Great, you were using an application (qemu is a good project, btw), you do programming (though no mention of OS level knowledge), and you are an admin, and that proves your knowledge of the underpinnings of an OS, Windows, Linux, or otherwise.
The fanboy attack is generally reserved for folks who flit between one obsession or another, vehemently expressing their opinion, until they tire of the subject, and move on to their next obsession. After 8+ years with Linux, and going on 23 years with x86, I'm not sure I qualify.
And just to give thedustbustr another grin, as long as we're trading insults, you couldn't find your way out of a paper bag with a knife and a lighter.:)
(It's crap in your cornflakes, btw, referring to unwanted "raisin bran".)
Not sure I want to see this carried through to its entirety. While it sounds good on the surface, it's important to consider the potential for utter failure. Consider the following hypothetical example:
I'm searching for something on Google, say a fix for a PC I'm working on. The reason I'm working on it is because I'm interested in a career in IT, and building my skills both in repair and customer relations. Therefore, logically and based on previous searches, Google knows that I am interested not only in the fix, but also in any career information related to the type of work I am doing at the moment.
Of course, based on numerous other searches (perhaps even neural-type equipment at that point in time), Google ascertains that part of the reason that I'm interested in the IT job market is because I'd like to own a nice car, a nice house, a few "toys", attract a brillant goddess, raise a few kids and give them the things I never had as a kid, own various pieces of vacation property, and retire to a healty, long-lived life, full of happiness and the finer things in life, leaving a quality legacy that the entire world looks up to and respects for all time.
Moral of the story? Google already has implemented your suggestion. If you go to Google, type in your search item, and hit "I'm Feeling Lucky", you'll get the same results as "intentional stance" would provide, taken to the limit. In other words, taken to the extreme, pretty much anything is a valid search item in one way or another.:)
Just kidding, it would be nice to have a search that found things I meant it to find. Actually, I kind of like Wikipedia's way of doing things, offering up narrowing suggestions. Google only offers one alternative, mostly to fix typos, while other engines offer up too many different "categories", instead of simply narrowing the search field to make it easier on us poor mortals.
I agree completely. The idea that GUIs (or OS's, for that matter) haven't changed that much kind of gives away the poster's lack of knowledge. On the surface, yes, there are still icons that you click on, with a helpful taskbar somewhere on the screen, windows and menus, etc. To use them, you click, double-click, right-click, etc. These aren't a lack of improvement, they are simply "what works", in the same manner that operating a vehicle hasn't changed much over the last few decades.
That said, the previous implication that FOSS is just a copycat also shows that the poster wouldn't look beyond basic "expected" features even if they were highlighted. The X-windows system is stunningly capable and flexible, far beyond what Windows has to offer, which is why Apple has adopted it as well. (For the record, MS is about the only general-use OS company that doesn't use X-windows.) They could obtain it's qualities, write a desktop on top of it, and leapfrog MS's best efforts overnight.
Firefox, OpenOffice, Linux, etc., the list creativity goes on. Unfortunately, these kinds of posts still appear, and there's not much you can do, because even when you point out facts, they're more interested in starting an argument than investigating the truth for themselves.
Hey, RMS is a smart guy, so perhaps he views it another way. For example, perhaps having GPL'd software, and the community ideals it brings along, will do something to alter the MI complex, in a way that makes it more beneficial to everyone. Perhaps over the long term, as these "treat your neighbor as you want to be treated" ideas spread, there will be less need for the MI complex as it stands today.
I can't speak for him, but I'd guess that even RMS would be hesitant to toss the military industrial complex away blindly. Items like that, that have some reason to exist, are better altered through social change, and the MIC is something that will probably only evaporate once these ideas are embraced on a large scale, worldwide.
Besides, calling it a "Military Industrial Complex" makes it sound like these folks have their act together and are working in closely sync'd lockstep. From what I've seen so far over the last few decades, if they set a goal of changing a lightbulb, the MIC would spend their time arguing over who would remove the bulb, what kind of bulb it was, what kind of new bulb to replace it with, who would replace it, how tight to tighten it, who gets to flip the switch to test it, etc.
