Trying looking beyond simple web browsing. If MS controls the means of accessing the Internet that 99% of users use, then they control the Internet. Repeat after me, then they control the Internet. Now, let's look at how:
1) Any future technological advancements (or 3rd party plugins) for the web are subject to Microsoft's approval. If it's not in their financial interest, it doesn't get included in the browser. 2) msn.com is the default page for IE. Most users don't change their default page. Microsoft can then charge lots of money for people to place their ads on msn.com. Secondly, Microsoft can use msn.com to promote their own products by either placing ads for them, writing "news articles" that promote them, or simply because they control the search engine results. 3) Microsoft's Media Player could be integrated into the browser and IE could more simply and easily play WMA files. If most people use WMA to encode their media files and it becomes the "standard", Microsoft can charge money for encoding music in that format. 4) Microsoft can gradually change HTML (or add a completely new proprietary web format) in their favor so that other browsers (and other operating systems) don't work properly.
And on and on and on... Why do you think Microsoft wanted to "choke off Netscape's air supply"? Controlling the way people access the Internet gives them almost complete control of the Internet and allows them to further stifle competition as well as become very wealthy.
This is being discussed quite a bit on several of the Oregon LUGs. If you're in Oregon (or nearby) and would like to help, please join forces with one of these existing groups. http://pdxlinux.org http://lug.peak.org http://www.euglug.org
All we need now is an AOL client and I could easily give this to my mom to use. She's been harping on me to help her get a new computer, but she absolutely refuses to give up on AOL. Come on AOL! Release your client for Linux!
For those of you not familiar with rdesktop, it's free software that allows you to connect up to a Windows server running Terminal Services. I routinely use it to administer my Windows servers from my Linux desktop at work. Check it out at:
I wonder how much longer until Sun throws in the towel and moves entirely
over to Linux... Sun would have to compete solely on their Sparc hardware
against the many, many x86 companies, which would be increasingly
difficult as time goes on, especially since Linux software would have to
be recompiled for Sparc.
However, I don't believe they have much choice. If they take an honest
look down the road, Linux (and Windows) is going to continue to erode
their business. Maybe the plan is to help Linux along so it's to the
"Enterprise" level of Solaris, and then maybe they'll dump Solaris, just
like HP, SGI, and IBM hope to do with their respective *nix. If Sun tries
to fight Linux, as well as Windows, then they're digging their own grave,
but if they can somehow incorporate the enthusiasm and the developer
community of Linux to support Solaris, then they're somewhat better off
for the time being. Hmmm... I would love to be a little fly on the wall
in some of the executive meetings regarding Sun's future and the
competition from Windows and Linux.
Another problem I see is that just like in the desktop market, the server
market is reaching the "commodity hardware" point where there will soon be
no real incentive to buy ever faster servers since the hardware you
currently own already exceeds the demands of your software (the obvious
exception is the high-end database arena that Sun and IBM find most
profitable). So... if every computer company standardizes on x86
hardware, which means there's a fairly level playing field for
competition, and if Linux becomes the "standard" Unix across every
company's server line, which means there's very little way for a company
to differentiate its product from the others, and if buying hardware
from one vendor is pretty much the same as buying hardware from another
vendor, then hmmm... not a pretty picture for the future of corporate
profits. Prices are going to continue to drop for x86 servers, which
makes it even more difficult for Sun to compete. The biggest benefit,
assuming Linux doesn't fragment as companies try to make their offering
stand out against the herd, is that developers can write software for
"Linux" and it will run just about anywhere. Plus, people learning Linux
will be able to use their skills with any company's offering, which is a
good thing.
There's an enzyme that is present in embryonic cells known as "telomerase" that allows the cells to multiply millions of times without ever "aging". Whenever chromosomes are copied, part of the ends, known as "telomeres", are chopped off. Telomeres don't contribute anything to the cell's characteristics, except to be a sort of built-in clock that determines how long the cell lives. Once the chromosomes have duplicated enough times that there's no more telomeres on the ends, then the chromosomes become damaged from the duplication process and usually the cells cease to function as a result. If, however, you add the telomerase enzyme, then you can keep these cells alive forever because telomerase will continually replace the chopped off telomere end.
Perhaps this is why KDE continues to improve at such a rapid pace. New developers are welcomed and the encouragement they receive creates a desire to submit even more improvements. Being especially nice and thankful for the work that is contributed is the best way to ensure that these new developers will stick around.
