Well, I do - I think the whole point of the article was to make 'project management tools' look good, and to provide 'editorial content' that should sell more ads for their little magazine.
Lets see who they exclusively quote in the article : - Scott Johnson, CEO of AtTask, an Orem, Utah, maker of project management tools. - Jim Johnson from the Standish group, who are offering to sell the reader a copy of the report on which the article is based. - Raj Kapuor, executive vice president of the Center for Project Management, a software project management consultancy and education firm in San Ramon, Calif
And thats it.. the entire article is simply a platform for these 3 individuals to voice their opinions and tout the beneifts of their product. There is nothing more to the article, no analysis, no debate, no investigative journalism. Its just an advertorial. I am surprised that you cannot see that.
By all means though, feel free to follow up on the article, and have a look at the people being quoted.
I particularly liked reading through 'The Center for Project Management' website (which I did before writing my original comment above), and I must admit that their premier product did prompt me crack a smile. If I may quote straight from their website, ie. their uniquely original "Culture Model Approach", which is a "proven and tested Project Process Architecture (PPA(TM)). CPM's principles-based, four-phase, 24-step methodology".. anyway, that made me smile even if it did impress the heck out of you. (Oh - btw - I am assuming that you did your homework too, and researched who these people were, the ones who's opinions you strongly agree with).
You don't use a bug/issue tracking system? How do you prioritize what you should be working on? Does the company you work for have several things going on at the same time? Do you do specific work for individual customers, and if so, how is this communicated?
Geez, I dunno. We have this MilStd-498 thing, and then there is this big stack of documents about DDx interop stds for Aegis development, and I think 'the company' mentioned there might be some other projects happening.. but who really knows ?
We are yet to be enlightened by the Culture Model Approach, we desperately need to get some proven and tested Project Process Architecture (PPA(TM)). CPM's principles-based, four-phase, 24-step methodology happening around here SOON, or we are so obviously fucked !
I don't think "shiny/proprietary software" is the sole cause for greater project success. But, the article is dead on in explaining how tools like this can help.
I respect your opinion on that. I personally havent been exposed to the same proven and tested Project Process Architecture (PPA(TM)) that your company must be using, so I cant judge.
From your post I can only assume that: 1) You have only ever worked for bad technical managers, 2) The company you work for is small and doesn't have enough information/customers to see any benefit to having a system help you track this, or 3) You are a typical embittered software developer with a god complex who thinks the only real contribution made to your company comes from your developement team.
From YOUR post, I can only assume that : 1) You cant tell the difference between an advert and a article. 2) You dont know me at all.
Ive worked a number of projects (mostly defence related) that cover all the points above in spades, and they were all a joy to be part of.
And Ive worked on large projects in large organisations that do none of the above.. at all. Yes, they were all disasters.
Smaller organisations sometimes get away with it, because they have to - they dont have the meat in the budget or resources to do things 'properly'. Most of these 'survive' somehow, but not forever.
I have found one at the moment that is quite unique - tiny organisation with a tiny staff, making an absolute killing in the fuel industry. The engineering is done properly, but the software development is totally cowboy style, and 1 man to 1 project.
The only parts that are done 'right' are the pre-project analysis and the requirements gathering - which we try and get close to (an ancient) DoD 2167a standard on. Other than that, its all cowboy style. Zero consistency between developers, and each working in a skillset totally alien to the others. A simple peer review of code is therefore pointless, so there is no margin for mistakes - at all. It seems to work because the $ margins are there, and each developer is a disciplined coder and tester up to a point (of their own code only, so you can imagine what up to a point means). Despite this recipie for burnout, its also a remarkably low pressure environment, with lots of fun social activity as well. This place has to be some weird sort of exception.
One other point I have just realised in reflection - although all deadlines are driven entirely by sales, the small handful of coders here really do have final say in just about all decision making processes related to THEIR code. Even to the point of altering requirements and re-writing customer contracts to suit. There is a 2-way respect/trust thing between the managers and the staff, and the customers as well.
We also drink together outside of work - staff, management, investors and customers all party together after hours when appropriate.
Its not unusual for a customer to drop in on their way through to a another city, talk turkey with the actual developers for a while, and then head out together after work and get smashed.
So a bunch of companies (who all sell expensive proprietary project management software) get their heads together and conduct a study on project success/failure ratios.. and conclude that things are improving, and then attribute the improvements to things like.. This awesome new, expensive, proprietary project management software.
Umm.. excuse me, but I have NEVER seen a project that was conceived AND executed solely by any number of 'project managers', using any form of project management tools, meetings, and other justifications for their existence.
Projects are successfully delivered by good coders with good tools, and a thorough understanding of the requirements. There have been RADICAL advances since 1994 in the way that software is built, and its these advances more than anything else that lead to successful projects.
Coincidentally, Prior to 1994, if you were working in software, you were working blindfolded with one hand tied behind your back. By 1995, this Linux thing starts gaining momentum, and very quickly we see this massive rise of open source projects in a huge number of areas. Prior to 1994, an SQL engine is some mythical binary blob that you have to purchase from Oracle or others.. after 1994, an SQL engine is something tangible that you can download of the internet and get your hands dirty with the source code. Ditto with 'internet enabling' your applications - Ditto with having a real freely available and portable C compiler - ditto with having a raft of languages (perl, PHP, etc, etc) that open up new possibilities.
Suddenly, as a software coder, the blindfold is removed and you have both hands free to work. Whatever problem domain you are likely to encounter, you can easily find open source projects that have already dug very deep into that problem domain, and have code and design discussions open for general peer review.
So its no surprise that in this new and extremely fertile post-1994 world.. software projects are more successful. But can you simply attribute that to a small selection of expensive, proprietary project management tools ? WTF, I dont think so.
Another thing to note is that the core developers in a lot of projects are older and wiser now. Many are well past the wrong side of 40 and still coding day and night for the sheer joy of the art. Perhaps they have also grown more politically savvy, and know how to take management speech, distill the essential elements out the mouths of managers, and then go away and do the project their own way regardless. Except this time, they know how to twist it so the 'managers' can feel like they deserve some credit for the project as well, whilst at the same time keeping them discretely out of the way - so that the project itself can move forward smoothly.
Maybe that is one benefit of shiny new project management tools - it gives the managers something to occupy their time with, so they can keep out of the way.