Meanwhile, somebody outside the MIC would simply walk up, change the bulb, and the matter would be settled, so the MIC could then get back to important things, like arguing about who should get credit for deciding that the lightbulb needed to be changed, and who gets credit for the brilliant plan of arguing until somebody else fixed the problem.
Sure, RH and SuSE (corporate) pricing is up there. On the other hand, you don't HAVE to pay that much for a Linux solution, as there are a number of well respected distributions available, some specifically designed for the corporate market, for the very reason of being disenchanted with RH and SuSE pricing. It may be a bit more work to look into these than "go with the norm", but that decision depends on your priorities, just like the decision to consider Linux, instead of just going with MS out of blind ignorance.
OTOH, MS pricing is MS pricing, and about the only way to get a better deal is to tell MS you're thinking of switching to Linux. So even if you are determined to stick with MS, come hell or high water, it wouldn't kill you to learn more about Linux (beyond the FUD), as it gives you more bargaining power. If, along the way, you realize that Linux is a good solution, all the better.:)
No, Windows is great for embedding into things like bullets and munitions.
Yeah, I can just see the smiles on the soldiers faces when they go to fire their smart weapon, and the bullet needs authenticating because they replaced the firing pin earlier that day...
>>o it'll be twice the cost and half as effecient, and you'll still have to call Microsoft to activate it. Sounds great.
Wonder if you have to have the licenses and other info for every single box it runs on. Might make for some long phone calls with a couple thousand PCs working together. Let me guess, their next money making venture is a 1-976 support line.:)
I'm not sure I'd call it sniping and bitching, more an observation of past experience. As for the results, I think a lot of us would be interested in seeing them, for serious comparison reasons. Problem is, as we've seen in the past, there is probably and NDA or other agreement that requires you to get permission from MS before you publish any results.
More importantly, any 1.0 results aren't likely to be that good, no matter whose software it is, but it would be interesting to see how things stack up, from a developmental point of view.
Maybe, but it's not a magic bullet. Besides, the targeted managers will still need the hardware (assuming they don't have a cluster--which would make them unlikely to try MS's product on the first run), and hardware costs money. Add to that the obligatory per-processor/per user licensing that we can expect MS to push eventually, and you're still talking a lot of roadblocks before it enters "everyone's reach".
BTW, those specialty implementations are what MS needs to target. Right now, most clusters work with Unix varieties, with Linux being a top contender on x86, and a respectable number are OS X installations, but MS needs big names and impressive results to win this market, simply because the admins of these systems are not your typical cert mill graduates. They know what they are doing, and have a deeper interest in computing than a lot of their peers. For instance, they aren't going to be impressed with a pretty GUI, simply because it's wasted power.
MS needs to win big names to be taken seriously in this area, because if they don't get a company with a solid reputation for needing the best systems (Google, Yahoo, NSA, NASA, etc), they're going to be relegated to a corner of the market, good for companies who want to brag about their new cluster, but pointless for anyone who actually uses it.
Then again, MS probably doesn't care, hype has paid their bills for a long time now.
I love this marketing strategy. Advertise "Athlon" or "Opteron" using all the cool hype and stats about the most impressive chip you're making, to ensure the average consumer wants that chip [name], then sell the lowliest ones to the PC makers, and overprice the best ones for high-end servers. Pure Genius(TM).
Personally, I think a lot of these "parents" could save themselves a few bucks. The little curtain climbers are already stoned out of their mind on Class II narcotics for their "ADHD", so instead of spending the money on a "robot", they should just get the kid a blacklight, lava lamp and and Pink Floyd boxed set, and the kid will be all set till they hit their mid-20s.:)
>Amazon lists MS Office Standard Student and Teacher Edition 2003 for $125. Installs on three PCs, no student-teacher ID required. Ranks #3 on the Amazon software sales chart. Student-Teacher Office 2004 for the Mac is $136. Ranks #18.
