The REAL battle is people
on
Gates on Google
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· Score: 4, Insightful
FTA: Google has even had the nerve to set up an office five miles down the road from Microsoft's Redmond, Wash., headquarters. Its opening last November was supposed to be an invitation-only affair, but word spread and by 7 p.m. the place was swarming with dozens of uninvited Microsofties--casually, and sometimes not so casually, looking for work. The Google migration has gotten so bad, says a former Microsoft employee, that when he told his bosses and colleagues he was leaving earlier this year, "the first question out of their mouths was 'You're not going to Google, are you?' "
THIS is the real battle, not software, not market share, but people. I can't see any other reason why Google setup an office just down the road from Microsoft other than to siphon off their talent. When the industry believes the smartest and brightest are at Google and not Microsoft, confidence in products, market share and ultimately the future will follow.
Make no mistake, Bill is livid because Google is stealing sheep from his cherished flock of programmers.
I'm 35 years old and have been working with computers for over 23 of those years. I made the choice to not get a degree in Computer Science. Even though I've had a good career as a Sys Admin and independant consultant, I think my decision to not get a 4 year degree was one of the worst I've made.
I got a 2 year diploma as an electronics technician, which at the time was a good paying job. Tell me, how many jobs are out there for board-level electronics repair today? Network administration will go the same way. Oh sure there'll be some jobs out there, but not necessarily 10 years from now.
Get your degree. It's a small amount of time, and even if you decide to not stick with computers, having that degree opens the doors to everything else.
With hard drives so cheap, I use them to backup my DVD's instead.
My setup is Debian Linux with Kaffeine media player. I start playing the regular DVD in the drive until the movie starts (where the encryption is). Then I shutdown Kaffeine and type "dd if=/dev/cdrom of=name_of_dvd.iso". Kaffeine can play the image file without having to mount it.
Works really well, and is an _exact_ image of the DVD with menues, special features...everything.
Having done work with Salespeople who sell to schools, you'd best proceed with caution. I'd suggest proposing a trial, such as a single school or classroom. Then make sure you have metrics (things you measure) so you can get concrete data.
Proposing Open Source Software _will_ step on someone's toes (whether it's Microsoft or the reseller who makes money off the licenses). Don't give anyone an excuse to say "Oh Open Source...yeah we tried that and it didn't work". Grow your migration slowly and may the best solution win.
First Article:From a corporate perspective, we are not confident where Linux is right now today. A large enterprise needs to be sure because it relates to securifying [sic] the environment.
Second Article:Nearly a decade after it was first developed, Linux is gaining popularity with corporate IT departments that admire the operating system for its stability and security.
I didn't even think of/etc as a problem to be solved. Tools like grep, find, vi, and others are all there to rip through text file configurations.
Maybe a naming standard would be more appropriate. A solution like Windows Registry would give me nightmares. Have you ever dealt with a corrupt registry on a system?
I say keep/etc the way it is. It might be a mess, but the alternatives are worse.
FTA: "So far, you don't need a licence to write software for Microsoft operating systems."
I don't know why the idea of Microsoft charging people a licensing fee to develop software for Windows never crossed my mind before.
Perhaps Microsoft wants a class-system of software development for their OS. If you want to write simple things, no charge. If you want to make data-related queries to services like Active Directory or hardware, you pay a small licensing fee. If you want to take advantage of the latest and greatest features (especially when Microsoft has a competing product in the area such as Exchange Server) you will pay through the nose.
FTA: "Microsoft's paid search platform will provide detailed -- but not personally identifiable -- information, such as gender, age and location, for many people who use its search engine, allowing advertisers to target their ads to a specific audience."
Yeah, right. You target an ad to a person, they respond, and now you've got their age, location, etc. Once again the rights of the corporation outweight the rights of the individual.
I think they are entirely justified in their revolt. It's not about them and their lack of willingness to learn a new language. I am willing to give them some credit. Rather this is indicative of the common historical practice of turning everything over every 5 years.
"A farmer who works a farm owned by someone else. The owner provides the land, seed, and tools exchange for part of the crops and goods produced on the farm.
Microsoft wants to own it all, and they want you and I to pay for what they own. If these programmers really want to revolt, then join the ranks of the Open Source movement rather than bellyaching about how mean their ruler is.
FTA: "And look at what happened with the market share; people did not say let's wait until this thing is over. If anything it accelerated the use of Linux, so it is one of the best things that ever happened to the operating system."