No, we don't want IBM forking Linux or making a "special" distro of Linux for their hardware. If that happens, then we're right back to the fragmented mess that has kept UNIX from becoming more successful. We want developers to be able to write software for "Linux" and not have to worry about tweaking it for every different company's specialized kernel. Bad. Bad, Bad, Bad. The challenge as we move forward is to keep one Linux across all platforms.
Re:Its interesting that Internal...
on
Breaking Windows
·
· Score: 1
I believe that Microsoft makes all employees sign a contract that says they will not work for companies that compete with a Microsoft product for one year. Since Microsoft has products in just about every area, it would be difficult for a software engineer to consider leaving.
I believe that Exchange is setup by default to have POP enabled. At work I'm running KMail as my email client and I connect up just fine to the Exchange server.
Microsoft is making this change because they HAVE to. Not out of any goodness in their hearts. At this point in the game, they can easily give up forcing IE on the desktop since they now dominate the web-browser market. To NOT include IE would be foolish on the part of the OEM since IE is used by the majority of websites. If Microsoft was to not force MediaPlayer, for example, then that might be something to feel good about. But they're not going to do that until the day that MediaPlayer is the only media... err... player.
As Micrsoft makes their Server OS almost brainless to administer, NT admins come to expect that everything will take care of itself. I've known quite a few NT admins and if the task is any more complicated than clicking the "Install" button, then they're lost. I suppose it's the nature of the beast. As software gets simpler and simpler, the users get dumber and dumber. They expect to be hand fed everything and when things aren't immediately obvious, they're lost. It's a somewhat scary thought to think that as technology progresses, less and less people actually know how it works. I suppose it's a necessary trade off, but it does seem to put a lot of power in the hands of very few individuals.
Usually the problem has nothing to do with which Unix you're running, but instead with the various applications running as SUID root. So whether your preference is OpenBSD or Linux, if there's a hole in Sendmail, BIND, FTP, RPC, etc., the cracker is still getting onto your box.
Here's a better idea...
Create a VB Script virus that, upon opening, copies the DeCSS code to the user's hard drive. Or, if they're running a web server, make the DeCSS code replace their current homepage.
Slashdot Mirror
Trying looking beyond simple web browsing. If MS controls the means of accessing the Internet that 99% of users use, then they control the Internet. Repeat after me, then they control the Internet. Now, let's look at how:
1) Any future technological advancements (or 3rd party plugins) for the web are subject to Microsoft's approval. If it's not in their financial interest, it doesn't get included in the browser.
2) msn.com is the default page for IE. Most users don't change their default page. Microsoft can then charge lots of money for people to place their ads on msn.com. Secondly, Microsoft can use msn.com to promote their own products by either placing ads for them, writing "news articles" that promote them, or simply because they control the search engine results.
3) Microsoft's Media Player could be integrated into the browser and IE could more simply and easily play WMA files. If most people use WMA to encode their media files and it becomes the "standard", Microsoft can charge money for encoding music in that format.
4) Microsoft can gradually change HTML (or add a completely new proprietary web format) in their favor so that other browsers (and other operating systems) don't work properly.
And on and on and on...
Why do you think Microsoft wanted to "choke off Netscape's air supply"? Controlling the way people access the Internet gives them almost complete control of the Internet and allows them to further stifle competition as well as become very wealthy.
Go to http://pdxlinux.org and join the mailing list. Let them know you're available to help out.
This is being discussed quite a bit on several of the Oregon LUGs. If you're in Oregon (or nearby) and would like to help, please join forces with one of these existing groups.
http://pdxlinux.org
http://lug.peak.org
http://www.euglug.org
All we need now is an AOL client and I could easily give this to my mom to use. She's been harping on me to help her get a new computer, but she absolutely refuses to give up on AOL. Come on AOL! Release your client for Linux!
For those of you not familiar with rdesktop, it's free software that allows you to connect up to a Windows server running Terminal Services. I routinely use it to administer my Windows servers from my Linux desktop at work. Check it out at:
rdesktop
I wonder how much longer until Sun throws in the towel and moves entirely
over to Linux... Sun would have to compete solely on their Sparc hardware
against the many, many x86 companies, which would be increasingly
difficult as time goes on, especially since Linux software would have to
be recompiled for Sparc.