You start the project in the first place because you have a unique solution to a given real-world problem.
Others may have different solutions to the same problem, and you are all free to attack it in your own way. In a totally free environment, you can determine the best solution to the problem using proof-by-mindshare.
As time moves on, the landscape changes, and some/none/all of your assumptions about the problem domain that drive your solution get challenged.
If it appears that your solution is no longer relevant, and that other methods work better in the real world, then your project can successfully conclude, and you can move on to the next big thing. In this case, OpenMosix can see that it's solution to the problem is not the ideal way to go, as evidenced by the fact that MPI, load balancers, (insert other solutions), tend to be more applicable to most real world problems... but that would never have been apparent if it wasnt tried.
In a way, an open source software development is a test of a hypothesis. You dont measure success just by proving the hypothesis - you can also disprove it (or spawn a new one), and still claim success.
If this had been a commercial / proprietry project, then everything would be different - there would be egos and money on the line, so the motivations for doing the project in the first place are very very different. If OpenMosix was commercial, higher ups in the company would be moving the goalposts to suit themselves, spending money on advertising and kickbacks, and putting effort into forcing it into sitations where it wasnt the ideal answer. The resultant mindshare and marketshare in a commercially driven enviroment yields sub-optimal solutions - its based on which solution has the best political backing and advertising budget, not the one that best fits the problem.
See, its like this - to an opensource mindset, the hottest person in da club is the one that gets _given_ the most phone numbers. To a non-opensource mindset, the hottest person in da club is the one who can _buy_ the most phone numbers. Someone thought that the flouro lime green shirt might be a good idea.. but at da club, its not working out that way. Thankfully, we can toss the lime green shirt and try something different, because we are non-commercial.
The sort of people who read the headline of the story and see it as a bad thing, a negative thing, an anti-FLOSS thing.. are looking at the story with their commerically-oriented-hat on. If that is you, then you shouldnt be working in science or computers - you should be out selling mobile phone ringtones, Celine Dion records, yo-yo's, insurance, timeshare condo plans, roller skates, lottery tickets, etc, etc, etc. If that is you, then you deserve to end up with the fat'n'ugly chick in the lime green shirt, simply because the advertising banners plastered all over the wall TOLD you she was the best choice.
Thank goodness open source allows a project to go from conception to conclusion for all the right reasons.
I do applaud you for sticking to your guns.. its a good thing to see. Whether I agree with your POV or not, I like the way you stand by your principles.
And I 100% agree with your closing line about sheep with shiny objects.
But I am one of the few that actually think the Sony rootkit was a GOOD THING. A stupid peice of software that only caused damage to people running Windows. I dont have a problem with viruses and malware hurting windows users, never had. In fact, I take my hat off to those that write malware.
That might make me statistically abnormal, childish, or label me as sociopathic even, but still, Im just being honest - I hate Windows, and I dont have a problem with people who write malware that affects Windows. There isnt a day that goes past in my life when I am not affected in some negative way by the mere existence of Windows. I will be happy when Windows is finally gone for good.
Whilst it wasnt anything to do with the Sony-that-makes-PS3s Sony, I still reckon SonyBMG deserve a gold star for giving Win32 malware some much needed corporate backing. If only more companies would be brave & stupid enough to follow their example.
"On the basis of the CSIRO study, Federal and State Consumer Affairs Ministers decided in 1996 that the costs, both capital and ongoing, of temperature correction outweighed any potential benefits.
The extra costs involved in temperature correction would put additional upward pressure on petrol prices.
All the oil companies have in place procedures for addressing claims of fuel losses by service station operators."
However, this was based on adding temp compensation equipment to the price of each fuel bowser, which at the time cost around $2000 US to add to each fuel bowser. (A fuel bowser typically costs around $10000-20000 each), and based on the price of petrol in 1996 terms.
Given the dramatic increases in the cost of fuel, AND the newer (cheaper) technology available in fuel metering -- we might see this whole situation be reviewed in Australia, especially if this lawsuit grows legs and takes off in the US.
As it stands, petrol stations and fuel deliveries in Oz are already heavily regulated to take temperature into account whenever fuel is loaded from a road tanker into a petrol station tank.. so the commercial dealings between retailers and oil companies already take this into account.
Disclaimer: My major customer is an Australian linux-loving company that makes fuel bowsers and all the electro-techno stuff that connects to them. IF a new law was introduced here that suddenly demanded Temp Compensation inside each fuel bowser, then we would all become insanely rich overnight, at the expense of the average joe consumer who would pay WAY MORE at the pump.. but really, there is a lot of good science and logic and economics in the way of that sort of law being introduced here. Anyway - Here is to hoping that they defy logic and introduce such a law in Oz !!
I think that Alaska and Hawaii have regulations in place that require temp compensation metering devices in fuel bowsers though.
When I RTFAH (where H = headline), an image comes to mind of a diverse bunch of penguins standing together in the primordial swamp of the prehistoric world, watching on with a mixture of fascination and pity as the once all-powerful dinosaurs drop one by one... bought to their knees by ever more sophisticated microbes, bacteria and viruses.
Yes junior, its horrible to watch, but the world is going to be a much safer place without them...
If I had in my possession the remains of an alien spaceship, and the bodies of the crew, would I :
a) Send the materials to the best labs available for preservation and analysis. b) Preseve the remains of the crew for future study. c) Provide free and open access to all the evidence.
OR
a) Hand the material over to an airforce colonel to have a touch and feel. If he declares the material to be 'Unknown', then its case closed, we can dispose of the material and declare it a mystery. b) Order child sized coffins for the crew, and make sure they get a decent Chrishun burial. No need to keep such unnatural remains - only mad Nazi scientists would want to do something horrid like that ! c) Invent a cover story and quickly destroy all evidence, before the subhuman Bolshevik Russians get their hands on it, and use this to create terrible weapons that may threaten the very survival of the free world.
Given the way that people's brains seemed to work in 1947, the choices of how to handle the situation ring rather on the true side as opposed to wild fantasy.
Unfortunately (for us), the Aliens just picked the wrong time and place to crash their spaceship. They should have landed in Italy during the Renaissance, or maybe crash landed in Auckland NZ during a Linux.conf.au conference, or something similar.
