Remember when they agreed to make DOS for IBM PC, knowing the machine had a pretty much off the shelf hardware... and kept a clause in to ensure that they could sell DOS to other hw mfgs?
Microsoft knows this game well, they don't intend for 3rd-party XBox systems to be developed! Despite the software sales... fools.
People seem to also be overlooking the fact that 802.11a does not work with 802.11b antennas.
802.11b and 802.11g use the same antennas, same frequency.
External antennas make all the difference with these low-power devices. For $70 you can get cable and a decent antenna and solve most install problems - IF you get units that support them.
I have yet to see a dual-band (5 and 2 at same time) antenna.
Yes, but you can hire three different people to try and have the code fixed...
With MS - you can only hire one company.
The difference between open source and closed source - IS THE SOURCE! Nothing else, quality is not assured - just the chance that you have more control.
Uh... you need to download the Source Code, not the binary - if you want to review and fix things.
Last I checked, I can't download Internet Explorer source code and do my own fixes or add my own features.
There is a difference, take some responsibility.
People get hung up on open source and forget that the only real difference is the source. Paid support and paid staff often does have benefits.
Anyone suggest a Command-Line IM tool?
on
Gaim For Windows
·
· Score: 1
Anyone using IM as a way to get server alerts... like a pager?
Are there any decent cross-platform libraries to send messages?
Yep. Some might even consider you LAZY for spending all our time at home watching TV instead of work.
Yes, people have families - but a lot of geeks do not.
Have people lost the love of their work? If you like long hours - go work for yourself! At least you get the payback.
We all go through our periods.
Personally, I find that programming benefits from long hours... I keep it all in my head, little details aren't forgotten. For about 10% of a project, I work 90 hour weeks. Those 10% is where I get _most_ of the core work done. Code reuse and other things benefit when it is fresh on your mind. I'm not saying work that long MOST of the time, but I find it beneficial to get into it!
Haven't people heard of book writers locking themselves in a cabin in the woods? Same principal... and I find it works for me. YMMV.
RedHat clearly isn't aiming for a Monopoly...
The analogies with Microsoft don't hold much at all. It is a real joke.
Can the average IT person even name one of the executives of RedHat? Can anyone outside the computer industry?
Look at it another way. Bill Gate Wrote an Open Letter saying::Who can afford to do professional work for nothing?::
Did Redhat start from such roots?
Given that Verizion and Sprint both offer unlimited 3G for $99/month... at 80K measured speeds (144K burst).... it seems foolish to use these CDPD services.
GSM/GPRS isn't the only choice. Verizion has good coverage now, Sprint's is almost everywhere.
This is truely newsbreaking, all the rumors to date (check Usenet) didn't suggest this!
Here is another story saying the same, these just came out tuday (August 8), whereas the other stories were yesterday.
Yahoo story on unlimited business plans
Now, what does Sprint make you do to be a "Business"?
Riskable - do your math. The BEST POSSIBLE RATE you can get from Sprint is the $119.95 plan which includes 120MB. That is $1/MB. And the overage rate is like 0.001 - which comes out to $1.024 ($1.03) per MB.... $1/MB. And that is with $120 minimum! The rates are higher on lower plans.
The old service is also 14.4 data rate, not 19.2. Go read the term "DTE" on modems using Google.
The data pricing is AT BEST (biggest bulk discount):
$1/MB.
$119.99 plan includes 120MB of data. The overage comes out to $1.024/MB...
3G on Sprint, where you can rack up charges faster! These prices suck.
Verizon has a plan with unlimited for $99/month... Sprint can't compete. Despite the wider coverage, these prices will kill the service for the Geek market.
SprintUsers.com and Usenet have had the prices posted for days.
The best possible rate is the $119.99 plan for data-only... it is 120MB/Month.
$1/MB. Overage rate is the same.
Verizon may not have as much coverage yet, but their Express Network 3G data service has a $99/month unlimited usage (day and night) plan.
Sprint wants $120 for 120MB, with $1/MB overage. Those rates STINK!
Maybe on a PDA you can do likttle 1MB downloads, but what is the point? The 14.4 service is almost as fast for your slow little Palm Pilot.
