It truly is a shame that this arson^H^H^H^H^Hfire occurred. But it's like I've been saying all along, Apple just can't compute, we've burned them all along. While the iMacs were hot, Microsoft just burned them.
*ahem*
What I mean is...
-Bill Gates CEO, Microsoft
"Responsibility for my career? I'm just a freakin' phone monkey!"
I agree that April Fools is a good day for jokes, and I admit I too was fooled about the UserFriendly thing until I took a hard look at the support site.
But a primarily news site shouldn't do such a thing.
One or two April Fools stories would have been funny, but I have one problem with this one...
It started before April First.
You see, if legal trouble is brewing, and over a few days more is piled on until it closes.. well, it looks sorta real. And as a Star Wars Fan, I saw the same thing happen to a favorite site of mine, www.toysrgus.com/ when Toys R Us took umbrage to his name. It happened about the same way.
Blatant silliness such as the rioting Linuxers (which I loved, by the way) and our cookies (which is fabulous) are ggod April Fools Jokes. But to get hundreds of posters (and thousands of lurkers) upset over an overdrawn, overworked joke is frankly irresponsible.
Or is this not the reason UserFriendly is already back up?
Please Rob, we appreciate the humor, but not such alarming humor please.
"Responsibility for my career? I'm just a freakin' phone monkey!"
Well, I guess I'll post a real reply to this column, this is something I've been following closely, and I am tangentally involved in the sister project Jazilla.
Open source really made a breakthrough with Mozilla. For one point he makes is very true, and only parenthetically referred to: Gecko's engine is only 1.6 Meg. Wow! Forget bloatware, this engine is powerful. If you don't believe me, go to the site and download a nightly build.
It does things that even impress me, in an incredibly small, fast package.
But despite the obvious shuckstering, I'm getting to the point. We are seeing an upcoming big release that turns its back on the Microsoft worldview and say, "We don't need everything in this engine... Let's slim down and get some great features."
And yes, it's taken awhile to get out. But they're trying to make this as *gasp* bug free as possible.
Hooray for Mozilla, and may more developers emulate them.
"Responsibility for my career? I'm just a freakin' phone monkey!"
Okay, this is just insane. Forget even an injunction.
I'm going to spell it out.
THIS IS A SATIRICAL COMIC STRIP.
Now for the slower students... (Hi, Bill)
Satire ia just that, satire. It's humor. And to have one of our beloved web strips pulled is just crazy.
Look out Dilbert... a company might think your strip is too close to the truth and sue. Helen might be pulled because she's too neurotic, thus making Oracle or PeopleSoft feel she's a poor representative of their professionals. Puh-Leeze people, get a sense of humor already!
We know Microsoft doesn't build Death Stars. Really we do.
Give us back our strip. "Responsibility for my career? I'm just a freakin' phone monkey!"
Well, I can see Microsoft's point. Competition is bad for innovation, sure!
I mean really, look at the space race.. er, the early automobile... well, how about the PC itself...
Hmm... I think I see a pattern here.
Another analogy that would perhaps be appropriate would be the late Roman Empire. (I know it's overused, but it's my analogy)
Overextended, bloated, and corrupt it was the king of the known world. But it didn't look out for those small bands of barbarians creeping around the walls. Microsoft ^h^h^h^h^h The Romans can kill off most of them, but some will inevitably come around and place a nasty pointy stick in the emperor's chest.
(and a snide aside... Gates' testimony and email contradictory?? Say it isn't so!) "Responsibility for my career? I'm just a freakin' phone monkey!"
Wow! High tech stuff. But if you combine artificial eyes with the latest advances in laser technology, it gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "If looks could kill..."
Some puns can't be avoided.... "Responsibility for my career? I'm just a freakin' phone monkey!"
Like the original author I am replying to, I am a long time lurker, first time poster.
I would like to post a few thoughts on the hacker v. user mentality which is seeming to pervade the current long-time Linux community, and then a couple of ideas. Shoot them down as you will.
I am a recovering Microserf. I learned the MacOS, discovered there were ways of facing the world outside of Windows and, basking in the warmth of my newfound OS bilingualism, I had a friend mention the word "Linux". Naturally, I was interested.
When first I was given a copy of Redhat, it was while I was working at an ISP. As I was given it, I could have sworn there was a halo of light surrounding it, and while I couldn't swear to it, I think I heard a choir in the background. Naturally I was excited.
But then I put the disk in.
Four days later I was up and running. As most recovering Microserfs will do, my first command was "startx". The next day, after I got my Xserver to work, I did it again. And it looked like Windows 95. Cursing under my breath, I got Afterstep running. Nix another day.
Yes, this is a long post, but I'm getting to the point. I promise.