The world has grown up a lot in the last 50 years, but knowing our luck, the next crash landing may well be in Germany at the end of July (see http://www.fullmoon-festival.com/ for details).. where nobody will even friggen notice !!
Now we can start arresting people and throwing them in jail (or even executing them), based on what the models predict that they are likely to do in the near future. Anyone that resists this concept MUST have something in their future that they wish to hide, right ?
For the record, this sort of simulation really has its roots in the 1840's when the Prussian General Staff formallised the process of Kriegspielen to 'War Game' various plans and scenarios in advance. This involved massive quantities of paper, mathematical tables, common sense, and lots of dice.
As always, the common sense element is crucial to the accuracy of the simulation, and unfortunately, the formalisation of 'common sense' into any mathematical formula is purely subjective, and liable to be biased depending on the people who come up with the rules. What this system can only end up with is a simulation of what a bunch of Texan West Point grads, and pharmaceutical execs would like to see happen in the near future.
By the way - WHY is Eli Lilly - the makers of Prozac(tm) buying into this ?
A multi billion dollar fantasy future generator that gives the owner's the sort of answers that they want to hear !!
Just think about that - if every aggressive scenario predicted the ultimate humiliation for the US and the 'forces of good'.. then surely the rules that drive the simulator would be deemed incorrect, and would be appropriately reprogrammed.
A better approach might be to open the 'simulation' up to users on the net from around the world, and let them each player play out the parts of whole communities, form alliances, push personal agendas, etc. Now THAT would be interesting...
There are countless stories of ancient technology where enlightened beings create things or destroy them by utilising special harmonic vibrations.
We have pyramids and whole cities being constructed in the remote jungle covered mountains of Peru by a small number of 'dwarfs' who move massive blocks of granite around using a nothing but a 'chiming rod'. (Sound being a vibration in teh audible spectra).
We have the armies of King David knocking down the walls of Jericho by blowing specific notes on the sacred horn of destruction. (Sound again being a vibration in teh audible spectra).
We have ancient Indians flying around in Vimyana airships and laying waste to massed armies with blasts of specially coded light waves. (Light being a vibration in teh visible spectra).
From ancient Inuit culture, we have heroes who can 'hummm' inaudible songs to summon a great whale from beneath the ice caps of the frozen north, and command the whale to do their bidding. (Subtonal vibrations in teh sensory spectra)
We have the ancient Malinese who claim to have built a city UNDER THE OCEAN in a single day, by banging two large fish together. (A vibration in teh olafactory spectra perhaps ?)
And the ancient Australian aboriginies, where the rainbow serpent created the mountains and the rivers and then literally sang day and night and linear time into existence. (A vibration in teh temporal spectra ?).
So why should we be surprised that vibrations in teh Microwave spectra hold the power to perform the modern alchemical trick of turning old barbie dolls and art-deco floor coverings into diesel fuel ?
Thats hardly progress - I would be impressed if they came up with a giant titanium chiming wand that could remotely construct a magnificent city on the Moon in a couple of hours, or a 100 square mile flawless pyramid of solid ruby on the surface of Mars over the space of a long weekend...
I just had a quick look at the world map, and yes, it seems perfectly obvious to me that the Evil(tm) Iranian Empire is poised to launch a surprise human wave attack on Poland any day now.
It is essential that in the name of Freedom(tm), we must draw a line in the sand and defend the sovereignty of Poland, just like previous generations did in 1939.
Putting missiles in Eastern Europe makes perfect sense....
LOL - that is ironic, and Im not sure if that was intended.
The photo shows a Russian made T-34/85 on the right, and an American made M4 Sherman tank on the left, in Soviet service. The Allies shipped a lot of equipment to the Soviet Union during WW2, including fighters, bombers and tanks. So the photo clearly shows US intellectual property in Soviet service.
The T-34 on the right has a German designed 'Jerry Can', which would have been knicked off someone some time prior to the photo, or did the Reds ever copy Jerry cans as well ?
The photo itself is probably post WW2 for a couple of reasons. 1) You can tell from the cut of the uniforms that it is late or post WW2. During the war, Soviet officers did not have any shoulder tabs or rank distinctions as such, since that was 'Classist'. Later in the war, they reintroduced a lot of the old fashioned bling bling to make officers feel a little more equal than the men they were commanding (all comrades are equal, but some are more equal than others).
The red flags in the photo too are a dead giveaway - they are not Soviet flags, but range flags. When a unit practices live firing on the range, they fly red flags to warn that live firing is in progress. Being well organised and safety conscious like this is another pointer that it is post WW2. During the war, there was no time for such elaborate training as an organised target practice - often tanks were driven straight out the factory and into combat by the workers themselves with zero training, and not even any paint applied.
True, but because the Soviet Union didnt have a great deal of access to 'hard currency'.. they paid for much of it in steel, which was promptly sold for cash to a little start-up factory in Naples.
Talk to anyone that had a gorgeous little Alfa Romeo Alfasud.. fell in love with the thing, and then watched it dissolve into rust at the first sign of rain:(
RIP Alfasud
Mind you, many of them survived, and they are still an awesome car to own.
Firstly, the AK-47 itself is a derivative of the excellent German Sturmgewehr MP44, which came into mass production at the end of WW2. The Mp44 used the same 7.92mm calibre round as other German weapons, but with a much shorter cartridge, since it was reasoned that most small arms combat took place at ranges under 400m, and so a huge long range charge was not required. The benefits of this were many - cheaper to make, more ammo could be carried, and the sustained rate of fire could be higher due to the lower muzzle velocity.
So there is a strong case for prior art, with patents (?) already held by the National Socialist Workers Party of Germany.
After this point, the AK-47 used a different manufacturing technique to greatly simplify the build compared to the MP44. However, these simplified blueprints are very very closely related to the Tokarev SVT. If you have ever stripped down an SVT, and compared this to an AK, you will see they are pretty much the same construction techniques, just in a different scale.
Secondly - I dont know if anyone can remember 'The Soviet Union', but it was a communist state based on the ideals of Marxism, geographically located to the East of Europe. Its a 20th Century thing - ancient history. The 'rights' to the AK47 lie entirely with the Soviet state. NOT Russia - but the Soviet Union, which is a different animal entirely. Unless of course Mr Putin wishes to disagree...
