I don't think so. I talk to many companies and schools and they tell me that blogging traffic and personal blog websites are on the rise. Many get-together groups, a group of poker players or a travelling bunch of retirees, use blogs to share information. Community feedback in the form of a personal blog is on the rise too.
I am not that much into RPGs (I suck at video games and don't have the patience to learn how to do things like check inventory), but I looked at the article because I used to enjoy playing Dungeons and Dragons. I just have to say that this has been the best Slashdot article I have ever read. It is very well laid-out, is informative, and has supporting images that are appropriate.
IBM's adoption of Linux and push of advertising has done wonders for overall acceptance of Linux by the business communities I work with. This is especially true of regulated industries, such as financial, medical, and educational. It is nice to see the very small project grow to become such an animal, while maintaining the ability to steer clear of bad commercialism. There have been many players that could have chosen to not further develop in Linux and it would have just remained a 'geek-only' system that people downloaded and wrangled with installing just to say they could do it.
Well said. Could you imagine what would happen if microsoft tried to get people to buy its OS? People would back off in droves, running madly from such a crazy money-based product.
Their market proliferation was not from people buying their OS directly. You purchased an x86 machine, you got a bundled OS at a markup by default.
Indeed. Just the other day, I threw out an older modem. Even though it ran fine in my Linux box, Windows XP could not detect it, no matter what drivers I threw at it. Obviously, something is wrong with the modem, since Windows XP should support pretty much all hardware that exists in the world today. I wonder why Linux claimed I could use it? Heh, it even let me connect to the Internet. Clever fakery!
I should have clarified that what I meant was xxx hardware not being compatible with Linux. Specfically, the manufacturer developing hardware, locking certain OS's for bundled software, licensing, marketing, and the sharing of technical specifics.
As for the GPL being blamed or targetted for restrictions on Linux, the same could be said for a number of necessities regarding Linux. For example, the requirement of purchase for some distributions and/or support restricts Linux. The inability for xxx piece of hardware to work restricts Linux. Both of those hurt more than help. The GPL is needed, IMHO, to protect Linux from growing in a proprietary status. Look at Unix: Solaris, AIX, OpenServer, QNX, etc.
Would this mean all your documents will be indexed and searchable by everyone?!?!?;-)
I really think this is a cool idea, and am glad to hear that Sun may get some more visibility in the computer world via this. Open(and/or Star)Office needs to destroy the reign of Microsoft Office!
I am from Texas, but having been staying in New York for a week or so. All I can say from my observation at both the Staton Island Ferry and by looking down from whatever bridge I was on, your memory stick might make it, but a normal person wouldn't. New York does not come off as having the cleanest water...
I spoke with a company about lowering TCO by moving to Citrix or Terminal Services and Linux workstations. The licensing benefits and security at the workstation was one factor, but the big kicker was the workstation OS needs were removed, giving them 1-2 extra years in their replacement rotation and depreciation.
So, the company agrees and begins to move forward. To my dismay, they put in Citrix, and proceed to replace workstations with Winterms! So, they spent a fortune replacing workstations, instead of just replacing the OS with Linux and featuring new workstations purchased without any OS.
Management types looked at the skyrocketed costs and went back to the original documentation. They actually tried to blame Linux for the costs. The board report reflected this, even though no Linux was installed. Once this was discovered, to save face, they started buying Linterms (still expensive, still replacing workstation, still with 3 year depreciation and replacement cycle).
So, I hear of companies complaining about Linux costs and have to take it with a grain of salt because I know that many people have their numbers inflated or do not really realize what they have. For example, a company buys a Linux box running Oracle for a 25-Windows-workstation network. They classify all the workstations and Oracle, the whole kit and kaboodle, as a Linux project. All associated expenses become Linux's fault, even though the Linux costs were low or none.
Yeah, but everyone knows that Windows has a lower TCO, which is what is most important.
It is the same as companies that hire someone. Company A has no benefits, so $10 per hour is $10 per hour (well, forget FICA, imagine this as an independent contractor). Company B has benefits, so $10 per hour is really $13. Linux is like Company A, and a Linux solution compared to a Windows solution may be the same price, but definately not the same cost.
What are some of the bureaucratic black arts that you've performed in your workplace to work around the office politics and get your work done on time and to a high standard?
Break the rules. Break the law. 110, 220, whatever it takes.
Could this be what NASA and Google are going to start working on? (j/k). So, Google is becoming an ISP. I think this would be very nice and a good place to start for a nationwide rollout
There is a big difference in the people that have using Linux for ten years and people just starting. It is depth of knowledge. Sometimes it is best to have worked with a system with millions of problems and be forced to get under the hood and figure out how it works. People today run into a problem and don't know what to do, where some old-timers go, "Oh yeah, problem #3506 with that software."
I see it often in networking too. Anyone knows how to hook up machines to a switch, but not many people know how machines communicate via switches, or how switches speak with each other. The same with anything computer-related really.