After a few weeks, and long hours of reading, I declared Linux unusable on my destop and deleted. Yet a few months ago, I needed to get a personal webserver up and running. After trying to get (laugh if you will) Microsoft products to work, and work reliably) I asked the same friend for advice. Mutely, he passed me SuSE 5.3. You know, the one that comes with 5 discs.
My eyes were opened. Flawless installation. Wonderful tools, and over 99% uptime. The choir returned, and my server is constantly wreathed in an ethereal glow. Linux is wonderful, life is good.
But, woe. My desktop still prominently says "Start" in the lower left-hand corner.
So what to do? I have a humble thought about it. Why not split Linux?
Calm down, let me explain. With Linux getting so popular, CNN, The Times, and Andy Ihnatko [1] all doing articles on it, Linux is expanding at a scientifically measured rate of "ungodly". So the usual end-user is of course intrigued. And let's face it, the average user uses their computer to write email, play solitaire, and look at smut online.
So why not make a "slimmed-down" Linux for them.
Give them a rock-solid OS. Give them lots and lots of eyecandy. But don't worry with ftpd, sendmail, or any other server setups.
In other words, wizards and themes. This will give the user time. Time to get used to Linux. Time to sit down, play solitare, get online, and say "Hey, this is great!"
And what do you know... while most users will never migrate from Linux Lite (for lack of a better name) some will learn. Some will grow out of it and order (or better yet download) the full blown distribution. Because I think everyone agrees, Linux is not for desktops, not yet. In a few years it will be, but in the meantime, Linux Lite will cover the average Joe Schmoe user. Then, as the tools are completed, and Linux has matured, we can slowly stop making the "Lite" versions, and use Linux to it's full, magnificent power.
The users will win, they're using Linux. And Linux will win, they're using Linux. And we can increase market share like you wouldn't believe.
And isn't that what it's all about? As Linus says, "Total World Domination!" --------------------------------------------
[1] Bonus points if you know who he is! "Responsibility for my career? I'm just a freakin' phone monkey!"
Slashdot Mirror
It truly is a shame that this arson^H^H^H^H^Hfire occurred. But it's like I've been saying all along, Apple just can't compute, we've burned them all along. While the iMacs were hot, Microsoft just burned them.
*ahem*
What I mean is...
-Bill Gates
CEO, Microsoft
"Responsibility for my career? I'm just a freakin' phone monkey!"
Boss says I can't have May 19th off.
Boss said this to 24 other IS people so far.
Boss will be lonely May 19th.
"Responsibility for my career? I'm just a freakin' phone monkey!"
I agree that April Fools is a good day for jokes,
and I admit I too was fooled about the UserFriendly thing until I took a hard look at the support site.
But a primarily news site shouldn't do such a thing.
One or two April Fools stories would have been funny, but I have one problem with this one...
It started before April First.
You see, if legal trouble is brewing, and over a few days more is piled on until it closes.. well, it looks sorta real. And as a Star Wars Fan, I saw the same thing happen to a favorite site of mine, www.toysrgus.com/ when Toys R Us took umbrage to his name. It happened about the same way.
Blatant silliness such as the rioting Linuxers (which I loved, by the way) and our cookies (which is fabulous) are ggod April Fools Jokes. But to get hundreds of posters (and thousands of lurkers) upset over an overdrawn, overworked joke is frankly irresponsible.
Or is this not the reason UserFriendly is already back up?
Please Rob, we appreciate the humor, but not such alarming humor please.
"Responsibility for my career? I'm just a freakin' phone monkey!"
Well, I guess I'll post a real reply to this column, this is something I've been following closely, and I am tangentally involved in the sister project Jazilla.
Open source really made a breakthrough with Mozilla. For one point he makes is very true, and only parenthetically referred to: Gecko's engine is only 1.6 Meg. Wow! Forget bloatware, this engine is powerful. If you don't believe me, go to the site and download a nightly build.
It does things that even impress me, in an incredibly small, fast package.
But despite the obvious shuckstering, I'm getting to the point. We are seeing an upcoming big release that turns its back on the Microsoft worldview and say, "We don't need everything in this engine... Let's slim down and get some great features."
And yes, it's taken awhile to get out. But they're trying to make this as *gasp* bug free as possible.
Hooray for Mozilla, and may more developers emulate them.
"Responsibility for my career? I'm just a freakin' phone monkey!"
True,
But why is there absolutely no way whatsoever to contact ANYONE associated with the support site?
"Responsibility for my career? I'm just a freakin' phone monkey!"
Okay, I was fooled....
I think Userfriendly is really down, but take a long look at this support site....
There is no way to sign up for support, but a lot of supporters. No contact information... And in news, they all refer back to Userfriendly.
