Well, sure, that's the catch to "Free Software": the consultant fees to enable you to use it even partially productively. Of course that's a business opportunity for some, but for the rest of us it's an added expense, a time sink, and a distraction from our primary jobs.
Now, an argument often made for FOSS is that you don't have to walk on the upgrade treadmill if you don't want to. However, that's not completely true, or at least the same "step-off" opportunity is available with non-free products. Look at the grand parent poster, they're still using Office 97. If it works for them, why upgrade? Can you point to any os software from 1997 that has:
1. Even remotely the same functionality as MSO 97? 2. Hasn't undergone a major re-write to the point that there is no compatibility between the mythical 1997 sw and the current incarnation?
Now, don't get me wrong, OO is a great idea in theory. A free office suite for which you can make your own custom extensions, or re-write completely if you are so inclined, would be a very handy thing to have. However, those of us that use these things as tools want, more than anything, a stable production environment. A wholescale switch to another only partially (at best) compatible application suite with limited market penetration does not meet this criteria, no matter how modest the sums are.
If somone is smart and can learn Word perfect or open Off or m$ off, then they can easily learn another package.
That's very true, and does make for a more valuable employee in theory. However, jobs rarely advertize for someone "able to learn foo", rather for someone who knows foo now.
I have a very similar story to yours. I've played with OO/StarOffice for years, hoping that each new iteration will meet my needs.
In addition to lack of VBA support, which for me would kill/might as well start from scratch some very sophisticated spreadsheets, there's also the question of Access support. Yeah, yeah, not a real db, etc, but it works for me and I have 8 years of developed Access databases that I would have to port. Since I'm not a professional programmer, that's just not going to happen. The spreadsheets and db's I use assist me and others in my "real" job, and I can simply not dedicate the time to changing over.
I suspect that OO will forever be "almost there", much like Linux has been for the desktop these last 9 years. There's just waaaay too much legacy "applications" that are "written in" MS Office to ever switch. The real killer is Excel, as the Finance and Administrators are not going to re-do all their years of spreadsheet development.
Ok, let's say we all switch tomorrow. People like me, the people who do minor or moderate development work for themselves and their co-workers, suddenly are newbs with effectively none of their accumulated work to date. That means that we can't help the people who just throw together a quick and dirty spreadsheet for one-off use. Business grinds to a halt, there's famine and rioting in the streets, and everybody dies.
Game Over
Ok, that's over the top, but I think you get my point. OO is fine for people who don't squeeze much out of office now, but for those that do, it's starting from scratch. I could probably switch to OO's word processor without a hitch, but I'm sure there's Word Gurus who would be in the same boat as me wrt Excel and Access.
Jeez, my two year old laptop came with 512 MB of RAM, and it was only on the low-side of high end at the time. And a 9650 for the "high end"? No wonder game houses don't (generally) publish for the Mac, it's obvious that Apple isn't interested.
It didn't work. When adjusted for inflation, government revenues were neutral. Coupled with spending like a drunken sailor, that is Reagan's legacy: a crushing national debt that will eventually turn the U.S. into a third world nation economically when the dollar pops. Expect that to happen within five years of Euros becoming the defacto oil currency.
This trend was reversed somewhat during Bush I and Clinton's terms, but have roared back with a vengence under the Shrub.
There's about half a dozen stories in "The Mysterious Future", so I guess Taco hasn't taken the hint that these "stories" aren't appreciated. Weekday stories getting less than 50 comments should be a clue, but apparently not.
Look, the whole fake story to fool the gullible was pretty funny about seven years ago, but it's just annoying now. Perhaps if the fake stories had even a semblance of believability, or were even remotely funny, it might work, but a dozen or more unfunny attempts at humor just doesn't cut it.
The good news is that we won't have an April 1st on a weekday again until 2008, so that's 3 years until this drudgery repeats itself.
That is one creepy commercial, with a strong undertone of the inevitability of death with television "helping" you in, nay being an integral part of, your journey through life.
I'm not sure how many people it will inspire to shell out for a dish, but it's one of the most depressing commercials I've seen.