Thirdly, being a Soviet state, the 'intellectual property' produced by that state belongs to the workers, and not just the workers who form part of the collective of that state, but all the workers of the world. The AK47 was, if you like, GPL'ed to the point where all workers of the world were free (even encouraged) to make millions of copies of the people's machine gun, and use this tool to overthrow their Fascist, Capitalist, Monarchist oppressors.
So don't pay attention to the lawyers good people - if you find yourself slaving away 60+ hours a week to make other people rich whilst you can barely put food on your table - then by all means, get together with your comrades and build yourselves some AK47's. Anyone that denies you that basic right is a Capitalist oppressor and a Fascist invader of the Motherland.
But its not the first time (or the last time) that we see systematic institutional genocide. You dont have to look far from home to see examples either.. Ill leave that as an exersize to the reader.
And by the way - guess which modern country holds the record for the only successful systematic genocide of an entire population ? Its not Germany, its not Israel, its not the USA..
He takes you by surprise and tries to Pimp slap you with his MSContract (tm)
Novell's attempts to work with the EFF are all well and good, but really.. for as long as there remains any ink on any deal with Microsoft's name on it:
An exploiter is you.
Novell may have gained many meat from this deal, but the loss of moxiousness is overwhelming. Until Novell clicks on the unequip link to the MScontract(tm) in their inventory, they will continue to suffer a permanent drain to their Moxie. No amount of practicing the accordian will ever be able to put this right.
If a chick WANTS to have a kid on their own, they should be able to, without dragging some guy into a long term support commitment by saying 'Guess wot ? Im pregnant'.
If you want a kid together, you still can, and if she wants her own - she can, and no child support liability for a kid that you never asked for. She would only have herself to blame in this case.
Correct me if Im wrong - but isnt the NYSE one of those annoying 'Success Stories' that Microsoft advertises heavily in their online 'Linux information center' adverts ??
Its some bulldust newspaper article from a rag called 'The Reliability Times', which announces that the stock exchange found that Windows delivers 20 times the uptime of Linux, or some such ridiculous claim ?
You have to love those adverts - I read one last week where they made the claim that Oracle runs 3 times faster on Windows that an it does on Linux.. whatever next ? Next thing they will be claiming that Linux infringes on over 200 Microsoft patents or some such rubbish. Who knows what they are ingesting over there ?
When this linux-child was born, like all Spartans, he was inspected.
For the strength of the code lies only in its openness.
---oOo---
The Threat:
Microsoft Messenger: Choose your next words carefully, Leon-ix-idas. They may be your last as king.
Linux: You bring the skulls and crowns of conquered corporations to my desktop, you insult my queen, and you threaten my people with lawsuits and FUD! Oh, I've chosen my words carefully, Microsoft. Perhaps you should have done the same! *kick*
---oOo---
The preliminary skirmishes :
Microsoft : Send in the SCOuts to test the strength of these Spartan defences.
Linux : Our Unix ancestors built this wall. Using ancient stones from the bosom of Greece herself. And with a little Spartan help, your Microsoft-sponsored SCOuts supplied the mortar.
---oOo---
The battle:
Microsoft : A thousand lawyers of the Microsoft empire descend upon you. Our patents will blot out the sun!
Linux : Then we will code in the shade !
---oOo---
The aftermath:
Narrator: The world will know that freemen stood against a tyrant, that few stood against many, and that before this battle is done, that even a god king can bleed.
Fair enough, but make sure that in step 3) when you write to the owners of the company, that there are alternatives such as OpenOffice, which make this whole problem go away in the first place.
In fact, explain how by converting the whole operation away from the Microsoft treadmill, they can prevent this whole thing from ever happening again, reduce all OS licencing costs to zero, AND slash the IT headcount dramatically by replacing the whole IT department with a small handfull of competant linux admins.
Then watch the revolution begin...
AFTER that is successful, you can resign gracefully, and find another company who needs to be transformed into another Linux success story.
Im sorry, but I am just mortified by your double standards in what is in fact a pathetic attempt at whinging.
You are an "IT Professional" who works in an environment where they use Excel as a database.. and yet your biggest concern is that now you are being pressured to pirate MS-Office to save money.
Well, many could rightfully claim that you need to stand up and assert yourself over your beliefs here about the legality of piracy.. duh. But really, you completely lost the moral ground in the first place when you watched them use Excel as a Database, and stood by and did nothing about it.
My GOD - YOU are a programmer, an IT professional, a creative person who has the ability to make computers do things that benefit mankind. You are a modern day magician, and you deserve respect !!
Being a professional means that you DONT SIT BACK AND LET THOSE THAT RELY ON YOU DO THE WRONG THING - get some leadership into you, assert yourself, and use that respect to make changes in the process. Being a leader in your field doesnt mean giving up and looking for a new job - be willing to lock horns with people, stand your ground and prove them wrong, no matter how big and important those other people seem to be.
If that doesnt work out AFTER you have given it everything you have got (and proven them wrong), if they still dont get it, THEN you can walk away and get a new job, knowing that you tried.
Who cares if they pirate MS-Office ? So they dont want to give more money to a convicted monopolist ? Big friggen deal, get over it.
Your companies biggest IT problem is that they are living in the IT stone age - Use your skills to earn the respect you deserve, and use that respect to drag them kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
YOUR biggest problem however, seems to be that you are treating your job like some sort of popularity contest. You are appeasing people and going with the flow, in the hope that they will like you more as long as you dont rock their boat. (Incidentally - A LOT of guys still have this problem with women as well, and end up getting dumped over and over again by hot chicks that they try to please at all costs)
Well - heres an idea for you - throw your weight around a bit more, and be willing to challenge people a bit more. Surprisingly, you might even find that you make better and more meaningful friendships with the people that you once butted heads with.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't think that was the point of the article
.. the entire article is simply a platform for these 3 individuals to voice their opinions and tout the beneifts of their product. There is nothing more to the article, no analysis, no debate, no investigative journalism. Its just an advertorial. I am surprised that you cannot see that.
.. anyway, that made me smile even if it did impress the heck out of you. (Oh - btw - I am assuming that you did your homework too, and researched who these people were, the ones who's opinions you strongly agree with).
.. but who really knows ?
Well, I do - I think the whole point of the article was to make 'project management tools' look good, and to provide 'editorial content' that should sell more ads for their little magazine.