Good Joke, Rob. You got me. But we still miss Userfriendly. Is there a real support site if this is real?
"Responsibility for my career? I'm just a freakin' phone monkey!"
Okay, this is just insane. Forget even an injunction.
I'm going to spell it out.
THIS IS A SATIRICAL COMIC STRIP.
Now for the slower students... (Hi, Bill)
Satire ia just that, satire. It's humor. And to have one of our beloved web strips pulled is just crazy.
Look out Dilbert... a company might think your strip is too close to the truth and sue. Helen might be pulled because she's too neurotic, thus making Oracle or PeopleSoft feel she's a poor representative of their professionals. Puh-Leeze people, get a sense of humor already!
We know Microsoft doesn't build Death Stars. Really we do.
Give us back our strip.
"Responsibility for my career? I'm just a freakin' phone monkey!"
Well, I can see Microsoft's point. Competition is bad for innovation, sure!
I mean really, look at the space race.. er, the early automobile... well, how about the PC itself...
Hmm... I think I see a pattern here.
Another analogy that would perhaps be appropriate would be the late Roman Empire. (I know it's overused, but it's my analogy)
Overextended, bloated, and corrupt it was the king of the known world. But it didn't look out for those small bands of barbarians creeping around the walls. Microsoft ^h^h^h^h^h The Romans can kill off most of them, but some will inevitably come around and place a nasty pointy stick in the emperor's chest.
(and a snide aside... Gates' testimony and email contradictory?? Say it isn't so!)
"Responsibility for my career? I'm just a freakin' phone monkey!"
Wow! High tech stuff. But if you combine artificial eyes with the latest advances in laser technology, it gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "If looks could kill..."
Some puns can't be avoided....
"Responsibility for my career? I'm just a freakin' phone monkey!"
Like the original author I am replying to, I am a long time lurker, first time poster.
I would like to post a few thoughts on the hacker v. user mentality which is seeming to pervade the current long-time Linux community, and then a couple of ideas. Shoot them down as you will.
I am a recovering Microserf. I learned the MacOS, discovered there were ways of facing the world outside of Windows and, basking in the warmth of my newfound OS bilingualism, I had a friend mention the word "Linux". Naturally, I was interested.
When first I was given a copy of Redhat, it was while I was working at an ISP. As I was given it, I could have sworn there was a halo of light surrounding it, and while I couldn't swear to it, I think I heard a choir in the background. Naturally I was excited.
But then I put the disk in.
Four days later I was up and running. As most recovering Microserfs will do, my first command was "startx". The next day, after I got my Xserver to work, I did it again. And it looked like Windows 95. Cursing under my breath, I got Afterstep running. Nix another day.
Yes, this is a long post, but I'm getting to the point. I promise.
After a few weeks, and long hours of reading, I declared Linux unusable on my destop and deleted. Yet a few months ago, I needed to get a personal webserver up and running. After trying to get (laugh if you will) Microsoft products to work, and work reliably) I asked the same friend for advice. Mutely, he passed me SuSE 5.3. You know, the one that comes with 5 discs.
My eyes were opened. Flawless installation. Wonderful tools, and over 99% uptime. The choir returned, and my server is constantly wreathed in an ethereal glow. Linux is wonderful, life is good.
But, woe. My desktop still prominently says "Start" in the lower left-hand corner.
So what to do? I have a humble thought about it. Why not split Linux?
Calm down, let me explain. With Linux getting so popular, CNN, The Times, and Andy Ihnatko [1] all doing articles on it, Linux is expanding at a scientifically measured rate of "ungodly". So the usual end-user is of course intrigued. And let's face it, the average user uses their computer to write email, play solitaire, and look at smut online.
So why not make a "slimmed-down" Linux for them.
Give them a rock-solid OS. Give them lots and lots of eyecandy. But don't worry with ftpd, sendmail, or any other server setups.
In other words, wizards and themes. This will give the user time. Time to get used to Linux. Time to sit down, play solitare, get online, and say "Hey, this is great!"
And what do you know... while most users will never migrate from Linux Lite (for lack of a better name) some will learn. Some will grow out of it and order (or better yet download) the full blown distribution. Because I think everyone agrees, Linux is not for desktops, not yet. In a few years it will be, but in the meantime, Linux Lite will cover the average Joe Schmoe user. Then, as the tools are completed, and Linux has matured, we can slowly stop making the "Lite" versions, and use Linux to it's full, magnificent power.
The users will win, they're using Linux. And Linux will win, they're using Linux. And we can increase market share like you wouldn't believe.
And isn't that what it's all about? As Linus says, "Total World Domination!"
--------------------------------------------
[1] Bonus points if you know who he is!
"Responsibility for my career? I'm just a freakin' phone monkey!"