What Linux user wouldn't rather recieve their PC completely blank? There is no "one master Linux distro", and part of the appeal of Linux is that you have so many choices. Rather than trying to pre-load distro X (when your users probably prefer distros Y or Z just as often), computer manufacturers should just leave them blank, maybe with an "all this hardware has been used successfully under Linux - YMMV".
Well, since the dispute was about weather or not the new XFree86 licens was GPL-compatable, and NetBSD isn't under the GPL, you wouldn't expect them to have a problem.
Holy crap! They said 1 in 20!?! That's insane! Either that University has the most computer-savvy population ever or they're using a disproportionate number of non-Windows machines (which would probably indicate the first option anyway, now that I think about it).
I would say that the 20% number is way lower than what you'd find on cross-section of average home users' computers. I'll bet that they only came up with 20% because:
University students and staff are probably more computer-savvy than the general population.
They were only searching for four of the who-knows-how-many spyware programs out there.
If you're running Windows, you should have Spybot Search and Destroy and Ad-Aware. Not to mention a virus scanner and firewall. And run Windows Update for goodness' sake!
Just more proof that Windows isn't ready for the average user yet. (Sorry, had to get a cheap jibe in there.:-)
If he did that, Microsoft really would have a case against him. Nobody's going to confuse microsoft with mikerowesoft, but buttheadedsoftwarearchitect is getting a bit too close.
There are Jabber clients for just about everything, and you can set up a server that has gateways to the other networks if you are technically inclined.
"Open-source database company MySQL continues to add capabilities common to commercial database software as it tries to shake up the multibillion-dollar market."
How about adding the word "other" in front of the word "commercial", CNET? MySQL is a commercial database. I hate it when people try to contrast "open source" software with "commercial" software. A lot of open-source software is commercial software. Open-source software should be contrasted to proprietary software, if you're looking for something to contrast it with.
Oh, and MySQL still doesn't do anything better than PostgreSQL does except Windows.:-P <begin flame war>
Is this a university rule? Clarification, please. It might be legal to post those files as you described as a fair use (thus making your question pointless) and it might be a school rule (also making your question kinda pointless because we don't know your school).
Give her Mozilla. It makes the links clickable, picture attachments show up at the end, and font size is configurable. That way, every e-mail she gets will be readable - not just yours.
If you just have to have your pictures embedded in your text, use some other delivery system, like http.
There are lots of client programs for PostgreSQL that run on Windows. Hell, even Access is one of them (though not recommended). My favorite is PgAdmin.
With PHPPgAdmin, any platform with a web browser can interface with PostgreSQL. I don't think client platforms would be a problem.
Now, if the server is running Windows, well... how about not running Windows on your database server. Really, why would you want Windows on your class' database server?
If your IT guys won't let you bring in a little Linux box for the class (and universities throw away computers every day that would suffice), you can always run the CygWin version. It's not recommended for serious tasks, but it will still be a hell of a lot more stable than Access.
Access has an SQL engine in it (not the best, but hey). I don't understand the SQL vs. Access question. You could teach someone SQL using Access.
Realistically, there are much better dialects of SQL than the Microsoft ones. No need to start them off with the bad habits Microsoft encourages. PostgreSQL has one of the most ANSI-SQL compliant parsers, and it's free. I see no good reason to pay extra to get an inferior product.
Really, Access is more of a database client creation toolkit with a poor-man's database tacked on. It does some things quite well, but it's somewhat crippled to only work well with Microsoft products.
I get the jibblies just thinking about a bunch of first-year students "learning" that relational database == MSAccess.
Putting pre-ripped tracks on the CD is a good idea, but adding "features" that prevent (some) users from ripping the normal tracks will surely have bad side-effects. Weather it's auto-play tomfoolery or altered error-correction data, I'm sure that Sony will piss off more customers with its anti-ripping tech than they will make happy with the "extra features". They should go ahead and put DRMed tracks on the CD to keep the lazy users from ripping, but if the user really wants a high-quality rip that they can play where and how they want, they'll get it. Making them jump through hoops will only increase ill will.
I use Vonage, and it rocks. It has nothing to do with your computer - you just plug it into your gateway and go. No one will ever know that you're using VoIP if you don't tell them. They have business plans that include a fax line. I haven't had POTS for a long time.