Lets see who they exclusively quote in the article :
- Scott Johnson, CEO of AtTask, an Orem, Utah, maker of project management tools.
- Jim Johnson from the Standish group, who are offering to sell the reader a copy of the report on which the article is based.
- Raj Kapuor, executive vice president of the Center for Project Management, a software project management consultancy and education firm in San Ramon, Calif
And thats it
By all means though, feel free to follow up on the article, and have a look at the people being quoted.
I particularly liked reading through 'The Center for Project Management' website (which I did before writing my original comment above), and I must admit that their premier product did prompt me crack a smile. If I may quote straight from their website, ie. their uniquely original "Culture Model Approach", which is a "proven and tested Project Process Architecture (PPA(TM)). CPM's principles-based, four-phase, 24-step methodology"
You don't use a bug/issue tracking system? How do you prioritize what you should be working on? Does the company you work for have several things going on at the same time? Do you do specific work for individual customers, and if so, how is this communicated?
Geez, I dunno. We have this MilStd-498 thing, and then there is this big stack of documents about DDx interop stds for Aegis development, and I think 'the company' mentioned there might be some other projects happening
We are yet to be enlightened by the Culture Model Approach, we desperately need to get some proven and tested Project Process Architecture (PPA(TM)). CPM's principles-based, four-phase, 24-step methodology happening around here SOON, or we are so obviously fucked !
I don't think "shiny/proprietary software" is the sole cause for greater project success. But, the article is dead on in explaining how tools like this can help.
I respect your opinion on that. I personally havent been exposed to the same proven and tested Project Process Architecture (PPA(TM)) that your company must be using, so I cant judge.
From your post I can only assume that: 1) You have only ever worked for bad technical managers, 2) The company you work for is small and doesn't have enough information/customers to see any benefit to having a system help you track this, or 3) You are a typical embittered software developer with a god complex who thinks the only real contribution made to your company comes from your developement team.
From YOUR post, I can only assume that :
1) You cant tell the difference between an advert and a article.
2) You dont know me at all.
Really enjoyed reading that one.
.. at all. Yes, they were all disasters.
Ive worked a number of projects (mostly defence related) that cover all the points above in spades, and they were all a joy to be part of.
And Ive worked on large projects in large organisations that do none of the above
Smaller organisations sometimes get away with it, because they have to - they dont have the meat in the budget or resources to do things 'properly'. Most of these 'survive' somehow, but not forever.
I have found one at the moment that is quite unique - tiny organisation with a tiny staff, making an absolute killing in the fuel industry. The engineering is done properly, but the software development is totally cowboy style, and 1 man to 1 project.
The only parts that are done 'right' are the pre-project analysis and the requirements gathering - which we try and get close to (an ancient) DoD 2167a standard on. Other than that, its all cowboy style. Zero consistency between developers, and each working in a skillset totally alien to the others. A simple peer review of code is therefore pointless, so there is no margin for mistakes - at all. It seems to work because the $ margins are there, and each developer is a disciplined coder and tester up to a point (of their own code only, so you can imagine what up to a point means). Despite this recipie for burnout, its also a remarkably low pressure environment, with lots of fun social activity as well. This place has to be some weird sort of exception.
One other point I have just realised in reflection - although all deadlines are driven entirely by sales, the small handful of coders here really do have final say in just about all decision making processes related to THEIR code. Even to the point of altering requirements and re-writing customer contracts to suit. There is a 2-way respect/trust thing between the managers and the staff, and the customers as well.
We also drink together outside of work - staff, management, investors and customers all party together after hours when appropriate.
Its not unusual for a customer to drop in on their way through to a another city, talk turkey with the actual developers for a while, and then head out together after work and get smashed.
Weird but good.
I find this article very annoying.
.. and conclude that things are improving, and then attribute the improvements to things like .. This awesome new, expensive, proprietary project management software.
.. excuse me, but I have NEVER seen a project that was conceived AND executed solely by any number of 'project managers', using any form of project management tools, meetings, and other justifications for their existence.
.. after 1994, an SQL engine is something tangible that you can download of the internet and get your hands dirty with the source code. Ditto with 'internet enabling' your applications - Ditto with having a real freely available and portable C compiler - ditto with having a raft of languages (perl, PHP, etc, etc) that open up new possibilities.
.. software projects are more successful. But can you simply attribute that to a small selection of expensive, proprietary project management tools ? WTF, I dont think so.
So a bunch of companies (who all sell expensive proprietary project management software) get their heads together and conduct a study on project success/failure ratios
Umm
Projects are successfully delivered by good coders with good tools, and a thorough understanding of the requirements. There have been RADICAL advances since 1994 in the way that software is built, and its these advances more than anything else that lead to successful projects.
Coincidentally, Prior to 1994, if you were working in software, you were working blindfolded with one hand tied behind your back. By 1995, this Linux thing starts gaining momentum, and very quickly we see this massive rise of open source projects in a huge number of areas. Prior to 1994, an SQL engine is some mythical binary blob that you have to purchase from Oracle or others
Suddenly, as a software coder, the blindfold is removed and you have both hands free to work. Whatever problem domain you are likely to encounter, you can easily find open source projects that have already dug very deep into that problem domain, and have code and design discussions open for general peer review.
So its no surprise that in this new and extremely fertile post-1994 world
Another thing to note is that the core developers in a lot of projects are older and wiser now. Many are well past the wrong side of 40 and still coding day and night for the sheer joy of the art. Perhaps they have also grown more politically savvy, and know how to take management speech, distill the essential elements out the mouths of managers, and then go away and do the project their own way regardless. Except this time, they know how to twist it so the 'managers' can feel like they deserve some credit for the project as well, whilst at the same time keeping them discretely out of the way - so that the project itself can move forward smoothly.
Maybe that is one benefit of shiny new project management tools - it gives the managers something to occupy their time with, so they can keep out of the way.
You start the project in the first place because you have a unique solution to a given real-world problem.
... but that would never have been apparent if it wasnt tried.
.. but at da club, its not working out that way. Thankfully, we can toss the lime green shirt and try something different, because we are non-commercial.