Although this whole ordeal probably hasn't changed the faith and minds of the technical community, it most certainly has garnered the attention and confidence of the general public, most of whom really don't care all that much about Linux (no, I'm not blaspheming...I'd say most people are as excited about Linux as they are about their toaster or refridgerator).
When it comes time for Joe Consumer to buy a new server, they will probably find Linux a lot more palatable than before the SCO lawsuit. And as Microsoft continues their assault on Linux, those same people will probably be able to see through their ridiculous FUD.
I also think that politicians and lawyers may see more clearly the value and strength of the Open Source community. Maybe they'll head off the SIG's that will try to thwart Linux in the legal arena.
Linux went through the fire and came through unscathed. Thanks Darl McBride for helping strengthen Linux.
Reading through most of the posts, it's clear to me that most of you didn't read the article:
FTA: "That's right: it's voluntary. In a country that can trace its origins in part to a dispute about taxes, does this man really think that people are going to voluntarily pay a tax?"
C'mon, this is pure FUD marketing from a politician looking to get some cheap publicity. With the exception of lottery tickets, no one in their right mind pays a voluntary tax. And I guess it worked too...a lot of lemmings read the summary (which is deceiving), posted a comment, and others moderated their comments up.
Why pay 5 cents if you can pay 0 cents? Here in Canada, it's pretty much understood that music downloaders won't be prosecuted. Besides, if this ever were to happen and the music industry decided 5 cents wasn't enough, they'd have a tough time raising the price now that the bar would be so low.
Here's a thought: how about artists GIVE their music away for free and make money doing concert tours? Oh wait...that's the way it works right now.
Don't do the job. To sit for 15 hours a day straight isn't healthy, and no amount of isometrics or other exercise will help.
Maybe you can talk to your employer and see if you can work out a compromise. Work is like a rubber ball, if you drop it it'll always bounce back. Your health is like a glass ball, drop it too many times and it'll crack or shatter.
Dealing with Bloatware in a whole new way
on
Windows Cluster Edition
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· Score: 2, Insightful
FTA: "Even Microsoft's Excel can benefit, he said, noting that some businesses have worksheets that can take hours to calculate."
Ah, I knew Microsoft would come up with a new way to force new hardware. Now companies will need a server farm to run Office BWE 2010.
If not, how else to do it than by changing the rules society lives by - otherwise known as laws?
And if changing culture is wrong, should we go back to slavery? Or should we prevent any culture changes by banning immigrants, or making those immigrants that do come live by the preexisting culture?
Simply saying "Art reflects culture" is meaningless. So what?
I didn't say changing culture was wrong. The same man who said "Art reflects culture" also said "Great art leads culture".
If you want to change culture greatly, make great art. To examine this line of thought further check out "How Should We Then Live?" Francis A. Schaeffer. It's heavy, but fascinating stuff, and contains real answers on what to do (warning: Schaeffer was a Christian, so if you are easily angered by religious arguements, you may want to avoid his writings)
I have no earthly idea, and no one can guess at that. I can tell you that some crimes would not occur but for the violent entertainment. For the families of the deceased, that is the only statistic that matters.
Francis Schaeffer once said "Art reflects culture". The fact that so many people buy and play violent video games (which is an amazing art form) tells more about who we are as a culture than will the history books. To blame the manufacturers isn't getting to the root of the problem.
I don't know what the answer is. I think there probably is some link between people being desensitized to violent and playing violent games, but I also don't think laws will do anything more than to fuel debate and make lawyers wealthy.
Am I the only one concerned that the reviewer for a book on web development using ruby admits he knows next to nothing about web development, databases, or ruby? I'm one reviewer amongst 22. I would say all the rest of the reviewers are much further along than I am, including DHH who wrote Rails.
Dave Thomas is looking to write a book that will help people learn Rails. My big contribution other than grammatical and spelling errors is "Hey Dave, I don't understand this section you say is easy".
To me, it's smart to let the uninitiated in so he can see if he's reaching part of his target audience: the ignorant:-)
One concern that I have about this is: How long has this book been in the works? Rails has gone through leaps and bounds and fairly huge changes( sometimes on a week-to-week basis) even in the few months I've been working with it. Will the book be up-to-date when it comes out?
It's current up to 0.10, the latest version. David Heinemeier Hansson, the author of Rails, is also on the review team and seems to be good friends with Dave Thomas. So I think it's fair to say the book will be faily up to date, but like all technical books on new products it will date quickly.
Dave Thomas' new book "Agile Web Development With Rails" is due out in July. It's really, really good so far (I'm one of the lucky ones who is helping review it). My perspective is a person who knows very little about databases, web application development and no previous knowledge of Ruby, the language that Rails is built on.