That doesn't strike you as part of the problem, that you have to essentially lie to get a fair deal on MS Office? Doesn't it make you feel the least bit uncomfortable knowing that you need to lower your morals to MS's level (read as: none) to pay a decent price, while an alternative that's nearly equivalent is free? If it works for you, great, but it would make me feel a little off.
Next thing you know, you'll be visiting animal shelters to stock up on meat for your freezer...
Damn it, those sweat shop workers aren't supposed to have fun deskjobs. Get them back into the backbreaking and toxic exposure occupations. Geez, this whole world is just falling to peices.
Basically, it says that Pfizer had a problem making enough of the drug, and more isn't expected till December. There are a few other suppliers, but they have problems as well. This was posted in July, I hope the situation is better at the moment.
While I won't disagree with the results (simply because there are a lot of purported "doctors" weighing in about this), you've got to take some of these things with a bit of skepticism. Still, this study was released by a school that trains doctors, which doesn't strike me as an unbiased source.
Agreed, in most situations, this shouldn't be a "help me" site. However Patrick isn't just another "open-source coder". He's been an well known member of the community and was working on Slackware before most Slashdot users had a computer or an Internet connection.
This is, especially to the Linux community, an important piece of news, akin to something similar happening with Linus, RMS, etc. While we can debate the value of posting, it wasn't actually Patrick that "imposed" this on Slashdot, it was some third party that determined that it should be here, and agreed upon by Slashdot's folks as well.
As such, it's not setting any precedent, it just shows that a few people do care.
Granted, it's an article about KDE and Gnome, but where are the MS trolls?:) Sure, MS hasn't offered any real feature improvements since 2001 or so, but that doesn't mean there's no flamebait to be offered. Then again, who would admit to using Exchange (and all but beg to be compromised).
Not sure about the UK cases, but here in the US, they did use real explosives in a similar test, but just enough that dogs and explosive sniffing equipment should have picked it up. (Just having an explosive chemical in a peice of luggage doesn't do much, it's got to be tightly wrapped in some way so it can build up to critical pressure.) They managed to easily dodge the dogs being walked around the terminals, and the security staff didn't bother using the equipment on every peice of baggage. (To me, the handheld devices looked a little bulky, and had to be set down and picked up a lot in order for the rather understaffed inspection people to do a through job of using it, between taking keys and opening luggage, etc.)
I don't believe the poster was being exclusive. I don't think anyone could seriously agree that refusing to use Windows is a good career move. However, in the same respect, plenty of Windows admins are harming their own future with a Windows only outlook.
I think the best move is to be able to use the computer, no matter what the OS is, and know and equipt yourself with the skills to be able to work on whatever OS you're presented with, at least to a degree where you can build off those skills if the need presents itself.
For the record, at least here in Michigan, an increasing number of employers are requesting Linux (and other OSS) skills for applicants. Not so much because they use Linux, but because it's a way to sort applicants. There are simply too many MCSE-types out there that got their certs without much in the way of knowledge and skills. Linux knowledge alongside Windows certs tells an employer that not only are you certified to administer a system or program, but that you take an active part in your own education.
This is an important distinction, as far too many companies have been burned by inept admins who only work hard enough to pass a test, then don't care about their IT education until the next test comes up. For companies concerned with getting the most out of their IT infrastructure and security, this is simply not acceptable. They need people who are actively interested in what is happening in the IT world, and who are willing to update and improve their network and the PC's on a continual basis. The days of the sysadmin who only works hard enough to not lose his job are slowly drifting away, especially as the job market becomes more saturated.
Slashdot Mirror
Great, you were using an application (qemu is a good project, btw), you do programming (though no mention of OS level knowledge), and you are an admin, and that proves your knowledge of the underpinnings of an OS, Windows, Linux, or otherwise.
:)
:)
The fanboy attack is generally reserved for folks who flit between one obsession or another, vehemently expressing their opinion, until they tire of the subject, and move on to their next obsession. After 8+ years with Linux, and going on 23 years with x86, I'm not sure I qualify.