.. are looking at the story with their commerically-oriented-hat on. If that is you, then you shouldnt be working in science or computers - you should be out selling mobile phone ringtones, Celine Dion records, yo-yo's, insurance, timeshare condo plans, roller skates, lottery tickets, etc, etc, etc. If that is you, then you deserve to end up with the fat'n'ugly chick in the lime green shirt, simply because the advertising banners plastered all over the wall TOLD you she was the best choice.
Others may have different solutions to the same problem, and you are all free to attack it in your own way. In a totally free environment, you can determine the best solution to the problem using proof-by-mindshare.
As time moves on, the landscape changes, and some/none/all of your assumptions about the problem domain that drive your solution get challenged.
If it appears that your solution is no longer relevant, and that other methods work better in the real world, then your project can successfully conclude, and you can move on to the next big thing. In this case, OpenMosix can see that it's solution to the problem is not the ideal way to go, as evidenced by the fact that MPI, load balancers, (insert other solutions), tend to be more applicable to most real world problems
In a way, an open source software development is a test of a hypothesis. You dont measure success just by proving the hypothesis - you can also disprove it (or spawn a new one), and still claim success.
If this had been a commercial / proprietry project, then everything would be different - there would be egos and money on the line, so the motivations for doing the project in the first place are very very different. If OpenMosix was commercial, higher ups in the company would be moving the goalposts to suit themselves, spending money on advertising and kickbacks, and putting effort into forcing it into sitations where it wasnt the ideal answer. The resultant mindshare and marketshare in a commercially driven enviroment yields sub-optimal solutions - its based on which solution has the best political backing and advertising budget, not the one that best fits the problem.
See, its like this - to an opensource mindset, the hottest person in da club is the one that gets _given_ the most phone numbers. To a non-opensource mindset, the hottest person in da club is the one who can _buy_ the most phone numbers. Someone thought that the flouro lime green shirt might be a good idea
The sort of people who read the headline of the story and see it as a bad thing, a negative thing, an anti-FLOSS thing
Thank goodness open source allows a project to go from conception to conclusion for all the right reasons.
I do applaud you for sticking to your guns .. its a good thing to see. Whether I agree with your POV or not, I like the way you stand by your principles.
And I 100% agree with your closing line about sheep with shiny objects.
But I am one of the few that actually think the Sony rootkit was a GOOD THING. A stupid peice of software that only caused damage to people running Windows. I dont have a problem with viruses and malware hurting windows users, never had. In fact, I take my hat off to those that write malware.
That might make me statistically abnormal, childish, or label me as sociopathic even, but still, Im just being honest - I hate Windows, and I dont have a problem with people who write malware that affects Windows. There isnt a day that goes past in my life when I am not affected in some negative way by the mere existence of Windows. I will be happy when Windows is finally gone for good.
Whilst it wasnt anything to do with the Sony-that-makes-PS3s Sony, I still reckon SonyBMG deserve a gold star for giving Win32 malware some much needed corporate backing. If only more companies would be brave & stupid enough to follow their example.
The Australian CSIRO studied this problem about 10 years ago, at a cost of around $3million AU.
:)
.. so the commercial dealings between retailers and oil companies already take this into account.
.. but really, there is a lot of good science and logic and economics in the way of that sort of law being introduced here. Anyway - Here is to hoping that they defy logic and introduce such a law in Oz !!
(The paper with the results can be found here
http://www.aip.com.au/issues/temperature.htm
"On the basis of the CSIRO study, Federal and State Consumer Affairs Ministers decided in 1996 that the costs, both capital and ongoing, of temperature correction outweighed any potential benefits.
The extra costs involved in temperature correction would put additional upward pressure on petrol prices.
All the oil companies have in place procedures for addressing claims of fuel losses by service station operators."
However, this was based on adding temp compensation equipment to the price of each fuel bowser, which at the time cost around $2000 US to add to each fuel bowser. (A fuel bowser typically costs around $10000-20000 each), and based on the price of petrol in 1996 terms.
Given the dramatic increases in the cost of fuel, AND the newer (cheaper) technology available in fuel metering -- we might see this whole situation be reviewed in Australia, especially if this lawsuit grows legs and takes off in the US.
As it stands, petrol stations and fuel deliveries in Oz are already heavily regulated to take temperature into account whenever fuel is loaded from a road tanker into a petrol station tank
Disclaimer: My major customer is an Australian linux-loving company that makes fuel bowsers and all the electro-techno stuff that connects to them. IF a new law was introduced here that suddenly demanded Temp Compensation inside each fuel bowser, then we would all become insanely rich overnight, at the expense of the average joe consumer who would pay WAY MORE at the pump
I think that Alaska and Hawaii have regulations in place that require temp compensation metering devices in fuel bowsers though.
When I RTFAH (where H = headline), an image comes to mind of a diverse bunch of penguins standing together in the primordial swamp of the prehistoric world, watching on with a mixture of fascination and pity as the once all-powerful dinosaurs drop one by one ... bought to their knees by ever more sophisticated microbes, bacteria and viruses.
...
Yes junior, its horrible to watch, but the world is going to be a much safer place without them
The one at NCIS - Im sure Abby could work it out, if she had enough time on her own.
If I had in my possession the remains of an alien spaceship, and the bodies of the crew, would I :
.. where nobody will even friggen notice !!
a) Send the materials to the best labs available for preservation and analysis.
b) Preseve the remains of the crew for future study.
c) Provide free and open access to all the evidence.
OR
a) Hand the material over to an airforce colonel to have a touch and feel. If he declares the material to be 'Unknown', then its case closed, we can dispose of the material and declare it a mystery.
b) Order child sized coffins for the crew, and make sure they get a decent Chrishun burial. No need to keep such unnatural remains - only mad Nazi scientists would want to do something horrid like that !
c) Invent a cover story and quickly destroy all evidence, before the subhuman Bolshevik Russians get their hands on it, and use this to create terrible weapons that may threaten the very survival of the free world.
Given the way that people's brains seemed to work in 1947, the choices of how to handle the situation ring rather on the true side as opposed to wild fantasy.
Unfortunately (for us), the Aliens just picked the wrong time and place to crash their spaceship. They should have landed in Italy during the Renaissance, or maybe crash landed in Auckland NZ during a Linux.conf.au conference, or something similar.
The world has grown up a lot in the last 50 years, but knowing our luck, the next crash landing may well be in Germany at the end of July
(see http://www.fullmoon-festival.com/ for details)
Now we can start arresting people and throwing them in jail (or even executing them), based on what the models predict that they are likely to do in the near future. Anyone that resists this concept MUST have something in their future that they wish to hide, right ?