One of the big problems with Ruby on Rails is that itiswelldocumented, but a lot of it is API's and reference documentation. Dave's new book has an excellent tutorial which is the best thing I've seen written so far about RoR for newbies, and promises to go into the depth and detail similar to his Pickaxe book.
If you've previously looked at RoR and were disillusioned because you just weren't "getting it " or didn't want to slug through the technical documentation, I encourage you to keep an open mind and wait until Dave's book is released. I'm finally getting over the hump with RoR and I now see what all the fervour is about.
(Oh, don't ask me to post or send copies of his drafts, 'cause I ain't gonna!)
Do they have a MORAL responsibility? Oh man there's a can of worms! The problem is whose moral standard are we talking about?
I like what Francis Schaeffer had to say "Art reflects culture". Art is a better reflector of culture more than history books, marketing campaigns or clever political speeches.
So that begs the question: does art LEAD culture? I think most people here would like to say no because it would imply moral responsibiliy. But it's like trying to nail Jello to a tree, once you say someone is morally reponsible, if they don't want the responsibility they can slip away without a whole lot of effort.
Just because people can knock on every door doesn't mean that every door is as insecure as the next. You can knock on every door in a neighborhood, but some will be better constructed and have more secure locks. Still, none prevent one from knocking.
You're right, but it's a fluffy piece targeted at your mom and her friends, not you and me. The fact that this sort of stuff is getting into the news is a good thing. I'd say more than 90% of all Windows users are not protected properly, and they don't really care. Keeping your computer up-to-date is about as high priority as is changing the filter on your furnace.
It's a computer - it should be the job of the operating system to protect itself. It isn't, but it should be.
So I fired up VMWare where I have a legit install of XP Pro. I downloaded the latest copy of Microsoft's Anti-Spyware program and updated to the latest signatures.
I'll admit it, I don't like Microsoft. I've even been modded down into the basement for my anti-Microsoft comments in the past. But even I think this sort of stuff does not belong on Slashdot.
Slashdot Mirror
FTA: Google has even had the nerve to set up an office five miles down the road from Microsoft's Redmond, Wash., headquarters. Its opening last November was supposed to be an invitation-only affair, but word spread and by 7 p.m. the place was swarming with dozens of uninvited Microsofties--casually, and sometimes not so casually, looking for work. The Google migration has gotten so bad, says a former Microsoft employee, that when he told his bosses and colleagues he was leaving earlier this year, "the first question out of their mouths was 'You're not going to Google, are you?' "
THIS is the real battle, not software, not market share, but people. I can't see any other reason why Google setup an office just down the road from Microsoft other than to siphon off their talent. When the industry believes the smartest and brightest are at Google and not Microsoft, confidence in products, market share and ultimately the future will follow.
Make no mistake, Bill is livid because Google is stealing sheep from his cherished flock of programmers.
I'm 35 years old and have been working with computers for over 23 of those years. I made the choice to not get a degree in Computer Science. Even though I've had a good career as a Sys Admin and independant consultant, I think my decision to not get a 4 year degree was one of the worst I've made.
I got a 2 year diploma as an electronics technician, which at the time was a good paying job. Tell me, how many jobs are out there for board-level electronics repair today? Network administration will go the same way. Oh sure there'll be some jobs out there, but not necessarily 10 years from now.
Get your degree. It's a small amount of time, and even if you decide to not stick with computers, having that degree opens the doors to everything else.
With hard drives so cheap, I use them to backup my DVD's instead.
My setup is Debian Linux with Kaffeine media player. I start playing the regular DVD in the drive until the movie starts (where the encryption is). Then I shutdown Kaffeine and type "dd if=/dev/cdrom of=name_of_dvd.iso". Kaffeine can play the image file without having to mount it.
Works really well, and is an _exact_ image of the DVD with menues, special features...everything.
Having done work with Salespeople who sell to schools, you'd best proceed with caution. I'd suggest proposing a trial, such as a single school or classroom. Then make sure you have metrics (things you measure) so you can get concrete data.
Proposing Open Source Software _will_ step on someone's toes (whether it's Microsoft or the reseller who makes money off the licenses). Don't give anyone an excuse to say "Oh Open Source...yeah we tried that and it didn't work". Grow your migration slowly and may the best solution win.
First Article: From a corporate perspective, we are not confident where Linux is right now today. A large enterprise needs to be sure because it relates to securifying [sic] the environment.
Second Article: Nearly a decade after it was first developed, Linux is gaining popularity with corporate IT departments that admire the operating system for its stability and security.