Sprint really needs to reconsider the pricing. There are millions of geeks with laptops looking for wireless (like Richochet) used to have, but not at these prices.
The major SNAFU is that there is no off-peak pricing. I bet most geeks would go for a "weekend and night unlimited plan" for $70/month.
And I firmly believe that Verizon isn't giving it away at $99/month... I mean just how much are you going to use it? Verizon has been giving away unlimited voice + 14.4 data night+weekends for $5 a month... as they realized that with "Unlimited" there is only so much you are going to use it.
Sprint had a chance, so far, they have blown it.
Re:From using MySQL/PostgreSQL and researching SAP
on
PostgreSQL vs. SAP?
·
· Score: 1
I've been using SAPDB in production for over a year now, running commercial web site.
Here are my corrections to a couple big misunderstandings:
1. SAPDB uses a fixed cache buffer per database. For example, you can give 128MB of RAM to a database for DATACACHE. The problem is that there seems to be no way to SHARE the datacache between multiple database instances. So this makes it poorly suited for web hosting applications... there is a lot of RAM overhead for each instance of SAPDB. Yes, you could create one instance and use permissions to split your hosting customers, but hope that you customers never try to create the same tablename:) Products like Access and MySQL are a lot better in this regard.
2. SAPDB has no replication! The "replication" is nothing more than an import/export manager - and it still seems pretty immature. Bugs are being found in it all the time when people actually use it.
3. SAPDB error messages and documentation are not very easy for newcomers. This is for people who have worked with MS-DOS 3.0 and Linux 2.0:)
4. At least for Windows users, the ODBC drivers seem like they are built on a old codebase and updated. They don't have an OLEDB driver, no interest in tuned dotNET drivers, etc. Another example of things to watch for: UNICODE is supported in the database, but not by the ODBC drivers! They are supposed to be working on it, but it was a shock to me to find that UNICODE wasn't working.
I think people are wrong to compare Oracle to SAPDB. Just because it has some compatibility, it doesn't even seem to compare in maturity. I'm not saying that SAPDB is unreliable, but some basic problems have existed that you would assume would have shown up if more people were actually using it!
Example of problem: If you ran a single program that did a SELECT that returned no results, a memory leak took place that would hit you after 2000 or so such SELECTs.
I think it was previously used mostly for R/3 and just doesn't have a lot of usage outside of R/3 - so a lot of bugs are yet undiscovered. As people switch from other apps to SAPDB, all new SQL is being thrown at it, and the bugs are getting found and fixed.
Having a dedicated (SAP) development staff is great for this type of maturity... as the bugs are found, they get fixed. Yet it seems obvious to me that we are turning the titanic here (really old codebase).
I'm sticking with it, but I think sometimes people assume it is going to be really "high-end" in terms of features and maturity. Don't assume...
Re:ISO Images - make your own from snapshot
on
OpenBSD 3.1 Released
·
· Score: 3, Informative
I used to think the same thing, but then I did a little searching on Groups.Google.Com and foud out that it is very easy to make your own ISO.
You can get the latest snapshot...
All you have to do is download the latest binary files from the OpenBSD FTP snapshot directory...
Then use freeware cdrecord to do the change. I use a command like this on my Windows 2000 and Windows XP systems:
Download the i386 to c:\OpenBSD\snapshot-05192002\i386\ and run mkisofs.
c:\cdrecord\mkisofs -v -r -T -J -V "OpenBSD-i386-31" -b 3.1/i386/cdrom31.fs
-c boot.catalog -o c:/OpenBSD/OpenBSD-i386-31-snap.iso -x c:/OpenBSD/OpenBSD-i3
86-31-snap.iso c:/OpenBSD/snapshot-05192002/
Obviously you have to mess with the paths a bit for your syste, but it isn't that hard.
Creates a 130MB ISO, burn it with Nero (or something else) and boot. With Nero, make sure you do "full disc" and "finalize" options when burning the options.
Again, check groups.google.com and search "openbsd mkisofs".
Full time RV user here... I have the 2235 and use Express Network (writing this post with it).
All you have to do is get the 9-pin serial cable for the Kyocera 3035. It uses a different power connector, but it can be made to work with the 2235's pretty easy (careful insertion, or cut and put a new connector on the end).
