The Free Software Movement has a more ambitious goal, to replace proprietary software with free software that respects your freedom.
I've been getting a lot of letters from the BSA and Microsoft's lawyers lately regarding licensing compliance and it made me stop to think how possible it would be to say screw it and implement a "Free Software" solution to meet our business needs. Basically, I'd have to tear down our whole information systems infrastructure and start all over again. We are completely dependendent on Microsoft to stay in business. We don't have the resources to have to train every new employee how to send an email or create a document --- they come in already knowing because they are familiar and comfortable with Microsoft products. I'm the most technically adept person and the company and *I* have to "read the manual" to figure out how much disk space I have available on my Linux box. The problem with Ivory Tower software is that it is written by and for people who like things overly complex. Everytime we add a new server we end up going with Microsoft because it integrates with everything else. That lone Linux box is an island.
Doubled it's revenue but widened it loss. It's like having a housekeeper without have a paycheck. Eventually the money will run out.
Re:Now that is a profound observation!
on
Inside XML
·
· Score: 1
Maybe I will write a Perl program to post that comment to Slashdot about every article that comes up. I'll call it "first_post.pl" It will do constant HTTP GET's of the webserver, and post that comment right away whenever there is a new article. I will be the first-post king!
If you tie it in with this, you'll never have to bother with Slashdot at all.
Get cable.
Although it's nice that there is an "option" for some to get cable modems, I think it's very sad that DSL is getting beat up like this. Next year, you'll probably have two choices: DSL from SBC (or whatever RBOC) or Cable from AOL (or AT&T). It's been taking up to six weeks to get a phone (telephone user interface) installed here since the ONLY company who can do so is Ameritech. And I've been waiting since NOVEMBER for DSL service (Ameritech keeps blowing off appointments and saying I wasn't home). The potential of the internet will never be reached if the bandwidth providers (and there will be fewer and fewer of them...read: Monopoly) are too busy playing cat and mouse games with CLECs to let the people have it.
Although I agree that it seems somewhat ridiculous to patent something like "one-click shopping", I'm glad to see Amazon fight Barnes and Noble. The thing is, Amazon has some really great features that you can't really get from a brick and mortar shop (ie Searchable customer reviews, recommendations based on past purchases, etc.) Bn came two years after Amazon and arrogantly started copying Amazon. Bn has ALWAYS played catch-up with bells and whistles. Currently, it's "Wish List" only allows the owner of the list to view it, so I can't see what's on my mother's list unless I was logged in as her. On an emotional level, I like to see a small company (as Amazon started out) be able to use innovation to grow. If Bn can just copy every innovation Amazon comes up with, Amazon doesn't have a chance.
In these days of powerful workstations and fast networking, all that storage and synchronization can just a easily occur on the desktop, eliminating most of the server's functions.
Are you going to back up all of the PCs on your network so that when the PC fries the mail/contacts/etc. are recoverable? How about remote access, such as Outlook Web Access that allows you to access calendar/contacts/mail/etc. from the internet? Exchange's model is efficient, convenient, and practical. There's also a "public" database that may be calendars for projects or lists of contacts for group use. Thus, GROUPWARE.
I have thus taken off two days from work in the past month to wait for Ameritech to show up. They don't and aren't required to give an explanation for 48 hours after the missed appointment. They might be more punctual if I was buying service from them, but I'm getting Northpoint service via a reseller.
I always theorized that the reason most execs "need" laptops was to make up for the fact that they didn't get Rock'em-Sock'em Robots in their boyhood.
Fistgrrl
Re:Perception becomes reality
on
Antitrust
·
· Score: 1
Well, yes, it's obvious that it's much easier for Microsoft execs to incorrectly influence MSNBC stories if they chose to, than it would be for, say Oracle, to influence CNN stories.
Larry would have to call Steve to "take care of it."
Fistgrrl
As I sat downloading RedHat 6.2 over a T1 line, I was amazed to see that I was getting the documentation in every language imaginable including...no joke...ESPERANTO. After several failed attempts to get this huge package, I gave up and bought a book with a free CD.
Can you imagine if phone companies were like that? You'd need a different, special phone and phone line for anyone that wasn't the same service as you. No way that would happen or would be tolerated (although I'm sure that the phone companies would love it, captive audience and all that).
Actually, in the early days of telecommunications, that used to be the case. If you owned a business, you had to have a phone for each telephone network in your town so that all customers could call you.
Why can't you just use something like launch.com? Sure, you can't download the songs, but it's still streaming music and 100% free. The only worthwhile reason to use Napster is to get that one song you really don't want to buy a whole CD for so you can burn it onto a Fistgrrl Hot Mix. It takes about 3 minutes to download a song from Napster, launch.com just streams.
Vote for me for Hippest DJ.
Fistgrrl
"We're tired of all those Microsoft developers shoving their Win-Ho's in our face. Now we can tell them about Todd. Who's laughing now?" Linux Developer Gets Laid
The users on my network use what I decide they should use. If I dump ccMail for Exchange, it's my decision, not Microsoft's.