.. then surely the rules that drive the simulator would be deemed incorrect, and would be appropriately reprogrammed.
...
For the record, this sort of simulation really has its roots in the 1840's when the Prussian General Staff formallised the process of Kriegspielen to 'War Game' various plans and scenarios in advance. This involved massive quantities of paper, mathematical tables, common sense, and lots of dice.
As always, the common sense element is crucial to the accuracy of the simulation, and unfortunately, the formalisation of 'common sense' into any mathematical formula is purely subjective, and liable to be biased depending on the people who come up with the rules. What this system can only end up with is a simulation of what a bunch of Texan West Point grads, and pharmaceutical execs would like to see happen in the near future.
By the way - WHY is Eli Lilly - the makers of Prozac(tm) buying into this ?
A multi billion dollar fantasy future generator that gives the owner's the sort of answers that they want to hear !!
Just think about that - if every aggressive scenario predicted the ultimate humiliation for the US and the 'forces of good'
A better approach might be to open the 'simulation' up to users on the net from around the world, and let them each player play out the parts of whole communities, form alliances, push personal agendas, etc. Now THAT would be interesting
Not surprised by this at all.
...
There are countless stories of ancient technology where enlightened beings create things or destroy them by utilising special harmonic vibrations.
We have pyramids and whole cities being constructed in the remote jungle covered mountains of Peru by a small number of 'dwarfs' who move massive blocks of granite around using a nothing but a 'chiming rod'. (Sound being a vibration in teh audible spectra).
We have the armies of King David knocking down the walls of Jericho by blowing specific notes on the sacred horn of destruction. (Sound again being a vibration in teh audible spectra).
We have ancient Indians flying around in Vimyana airships and laying waste to massed armies with blasts of specially coded light waves. (Light being a vibration in teh visible spectra).
From ancient Inuit culture, we have heroes who can 'hummm' inaudible songs to summon a great whale from beneath the ice caps of the frozen north, and command the whale to do their bidding. (Subtonal vibrations in teh sensory spectra)
We have the ancient Malinese who claim to have built a city UNDER THE OCEAN in a single day, by banging two large fish together. (A vibration in teh olafactory spectra perhaps ?)
And the ancient Australian aboriginies, where the rainbow serpent created the mountains and the rivers and then literally sang day and night and linear time into existence. (A vibration in teh temporal spectra ?).
So why should we be surprised that vibrations in teh Microwave spectra hold the power to perform the modern alchemical trick of turning old barbie dolls and art-deco floor coverings into diesel fuel ?
Thats hardly progress - I would be impressed if they came up with a giant titanium chiming wand that could remotely construct a magnificent city on the Moon in a couple of hours, or a 100 square mile flawless pyramid of solid ruby on the surface of Mars over the space of a long weekend
I just had a quick look at the world map, and yes, it seems perfectly obvious to me that the Evil(tm) Iranian Empire is poised to launch a surprise human wave attack on Poland any day now.
....
It is essential that in the name of Freedom(tm), we must draw a line in the sand and defend the sovereignty of Poland, just like previous generations did in 1939.
Putting missiles in Eastern Europe makes perfect sense
LOL - that is ironic, and Im not sure if that was intended.
...
The photo shows a Russian made T-34/85 on the right, and an American made M4 Sherman tank on the left, in Soviet service. The Allies shipped a lot of equipment to the Soviet Union during WW2, including fighters, bombers and tanks. So the photo clearly shows US intellectual property in Soviet service.
The T-34 on the right has a German designed 'Jerry Can', which would have been knicked off someone some time prior to the photo, or did the Reds ever copy Jerry cans as well ?
The photo itself is probably post WW2 for a couple of reasons. 1) You can tell from the cut of the uniforms that it is late or post WW2. During the war, Soviet officers did not have any shoulder tabs or rank distinctions as such, since that was 'Classist'. Later in the war, they reintroduced a lot of the old fashioned bling bling to make officers feel a little more equal than the men they were commanding (all comrades are equal, but some are more equal than others).
The red flags in the photo too are a dead giveaway - they are not Soviet flags, but range flags. When a unit practices live firing on the range, they fly red flags to warn that live firing is in progress. Being well organised and safety conscious like this is another pointer that it is post WW2. During the war, there was no time for such elaborate training as an organised target practice - often tanks were driven straight out the factory and into combat by the workers themselves with zero training, and not even any paint applied.
That pic was a good find anyway
True, but because the Soviet Union didnt have a great deal of access to 'hard currency' .. they paid for much of it in steel, which was promptly sold for cash to a little start-up factory in Naples.
.. fell in love with the thing, and then watched it dissolve into rust at the first sign of rain :(
Talk to anyone that had a gorgeous little Alfa Romeo Alfasud
RIP Alfasud
Mind you, many of them survived, and they are still an awesome car to own.
Firstly, the AK-47 itself is a derivative of the excellent German Sturmgewehr MP44, which came into mass production at the end of WW2. The Mp44 used the same 7.92mm calibre round as other German weapons, but with a much shorter cartridge, since it was reasoned that most small arms combat took place at ranges under 400m, and so a huge long range charge was not required. The benefits of this were many - cheaper to make, more ammo could be carried, and the sustained rate of fire could be higher due to the lower muzzle velocity.
...
So there is a strong case for prior art, with patents (?) already held by the National Socialist Workers Party of Germany.
After this point, the AK-47 used a different manufacturing technique to greatly simplify the build compared to the MP44. However, these simplified blueprints are very very closely related to the Tokarev SVT. If you have ever stripped down an SVT, and compared this to an AK, you will see they are pretty much the same construction techniques, just in a different scale.
Secondly - I dont know if anyone can remember 'The Soviet Union', but it was a communist state based on the ideals of Marxism, geographically located to the East of Europe. Its a 20th Century thing - ancient history. The 'rights' to the AK47 lie entirely with the Soviet state. NOT Russia - but the Soviet Union, which is a different animal entirely. Unless of course Mr Putin wishes to disagree
Thirdly, being a Soviet state, the 'intellectual property' produced by that state belongs to the workers, and not just the workers who form part of the collective of that state, but all the workers of the world. The AK47 was, if you like, GPL'ed to the point where all workers of the world were free (even encouraged) to make millions of copies of the people's machine gun, and use this tool to overthrow their Fascist, Capitalist, Monarchist oppressors.
