
If you reach such a point you really do have a lot of control as to what you end up running (unless your supervisor happens to have an opinion). I can tell you that speed matters. With many other projects or items you might be working on, you won't have days to research that new distro that just came off the block and why it won't work with your RAID card - and you certainly won't have time to compile the software you will need for your entire system. You will need to depoly something you know how to run, you can trust, and goes up quickly.
In this situation I suggest learning systems that many other distros tend to base their designs off of. Debian is a good example. Learn Debian and you have learned the basics you will need to pick up many other distributions.
Learning many distributions gives you the ability to adapt quickly when a new vendor comes in with a different requirement (like SuSE for example) - or your shop changes it's preferred platform. I really enjoy running Debian/Knoppix for many of my personal projects - but you might find Gentoo or some other distro fits your style more.
It really comes down to cozying up to something and starting to learn all the aspects and quirks behind it. You might find that once you become very skilled in two or three distributions you will be able to pick up new ones with little trouble. At that stage you begin to understand what kind of knowledge it takes to be considered an expert. It might take you several years after that to achieve your personal ideal of what a professional should know (or the rest of your career).
In closing I might say that the best advice I could give to the aspiring Linux Sys Admin is simply to start. Grab the nearest iso you've got, install it, then grab a different one and install that. Dive in there and start learning as much as you can - you will never learn it all, but the pursuit of higher knowledge will result in your reaching a plateau that tends to provide enough income to scratch out a descent living.
Also, do not forget the many other skills you will need as a professional. Working with others in a team, treating customers with respect at all times, and maintaining a positive attitude even in stressful situations are all very important aspects of being a professional. Mastering these elements will get you farther in a career than memorizing the structure of a file descriptor or all the switches to rpm (which might be good to know any way, but won't necessarily help you keep your job).
I, for one, am just thrilled with Utah's participation in this program. Terrorism is such a major problem in Utah, and we as Utahns need to do our part in preventing it. As I am sure you are all aware terrorist have a major hatred against Mormons, and want to destroy the Mormon run state as quickly as possible. Many of us here in Utah believe that the 9/11 attacks were planned in Utah. That's serious business.
Also, Utah is such an ethnically diverse state terrorists from all nations have an easy time hiding amongst the extreamly large population.
There have also been roumers that the salt lake is used as a gigantic swimming pool to train terrorists on how to work in salty environments.
I am proud that our state is the first state to participate in this most important plan. I have been suspecting that my neighbors might be terrorists. The own lots of guns, they have several off road vehicals, and they talk funny. They have also been known to go "deer hunting" which as we all know is really terrorist trainning. I feel a bit safer knowing that the FBI will soon be paying them a visit once they open up their file.
Not only is the Parker "Jotter" a great value, it will last you forever! I used a Jotter for 2 years straight nearly all day long. I had no access to a computer for 2 years, so the Parker and slips of paper were how I got things done. I also wrote countless letters. After two years I finally got back to "civilization" and had a computer again. I have heard from several people that use Parkers that they have recieved 5 years or more of heavy usage using the Parker "Jotter." You can pick one up at your local mass consumer outlet (ie. Wal-Mart) for ~$15.
I'm not a SCO supporter by any means, but these guys have a history of suing people and winning. I know we all asume that McBride is a moron, but what if he's actually clever. They could be "throwing" everyone off by making themselves look like idiots. Has it dawned on anyone that maybe the code snippets that were leaked were meant to be leaked? Perhaps they knew someone would be there with a camera and stick the pictures out on the Internet.
;-)
So while the community is thinking everything is just fine because SCO doesn't have jack, they are sitting on one or two really excellent examples of IP ownership they haven't released yet. This way when the code is released we will all be caught with our jaws gaping open and our feet stuffed into them. They are just down the street from me, I know some of these guys. They are slippery. The best way to kill a fox is not by chasing it.
Now maybe what they do have is small and can be replaced simply. That doesn't matter because on the phsycological front the open source / free software camp just took a hit. Unfortunatly it's too late to do anything about it.
I think a good approch is the "show us the code" approch. Not the "you must be an idiot smoking crack" approch. Hubris is a good thing when hacking code, but not when dealing with a bunch of lawyers. I urge a level headed course of action rather than a kick SCO's butt becuase there is no way we can be wrong action. Use caution - I promise there is an "Ace" up their sleave. Or at least a "Queen of Hearts".
------- Sent to ValueWeb customers -------
ValueWeb has been informed by a number
of our bandwidth providers (MCI, Sprint, and
Level 3) that they will be undergoing maintenance
that may cause widespread Internet slowness
between 3:00 and 6:00 am EST, July 17th, 2003
It's possible to file a 'zero return' with both the state and feds (check with your state tax laws). Depending on your state it's possible to file both online. You can file a zero return when there is no profit made, or when your expenses exceed your income. It should be fairly inexpensive to have a CPA prepare a zero return. It's still possible to do it on your own though. It usully requires filling out only one or two forms, sticking zeros in just about every line. My state's web site has a great section for small businesses that describe federal and state tax requirements. You might want to start looking on your state's web site.
I have to say, I called it here (attached to the previous story). If you think about it for a moment you realize it's an interesting idea. I wouldn't expect this to work for another 2 or 3 years though. There simply aren't enough people (and devices) that need/want wireless access to the Internet when they are mobile. A cell phone is more than sufficient for most people. I was approched by a company just a few months ago that is going to do something very similar in a large chain of retail stores. Wireless is the next "big thing", but you aready knew that... right?
