Yeah, my father works there. NS employs a lot of people in Maine, and they could all lose their jobs because the faceless, brainless execs on the west coast wanted to play empire and try to compete in areas in which they were not competent to compete.
My last two years in college I was the sysadmin for the CS dept (on a Burger King wage, I might add). I'm glad for the experience since I learned an incredible amount and it looks nifty on my resume, but there is no way in Helsinki I am ever going to take another sysadmin job. Stress, abuse, dull maintainence tasks, being blamed for everything by everybody, having tasks dumped on you when someone just doesn't feel like doing it; TRUST ME: being a programmer is much more fun.
I'm not a big fan of Albert Gore's, and I take great delight in bashing him for his gaffes (in the same way Dan Quayle was bashed for four years by people who are whining about the Gore jokes now), but I'm worried that Slashdot is going to turn into a constant political flamewar as the primaries and election approaches. Maybe we ought to avoid political articles like this, whether they are Pro/Con Reps/Dems it just leads to a bunch of angry bickering that distracts from the true purpose of the site. Just my 2 cents...
Unfortunately for your argument, most people can still use linux without Gnome or KDE or Netscape or StarOffice or Quake, etc... Go home now and delete all of the GNU utilities, and then try to use Linux.
Try using Linux without X-Windows, doable but a first class pain. Should we then call Linux X/Linux or X/GNU/Linux? There's a project going on to create perl scripts that could be used to replace all the command line executables. If it succeeds should we then rename Linux to Perl/Linux?
My problems with the GNU/Linux label are as follows:
1) Linux is not a GNU/FSF project. Linus created the kernel and should get full credit.
2) GNU/Linux is an unwieldy name, Linux is much shorter and pithier.
3) The GNU part of the name describes command line tools and not the actual operating system.
4) The name GNU/Linux is not future-proof because the GNU-written tools may eventually be replaced by others (like the Perl project).
I don't mind saying GNU/Linux because Debian is GNU/Linux, and that's what I use.
You can and should call it whatever you want. I will continue to call it Linux.
As I understand it, the animal gnu (which looks like a yak) is pronounced "noo", while the RMS project (which doesn't look like a yak at all, but includes yak, a lexical analyzer) is pronounced "gah-noo".
If I'm wrong, I'm sure someone here will correct me.
If we're going to prepend names to Linux based on useful applications, why not call it Gnome/Linux and KDE/Linux? Or Netscape/Linux? Or StarOffice/Linux? Wait, let's list them all! It is now called GNU/Gnome/KDE/Netscape/StarOffice/Quake/Linux. Nice and pithy, huh?
Seriously, let's just keep the name as Linux, and not add two needless syllables (Gah-Noo) in order to massage RMS's already huge ego. The next thing you know, people will start lobbying to rename the Internet to Gore/Internet...
We're running out of good domain names for linux sites. Good names like linuxworld.com and linuxplanet.com are all taken, so pretty soon sites like linuxbarn.com, linuxwoodshack.com, and linuxphonebooth.com will start popping up. I've actually thought of a really good name that hasn't been taken, but my lips are sealed until I register the dang thing.
I withdraw my question. Suffice it to say that we disagree with regards to Mr. Kevorkian. A detailed discussion of that issue is a bit offtopic, however, so let's agree to disagree.
2) He did the Right Thing even though it was against the law and he knew he risked being punished by the government for it.
Could you explain this please? I'm not exactly sure to what you are referring. My understanding is that Mitnik illegally broke in to various computer systems to steal credit card numbers and other private data. Is my understanding correct? If so, how does this constitute "the right thing"?
I never said Mitnick was being treated fairly, I just said that he is:
a) a criminal
b) not a hero
The fact that he may also be:
c) a victim of excessive prosecutorial zeal
is not one I am contesting. But I object to the trend of making a hero out of this criminal. Mitnik knowingly broke the law and should be scourned, not worshiped.
-Eric
Mitnick is not a Hero, he's a Criminal - so what?
on
Kevin Mitnick Speaks
·
· Score: 1
Cool. Not only are you a software engineer you are a Judge, Jury and executioner!
After all, you?ve made up your mind about all of this and it doesn?t appear that you?re open to the discussion of facts.
It must suck to be 20-something and stuck in New Hampshire with a closed mind.
Gosh, Jack, I'm just glad you aren't trying to make this personal . If you disagree with my point of view, argue with me based on the facts. Whatever you think, my mind is open to reasonable arguments (in the past few years, my views on the death penalty and gun control have both changed 180 degrees, so it's not like I've never changed my mind).
On the other hand, maybe you aren't interested in open and honest discussion. Maybe you just want to take snide potshots at anyone who disagrees with you on anything. If that's the case, then you're doing a good job.
Mr. Clinton did nothing different than just about every other american president, lying under oath, having extra-marital sex, etc.
Name three other American presidents in history who lied under oath. And even if other presidents got away with it, bad precident is no excuse to continue making mistakes. Of course, the impeachment trial is over and the mistake has already been made, but this is a bit off-topic...