So don't pay attention to the lawyers good people - if you find yourself slaving away 60+ hours a week to make other people rich whilst you can barely put food on your table - then by all means, get together with your comrades and build yourselves some AK47's. Anyone that denies you that basic right is a Capitalist oppressor and a Fascist invader of the Motherland.
Well said, I cant agree more with that.
.. Ill leave that as an exersize to the reader.
..
But its not the first time (or the last time) that we see systematic institutional genocide. You dont have to look far from home to see examples either
And by the way - guess which modern country holds the record for the only successful systematic genocide of an entire population ? Its not Germany, its not Israel, its not the USA
An exploiter is you.
Novell may have gained many meat from this deal, but the loss of moxiousness is overwhelming. Until Novell clicks on the unequip link to the MScontract(tm) in their inventory, they will continue to suffer a permanent drain to their Moxie. No amount of practicing the accordian will ever be able to put this right.
No no no - its all good.
If a chick WANTS to have a kid on their own, they should be able to, without dragging some guy into a long term support commitment by saying 'Guess wot ? Im pregnant'.
If you want a kid together, you still can, and if she wants her own - she can, and no child support liability for a kid that you never asked for. She would only have herself to blame in this case.
Correct me if Im wrong - but isnt the NYSE one of those annoying 'Success Stories' that Microsoft advertises heavily in their online 'Linux information center' adverts ??
.. whatever next ? Next thing they will be claiming that Linux infringes on over 200 Microsoft patents or some such rubbish. Who knows what they are ingesting over there ?
Its some bulldust newspaper article from a rag called 'The Reliability Times', which announces that the stock exchange found that Windows delivers 20 times the uptime of Linux, or some such ridiculous claim ?
You have to love those adverts - I read one last week where they made the claim that Oracle runs 3 times faster on Windows that an it does on Linux
In the beginning:
When this linux-child was born, like all Spartans, he was inspected.
For the strength of the code lies only in its openness.
---oOo---
The Threat:
Microsoft Messenger:
Choose your next words carefully, Leon-ix-idas. They may be your last as king.
Linux:
You bring the skulls and crowns of conquered corporations to my desktop, you insult my queen, and you threaten my people with lawsuits and FUD! Oh, I've chosen my words carefully, Microsoft. Perhaps you should have done the same! *kick*
---oOo---
The preliminary skirmishes :
Microsoft :
Send in the SCOuts to test the strength of these Spartan defences.
Linux :
Our Unix ancestors built this wall. Using ancient stones from the bosom of Greece herself.
And with a little Spartan help, your Microsoft-sponsored SCOuts supplied the mortar.
---oOo---
The battle:
Microsoft :
A thousand lawyers of the Microsoft empire descend upon you. Our patents will blot out the sun!
Linux :
Then we will code in the shade !
---oOo---
The aftermath:
Narrator:
The world will know that freemen stood against a tyrant, that few stood against many,
and that before this battle is done, that even a god king can bleed.
Microsoft:
WTF happened ? Who threw that chair ?
According to my ex-GF, I hold the exclusive patent rights to the concept of being a complete and utter asshole.
Looks like royalty payday is coming up real fast - how dare MS step on MY patent !!
.. provided that you absolutely 100% believe that we live in a completely fair, just and equitable world.
It really just boils down to that.
If 'The System' appears to treat YOU unfairly, then why should you treat 'The System' with any level of respect in return ?
GNU / FOSS / GPL'ed software exists, because WE said it should, and WE made it happen - not because the law somehow approved of it.
The poster of this story actually works for Microsoft ?
Maybe his boss is telling him to install Office, and the poster doesnt realise that paying for licenses in this case is non-sensical ?
Whats he gonna do - report Microsoft to the BSA ?
Fair enough, but make sure that in step 3) when you write to the owners of the company, that there are alternatives such as OpenOffice, which make this whole problem go away in the first place.
...
In fact, explain how by converting the whole operation away from the Microsoft treadmill, they can prevent this whole thing from ever happening again, reduce all OS licencing costs to zero, AND slash the IT headcount dramatically by replacing the whole IT department with a small handfull of competant linux admins.
Then watch the revolution begin
AFTER that is successful, you can resign gracefully, and find another company who needs to be transformed into another Linux success story.
Im sorry, but I am just mortified by your double standards in what is in fact a pathetic attempt at whinging.
.. and yet your biggest concern is that now you are being pressured to pirate MS-Office to save money.
.. duh. But really, you completely lost the moral ground in the first place when you watched them use Excel as a Database, and stood by and did nothing about it.
You are an "IT Professional" who works in an environment where they use Excel as a database
Well, many could rightfully claim that you need to stand up and assert yourself over your beliefs here about the legality of piracy
My GOD - YOU are a programmer, an IT professional, a creative person who has the ability to make computers do things that benefit mankind. You are a modern day magician, and you deserve respect !!
Being a professional means that you DONT SIT BACK AND LET THOSE THAT RELY ON YOU DO THE WRONG THING - get some leadership into you, assert yourself, and use that respect to make changes in the process. Being a leader in your field doesnt mean giving up and looking for a new job - be willing to lock horns with people, stand your ground and prove them wrong, no matter how big and important those other people seem to be.
If that doesnt work out AFTER you have given it everything you have got (and proven them wrong), if they still dont get it, THEN you can walk away and get a new job, knowing that you tried.
Who cares if they pirate MS-Office ? So they dont want to give more money to a convicted monopolist ? Big friggen deal, get over it.
Your companies biggest IT problem is that they are living in the IT stone age - Use your skills to earn the respect you deserve, and use that respect to drag them kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
YOUR biggest problem however, seems to be that you are treating your job like some sort of popularity contest. You are appeasing people and going with the flow, in the hope that they will like you more as long as you dont rock their boat. (Incidentally - A LOT of guys still have this problem with women as well, and end up getting dumped over and over again by hot chicks that they try to please at all costs)
Well - heres an idea for you - throw your weight around a bit more, and be willing to challenge people a bit more. Surprisingly, you might even find that you make better and more meaningful friendships with the people that you once butted heads with.