The 3035 Serial Cable can be purchased for $30 from many mail order supply houses. I think Sprint stores even sell it for that. YOU DO NOT need any special software, just the right config.
I find the 115Kbps speed doesn't limit anything. I tried with with the USB cable too, found no speed difference. I never get more than 100K anyway...
I have mine working with OpenBSD (3.1 Snapshot) without problem.
I am a full time geek in a RV. My wife and I live full time in a 35 foot RV and operate web sites and do software development.
We carry multiple cell phones, both Verizon and Sprint. We already have the Kyocera 2235 and the Express Network.
We just installed some servers at HE.NET in Fremont and spent a week in the Bay Area using the 3G... we are right now in Portland area (heading our way to Seattle).
The biggest problem: High latency and terrible routing. All the traceroutes go to New York and Back for west coast paths! I was parked in the Hurricane Electric parking lot and the traceroute to my co-located server went to NEW YORK CITY and back!
395ms to ping the local router... so just getting on stinks.
It is better than the 14.4 service - but still has "issues".
Also - Verizon won't let you get the service unless you have a phone in the service area! I have my official residence in Seattle, but I had to get a Portland phone number before they would let me active the service (Express Nework is available in Portland, but not Seattle).
Bleeding edge:)
Sprint's plan is to turn on nationwide all at once in July. Can't wait.
Slashdot Mirror
Considering that the earlier Mac OS didn't support Virtual Memory, I suspect Mac users didn't know this sound.
If free software is enemy #1, I guess shareware is enemy #2. Lookout WinZip!
Humm, you must not be aware of XP.
OpenXBox the name implies thread to Microsoft.
Remember when they agreed to make DOS for IBM PC, knowing the machine had a pretty much off the shelf hardware... and kept a clause in to ensure that they could sell DOS to other hw mfgs?
Microsoft knows this game well, they don't intend for 3rd-party XBox systems to be developed! Despite the software sales... fools.
People seem to also be overlooking the fact that 802.11a does not work with 802.11b antennas.
802.11b and 802.11g use the same antennas, same frequency.
External antennas make all the difference with these low-power devices. For $70 you can get cable and a decent antenna and solve most install problems - IF you get units that support them.
I have yet to see a dual-band (5 and 2 at same time) antenna.
Yes, but you can hire three different people to try and have the code fixed...
With MS - you can only hire one company.
The difference between open source and closed source - IS THE SOURCE! Nothing else, quality is not assured - just the chance that you have more control.
Some people just don't get it - posting your phone number on the Internet - no one calls!
Ya know, it might be in his local phone book too!
Uh... you need to download the Source Code, not the binary - if you want to review and fix things.
Last I checked, I can't download Internet Explorer source code and do my own fixes or add my own features.
There is a difference, take some responsibility.
People get hung up on open source and forget that the only real difference is the source. Paid support and paid staff often does have benefits.
Anyone using IM as a way to get server alerts... like a pager?
Are there any decent cross-platform libraries to send messages?
Thanks.
Very temping to joke about the savings of being in a lake in Alaska :)
Yep. Some might even consider you LAZY for spending all our time at home watching TV instead of work.
Yes, people have families - but a lot of geeks do not.
Have people lost the love of their work? If you like long hours - go work for yourself! At least you get the payback.
We all go through our periods.
Personally, I find that programming benefits from long hours... I keep it all in my head, little details aren't forgotten. For about 10% of a project, I work 90 hour weeks. Those 10% is where I get _most_ of the core work done. Code reuse and other things benefit when it is fresh on your mind. I'm not saying work that long MOST of the time, but I find it beneficial to get into it!
Haven't people heard of book writers locking themselves in a cabin in the woods? Same principal... and I find it works for me. YMMV.
RedHat clearly isn't aiming for a Monopoly... ::Who can afford to do professional work for nothing?::
Did Redhat start from such roots?
The analogies with Microsoft don't hold much at all. It is a real joke.
Can the average IT person even name one of the executives of RedHat? Can anyone outside the computer industry?