Mitnick's sentence would be better served if he were to write a paper describing how he performed the crimes itself for the betterment of security in general. Then, he, and the law, would be serving those would were done harm, instead of putting a geek in the same room as 3 or 4 "lifers".
I will concede that Mitnick may have been punished too harshly, and the system may have treated him unfairly. This does not make him a hero, however, merely a victim. Let's stop lionizing criminals because we like their politics.
I could just see someone like you shouting "the anglican faith is the only faith, because it is the law, of course".
I haven't the faintest idea what you mean by this comment. I am not an Anglican, and the Anglican faith is not "the law", at least not in America (I'm American, not British, a fact for which I am most thankful). And I couldn't begin to guess what you mean by "people like you". Remember, there are three types of people: people who can count, and people who can't.
Mitnik broke the law and stole credit card numbers and other things from computer systems. He is a criminal, not a hero. Why must people let politics turn criminals into heroes and ignore the law? Cases in point: Jack Kavorkian and Bill Clinton. Here's a thought: let's start enforcing the law equally in this country and leave politics out of the process. A radical idea, I know...
There is no RMS, this is all another APRIL FOOLS joke!!! Open your eyes and smell the C++ (or Java, if you prefer), everything posted today is a rotten, stinking HOAX!!!
Since Rob has been messing around with the interface, he should have picked this day to reveal "Slashdot's New Look", which would have included a hideous display and an almost unusable interface. Oh, and all the banner ads would have been changed to Microsoft advertisements.
Btw, is any article posted today going to be remotely true, or is it going to be bad April Fools jokes all day long?
No matter how credible the article, everyone's going to cry APRIL FOOlS. Announce linux kernel 2.2.6 and you'll get a slew of APRIL FOOLS responses. Aren't people paranoid these days...:-)
...like Linus signing on at Microsoft, or deciding to change the Linux kernel license from GPL to QPL, or Commander Taco announcing that he's going to end slashdot so he can spend his time working on an iMac fan site.
Slashdot Mirror
Yeah, my father works there. NS employs a lot of people in Maine, and they could all lose their jobs because the faceless, brainless execs on the west coast wanted to play empire and try to compete in areas in which they were not competent to compete.
-Eric
My last two years in college I was the sysadmin for the CS dept (on a Burger King wage, I might add). I'm glad for the experience since I learned an incredible amount and it looks nifty on my resume, but there is no way in Helsinki I am ever going to take another sysadmin job. Stress, abuse, dull maintainence tasks, being blamed for everything by everybody, having tasks dumped on you when someone just doesn't feel like doing it; TRUST ME: being a programmer is much more fun.
-Eric
I'm not a big fan of Albert Gore's, and I take great delight in bashing him for his gaffes (in the same way Dan Quayle was bashed for four years by people who are whining about the Gore jokes now), but I'm worried that Slashdot is going to turn into a constant political flamewar as the primaries and election approaches. Maybe we ought to avoid political articles like this, whether they are Pro/Con Reps/Dems it just leads to a bunch of angry bickering that distracts from the true purpose of the site. Just my 2 cents...
-GNU/Eric
Actually the GNU version is called bison. And the original (AT&T) version is spelled yacc (for 'yet another compiler compiler').
I stand corrected...
-GNU/ERIC (Eric Really Is Cool)
Unfortunately for your argument, most people can still use linux without Gnome or KDE or Netscape or StarOffice or Quake, etc... Go home now and delete all of the GNU utilities, and then try to use Linux.
Try using Linux without X-Windows, doable but a first class pain. Should we then call Linux X/Linux or X/GNU/Linux? There's a project going on to create perl scripts that could be used to replace all the command line executables. If it succeeds should we then rename Linux to Perl/Linux?
My problems with the GNU/Linux label are as follows:
1) Linux is not a GNU/FSF project. Linus created the kernel and should get full credit.
2) GNU/Linux is an unwieldy name, Linux is much shorter and pithier.
3) The GNU part of the name describes command line tools and not the actual operating system.
4) The name GNU/Linux is not future-proof because the GNU-written tools may eventually be replaced by others (like the Perl project).
I don't mind saying GNU/Linux because Debian is GNU/Linux, and that's what I use.
You can and should call it whatever you want. I will continue to call it Linux.
-GNU/Gore/Eric
As I understand it, the animal gnu (which looks like a yak) is pronounced "noo", while the RMS project (which doesn't look like a yak at all, but includes yak, a lexical analyzer) is pronounced "gah-noo".
If I'm wrong, I'm sure someone here will correct me.
-Eric
If we're going to prepend names to Linux based on useful applications, why not call it Gnome/Linux and KDE/Linux? Or Netscape/Linux? Or StarOffice/Linux? Wait, let's list them all! It is now called GNU/Gnome/KDE/Netscape/StarOffice/Quake/Linux. Nice and pithy, huh?