And just to give thedustbustr another grin, as long as we're trading insults, you couldn't find your way out of a paper bag with a knife and a lighter.
(It's crap in your cornflakes, btw, referring to unwanted "raisin bran".)
Have an nice day, and enjoy your flight.
Not sure I want to see this carried through to its entirety. While it sounds good on the surface, it's important to consider the potential for utter failure. Consider the following hypothetical example:
:)
I'm searching for something on Google, say a fix for a PC I'm working on. The reason I'm working on it is because I'm interested in a career in IT, and building my skills both in repair and customer relations. Therefore, logically and based on previous searches, Google knows that I am interested not only in the fix, but also in any career information related to the type of work I am doing at the moment.
Of course, based on numerous other searches (perhaps even neural-type equipment at that point in time), Google ascertains that part of the reason that I'm interested in the IT job market is because I'd like to own a nice car, a nice house, a few "toys", attract a brillant goddess, raise a few kids and give them the things I never had as a kid, own various pieces of vacation property, and retire to a healty, long-lived life, full of happiness and the finer things in life, leaving a quality legacy that the entire world looks up to and respects for all time.
Moral of the story? Google already has implemented your suggestion. If you go to Google, type in your search item, and hit "I'm Feeling Lucky", you'll get the same results as "intentional stance" would provide, taken to the limit. In other words, taken to the extreme, pretty much anything is a valid search item in one way or another.
Just kidding, it would be nice to have a search that found things I meant it to find. Actually, I kind of like Wikipedia's way of doing things, offering up narrowing suggestions. Google only offers one alternative, mostly to fix typos, while other engines offer up too many different "categories", instead of simply narrowing the search field to make it easier on us poor mortals.
Probably, but by then, they'll probably be whittling replacement parts out of used microwave ovens. :)
I don't remember reading the part where he claimed to be a bumbling top secret agent. :)
http://www.wouldyoubelieve.com/
I agree completely. The idea that GUIs (or OS's, for that matter) haven't changed that much kind of gives away the poster's lack of knowledge. On the surface, yes, there are still icons that you click on, with a helpful taskbar somewhere on the screen, windows and menus, etc. To use them, you click, double-click, right-click, etc. These aren't a lack of improvement, they are simply "what works", in the same manner that operating a vehicle hasn't changed much over the last few decades.
:)
That said, the previous implication that FOSS is just a copycat also shows that the poster wouldn't look beyond basic "expected" features even if they were highlighted. The X-windows system is stunningly capable and flexible, far beyond what Windows has to offer, which is why Apple has adopted it as well. (For the record, MS is about the only general-use OS company that doesn't use X-windows.) They could obtain it's qualities, write a desktop on top of it, and leapfrog MS's best efforts overnight.
Firefox, OpenOffice, Linux, etc., the list creativity goes on. Unfortunately, these kinds of posts still appear, and there's not much you can do, because even when you point out facts, they're more interested in starting an argument than investigating the truth for themselves.
So I'll shut up now.
Hey, RMS is a smart guy, so perhaps he views it another way. For example, perhaps having GPL'd software, and the community ideals it brings along, will do something to alter the MI complex, in a way that makes it more beneficial to everyone. Perhaps over the long term, as these "treat your neighbor as you want to be treated" ideas spread, there will be less need for the MI complex as it stands today.
:)
I can't speak for him, but I'd guess that even RMS would be hesitant to toss the military industrial complex away blindly. Items like that, that have some reason to exist, are better altered through social change, and the MIC is something that will probably only evaporate once these ideas are embraced on a large scale, worldwide.
Besides, calling it a "Military Industrial Complex" makes it sound like these folks have their act together and are working in closely sync'd lockstep. From what I've seen so far over the last few decades, if they set a goal of changing a lightbulb, the MIC would spend their time arguing over who would remove the bulb, what kind of bulb it was, what kind of new bulb to replace it with, who would replace it, how tight to tighten it, who gets to flip the switch to test it, etc.