Look at it another way. Bill Gate Wrote an Open Letter saying
They don't have the money that Microsoft has, and given that they aim for low prices... and not to "lock in customers" then
Can't you guys accept that RedHat might want to make money and still have _some ethics_?
MODS: We were ASKED what we thought!
Given that Verizion and Sprint both offer unlimited 3G for $99/month... at 80K measured speeds (144K burst).... it seems foolish to use these CDPD services.
GSM/GPRS isn't the only choice. Verizion has good coverage now, Sprint's is almost everywhere.
This is truely newsbreaking, all the rumors to date (check Usenet) didn't suggest this!
Here is another story saying the same, these just came out tuday (August 8), whereas the other stories were yesterday.
Yahoo story on unlimited business plans
Now, what does Sprint make you do to be a "Business"?
I agree that Verizon's contract isn't well written...
This was debated on Usenet 4 months ago... I suggest groups.google.com
Anyway - it seems they are trying to block "webcams" / "security monitoring" or other robotic stuff.
Interesting thing that is NOT in the contract - there is no limit on how many machines or users you have!
It just seems they have to be "real people" and not bots.
Odd contract!
Riskable - do your math. The BEST POSSIBLE RATE you can get from Sprint is the $119.95 plan which includes 120MB. That is $1/MB. And the overage rate is like 0.001 - which comes out to $1.024 ($1.03) per MB.... $1/MB. And that is with $120 minimum! The rates are higher on lower plans.
The old service is also 14.4 data rate, not 19.2. Go read the term "DTE" on modems using Google.
You sir, are not a geek.
The data pricing is AT BEST (biggest bulk discount):
$1/MB.
$119.99 plan includes 120MB of data. The overage comes out to $1.024/MB...
3G on Sprint, where you can rack up charges faster! These prices suck.
Verizon has a plan with unlimited for $99/month... Sprint can't compete. Despite the wider coverage, these prices will kill the service for the Geek market.
SprintUsers.com and Usenet have had the prices posted for days.
The best possible rate is the $119.99 plan for data-only... it is 120MB/Month.
$1/MB. Overage rate is the same.
Agreed, the prices stink.
Verizon may not have as much coverage yet, but their Express Network 3G data service has a $99/month unlimited usage (day and night) plan.
Sprint wants $120 for 120MB, with $1/MB overage. Those rates STINK!
Maybe on a PDA you can do likttle 1MB downloads, but what is the point? The 14.4 service is almost as fast for your slow little Palm Pilot.
Sprint really needs to reconsider the pricing. There are millions of geeks with laptops looking for wireless (like Richochet) used to have, but not at these prices.
The major SNAFU is that there is no off-peak pricing. I bet most geeks would go for a "weekend and night unlimited plan" for $70/month.
And I firmly believe that Verizon isn't giving it away at $99/month... I mean just how much are you going to use it? Verizon has been giving away unlimited voice + 14.4 data night+weekends for $5 a month... as they realized that with "Unlimited" there is only so much you are going to use it.
Sprint had a chance, so far, they have blown it.
I've been using SAPDB in production for over a year now, running commercial web site.
:) Products like Access and MySQL are a lot better in this regard.
:)
Here are my corrections to a couple big misunderstandings:
1. SAPDB uses a fixed cache buffer per database. For example, you can give 128MB of RAM to a database for DATACACHE. The problem is that there seems to be no way to SHARE the datacache between multiple database instances. So this makes it poorly suited for web hosting applications... there is a lot of RAM overhead for each instance of SAPDB. Yes, you could create one instance and use permissions to split your hosting customers, but hope that you customers never try to create the same tablename
2. SAPDB has no replication! The "replication" is nothing more than an import/export manager - and it still seems pretty immature. Bugs are being found in it all the time when people actually use it.
3. SAPDB error messages and documentation are not very easy for newcomers. This is for people who have worked with MS-DOS 3.0 and Linux 2.0
4. At least for Windows users, the ODBC drivers seem like they are built on a old codebase and updated. They don't have an OLEDB driver, no interest in tuned dotNET drivers, etc. Another example of things to watch for: UNICODE is supported in the database, but not by the ODBC drivers! They are supposed to be working on it, but it was a shock to me to find that UNICODE wasn't working.