Seriously, let's just keep the name as Linux, and not add two needless syllables (Gah-Noo) in order to massage RMS's already huge ego. The next thing you know, people will start lobbying to rename the Internet to Gore/Internet...
-GNU/Eric
We're running out of good domain names for linux sites. Good names like linuxworld.com and linuxplanet.com are all taken, so pretty soon sites like linuxbarn.com, linuxwoodshack.com, and linuxphonebooth.com will start popping up. I've actually thought of a really good name that hasn't been taken, but my lips are sealed until I register the dang thing.
-Eric
'nuff said
I withdraw my question. Suffice it to say that we disagree with regards to Mr. Kevorkian. A detailed discussion of that issue is a bit offtopic, however, so let's agree to disagree.
-Eric
1) He did the Right Thing.
AND
2) He did the Right Thing even though it was against the law and he knew he risked being punished by the government for it.
Could you explain this please? I'm not exactly sure to what you are referring. My understanding is that Mitnik illegally broke in to various computer systems to steal credit card numbers and other private data. Is my understanding correct? If so, how does this constitute "the right thing"?
-Eric
I never said Mitnick was being treated fairly, I just said that he is:
a) a criminal
b) not a hero
The fact that he may also be:
c) a victim of excessive prosecutorial zeal
is not one I am contesting. But I object to the trend of making a hero out of this criminal. Mitnik knowingly broke the law and should be scourned, not worshiped.
-Eric
Cool. Not only are you a software engineer you are a Judge, Jury and executioner!
After all, you?ve made up your mind about all of this and it doesn?t appear that you?re open to the discussion of facts.
It must suck to be 20-something and stuck in New Hampshire with a closed mind.
Gosh, Jack, I'm just glad you aren't trying to make this personal . If you disagree with my point of view, argue with me based on the facts. Whatever you think, my mind is open to reasonable arguments (in the past few years, my views on the death penalty and gun control have both changed 180 degrees, so it's not like I've never changed my mind).
On the other hand, maybe you aren't interested in open and honest discussion. Maybe you just want to take snide potshots at anyone who disagrees with you on anything. If that's the case, then you're doing a good job.
-Eric
Mr. Clinton did nothing different than just about every other american president, lying under oath, having extra-marital sex, etc.
Name three other American presidents in history who lied under oath. And even if other presidents got away with it, bad precident is no excuse to continue making mistakes. Of course, the impeachment trial is over and the mistake has already been made, but this is a bit off-topic...
Mitnick's sentence would be better served if he were to write a paper describing how he performed the crimes itself for the betterment of security in general. Then, he, and the law, would be serving those would were done harm, instead of putting a geek in the same room as 3 or 4 "lifers".
I will concede that Mitnick may have been punished too harshly, and the system may have treated him unfairly. This does not make him a hero, however, merely a victim. Let's stop lionizing criminals because we like their politics.
I could just see someone like you shouting "the anglican faith is the only faith, because it is the law, of course".
I haven't the faintest idea what you mean by this comment. I am not an Anglican, and the Anglican faith is not "the law", at least not in America (I'm American, not British, a fact for which I am most thankful). And I couldn't begin to guess what you mean by "people like you". Remember, there are three types of people: people who can count, and people who can't.
-Eric
Mitnik broke the law and stole credit card numbers and other things from computer systems. He is a criminal, not a hero. Why must people let politics turn criminals into heroes and ignore the law? Cases in point: Jack Kavorkian and Bill Clinton. Here's a thought: let's start enforcing the law equally in this country and leave politics out of the process. A radical idea, I know...
-Eric
There is no RMS, this is all another APRIL FOOLS joke!!! Open your eyes and smell the C++ (or Java, if you prefer), everything posted today is a rotten, stinking HOAX!!!
-Eric
Mozilla is a hoax!!! It's all an elaborate April Fools joke!!! Post some REAL NEWS!!!
-Eric
Don't you see?!! There IS NO SUCH THING as DivX, this is just another April Fools joke!!!
-Eric
Another April Fools joke, have you NO SHAME!!!
-Eric
And I'm sure this isn't an April Fools joke, too. How horrible!!!
(snicker)
-Eric
Since Rob has been messing around with the interface, he should have picked this day to reveal "Slashdot's New Look", which would have included a hideous display and an almost unusable interface. Oh, and all the banner ads would have been changed to Microsoft advertisements.
Btw, is any article posted today going to be remotely true, or is it going to be bad April Fools jokes all day long?
-Eric
No matter how credible the article, everyone's going to cry APRIL FOOlS. Announce linux kernel 2.2.6 and you'll get a slew of APRIL FOOLS responses. Aren't people paranoid these days... :-)
-Eric
Oh, come on guys. You can do better than that.
He is the character from the comic strip "The Peanuts" who always carries his blanket and hangs out with Charlie Brown.
-Eric
...like Linus signing on at Microsoft, or deciding to change the Linux kernel license from GPL to QPL, or Commander Taco announcing that he's going to end slashdot so he can spend his time working on an iMac fan site.
-Eric