Meanwhile, somebody outside the MIC would simply walk up, change the bulb, and the matter would be settled, so the MIC could then get back to important things, like arguing about who should get credit for deciding that the lightbulb needed to be changed, and who gets credit for the brilliant plan of arguing until somebody else fixed the problem.
Just my observations, though.
Sure, RH and SuSE (corporate) pricing is up there. On the other hand, you don't HAVE to pay that much for a Linux solution, as there are a number of well respected distributions available, some specifically designed for the corporate market, for the very reason of being disenchanted with RH and SuSE pricing. It may be a bit more work to look into these than "go with the norm", but that decision depends on your priorities, just like the decision to consider Linux, instead of just going with MS out of blind ignorance.
:)
OTOH, MS pricing is MS pricing, and about the only way to get a better deal is to tell MS you're thinking of switching to Linux. So even if you are determined to stick with MS, come hell or high water, it wouldn't kill you to learn more about Linux (beyond the FUD), as it gives you more bargaining power. If, along the way, you realize that Linux is a good solution, all the better.
That should tell you something in itself.
No, Windows is great for embedding into things like bullets and munitions.
Yeah, I can just see the smiles on the soldiers faces when they go to fire their smart weapon, and the bullet needs authenticating because they replaced the firing pin earlier that day...
>>o it'll be twice the cost and half as effecient, and you'll still have to call Microsoft to activate it. Sounds great.
:)
Wonder if you have to have the licenses and other info for every single box it runs on. Might make for some long phone calls with a couple thousand PCs working together. Let me guess, their next money making venture is a 1-976 support line.
I'm not sure I'd call it sniping and bitching, more an observation of past experience. As for the results, I think a lot of us would be interested in seeing them, for serious comparison reasons. Problem is, as we've seen in the past, there is probably and NDA or other agreement that requires you to get permission from MS before you publish any results.
More importantly, any 1.0 results aren't likely to be that good, no matter whose software it is, but it would be interesting to see how things stack up, from a developmental point of view.
Why does SkyNet come to mind when I read that? :)
Maybe, but it's not a magic bullet. Besides, the targeted managers will still need the hardware (assuming they don't have a cluster--which would make them unlikely to try MS's product on the first run), and hardware costs money. Add to that the obligatory per-processor/per user licensing that we can expect MS to push eventually, and you're still talking a lot of roadblocks before it enters "everyone's reach".
BTW, those specialty implementations are what MS needs to target. Right now, most clusters work with Unix varieties, with Linux being a top contender on x86, and a respectable number are OS X installations, but MS needs big names and impressive results to win this market, simply because the admins of these systems are not your typical cert mill graduates. They know what they are doing, and have a deeper interest in computing than a lot of their peers. For instance, they aren't going to be impressed with a pretty GUI, simply because it's wasted power.
MS needs to win big names to be taken seriously in this area, because if they don't get a company with a solid reputation for needing the best systems (Google, Yahoo, NSA, NASA, etc), they're going to be relegated to a corner of the market, good for companies who want to brag about their new cluster, but pointless for anyone who actually uses it.
Then again, MS probably doesn't care, hype has paid their bills for a long time now.
How about:
:)
MS puts the 'F' in ClusterF@#&
Sorry Mods, couldn't help myself.
I love this marketing strategy. Advertise "Athlon" or "Opteron" using all the cool hype and stats about the most impressive chip you're making, to ensure the average consumer wants that chip [name], then sell the lowliest ones to the PC makers, and overprice the best ones for high-end servers. Pure Genius(TM).
Personally, I think a lot of these "parents" could save themselves a few bucks. The little curtain climbers are already stoned out of their mind on Class II narcotics for their "ADHD", so instead of spending the money on a "robot", they should just get the kid a blacklight, lava lamp and and Pink Floyd boxed set, and the kid will be all set till they hit their mid-20s. :)
>Amazon lists MS Office Standard Student and Teacher Edition 2003 for $125. Installs on three PCs, no student-teacher ID required. Ranks #3 on the Amazon software sales chart. Student-Teacher Office 2004 for the Mac is $136. Ranks #18.