Seriously though, I'm sure that a lot of people think the way this guy thinks. It's an easy mistake to make, especially if you look at software as being analogous to physical property. The analogy breaks down pretty quickly if you look at it. I like to use the example of the "magic hammer".
If I attach a rock to the end of a stick to make a real-life hammer, and I give it to you, now I don't have a hammer anymore. With software, I can sell the hammer to you, and I still somehow have an identical hammer (that's how Microsoft makes the big bucks). With open source software, I give you the hammer with instructions on how to make it. I haven't really lost anything by giving you the hammer - I still have my copy, and copying it took about 3 seconds. You are encouraged to share the hammer with your friends (and you don't loose anything by doing so either). You can also make improvements to the hammer. Only an enterprising few will do this, but the effect is cumulative. When someone forges a brass head for the hammer, poof! Everyone's hammers are now better. Steel head? Poof! Claw on the back for pulling nails? Poof! It doesn't take long before everybody has a really good hammer.
Well, I'm preaching to the choir here, so I'll stop. The only outrageous thing about this article is that this guy somehow became the "manager of technology strategy and outreach at Princeton University" without learning how open source software works. He should catch a clue. Personally, I don't think that the Open Source model is right for all types of programs, but there is a wide swath of IT purposes where it can't be touched by closed source.
Placebos may make some people feel better, but I'm not going to start taking sugar pills if I get sick.
Religion is a psychological crutch to a large percentage of the world, but I think they'd be better off if they gave it up. Not that I'm advocating a cold-turkey approach.
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What Linux user wouldn't rather recieve their PC completely blank? There is no "one master Linux distro", and part of the appeal of Linux is that you have so many choices. Rather than trying to pre-load distro X (when your users probably prefer distros Y or Z just as often), computer manufacturers should just leave them blank, maybe with an "all this hardware has been used successfully under Linux - YMMV".
Well, since the dispute was about weather or not the new XFree86 licens was GPL-compatable, and NetBSD isn't under the GPL, you wouldn't expect them to have a problem.
Holy crap! They said 1 in 20!?! That's insane! Either that University has the most computer-savvy population ever or they're using a disproportionate number of non-Windows machines (which would probably indicate the first option anyway, now that I think about it).
- University students and staff are probably more computer-savvy than the general population.
- They were only searching for four of the who-knows-how-many spyware programs out there.
If you're running Windows, you should have Spybot Search and Destroy and Ad-Aware. Not to mention a virus scanner and firewall. And run Windows Update for goodness' sake! Just more proof that Windows isn't ready for the average user yet. (Sorry, had to get a cheap jibe in there.The simple, conspiracy-free answer to this riddle is that MSN just has a crappy search engine that DOES return porn sites when you search for XFree86.
It's been about 7 years since I've had a reason to use Gopher (a couple local colleges used it).
Not only that, but why should games our great-great-great grandparents played be subject to patents just because they're played on a computer?
"Hmm... I can't patent dice, but I can patent dice on a computer!"
If he did that, Microsoft really would have a case against him. Nobody's going to confuse microsoft with mikerowesoft, but buttheadedsoftwarearchitect is getting a bit too close.
Spoken like a true evil top-poster. :-P
Not just Windows server, but Win2K Pro and WinXP Pro as well.
There are Jabber clients for just about everything, and you can set up a server that has gateways to the other networks if you are technically inclined.
The lead-in paragraph:
"Open-source database company MySQL continues to add capabilities common to commercial database software as it tries to shake up the multibillion-dollar market."
How about adding the word "other" in front of the word "commercial", CNET? MySQL is a commercial database. I hate it when people try to contrast "open source" software with "commercial" software. A lot of open-source software is commercial software. Open-source software should be contrasted to proprietary software, if you're looking for something to contrast it with.
Oh, and MySQL still doesn't do anything better than PostgreSQL does except Windows. :-P <begin flame war>
Is this a university rule? Clarification, please. It might be legal to post those files as you described as a fair use (thus making your question pointless) and it might be a school rule (also making your question kinda pointless because we don't know your school).
Stallone: "Hold it! The Schwarzenegger Library?"