However, I don't believe they have much choice. If they take an honest
look down the road, Linux (and Windows) is going to continue to erode
their business. Maybe the plan is to help Linux along so it's to the
"Enterprise" level of Solaris, and then maybe they'll dump Solaris, just
like HP, SGI, and IBM hope to do with their respective *nix. If Sun tries
to fight Linux, as well as Windows, then they're digging their own grave,
but if they can somehow incorporate the enthusiasm and the developer
community of Linux to support Solaris, then they're somewhat better off
for the time being. Hmmm... I would love to be a little fly on the wall
in some of the executive meetings regarding Sun's future and the
competition from Windows and Linux.
Another problem I see is that just like in the desktop market, the server
market is reaching the "commodity hardware" point where there will soon be
no real incentive to buy ever faster servers since the hardware you
currently own already exceeds the demands of your software (the obvious
exception is the high-end database arena that Sun and IBM find most
profitable). So... if every computer company standardizes on x86
hardware, which means there's a fairly level playing field for
competition, and if Linux becomes the "standard" Unix across every
company's server line, which means there's very little way for a company
to differentiate its product from the others, and if buying hardware
from one vendor is pretty much the same as buying hardware from another
vendor, then hmmm... not a pretty picture for the future of corporate
profits. Prices are going to continue to drop for x86 servers, which
makes it even more difficult for Sun to compete. The biggest benefit,
assuming Linux doesn't fragment as companies try to make their offering
stand out against the herd, is that developers can write software for
"Linux" and it will run just about anywhere. Plus, people learning Linux
will be able to use their skills with any company's offering, which is a
good thing.
I would even be ecstatic the day that I can boot an x86 server without video :)
Prepare to be ecstatic: PC Weasel 2000
There's an enzyme that is present in embryonic cells known as "telomerase" that allows the cells to multiply millions of times without ever "aging". Whenever chromosomes are copied, part of the ends, known as "telomeres", are chopped off. Telomeres don't contribute anything to the cell's characteristics, except to be a sort of built-in clock that determines how long the cell lives. Once the chromosomes have duplicated enough times that there's no more telomeres on the ends, then the chromosomes become damaged from the duplication process and usually the cells cease to function as a result. If, however, you add the telomerase enzyme, then you can keep these cells alive forever because telomerase will continually replace the chopped off telomere end.
Perhaps this is why KDE continues to improve at such a rapid pace. New developers are welcomed and the encouragement they receive creates a desire to submit even more improvements. Being especially nice and thankful for the work that is contributed is the best way to ensure that these new developers will stick around.
No, we don't want IBM forking Linux or making a "special" distro of Linux for their hardware. If that happens, then we're right back to the fragmented mess that has kept UNIX from becoming more successful. We want developers to be able to write software for "Linux" and not have to worry about tweaking it for every different company's specialized kernel. Bad. Bad, Bad, Bad. The challenge as we move forward is to keep one Linux across all platforms.
I believe that Microsoft makes all employees sign a contract that says they will not work for companies that compete with a Microsoft product for one year. Since Microsoft has products in just about every area, it would be difficult for a software engineer to consider leaving.
I believe that Exchange is setup by default to have POP enabled. At work I'm running KMail as my email client and I connect up just fine to the Exchange server.
Microsoft is making this change because they HAVE to. Not out of any goodness in their hearts. At this point in the game, they can easily give up forcing IE on the desktop since they now dominate the web-browser market. To NOT include IE would be foolish on the part of the OEM since IE is used by the majority of websites. If Microsoft was to not force MediaPlayer, for example, then that might be something to feel good about. But they're not going to do that until the day that MediaPlayer is the only media... err... player.
As Micrsoft makes their Server OS almost brainless to administer, NT admins come to expect that everything will take care of itself. I've known quite a few NT admins and if the task is any more complicated than clicking the "Install" button, then they're lost. I suppose it's the nature of the beast. As software gets simpler and simpler, the users get dumber and dumber. They expect to be hand fed everything and when things aren't immediately obvious, they're lost. It's a somewhat scary thought to think that as technology progresses, less and less people actually know how it works. I suppose it's a necessary trade off, but it does seem to put a lot of power in the hands of very few individuals.
Usually the problem has nothing to do with which Unix you're running, but instead with the various applications running as SUID root. So whether your preference is OpenBSD or Linux, if there's a hole in Sendmail, BIND, FTP, RPC, etc., the cracker is still getting onto your box.
Here's a better idea... Create a VB Script virus that, upon opening, copies the DeCSS code to the user's hard drive. Or, if they're running a web server, make the DeCSS code replace their current homepage.