I know this is not going to be popular with many IT technicians, but here are my two cents.
During the IT downturn of 2002, I made the decision to go back to school. I already had a two-year CIS degree from a community college and was at a decent IT job. However, being 5 years removed from high school, I decided it was time to go back to my educational roots and learn a new subject. For me, that meant focusing on what I truly like to do. That subject was finance. Sure, I like IT, but much of the IT world (except some CS majors) is mainly "This is what I do, this is how I do it verbatim", not unlike other service areas like auto mechanics, plumbers, electricians, etc. Don't take offense to this, but most jobs like that are not creative and make you feel like what you do doesn't have a purpose. But if you don't feel this way, by all means in IT you can make a decent buck.
One could argue that finance is not creative. I could agree with that, but for me, dealing with numbers is what I enjoy. In other words, it's all about you and you alone. Chasing the almighty buck will only lead you down an empty path.
Bottom line: Do what makes you feel happy and purposeful. (PS: In my case, I've taken a strong interest in finance, and strangely, law.)
As a ham and a linux/windows/blah blah blah user, there are many reasons why hams gravitate to linux:
1. Elitism - Yes, Linux users and Hams DO have something in common. 2. Technical aspects - speaks for itself 3. Cheapness - Combine used computer parts from Hamfests and free OS and you got the spirit of Ham Radio operators.
What statistics and references would you point to, in order to back everything up?
CIO: My techie's say that UNIX is the best and is backed up by the entire Slashdot community. CEO: Your telling me that you trust techie's over marketing droid's? CIO: Yes, sir. CEO: Your fired. Have a nice day.
Personally, in the Cleveland OH market, I have found that AT&T's GSM network MUCH more reliable than Sprint PCS. I recently switched and couldn't be more happy with it. As someone has already pointed out, PCS runs on 1900MHz, which is harder to penetrate through most buildings (esp. tall office buildings). This happened to me all the time...someone call my PCS phone when I'm on the 25th floor and I'd drop the call as soon as I'd answer it. However, GSM not only solved that problem by running at a lower frequency (800-900MHz), but probably has better tower placement.
Also, there are NO dropouts with the GSM service as I had with Sprint PCS.
From Reuters "An eight-foot tall condom greeted Microsoft chairman Bill Gates Thursday during a visit to an Indian city, a tribute to mark his generosity in fighting AIDS.
The world's richest man smiled when he saw the giant air-filled condom in India's rising technology hub of Hyderabad, where his company has opened its first software development center outside the United States.
The billionaire inaugurated his four-day visit to India on Monday by announcing $100 million in contributions from his charity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to spread awareness on AIDS.
India has four million people with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, making it the second largest number in the world after South Africa"
Maybe BillyG would like to send a couple of these to Taiwan:-)
I don't think so. Who modded you as interesting? No one would implement this server OS in that short of time frame. Server OS upgrades should be carefully planned, unlike how most of us upgrade our desktop OS's.
And maybe you're being too paranoid. Oh wait, you're a ham radio operator!
I totally agree that the one song at a time model would totally turn people on to the idea of purchasing music again.
My thoughts on this, though, is that we need to recreate the system on how we get music. This may not be a popular idea, but why not keep the retail eco-system alive? Create kiosks at your local music or electronic (for that matter, grocery) store that allows you to download *secure* music to the device of your choice (player, Secure Media Card, etc.) and play it on a device that can't digitally copy it. Sure, the analog loop will always be copyable. Someone will hack it. But atleast this way, you still have foot traffic in the store to entice shoppers (unlike the web) and you get to pick and choose individual songs. Paying for it would be a breeze, much like those automated checkout lines at the grocery store. Cash, CC, Checks, doesn't matter. Event tickets, ATM's, and stamp machines do this. Why not get your music this way?
According to orange, more than 1/3 of the T68s and T68i's ever sent to Orange customers have been returned at least once. Orange no longer recomend the T68 family of phones to anybody who makes 400+ minutes of calls per miniute - it's not up to the job of being a business phone.
Stop dropping the phone on the ground and surprise, the phone will work. I had a salesman try to pitch the same deal to me (T-Mobile Rep and ex-AT&T rep), and he eventually told me that most of the returns had to do with people dropping them and the SIM card would become loose. That caused the phone to fritz out. You are right about one thing, get insurance on it if you're prone to dropping it. I did.
The interface is pretty, but unfortunately the CPU and graphics chip are underpowered - the result is a strange laggy feeling where because the phone takes a fraction of a second to respond, it often leaves the user unsure as to if the button was pressed correctly... so the user ends up pressing the button again, and then fills the screen with redundant characters.
What FUD. What did you expect for a tiny phone with a 2" 256 color screen? You're not going to get the same snappy response as your video card in your computer. I'm happy with it. Sure, it lags, but I'm more happy with the fact that it has some kickin' battery life.