Bullock: "Yes, the Schwarzenegger Presidential Library. Wasn't he an actor?"
Stallone: "Stop! He was President?"
Bullock: "Yes. Even though he was not born in this country, his popularity at the time caused the 61st Amendment..."
Give her Mozilla. It makes the links clickable, picture attachments show up at the end, and font size is configurable. That way, every e-mail she gets will be readable - not just yours.
If you just have to have your pictures embedded in your text, use some other delivery system, like http.
There are lots of client programs for PostgreSQL that run on Windows. Hell, even Access is one of them (though not recommended). My favorite is PgAdmin.
With PHPPgAdmin, any platform with a web browser can interface with PostgreSQL. I don't think client platforms would be a problem.
Now, if the server is running Windows, well... how about not running Windows on your database server. Really, why would you want Windows on your class' database server?
If your IT guys won't let you bring in a little Linux box for the class (and universities throw away computers every day that would suffice), you can always run the CygWin version. It's not recommended for serious tasks, but it will still be a hell of a lot more stable than Access.
Access has an SQL engine in it (not the best, but hey). I don't understand the SQL vs. Access question. You could teach someone SQL using Access.
Realistically, there are much better dialects of SQL than the Microsoft ones. No need to start them off with the bad habits Microsoft encourages. PostgreSQL has one of the most ANSI-SQL compliant parsers, and it's free. I see no good reason to pay extra to get an inferior product.
Really, Access is more of a database client creation toolkit with a poor-man's database tacked on. It does some things quite well, but it's somewhat crippled to only work well with Microsoft products.
I get the jibblies just thinking about a bunch of first-year students "learning" that relational database == MSAccess.
...if they used Multi-version concurrency control, like PostgreSQL has. Maybe they're using MySQL. ;-)
You may now begin your flame war.
Putting pre-ripped tracks on the CD is a good idea, but adding "features" that prevent (some) users from ripping the normal tracks will surely have bad side-effects. Weather it's auto-play tomfoolery or altered error-correction data, I'm sure that Sony will piss off more customers with its anti-ripping tech than they will make happy with the "extra features". They should go ahead and put DRMed tracks on the CD to keep the lazy users from ripping, but if the user really wants a high-quality rip that they can play where and how they want, they'll get it. Making them jump through hoops will only increase ill will.
I use Vonage, and it rocks. It has nothing to do with your computer - you just plug it into your gateway and go. No one will ever know that you're using VoIP if you don't tell them. They have business plans that include a fax line. I haven't had POTS for a long time.
Biggest. Troll. Ever.
Seriously though, I'm sure that a lot of people think the way this guy thinks. It's an easy mistake to make, especially if you look at software as being analogous to physical property. The analogy breaks down pretty quickly if you look at it. I like to use the example of the "magic hammer".
If I attach a rock to the end of a stick to make a real-life hammer, and I give it to you, now I don't have a hammer anymore. With software, I can sell the hammer to you, and I still somehow have an identical hammer (that's how Microsoft makes the big bucks). With open source software, I give you the hammer with instructions on how to make it. I haven't really lost anything by giving you the hammer - I still have my copy, and copying it took about 3 seconds. You are encouraged to share the hammer with your friends (and you don't loose anything by doing so either). You can also make improvements to the hammer. Only an enterprising few will do this, but the effect is cumulative. When someone forges a brass head for the hammer, poof! Everyone's hammers are now better. Steel head? Poof! Claw on the back for pulling nails? Poof! It doesn't take long before everybody has a really good hammer.
Well, I'm preaching to the choir here, so I'll stop. The only outrageous thing about this article is that this guy somehow became the "manager of technology strategy and outreach at Princeton University" without learning how open source software works. He should catch a clue. Personally, I don't think that the Open Source model is right for all types of programs, but there is a wide swath of IT purposes where it can't be touched by closed source.
Here's the beta version: http://website-beta.mozilla.org/
Yay! The article on tabs is particularly delicious.
Placebos may make some people feel better, but I'm not going to start taking sugar pills if I get sick.
Religion is a psychological crutch to a large percentage of the world, but I think they'd be better off if they gave it up. Not that I'm advocating a cold-turkey approach.
"Thou shalt not look to see if I am actually here." -God
Damn heathens.