I think people are wrong to compare Oracle to SAPDB. Just because it has some compatibility, it doesn't even seem to compare in maturity. I'm not saying that SAPDB is unreliable, but some basic problems have existed that you would assume would have shown up if more people were actually using it!
Example of problem: If you ran a single program that did a SELECT that returned no results, a memory leak took place that would hit you after 2000 or so such SELECTs.
I think it was previously used mostly for R/3 and just doesn't have a lot of usage outside of R/3 - so a lot of bugs are yet undiscovered. As people switch from other apps to SAPDB, all new SQL is being thrown at it, and the bugs are getting found and fixed.
Having a dedicated (SAP) development staff is great for this type of maturity... as the bugs are found, they get fixed. Yet it seems obvious to me that we are turning the titanic here (really old codebase).
I'm sticking with it, but I think sometimes people assume it is going to be really "high-end" in terms of features and maturity. Don't assume...
I used to think the same thing, but then I did a little searching on Groups.Google.Com and foud out that it is very easy to make your own ISO. You can get the latest snapshot... All you have to do is download the latest binary files from the OpenBSD FTP snapshot directory... Then use freeware cdrecord to do the change. I use a command like this on my Windows 2000 and Windows XP systems: Download the i386 to c:\OpenBSD\snapshot-05192002\i386\ and run mkisofs. c:\cdrecord\mkisofs -v -r -T -J -V "OpenBSD-i386-31" -b 3.1/i386/cdrom31.fs -c boot.catalog -o c:/OpenBSD/OpenBSD-i386-31-snap.iso -x c:/OpenBSD/OpenBSD-i3 86-31-snap.iso c:/OpenBSD/snapshot-05192002/ Obviously you have to mess with the paths a bit for your syste, but it isn't that hard. Creates a 130MB ISO, burn it with Nero (or something else) and boot. With Nero, make sure you do "full disc" and "finalize" options when burning the options. Again, check groups.google.com and search "openbsd mkisofs".
Did they even figure out if the show is going to be happening at the location they picked?
http://www.waitingforstarwars.com/
Unlimited is a long way off...
They offer per-MB, but the pricing is for "business idiots". If you transfer any amount (don't just sit idle), the per-minute works out better.
Basically.. with per minute you pay $30/month on top of your normal plan... the you burn your minutes.
Right now Verizon gives you 4000 night and weekend minutes on all their America's Choice plans.
On the west coast, Evening starts at 8:00pm. Geeks are out late, right?
The weekends are great, gives you an excuse to go our war driving or camping.
Full time RV user here... I have the 2235 and use Express Network (writing this post with it).
All you have to do is get the 9-pin serial cable for the Kyocera 3035. It uses a different power connector, but it can be made to work with the 2235's pretty easy (careful insertion, or cut and put a new connector on the end).
The 3035 Serial Cable can be purchased for $30 from many mail order supply houses. I think Sprint stores even sell it for that. YOU DO NOT need any special software, just the right config.
I find the 115Kbps speed doesn't limit anything. I tried with with the USB cable too, found no speed difference. I never get more than 100K anyway...
I have mine working with OpenBSD (3.1 Snapshot) without problem.
The latency is exactly as you describe, stinks.
I am a full time geek in a RV. My wife and I live full time in a 35 foot RV and operate web sites and do software development.
:)
We carry multiple cell phones, both Verizon and Sprint. We already have the Kyocera 2235 and the Express Network.
We just installed some servers at HE.NET in Fremont and spent a week in the Bay Area using the 3G... we are right now in Portland area (heading our way to Seattle).
The biggest problem: High latency and terrible routing. All the traceroutes go to New York and Back for west coast paths! I was parked in the Hurricane Electric parking lot and the traceroute to my co-located server went to NEW YORK CITY and back!
395ms to ping the local router... so just getting on stinks.
It is better than the 14.4 service - but still has "issues".
Also - Verizon won't let you get the service unless you have a phone in the service area! I have my official residence in Seattle, but I had to get a Portland phone number before they would let me active the service (Express Nework is available in Portland, but not Seattle).
Bleeding edge
Sprint's plan is to turn on nationwide all at once in July. Can't wait.