Well, at least one person understands. I've re-read my post several times, and I suppose I can see how someone could misconstrue it as a troll. I forgot how sensitive Linux and Mac fanboys can be, looking for insult and innuendo in even well-intentioned comments. Oh well,/.ers aren't known for their subtlety, so I suppose when they suspect subtlety they overreact.
How exactly did I put my foot in my mouth? By giving kudos to Linus for running Linux on a Mac? Apparently I did not take into account the insecurity of the Mac and/or Linux fanboys, and my congratulations were read other than their intent. Perhaps "no sarcasm intended" tags would have helped.
I did read the article, and I know that he's running Linux on it, and thus my congratulations. I'm not sure why I'm marked as troll, save by people like you who think I was being sarcastic, or perhaps by Mac fanboys. Touchy group in either case.
Would RF remotes really have been a better solution? If you used RF, you would have to worry about interferrence from a much longer distance, not to mention someone hi-jacking the controls from an out of sight position.
Antec does make some very nice looking, and well-thought out, cases. I just built a PC using the Aria cube case, and considering it's a small case using a micro-ATX board, it was realtively hassle-free. I've had more difficulty with some full-size cases.
One nice feature of the Aria that some posters have complained about in other cases is that the Optical drive bay has an integrated face plate. Thus, you can get any DVD/CD/+-RW etc and not spoil the front appearance of the case. Of course, when the OD is extended you'll see the front of the tray, so I still went with a "near-match" black, but when closed it's solid Aria piano black. Very nice.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, sure, that's the catch to "Free Software": the consultant fees to enable you to use it even partially productively. Of course that's a business opportunity for some, but for the rest of us it's an added expense, a time sink, and a distraction from our primary jobs.
Now, an argument often made for FOSS is that you don't have to walk on the upgrade treadmill if you don't want to. However, that's not completely true, or at least the same "step-off" opportunity is available with non-free products. Look at the grand parent poster, they're still using Office 97. If it works for them, why upgrade? Can you point to any os software from 1997 that has:
1. Even remotely the same functionality as MSO 97?
2. Hasn't undergone a major re-write to the point that there is no compatibility between the mythical 1997 sw and the current incarnation?
Now, don't get me wrong, OO is a great idea in theory. A free office suite for which you can make your own custom extensions, or re-write completely if you are so inclined, would be a very handy thing to have. However, those of us that use these things as tools want, more than anything, a stable production environment. A wholescale switch to another only partially (at best) compatible application suite with limited market penetration does not meet this criteria, no matter how modest the sums are.
That's very true, and does make for a more valuable employee in theory. However, jobs rarely advertize for someone "able to learn foo", rather for someone who knows foo now.
I have a very similar story to yours. I've played with OO/StarOffice for years, hoping that each new iteration will meet my needs.
In addition to lack of VBA support, which for me would kill/might as well start from scratch some very sophisticated spreadsheets, there's also the question of Access support. Yeah, yeah, not a real db, etc, but it works for me and I have 8 years of developed Access databases that I would have to port. Since I'm not a professional programmer, that's just not going to happen. The spreadsheets and db's I use assist me and others in my "real" job, and I can simply not dedicate the time to changing over.
I suspect that OO will forever be "almost there", much like Linux has been for the desktop these last 9 years. There's just waaaay too much legacy "applications" that are "written in" MS Office to ever switch. The real killer is Excel, as the Finance and Administrators are not going to re-do all their years of spreadsheet development.
Ok, let's say we all switch tomorrow. People like me, the people who do minor or moderate development work for themselves and their co-workers, suddenly are newbs with effectively none of their accumulated work to date. That means that we can't help the people who just throw together a quick and dirty spreadsheet for one-off use. Business grinds to a halt, there's famine and rioting in the streets, and everybody dies.
Game Over
Ok, that's over the top, but I think you get my point. OO is fine for people who don't squeeze much out of office now, but for those that do, it's starting from scratch. I could probably switch to OO's word processor without a hitch, but I'm sure there's Word Gurus who would be in the same boat as me wrt Excel and Access.
It looks like the PT Cruiser version of an Apollo capsule; slick stylings with a Geo Metro frame.
That should be "GNU/Pope", thank you very much.
Jeez, my two year old laptop came with 512 MB of RAM, and it was only on the low-side of high end at the time. And a 9650 for the "high end"? No wonder game houses don't (generally) publish for the Mac, it's obvious that Apple isn't interested.
