I'd say if you are targeting a very specific platform, developers don't really need full admin access to do their jobs. e.g. ASP.NET development is fairly rigid and it's usually done with the whole team using the same exact tools (Visual Studio, TFS, etc). In such a regimented environment, it might be better to lock everything down. But in an agency or consultancy shop, the tool set could change with every project. I don't think IT should be on the hook for setting up random systems that will only be used for a few months or weeks before being torn down again.
At least the question about Sheridan & Delen's son was answered in the "Legions of Fire" trilogy of Babylon 5 novels by Peter David (based on an outline by JMS). That story is tied in with the events leading up to Londo and G'Kar's fate (as shown in the "War Without End" 2-parter). The novels are officially part of B5 canon, so if you want to know what happened to David, check out the books!
I'm not sure what's so wrong with asking Slashdot for this kind of info. I've bought some games online from various sources, but I don't know about every single source out there. There are some things Google just misses.
Take everybody on Slashdot who's gone on that crusade to find that one elusive game and put all of their findings in one spot - this discussion thread. Now there's one place to look for what all of these people have found out. I think that's what "Ask Slashdot" is here for.
Most "Ask Slashdot" entries can be boiled down to somebody asking us all to help them with their jobs. Maybe it's a call for opinions on some software package, or the best way to implement a firewall... basically any info we give in response may be used by somebody to make some money. How is opening a video game shop different from using "Ask Slashdot" to help with a consulting job?
Since this is an open forum, everybody else visiting the site can benefit from the info just as much, so I don't see any problem with it.
"User Friendly" is simply not intended to be read by the targets of its humor. Every comic strip has its target audience, and UF is no different. Its target audience includes tech support weenies, who deal with the frustration that their end-users present on a daily basis. We all get to expierience the "idiot user" scenario from both sides depending on our experience in a given area. Denying tech support the ability to blow off steam and share "horror stories" through some medium such as UF might make them even grumpier than usual, and that is the *last* thing any of us want. Least of all for the sake of satisfying readers who aren't even the target audience for the strip to begin with!
I like Jar Jar as well, so Harry at aint-it-cool-news is not alone. This is what Lucas has always wanted Star Wars to be about: A universe populated by muppets. I learned to accept this fact after the dance number was added to Jedi for the Special Edition. The elements that many fans think of as the coolest parts of Star Wars and Empire were probably more the result of low budget and limited technology rather than a lack of commercialism with those earlier films. The aliens were sparse, grimy, and very humanoid because there was no way back then to reasonably create a character like Jar Jar Binks. Now Lucas can do what he always wanted to... whether we like it or not, this is his vision.
To refer to another "obsession" I once had, Dr. Drew of the "Loveline" Radio Show liked to define an addiction as something that you continue to do even in the face of extreme negative consequences. Maybe that applies to Star Wars and other SF/Fantasy interests. If SW is so important to you that the rest of your life could go to hell as a result of your fandom and you would still keep at it, then maybe you've gone too far.
Then again, the loss of an SO who refuses to accept that fandom might not be considered an "extreme negative loss". Relationships require a two-way understanding of each other, right? Sometimes I think I'd rather be single than with somebody who thought I was wasting my time on such things as Trek, Comics, Programming, etc.
After all, most guys, with a "normal" obsession with NBA/NFL/NHL/MLB generally don't have to stop going to games in order to keep their girlfriends around. But even the sports freak will lose his SO if he goes too far and neglects her. What makes SW fandom immune to this same restriction? I don't think it is, or should be.
The flip-side is that geeks need to be understanding of non-geeks. There is intelligent life out there. At least, that's the theory...
So, okay, maybe I'm a geek and an addict... and I've meandered enough for this post...
Slashdot Mirror
I'd say if you are targeting a very specific platform, developers don't really need full admin access to do their jobs. e.g. ASP.NET development is fairly rigid and it's usually done with the whole team using the same exact tools (Visual Studio, TFS, etc). In such a regimented environment, it might be better to lock everything down. But in an agency or consultancy shop, the tool set could change with every project. I don't think IT should be on the hook for setting up random systems that will only be used for a few months or weeks before being torn down again.
At least the question about Sheridan & Delen's son was answered in the "Legions of Fire" trilogy of Babylon 5 novels by Peter David (based on an outline by JMS). That story is tied in with the events leading up to Londo and G'Kar's fate (as shown in the "War Without End" 2-parter). The novels are officially part of B5 canon, so if you want to know what happened to David, check out the books!
Take everybody on Slashdot who's gone on that crusade to find that one elusive game and put all of their findings in one spot - this discussion thread. Now there's one place to look for what all of these people have found out. I think that's what "Ask Slashdot" is here for.
Most "Ask Slashdot" entries can be boiled down to somebody asking us all to help them with their jobs. Maybe it's a call for opinions on some software package, or the best way to implement a firewall... basically any info we give in response may be used by somebody to make some money. How is opening a video game shop different from using "Ask Slashdot" to help with a consulting job?
Since this is an open forum, everybody else visiting the site can benefit from the info just as much, so I don't see any problem with it.
-jah!
"User Friendly" is simply not intended to be read by the targets of its humor. Every comic strip has its target audience, and UF is no different. Its target audience includes tech support weenies, who deal with the frustration that their end-users present on a daily basis. We all get to expierience the "idiot user" scenario from both sides depending on our experience in a given area. Denying tech support the ability to blow off steam and share "horror stories" through some medium such as UF might make them even grumpier than usual, and that is the *last* thing any of us want. Least of all for the sake of satisfying readers who aren't even the target audience for the strip to begin with!
I like Jar Jar as well, so Harry at aint-it-cool-news is not alone. This is what Lucas has always wanted Star Wars to be about: A universe populated by muppets. I learned to accept this fact after the dance number was added to Jedi for the Special Edition. The elements that many fans think of as the coolest parts of Star Wars and Empire were probably more the result of low budget and limited technology rather than a lack of commercialism with those earlier films. The aliens were sparse, grimy, and very humanoid because there was no way back then to reasonably create a character like Jar Jar Binks. Now Lucas can do what he always wanted to... whether we like it or not, this is his vision.
To refer to another "obsession" I once had, Dr. Drew of the "Loveline" Radio Show liked to define an addiction as something that you continue to do even in the face of extreme negative consequences. Maybe that applies to Star Wars and other SF/Fantasy interests. If SW is so important to you that the rest of your life could go to hell as a result of your fandom and you would still keep at it, then maybe you've gone too far.
Then again, the loss of an SO who refuses to accept that fandom might not be considered an "extreme negative loss". Relationships require a two-way understanding of each other, right? Sometimes I think I'd rather be single than with somebody who thought I was wasting my time on such things as Trek, Comics, Programming, etc.
After all, most guys, with a "normal" obsession with NBA/NFL/NHL/MLB generally don't have to stop going to games in order to keep their girlfriends around. But even the sports freak will lose his SO if he goes too far and neglects her. What makes SW fandom immune to this same restriction? I don't think it is, or should be.
The flip-side is that geeks need to be understanding of non-geeks. There is intelligent life out there. At least, that's the theory...
So, okay, maybe I'm a geek and an addict... and I've meandered enough for this post...