Here's my experience: In the US, AT&T wireless has this phone for their new GSM/GPRS network. I've had Sprint PCS before, but was unhappy with their coverage and even with their signals within coverage areas. I didn't relize how many times I had to ask people to repeat themselves because the signal would dropout for a second or two. This new service (Cleveland, OH area) is much better. Sure the coverage isn't there (yet), but there are fewer dropouts with AT&T. Suprisingly, in the car, I have yet to get a dropout while driving. I can understand the other person quite clearly, unlike Sprint.
My situation is a little different, though. I've been to school already and got a CIS associates degree. I've been working for over 2 years now at the same company that hired me within my last semester while I was attending school. Now that I'm out of school, seen the work world with degree in hand, I've decided to go back this Spring for my bachelors. Why you ask? Sure I could continue this path, certifying out the ying-yang for every MS and Cisco cert that is out there. However, unless I want to be at the same job (systems admin) for the next 40 years of my life, I need more. Frankly, there is nothing wrong with being a grunt in IT. I love being on the leading edge of technology. I think it would be even more rewarding, though, to be the one calling the shots.
I plan on working full time, taking on 2-3 classes a semester. Is it going to be hard? You betcha. Even with a full time girlfriend that requires overtime;)
Get you degree while your young. Thinking about dropping out to start the next whiz-bang company? Can it for the next 4-6 years and concentrate on school. You'll be glad you did.
I love it when people fight over how 'leet they are. CS, CIS, AS, BS whatever..... There's 2 things you'll ever need to know about the IT profession.
1) Any skills you learn in college is 80% obsolete when you graduate.
2) You better be prepared to learn for the rest of your career. Technology changes too often. I know people who got into the career just to say they are in IT. Trust me, those people should be at your local Best Buy trying to sell you stuff today.
I'm not a programmer (yes, I learned VB). My networking classes held my attention the most, so guess what I'm doing today? And with my experiences with MS's support, they shouldn't be ragged on. Of course, I am talking about corporate accounts:)
Same here on the IE and Netscape use. I was a die hard Netscape user. I didn't change because it was there, however. I changed to IE because Netscape dropped the ball and Microsoft ran with it. I can't remember how many times I would resize my Netscape browser window to watch it reload itself. That's a pain over a dialup modem. Even today, Netscape 4.X still does this and I'm still on a 26.4k dial up! (that's another story)
True, Linux distro apps are made from independent vendors, but some of those apps don't always work correctly. I can't remember which distro it was, but XBill wouldn't run! Come on, that's a killer app in Linux:)
I like Windows and Linux for both of their strengths. One day, we may have a open source OS and Apps that compete on the desktop market. Do I think that MS is a monopoly? Yes. Do I think there is a alternative in the desktop market? Not for the average consumer.
"I certainly agree about the removal of programs from windows because if you look at it like this, when windows is installed, it installs media player, internet explorer, outlook express, and possibly a few other programs without much of a choice for which program you want to you. this is especially true for pre-installed versions of windows or newbie installs where they pretty much install everything."
Would you say the same for a Linux Distro then? Personally, I enjoy Linux coming with a ton of free apps. Saves me from downloading them. If Microsoft wants to give it to you "free", why not use it? It makes it easier for the non-techie to use. Though I wouldn't advocate having Grandma using Outlook Express to open e-mails with subjects "I Love You;)"
Besides, I just got the final OEM version of XP Pro on my desktop. Hell, I like it. I think its better than Windows 2000 (or atleast it runs on my system better than Win2k did).
Your right about looking into an NTFS file system without logging in. My head was somewhere else this morning. However, as a previous poster said, the encryption is 128-bit, as long as you install the 128-bit encryption disk (if your dealing with an orginal Retail box product) or download it. I think 128 is now installed automatically after you install SP2.
Win2k & XP Pro support NTFS encryption. Sensitive files would be safe even if you mount it outside the system or with a NT boot disk. Plus, you have to log into the file system anyways for access. Still, you could reformat the HD, but the files would go with it.
I wasn't trying to program in C++ or scheming on 15 year old BBS chicks. Heck, at 15, I didn't even have a computer. I was hanging out on the local 2 meter repeaters, building odd ball electronic kits, and RadioShack was my mecha. Yeah, you could say I was the techie nerd, but I still had a social life in high school.
As for this review, I'm sorry but 15 year olds are not going to be running everything. As the current generation of teenagers get older, the more dependant on technology they will be. The computer geeks of the generation will eventually grow up and get real jobs, in which the skills they learned at a younger age will help them in college and *some* of the real world. Real world experience in any computer field still surpasses anything you will learn in college. Trust me...I'm 22 years old now, in 7 years I've graduated high school, college and got a real job. What you learn on the job (and books:) will help you on the job.