If most corporations are considered psychopaths, then these guys are schizophrenic.
I didn't even think of /etc as a problem to be solved. Tools like grep, find, vi, and others are all there to rip through text file configurations.
/etc the way it is. It might be a mess, but the alternatives are worse.
Maybe a naming standard would be more appropriate. A solution like Windows Registry would give me nightmares. Have you ever dealt with a corrupt registry on a system?
I say keep
FTA: "So far, you don't need a licence to write software for Microsoft operating systems."
I don't know why the idea of Microsoft charging people a licensing fee to develop software for Windows never crossed my mind before.
Perhaps Microsoft wants a class-system of software development for their OS. If you want to write simple things, no charge. If you want to make data-related queries to services like Active Directory or hardware, you pay a small licensing fee. If you want to take advantage of the latest and greatest features (especially when Microsoft has a competing product in the area such as Exchange Server) you will pay through the nose.
FTA: "Microsoft's paid search platform will provide detailed -- but not personally identifiable -- information, such as gender, age and location, for many people who use its search engine, allowing advertisers to target their ads to a specific audience."
Yeah, right. You target an ad to a person, they respond, and now you've got their age, location, etc. Once again the rights of the corporation outweight the rights of the individual.
I remember seeing this in the 80's when I was a kid. It was developed in Japan using fibre optics.
Sounds like "Not Invented Here" syndrome.
I think they are entirely justified in their revolt. It's not about them and their lack of willingness to learn a new language. I am willing to give them some credit. Rather this is indicative of the common historical practice of turning everything over every 5 years.
Microsoft is within their rights to do whatever they want. It's THEIR language. Remember the previous rant on Slashdot about sharecroppers?:
"A farmer who works a farm owned by someone else. The owner provides the land, seed, and tools exchange for part of the crops and goods produced on the farm.
Microsoft wants to own it all, and they want you and I to pay for what they own. If these programmers really want to revolt, then join the ranks of the Open Source movement rather than bellyaching about how mean their ruler is.
FTA: "And look at what happened with the market share; people did not say let's wait until this thing is over. If anything it accelerated the use of Linux, so it is one of the best things that ever happened to the operating system."
Although this whole ordeal probably hasn't changed the faith and minds of the technical community, it most certainly has garnered the attention and confidence of the general public, most of whom really don't care all that much about Linux (no, I'm not blaspheming...I'd say most people are as excited about Linux as they are about their toaster or refridgerator).
When it comes time for Joe Consumer to buy a new server, they will probably find Linux a lot more palatable than before the SCO lawsuit. And as Microsoft continues their assault on Linux, those same people will probably be able to see through their ridiculous FUD.
I also think that politicians and lawyers may see more clearly the value and strength of the Open Source community. Maybe they'll head off the SIG's that will try to thwart Linux in the legal arena.
Linux went through the fire and came through unscathed. Thanks Darl McBride for helping strengthen Linux.
Reading through most of the posts, it's clear to me that most of you didn't read the article:
FTA: "That's right: it's voluntary. In a country that can trace its origins in part to a dispute about taxes, does this man really think that people are going to voluntarily pay a tax?"
C'mon, this is pure FUD marketing from a politician looking to get some cheap publicity. With the exception of lottery tickets, no one in their right mind pays a voluntary tax. And I guess it worked too...a lot of lemmings read the summary (which is deceiving), posted a comment, and others moderated their comments up.
Move along people. Nothing to see here.
Why pay 5 cents if you can pay 0 cents? Here in Canada, it's pretty much understood that music downloaders won't be prosecuted. Besides, if this ever were to happen and the music industry decided 5 cents wasn't enough, they'd have a tough time raising the price now that the bar would be so low.
Here's a thought: how about artists GIVE their music away for free and make money doing concert tours? Oh wait...that's the way it works right now.
Don't do the job. To sit for 15 hours a day straight isn't healthy, and no amount of isometrics or other exercise will help.
Maybe you can talk to your employer and see if you can work out a compromise. Work is like a rubber ball, if you drop it it'll always bounce back. Your health is like a glass ball, drop it too many times and it'll crack or shatter.
FTA: "Even Microsoft's Excel can benefit, he said, noting that some businesses have worksheets that can take hours to calculate."
Ah, I knew Microsoft would come up with a new way to force new hardware. Now companies will need a server farm to run Office BWE 2010.
(BWE: BloatWare Edition)
If not, how else to do it than by changing the rules society lives by - otherwise known as laws?
And if changing culture is wrong, should we go back to slavery? Or should we prevent any culture changes by banning immigrants, or making those immigrants that do come live by the preexisting culture?