Fistgrrl
First Time Poster
Slashdot Mirror
Sorry... link
The logs were confirmed by Lowtax to be true.
br.
The Free Software Movement has a more ambitious goal, to replace proprietary software with free software that respects your freedom.
I've been getting a lot of letters from the BSA and Microsoft's lawyers lately regarding licensing compliance and it made me stop to think how possible it would be to say screw it and implement a "Free Software" solution to meet our business needs. Basically, I'd have to tear down our whole information systems infrastructure and start all over again. We are completely dependendent on Microsoft to stay in business. We don't have the resources to have to train every new employee how to send an email or create a document --- they come in already knowing because they are familiar and comfortable with Microsoft products. I'm the most technically adept person and the company and *I* have to "read the manual" to figure out how much disk space I have available on my Linux box. The problem with Ivory Tower software is that it is written by and for people who like things overly complex. Everytime we add a new server we end up going with Microsoft because it integrates with everything else. That lone Linux box is an island.
Doubled it's revenue but widened it loss. It's like having a housekeeper without have a paycheck. Eventually the money will run out.
Maybe I will write a Perl program to post that comment to Slashdot about every article that comes up. I'll call it "first_post.pl" It will do constant HTTP GET's of the webserver, and post that comment right away whenever there is a new article. I will be the first-post king!
If you tie it in with this, you'll never have to bother with Slashdot at all.
Get cable.
Although it's nice that there is an "option" for some to get cable modems, I think it's very sad that DSL is getting beat up like this. Next year, you'll probably have two choices: DSL from SBC (or whatever RBOC) or Cable from AOL (or AT&T). It's been taking up to six weeks to get a phone (telephone user interface) installed here since the ONLY company who can do so is Ameritech. And I've been waiting since NOVEMBER for DSL service (Ameritech keeps blowing off appointments and saying I wasn't home). The potential of the internet will never be reached if the bandwidth providers (and there will be fewer and fewer of them...read: Monopoly) are too busy playing cat and mouse games with CLECs to let the people have it.
Although I agree that it seems somewhat ridiculous to patent something like "one-click shopping", I'm glad to see Amazon fight Barnes and Noble. The thing is, Amazon has some really great features that you can't really get from a brick and mortar shop (ie Searchable customer reviews, recommendations based on past purchases, etc.) Bn came two years after Amazon and arrogantly started copying Amazon. Bn has ALWAYS played catch-up with bells and whistles. Currently, it's "Wish List" only allows the owner of the list to view it, so I can't see what's on my mother's list unless I was logged in as her. On an emotional level, I like to see a small company (as Amazon started out) be able to use innovation to grow. If Bn can just copy every innovation Amazon comes up with, Amazon doesn't have a chance.
In these days of powerful workstations and fast networking, all that storage and synchronization can just a easily occur on the desktop, eliminating most of the server's functions.
Are you going to back up all of the PCs on your network so that when the PC fries the mail/contacts/etc. are recoverable? How about remote access, such as Outlook Web Access that allows you to access calendar/contacts/mail/etc. from the internet? Exchange's model is efficient, convenient, and practical. There's also a "public" database that may be calendars for projects or lists of contacts for group use. Thus, GROUPWARE.
Fistgrrl
I have thus taken off two days from work in the past month to wait for Ameritech to show up. They don't and aren't required to give an explanation for 48 hours after the missed appointment. They might be more punctual if I was buying service from them, but I'm getting Northpoint service via a reseller.
I always theorized that the reason most execs "need" laptops was to make up for the fact that they didn't get Rock'em-Sock'em Robots in their boyhood.
Fistgrrl
Well, yes, it's obvious that it's much easier for Microsoft execs to incorrectly influence MSNBC stories if they chose to, than it would be for, say Oracle, to influence CNN stories.
Larry would have to call Steve to "take care of it."
Fistgrrl
As I sat downloading RedHat 6.2 over a T1 line, I was amazed to see that I was getting the documentation in every language imaginable including...no joke...ESPERANTO. After several failed attempts to get this huge package, I gave up and bought a book with a free CD.
Can you imagine if phone companies were like that? You'd need a different, special phone and phone line for anyone that wasn't the same service as you. No way that would happen or would be tolerated (although I'm sure that the phone companies would love it, captive audience and all that).
Actually, in the early days of telecommunications, that used to be the case. If you owned a business, you had to have a phone for each telephone network in your town so that all customers could call you.
Fistgrrl
Why can't you just use something like launch.com? Sure, you can't download the songs, but it's still streaming music and 100% free. The only worthwhile reason to use Napster is to get that one song you really don't want to buy a whole CD for so you can burn it onto a Fistgrrl Hot Mix. It takes about 3 minutes to download a song from Napster, launch.com just streams.
Vote for me for Hippest DJ.
Fistgrrl
"We're tired of all those Microsoft developers shoving their Win-Ho's in our face. Now we can tell them about Todd. Who's laughing now?" Linux Developer Gets Laid
The users on my network use what I decide they should use. If I dump ccMail for Exchange, it's my decision, not Microsoft's.
Fistgrrl
First Time Poster