As for the 15 year old script kiddies stealing credit card numbers, they will either grow up and mature or start robbing 7-11's, take your pick.
That said, I wouldn't dare try to compare the costs of a correctly configured (ha!) Windows machine to a Linux machine in an end-user environment. Books and training alone for a corporate end-user w/ Linux at their desktop would exceed the cost of that $100 license for Windows 2000.
I've only purchased Windows once.....Win2k on the first day it came out. Why you ask? I had beta version and tested it for 4 months (burned copy from real beta tester:). I was so happy that Windows had finally gotten stable after that 9X/DOS crap, I wanted to buy it, not wait for a friend of a friend to burn me a copy. So I bought a full version and have told everyone I know that works in Windows to upgrade to it.
Don't get me wrong.... I still have have Mandrake 8.0 dual booting on my computer. I bought RH 5.2, Mandrake 6.0 and Suse 6.2 from Best Buy.
Slashdot Mirror
During the IT downturn of 2002, I made the decision to go back to school. I already had a two-year CIS degree from a community college and was at a decent IT job. However, being 5 years removed from high school, I decided it was time to go back to my educational roots and learn a new subject. For me, that meant focusing on what I truly like to do. That subject was finance. Sure, I like IT, but much of the IT world (except some CS majors) is mainly "This is what I do, this is how I do it verbatim", not unlike other service areas like auto mechanics, plumbers, electricians, etc. Don't take offense to this, but most jobs like that are not creative and make you feel like what you do doesn't have a purpose. But if you don't feel this way, by all means in IT you can make a decent buck.
One could argue that finance is not creative. I could agree with that, but for me, dealing with numbers is what I enjoy. In other words, it's all about you and you alone. Chasing the almighty buck will only lead you down an empty path.
Bottom line: Do what makes you feel happy and purposeful. (PS: In my case, I've taken a strong interest in finance, and strangely, law.)
Let's see...
The study, the first of its kind, tested the impact of radiation from base stations used for the current mobile telephone network...
That's exactly what I do everyday...I hang around cell phone towers everyday to sharpen my memory and response times!
Riiiigghht
As a ham and a linux/windows/blah blah blah user, there are many reasons why hams gravitate to linux:
1. Elitism - Yes, Linux users and Hams DO have something in common.
2. Technical aspects - speaks for itself
3. Cheapness - Combine used computer parts from Hamfests and free OS and you got the spirit of Ham Radio operators.
Good point...
Damn Caffine...
CIO: My techie's say that UNIX is the best and is backed up by the entire Slashdot community.
CEO: Your telling me that you trust techie's over marketing droid's?
CIO: Yes, sir.
CEO: Your fired. Have a nice day.
One of the other suitors for DirecTV has been Murdoch's Fox.
As stated in the story...we already know that.
Also, there are NO dropouts with the GSM service as I had with Sprint PCS.
The world's richest man smiled when he saw the giant air-filled condom in India's rising technology hub of Hyderabad, where his company has opened its first software development center outside the United States.
The billionaire inaugurated his four-day visit to India on Monday by announcing $100 million in contributions from his charity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to spread awareness on AIDS.
India has four million people with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, making it the second largest number in the world after South Africa"
Maybe BillyG would like to send a couple of these to Taiwan
And maybe you're being too paranoid. Oh wait, you're a ham radio operator!
PS, I'm a ham too
My thoughts on this, though, is that we need to recreate the system on how we get music. This may not be a popular idea, but why not keep the retail eco-system alive? Create kiosks at your local music or electronic (for that matter, grocery) store that allows you to download *secure* music to the device of your choice (player, Secure Media Card, etc.) and play it on a device that can't digitally copy it. Sure, the analog loop will always be copyable. Someone will hack it. But atleast this way, you still have foot traffic in the store to entice shoppers (unlike the web) and you get to pick and choose individual songs. Paying for it would be a breeze, much like those automated checkout lines at the grocery store. Cash, CC, Checks, doesn't matter. Event tickets, ATM's, and stamp machines do this. Why not get your music this way?
Just my
Stop dropping the phone on the ground and surprise, the phone will work. I had a salesman try to pitch the same deal to me (T-Mobile Rep and ex-AT&T rep), and he eventually told me that most of the returns had to do with people dropping them and the SIM card would become loose. That caused the phone to fritz out. You are right about one thing, get insurance on it if you're prone to dropping it. I did.
The interface is pretty, but unfortunately the CPU and graphics chip are underpowered - the result is a strange laggy feeling where because the phone takes a fraction of a second to respond, it often leaves the user unsure as to if the button was pressed correctly... so the user ends up pressing the button again, and then fills the screen with redundant characters.
What FUD. What did you expect for a tiny phone with a 2" 256 color screen? You're not going to get the same snappy response as your video card in your computer. I'm happy with it. Sure, it lags, but I'm more happy with the fact that it has some kickin' battery life.