Simply saying "Art reflects culture" is meaningless. So what?
I didn't say changing culture was wrong. The same man who said "Art reflects culture" also said "Great art leads culture".
If you want to change culture greatly, make great art. To examine this line of thought further check out "How Should We Then Live?" Francis A. Schaeffer. It's heavy, but fascinating stuff, and contains real answers on what to do (warning: Schaeffer was a Christian, so if you are easily angered by religious arguements, you may want to avoid his writings)
I have no earthly idea, and no one can guess at that. I can tell you that some crimes would not occur but for the violent entertainment. For the families of the deceased, that is the only statistic that matters.
Francis Schaeffer once said "Art reflects culture". The fact that so many people buy and play violent video games (which is an amazing art form) tells more about who we are as a culture than will the history books. To blame the manufacturers isn't getting to the root of the problem.
I don't know what the answer is. I think there probably is some link between people being desensitized to violent and playing violent games, but I also don't think laws will do anything more than to fuel debate and make lawyers wealthy.
Am I the only one concerned that the reviewer for a book on web development using ruby admits he knows next to nothing about web development, databases, or ruby?
:-)
I'm one reviewer amongst 22. I would say all the rest of the reviewers are much further along than I am, including DHH who wrote Rails.
Dave Thomas is looking to write a book that will help people learn Rails. My big contribution other than grammatical and spelling errors is "Hey Dave, I don't understand this section you say is easy".
To me, it's smart to let the uninitiated in so he can see if he's reaching part of his target audience: the ignorant
One concern that I have about this is: How long has this book been in the works? Rails has gone through leaps and bounds and fairly huge changes( sometimes on a week-to-week basis) even in the few months I've been working with it. Will the book be up-to-date when it comes out?
It's current up to 0.10, the latest version. David Heinemeier Hansson, the author of Rails, is also on the review team and seems to be good friends with Dave Thomas. So I think it's fair to say the book will be faily up to date, but like all technical books on new products it will date quickly.
Dave Thomas' new book "Agile Web Development With Rails" is due out in July. It's really, really good so far (I'm one of the lucky ones who is helping review it). My perspective is a person who knows very little about databases, web application development and no previous knowledge of Ruby, the language that Rails is built on.
One of the big problems with Ruby on Rails is that it is well documented, but a lot of it is API's and reference documentation. Dave's new book has an excellent tutorial which is the best thing I've seen written so far about RoR for newbies, and promises to go into the depth and detail similar to his Pickaxe book.
If you've previously looked at RoR and were disillusioned because you just weren't "getting it " or didn't want to slug through the technical documentation, I encourage you to keep an open mind and wait until Dave's book is released. I'm finally getting over the hump with RoR and I now see what all the fervour is about.
(Oh, don't ask me to post or send copies of his drafts, 'cause I ain't gonna!)
Perhaps it doesn't matter if game writers are moral, but whether or not the games are bought by a moral consumer.
Do they have a MORAL responsibility? Oh man there's a can of worms! The problem is whose moral standard are we talking about?
:-)
I like what Francis Schaeffer had to say "Art reflects culture". Art is a better reflector of culture more than history books, marketing campaigns or clever political speeches.
So that begs the question: does art LEAD culture? I think most people here would like to say no because it would imply moral responsibiliy. But it's like trying to nail Jello to a tree, once you say someone is morally reponsible, if they don't want the responsibility they can slip away without a whole lot of effort.
Okay moderators, mod me down
Good for him. That'll look nice on a business card, right next to his "Supreme Evil Minion" title bestowed on him by Satan himself.
Just because people can knock on every door doesn't mean that every door is as insecure as the next. You can knock on every door in a neighborhood, but some will be better constructed and have more secure locks. Still, none prevent one from knocking.
You're right, but it's a fluffy piece targeted at your mom and her friends, not you and me. The fact that this sort of stuff is getting into the news is a good thing. I'd say more than 90% of all Windows users are not protected properly, and they don't really care. Keeping your computer up-to-date is about as high priority as is changing the filter on your furnace.
It's a computer - it should be the job of the operating system to protect itself. It isn't, but it should be.
Hmm..seems kind of fishy to me.
So I fired up VMWare where I have a legit install of XP Pro. I downloaded the latest copy of Microsoft's Anti-Spyware program and updated to the latest signatures.
Here are my results.
I'll admit it, I don't like Microsoft. I've even been modded down into the basement for my anti-Microsoft comments in the past. But even I think this sort of stuff does not belong on Slashdot.
Beat 'em with the truth, not lies.