Rather than throw out all those pay phones, I think it would be much more interesting to see them reused. Perhaps as 802.11 access points or something. Just replace the phone with a digital pay box with an antenna on top. Simply swipe your credit card, hook into the network, and roam around with 20 or 30 minutes of wireless access.
It is generally a bad idea to hook up several HUNDERED THOUSAND volts to any computer. Unless you have that one from the Superman movie (and have some one-man blimps to carry you and your henchmen to your secret lair*).
* Superhero seeking missle not included.
"We've had you guys slaving away 15 hours a day and the amount of time squashing bugs has increased 200%. You're just not working hard enough. As of today we will require all programmers to move into the office so that you can work without wasting valuable time commuting. Cots will not be allowed inside the cubes so you will need to bring your own sleeping bags and pillows. You will be allowed 5 hours of sleep every 15 hours only if your code is 99% bug free. Visiting slashdot is off limits, and any programmer attempting to do so will be forced to write documentation for 36 hours straight. Those of you who are married will need to sign the divorce papers by next Tuesday to retain employment with the company. That is all."
Cleaning out the basement of an old historic building I used to work in we found something very similar to this. It was a glass sphere containing what appeared to be water. It looked a little like a lightbulb. It was attached to a holder on the wall with a spring loaded pin pointed at the sphere. Holding the pin in place was some sort of metal that looks like it would melt under heat (thus releassing the pin, bursting the bulb, and releasing the liquid). There is a picture of it here. I showed this to my father and step-father who are both professional firefighters (L.A. and Las Vegas). They mentioned that these things were very dangrous and were destoyed, they were used clear up to the 1950's. Apparently the clear liquid is a fire-retardant that upon hiting the fire puts it out, but also releases DEADLY fumes. Not to mention the shards of glass that fly everywhere. These devices were also ment to be used as "hand-grenades." Perhaps the innovation of the stories topic "invention" is that it doesn't have these draw backs.
What is really amazing about this technology is that it throws out the correct frames, not just any frame. Even the casual observer will occasionaly notice when a frame is dropped (in a fade out, or cross fade for example). So this device (apparently) can throw out only the frames you won't miss as a viewer. What's amazing is that it does it all 'real time.' Of course real time in television does not mean the same thing in the computer world. Other products have this feature (adobe after effects, others) but they lack the horsepower to do it 'on the fly' (the video world slang equivilant to the computer world 'real time'). The networks have already become increasingly careful about how much time they show you a black screen. Often they won't fade to black any longer, but prefer hard cuts to commercials and other scenes. Television equipment is horribly expensive, and the amount that union workers get paid to run the equipment is unreal, not to mention how much talent wants now-a-days to perform. I'm sure that everyone is trying new ways to insert an extra 30 seconds into a broadcast just to pay for it all, and still make a large enough profit to justify their existance.
One thing that gets me in the article is that you have to run the spot in front of the show (time delay)! So what happens when the machine can't remove enough frames.... now you are 30 seconds behind. I can just imagine all the complaints when the station chops off the last bit of a show containing the punchline so they can meet back up with the network at the top of the hour (resync for news/live events).
This is absolutly the future of networking. Wireless topology can be constructed so quickly that the types of networks described in the story will flourish. Already several cities around the world have this type of grass roots movment happening in them. The best part about it is that large corporations really can't do anything to stop them. Hopefully it won't be too long before a central repository for information regarding these growing networks springs to life. The speed at which these networks can grow is truly the most important asspect. I suspect in five years or less these types of systems will be so common that one could visit nearly any city with a population over 50,000 and connect to a network.
Not to be oudone by Lucas putting N'Sync in Episode II, Speilberg will supposedly call the next Indiana Jones: "Indiana Jones And The Backstreet Boys." Speilberg would neither confirm nor deny if Kevin would have the starring role.
It seems like it would be an easy task for even a mediocre 'power-user' running Microsoft Windows to find/get/steal/download software that would allow them to bypass or encrypt their communications. There are so many subtle ways to send messages via TCP/IP that I don't think this is going to stop people who REALLY want to send anti-communist material via the Internet in/out of China. How many people in China even have access to the Internet, and use it? It seems to me the real concern the Chiniese goverment has is anon people posting anti-china comments on web sites. Eventually people are going to figure out how to get aroud this, if they haven't already.
Recently I've noticed the AT&T cable boys out and about in thier trucks. Usually when they come in force to our apartment complex it means trouble. Last time they came I didn't have Internet access at home for over a week. So far I have been under impressed with attbi and all of their strange network quirks that make life difficult. Perhaps it is this reason (poor technical ability, screwing customers) that broadband appears to be dying a slow, painful death. There has been talk of the government getting involved in broadband Internet somehow, but will they really do a better job than AT&T?
I've heard a lot of talk at the local ISP (who gave up Linux for FreeBSD) that *BSD is some how more secure (which IMHO is relative). Why would an ISP think such a thing? And, if infact it is somehow more secure, then isn't having the wonderful tools of Debian running on it very very good? Regardless, I think it's really neat to see Debian growing in all kinds of interesting directions.
The comments I've recieved from my above words has ranged from total flames to actual good advice (thanks). Perhaps I was over reacting. I actually (as of yet) have not noticed ANY major problems with the various 2.4.x kernels I am running. I'm assuming this is based on pure luck, or I'm just not doing a whole lot with them. I am an end user of Linux, meaning I don't actually participate in the development of any major open source projects (except the occassional one written in Perl). I am learning C though in hopes of one day being able to get involved in the process. Until I can, it makes me kringe everytime I hear a 'beware' story about a certain asspect of Linux. Guess that just comes with the territory.