Kirk: Bones, what is wrong with this story?
McCoy: It's for a cause that instills at best indifference and at worst hostility in the readership.
Kirk: Can you fix it?
McCoy: Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor not an editor.
{slight pause}
McCoy: Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor not an editor.
The term I've heard use is MAN: Metropolitan Area Network.
I think the prospect of a MAN party could be wildly successful, just not in the same way as a LAN party.
The really surprising thing is that they released the source code, and here it is:
/d/s/e/c/f/h/k/y
xcopy *.* "x:\"
It didn't work. When adjusted for inflation, government revenues were neutral. Coupled with spending like a drunken sailor, that is Reagan's legacy: a crushing national debt that will eventually turn the U.S. into a third world nation economically when the dollar pops. Expect that to happen within five years of Euros becoming the defacto oil currency.
This trend was reversed somewhat during Bush I and Clinton's terms, but have roared back with a vengence under the Shrub.
I read the headline as meaning that the drug crack was found in the shuttle tank.
It certainly would have explained alot, given NASA's misteps for last, oh, 30 years or so.
There's about half a dozen stories in "The Mysterious Future", so I guess Taco hasn't taken the hint that these "stories" aren't appreciated. Weekday stories getting less than 50 comments should be a clue, but apparently not.
Look, the whole fake story to fool the gullible was pretty funny about seven years ago, but it's just annoying now. Perhaps if the fake stories had even a semblance of believability, or were even remotely funny, it might work, but a dozen or more unfunny attempts at humor just doesn't cut it.
The good news is that we won't have an April 1st on a weekday again until 2008, so that's 3 years until this drudgery repeats itself.
Or perhaps:
Eat differently
That is one creepy commercial, with a strong undertone of the inevitability of death with television "helping" you in, nay being an integral part of, your journey through life.
I'm not sure how many people it will inspire to shell out for a dish, but it's one of the most depressing commercials I've seen.
Type?!? You were a spoiled child. We had to make punchcards with a dull butter knife.
Apple (like any sensible company) didn't provide it out of clean UI design.
So it's not crippled functionality, it's a feature!
Hmm, I didn't know that was up for debate, but you're right, I suppose, there may be some /.ers who are known for their subtlety. ...
You aren't one of them, though.
Well, at least one person understands. I've re-read my post several times, and I suppose I can see how someone could misconstrue it as a troll. I forgot how sensitive Linux and Mac fanboys can be, looking for insult and innuendo in even well-intentioned comments. Oh well, /.ers aren't known for their subtlety, so I suppose when they suspect subtlety they overreact.
How exactly did I put my foot in my mouth? By giving kudos to Linus for running Linux on a Mac? Apparently I did not take into account the insecurity of the Mac and/or Linux fanboys, and my congratulations were read other than their intent. Perhaps "no sarcasm intended" tags would have helped.
Perhaps you should RTFP.
I did read the article, and I know that he's running Linux on it, and thus my congratulations. I'm not sure why I'm marked as troll, save by people like you who think I was being sarcastic, or perhaps by Mac fanboys. Touchy group in either case.
I applaud you, Mr. Torvalds, for showing such faith and belief in your Linux product. Kudos to you, sir! An inspiration for the rest of us!
How about Bruce Campbell? They could hit two fanbases in one stroke by camping it up and calling it "Army of Tron". Imagine the lines:
"I only came here to kick ass and ride lightcycles, and I'm all out of lightcycles."
etc
Would RF remotes really have been a better solution? If you used RF, you would have to worry about interferrence from a much longer distance, not to mention someone hi-jacking the controls from an out of sight position.
Antec does make some very nice looking, and well-thought out, cases. I just built a PC using the Aria cube case, and considering it's a small case using a micro-ATX board, it was realtively hassle-free. I've had more difficulty with some full-size cases.
One nice feature of the Aria that some posters have complained about in other cases is that the Optical drive bay has an integrated face plate. Thus, you can get any DVD/CD/+-RW etc and not spoil the front appearance of the case. Of course, when the OD is extended you'll see the front of the tray, so I still went with a "near-match" black, but when closed it's solid Aria piano black. Very nice.