It is just like I think kids should be forced to learn to drive a stick shift car. Not only will they learn about what the tachometer is for, but they will be more conscious drivers. Who knows when an emergency might pop up and they have to move a tractor truck out of the way? Well, likewise, computer programmers need to learn assembly, to understand how the software interacts with hardware. If more programmers today had an understanding of software profiling, addressing, and tightening code, maybe we wouldn't have such bloatware out there.
No, an $80k/yr person costs a company a lot more than $80k/yr. Benefits, vacation, holdays, insurance, cost of the space you occupy and utilities you use, etc...
No, you have it wrong. For the $X/yr my employer pays, they benefit from someone that will work 65+ hours per week, never gets a vacation without work, holidays are opportune times for system change-outs, and works in the basement with a can of bug spray in one hand. As for the insurance, my wife will never get knocked up with the hours I work, so insurance costs are low.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't think so. I talk to many companies and schools and they tell me that blogging traffic and personal blog websites are on the rise. Many get-together groups, a group of poker players or a travelling bunch of retirees, use blogs to share information. Community feedback in the form of a personal blog is on the rise too.
?
Their market proliferation was not from people buying their OS directly. You purchased an x86 machine, you got a bundled OS at a markup by default.
I should have clarified that what I meant was xxx hardware not being compatible with Linux. Specfically, the manufacturer developing hardware, locking certain OS's for bundled software, licensing, marketing, and the sharing of technical specifics.
Most likely quicker than the time it takes pizza to go from roof-of-mouth scalding hot to zero-Kelvin cold...
I see no reason to squabble about it. Everyone knows that Gnome is better. Of course, I am typing this from KDE on Knoppix...
Note: instead of modding this +1 funny, mod it +0.1 pathetic.
That would constitute vacation, something of which I have not been familiar with in some time. So, no, I cannot imagine that.
I really think this is a cool idea, and am glad to hear that Sun may get some more visibility in the computer world via this. Open(and/or Star)Office needs to destroy the reign of Microsoft Office!
You will be reading the content to Moby Dick on Yahoo and in the top right it will say, "content provided by Google."
I got all the brushing with Cthulhu I wanted from playing Dungeons and Dragons.
So, the company agrees and begins to move forward. To my dismay, they put in Citrix, and proceed to replace workstations with Winterms! So, they spent a fortune replacing workstations, instead of just replacing the OS with Linux and featuring new workstations purchased without any OS.
Management types looked at the skyrocketed costs and went back to the original documentation. They actually tried to blame Linux for the costs. The board report reflected this, even though no Linux was installed. Once this was discovered, to save face, they started buying Linterms (still expensive, still replacing workstation, still with 3 year depreciation and replacement cycle).
So, I hear of companies complaining about Linux costs and have to take it with a grain of salt because I know that many people have their numbers inflated or do not really realize what they have. For example, a company buys a Linux box running Oracle for a 25-Windows-workstation network. They classify all the workstations and Oracle, the whole kit and kaboodle, as a Linux project. All associated expenses become Linux's fault, even though the Linux costs were low or none.
It is the same as companies that hire someone. Company A has no benefits, so $10 per hour is $10 per hour (well, forget FICA, imagine this as an independent contractor). Company B has benefits, so $10 per hour is really $13. Linux is like Company A, and a Linux solution compared to a Windows solution may be the same price, but definately not the same cost.
It is easier to get forgiven than to get permission!
Break the rules. Break the law. 110, 220, whatever it takes.
Could this be what NASA and Google are going to start working on? (j/k). So, Google is becoming an ISP. I think this would be very nice and a good place to start for a nationwide rollout
But, yet, you cannot post the O'Reilly Bookshelf to your website...
There is a big difference in the people that have using Linux for ten years and people just starting. It is depth of knowledge. Sometimes it is best to have worked with a system with millions of problems and be forced to get under the hood and figure out how it works. People today run into a problem and don't know what to do, where some old-timers go, "Oh yeah, problem #3506 with that software."
I see it often in networking too. Anyone knows how to hook up machines to a switch, but not many people know how machines communicate via switches, or how switches speak with each other. The same with anything computer-related really.
It is just like I think kids should be forced to learn to drive a stick shift car. Not only will they learn about what the tachometer is for, but they will be more conscious drivers. Who knows when an emergency might pop up and they have to move a tractor truck out of the way? Well, likewise, computer programmers need to learn assembly, to understand how the software interacts with hardware. If more programmers today had an understanding of software profiling, addressing, and tightening code, maybe we wouldn't have such bloatware out there.
No, you have it wrong. For the $X/yr my employer pays, they benefit from someone that will work 65+ hours per week, never gets a vacation without work, holidays are opportune times for system change-outs, and works in the basement with a can of bug spray in one hand. As for the insurance, my wife will never get knocked up with the hours I work, so insurance costs are low.
Uh, Berkeley Software Distribution! BSD, LSD...coincidence?!?!? Damn fine projects came from lids of herb. Get over it!