That doesn't strike you as part of the problem, that you have to essentially lie to get a fair deal on MS Office? Doesn't it make you feel the least bit uncomfortable knowing that you need to lower your morals to MS's level (read as: none) to pay a decent price, while an alternative that's nearly equivalent is free? If it works for you, great, but it would make me feel a little off.
Next thing you know, you'll be visiting animal shelters to stock up on meat for your freezer...
ROTFLMAO! That's so good, I hope you don't mind me adopting it. Assume it's best said with a hint of a condescending smile, correct?
Damn it, those sweat shop workers aren't supposed to have fun deskjobs. Get them back into the backbreaking and toxic exposure occupations. Geez, this whole world is just falling to peices.
Sweatshops==gameplaying?
While googling, I noticed this possible problem:
3 409525&CFTOKEN=80392860
http://www.ashp.org/shortage/penicillin.cfm?CFID=
Basically, it says that Pfizer had a problem making enough of the drug, and more isn't expected till December. There are a few other suppliers, but they have problems as well. This was posted in July, I hope the situation is better at the moment.
While I won't disagree with the results (simply because there are a lot of purported "doctors" weighing in about this), you've got to take some of these things with a bit of skepticism. Still, this study was released by a school that trains doctors, which doesn't strike me as an unbiased source.
Agreed, in most situations, this shouldn't be a "help me" site. However Patrick isn't just another "open-source coder". He's been an well known member of the community and was working on Slackware before most Slashdot users had a computer or an Internet connection.
This is, especially to the Linux community, an important piece of news, akin to something similar happening with Linus, RMS, etc. While we can debate the value of posting, it wasn't actually Patrick that "imposed" this on Slashdot, it was some third party that determined that it should be here, and agreed upon by Slashdot's folks as well.
As such, it's not setting any precedent, it just shows that a few people do care.
Granted, it's an article about KDE and Gnome, but where are the MS trolls? :) Sure, MS hasn't offered any real feature improvements since 2001 or so, but that doesn't mean there's no flamebait to be offered. Then again, who would admit to using Exchange (and all but beg to be compromised).
:)
j/k--sorta.
Now that's funny. Wish I had a mod point to spare. :)
Not sure about the UK cases, but here in the US, they did use real explosives in a similar test, but just enough that dogs and explosive sniffing equipment should have picked it up. (Just having an explosive chemical in a peice of luggage doesn't do much, it's got to be tightly wrapped in some way so it can build up to critical pressure.) They managed to easily dodge the dogs being walked around the terminals, and the security staff didn't bother using the equipment on every peice of baggage. (To me, the handheld devices looked a little bulky, and had to be set down and picked up a lot in order for the rather understaffed inspection people to do a through job of using it, between taking keys and opening luggage, etc.)
I don't believe the poster was being exclusive. I don't think anyone could seriously agree that refusing to use Windows is a good career move. However, in the same respect, plenty of Windows admins are harming their own future with a Windows only outlook.
I think the best move is to be able to use the computer, no matter what the OS is, and know and equipt yourself with the skills to be able to work on whatever OS you're presented with, at least to a degree where you can build off those skills if the need presents itself.
For the record, at least here in Michigan, an increasing number of employers are requesting Linux (and other OSS) skills for applicants. Not so much because they use Linux, but because it's a way to sort applicants. There are simply too many MCSE-types out there that got their certs without much in the way of knowledge and skills. Linux knowledge alongside Windows certs tells an employer that not only are you certified to administer a system or program, but that you take an active part in your own education.
This is an important distinction, as far too many companies have been burned by inept admins who only work hard enough to pass a test, then don't care about their IT education until the next test comes up. For companies concerned with getting the most out of their IT infrastructure and security, this is simply not acceptable. They need people who are actively interested in what is happening in the IT world, and who are willing to update and improve their network and the PC's on a continual basis. The days of the sysadmin who only works hard enough to not lose his job are slowly drifting away, especially as the job market becomes more saturated.