Here's my experience: In the US, AT&T wireless has this phone for their new GSM/GPRS network. I've had Sprint PCS before, but was unhappy with their coverage and even with their signals within coverage areas. I didn't relize how many times I had to ask people to repeat themselves because the signal would dropout for a second or two. This new service (Cleveland, OH area) is much better. Sure the coverage isn't there (yet), but there are fewer dropouts with AT&T. Suprisingly, in the car, I have yet to get a dropout while driving. I can understand the other person quite clearly, unlike Sprint.
Nice SOAD Reference
I plan on working full time, taking on 2-3 classes a semester. Is it going to be hard? You betcha. Even with a full time girlfriend that requires overtime
Get you degree while your young. Thinking about dropping out to start the next whiz-bang company? Can it for the next 4-6 years and concentrate on school. You'll be glad you did.
Doesn't this story look familiar?
1) Any skills you learn in college is 80% obsolete when you graduate.
2) You better be prepared to learn for the rest of your career. Technology changes too often. I know people who got into the career just to say they are in IT. Trust me, those people should be at your local Best Buy trying to sell you stuff today.
I'm not a programmer (yes, I learned VB). My networking classes held my attention the most, so guess what I'm doing today? And with my experiences with MS's support, they shouldn't be ragged on. Of course, I am talking about corporate accounts
Same here on the IE and Netscape use. I was a die hard Netscape user. I didn't change because it was there, however. I changed to IE because Netscape dropped the ball and Microsoft ran with it. I can't remember how many times I would resize my Netscape browser window to watch it reload itself. That's a pain over a dialup modem. Even today, Netscape 4.X still does this and I'm still on a 26.4k dial up! (that's another story)
True, Linux distro apps are made from independent vendors, but some of those apps don't always work correctly. I can't remember which distro it was, but XBill wouldn't run! Come on, that's a killer app in Linux:)
I like Windows and Linux for both of their strengths. One day, we may have a open source OS and Apps that compete on the desktop market. Do I think that MS is a monopoly? Yes. Do I think there is a alternative in the desktop market? Not for the average consumer.
Would you say the same for a Linux Distro then? Personally, I enjoy Linux coming with a ton of free apps. Saves me from downloading them. If Microsoft wants to give it to you "free", why not use it? It makes it easier for the non-techie to use. Though I wouldn't advocate having Grandma using Outlook Express to open e-mails with subjects "I Love You;)"
Besides, I just got the final OEM version of XP Pro on my desktop. Hell, I like it. I think its better than Windows 2000 (or atleast it runs on my system better than Win2k did).
Your right about looking into an NTFS file system without logging in. My head was somewhere else this morning. However, as a previous poster said, the encryption is 128-bit, as long as you install the 128-bit encryption disk (if your dealing with an orginal Retail box product) or download it. I think 128 is now installed automatically after you install SP2.
Win2k & XP Pro support NTFS encryption. Sensitive files would be safe even if you mount it outside the system or with a NT boot disk. Plus, you have to log into the file system anyways for access. Still, you could reformat the HD, but the files would go with it.
I thought it was Nimda....
Could blame the spellchecker, but admin spelled backwards? Come on....
I wasn't trying to program in C++ or scheming on 15 year old BBS chicks. Heck, at 15, I didn't even have a computer. I was hanging out on the local 2 meter repeaters, building odd ball electronic kits, and RadioShack was my mecha. Yeah, you could say I was the techie nerd, but I still had a social life in high school. As for this review, I'm sorry but 15 year olds are not going to be running everything. As the current generation of teenagers get older, the more dependant on technology they will be. The computer geeks of the generation will eventually grow up and get real jobs, in which the skills they learned at a younger age will help them in college and *some* of the real world. Real world experience in any computer field still surpasses anything you will learn in college. Trust me...I'm 22 years old now, in 7 years I've graduated high school, college and got a real job. What you learn on the job (and books:) will help you on the job. As for the 15 year old script kiddies stealing credit card numbers, they will either grow up and mature or start robbing 7-11's, take your pick.
That said, I wouldn't dare try to compare the costs of a correctly configured (ha!) Windows machine to a Linux machine in an end-user environment. Books and training alone for a corporate end-user w/ Linux at their desktop would exceed the cost of that $100 license for Windows 2000. I've only purchased Windows once.....Win2k on the first day it came out. Why you ask? I had beta version and tested it for 4 months (burned copy from real beta tester:). I was so happy that Windows had finally gotten stable after that 9X/DOS crap, I wanted to buy it, not wait for a friend of a friend to burn me a copy. So I bought a full version and have told everyone I know that works in Windows to upgrade to it. Don't get me wrong.... I still have have Mandrake 8.0 dual booting on my computer. I bought RH 5.2, Mandrake 6.0 and Suse 6.2 from Best Buy.