Last month I was flying cross-country (SouthWest Airlines) and a couple sitting across the aisle from me both pulled out brand new Titanium Powerbooks w/17" screens.
They were awful proud of their laptops and made disparaging comments about my "cute little toy" -- a Fujitsu Lifebook P2120. I was then subjected to a prosetylization sermon that would have done the Jehovas Witnesses proud.
It was my turn when BOTH of them tried to use those behemoths at the same time -- on the fold down trays in economy class, right next to each other.
Those beasts, while pretty, can't be used in economy class airline seats without seriously annoying the person sitting next to you. They're too big.
All they were doing was answering e-mails (offline), checking their calendar -- mostly showing off the new toys and attempting to spread the gospel of St. Steve.
Once I got the point across that I didn't WANT a big screen on a laptop, but preferred a lighter weight (3.5 lbs) and longer battery life (10+ hours with my secondary battery), they left me alone. It also helped that I wasn't running any version of Windows.
If I remember the original article, I don't think the claim was "Debian is Dying", but rather "Debian is becoming maginalized by the big commercial distros" and "the general public doesn't know we are here".
I doubt Debian will die, but I also doubt it will become "main stream" with the general public. That just isn't Debian's goal and personally I think it isn't in their best interest. To do so would require them to turn into something that would no longer be Debian.
I found very funny the messages that start like this. It seems no one dares to complain about Debian, because they've somewhat accepted that it's "superior" (note the quotes; I'm not saying it is, just quoting)....
Okay, I'll say it. I don't use nor recommend Debian. Nor do I consider it superior. Sorry.
Why? Debian is a religion, not an Operating System. (Okay, GNU/Debian-Linux...whatever.)
The original article was talking a great deal about Linux for "Joe User" and on the desktop. Joe User is NOT interested in debates over licenses, nor the relative merits of FOSS vs Closed-Source, not 90% of anything else that is discussed on Slashdot.
Joe User is interested in getting their work/play done. All their friends have MP3, their DVD/CD player plays MP3 disks and the little gizmos sold at WalMart play MP3. They DO NOT CARE about the license or that it isn't "free". They DO NOT CARE about ogg-vorbis. They want to play their music and have no problem PAYING FOR THE LICENSE for the MP3 format. The bought the CD/DVD player, the RIO and (sometimes) the CD.
Joe User wants to PLAY THEIR DVD without a crapload of hacks to get around licensing CSS. They DO NOT CARE about the politics or the license fee.
Joe User wants to be able to edit/create Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Project, Publisher and Visio files. NOT understand the merits of "closed" vs "open" formats. They need to pay the bills, and if they work in an office that usually means MS Office file formats.
Repeat after me: "The computer is a TOOL, not a way of life. The operating system is a TOOL, not a religion."
Back to the beginning -- why I neither use nor recommend Debian. Because I'm not interested in making excuses for lack of perceived functionality to people who just want to do their work or play a game.
If it is Linux, for a non-geek, it is Red Hat or SuSE. Most non-geeks DO NOT WANT TO BECOME geeks, which is what they will have to do to appreciate Debian.
Debian as a reference platform? Sure, as soon as they get rid of.deb and start using.rpm packages. RedHat, RedFlag, SuSE, Mandrake use RPM, which constitutes the vast majority of non-uber-geek installs.
That'll probably be about the time Steve Ballmer gets praised for his dancing abilities and Bill Gates extolls the virtues of the GPL -- with a straight face.
If I was going to try to sell linux to my Boss I know the first 3 questions that will be asked.
1) So we can install Office XP. Will Microsoft support it? 2) Can we patch MS Office after we install it? (Microsoft doesn't just do security patches they fix features too. Being able to fix those is a big deal for us.) 3) So we've freed ourselves from dependance on Microsoft for support. How many companies can we get to support Mandrake?
Anyone have any idea on the answers to these? I'm not trying to be sarcastic I really should be able to answer these if I want to even try and suggest linux
1. Yes, you can probably install it. I know Office 2000 works, but haven't personally tried XP. Will MS Support it? Define support. Do you call MS with tech problems for Office? I've never actually heard of anyone doing that. Will they sell you more licenses? Sure. Updates -- See #2
2. Yes, you can patch it. You don't use the Office Update site, but rather download the manual patches that are available then run them.
3. Mandrake? Not sure, though probably Mandrake. With Red Hat or SuSE you can probably get a contract from your PC supplier (HP, IBM, Dell, etc.) and probably from IBM, HP, TRW or a few dozen others for "big company support". You should also be able to find quite a few of smaller, local support options.
Then maybe RAM could replace CPUs, and scanners could replace monitors, right?
Sorry, at least my idea would work. USB is an interface, and so are SM, SD, MMC, CF, Memory Stick, etc. A USB interface on a little card would work fine.
It also explains why most new camcorders have USB interfaces as well as i1394 and one of the others listed above.
But isn't the i1394 (Firewire) interface chipset more expensive? Can you justify i1394 speeds/costs for things like mice & keyboards?
Not to knock Firewire, but I'd rather see it replace IDE, SCSI and Ethernet while USB replaced serial, parallel, keyboard, mouse, floppy. Hell, I'd also like to see USB replace SM, SD, MMC, CF, Memory Stick, etc.
I have no idea what "most" is supposed to mean in this context, but systems like NTFS, ext3, ReiserFS, XFS, and JFS were definitely designed for those kinds of applications.
Well, NTFS for one does NOT handle these things well. Case in point...Cadence.
Cadence is a very expensive CAD/CAE program. The "parts" library consists of tens of thousands of files in one directory tree. It is available for Solaris, WinNT/2K and (I think) Linux.
Doing anything with the parts library -- moving, defragmenting, searching, etc. -- brings NTFS to it's knees. (It won't run on FAT partitions, there are too many nested folders/files.) It is much better on Solaris, but a dog on WinNT/2K. Actual operation is okay, just accessing the massive library.
I haven't had an opportunity to test it on the other file systems. However, since it is running on an MS product, and I don't see them adopting someone else's FS, then NTFS has to go.
A relational database setup should do wonders for file search and access. Most filesystems today weren't designed with 200 Gb drives and millions of files in mind.
I keep thinking back to my Amiga when a 40 Mb hard drive was huge. Hell, I have a keyfob with more storage space now! Can you imagine AmigaDOS (not FFS, the old, slow one) on a 200 Gb drive?
So the question (or just one of the main) is, Why should I invest in a platform that will keep me from copying/burning/reading/deleting/modifing/anything else you could possible ever want to do you data? Do I want to plainly accept the fact that people selling me content dont trust me to get out the Wal-mart parking lot without trying to steal their intellectual property?
Because it isn't YOUR DATA?
Forget the RIAA and MPAA for a moment. The world does not revolve around geeks ripping DVDs and CDs. Start thinking about businesses that produce products. Start thinking about document control mechanisms that make certain the worker building widget X is actually looking at a valid part spec and drawing. I mean the exact revision.
The ISO 9000 series and QS 9000 series of certifications (QA is automotive industry) are certifying the following of quality policies, procedures and processes. Accurate document control is a MUST.
Businesses NEED the ability to control their data, not only from theft but from erroneous use.
However, a square is a quadrilateral with each side being of an equal length.
Ouch. Close, but wrong. Well, not detailed enough. The angles must also be equal (90 deg). Your definition also fits a rhombus. http://www.pinkmonkey.com/studyguides/subjects/geo metry/chap3/g0303701.asp
The problem with most projects is that they are completed and rolled out before security is addressed. It is not realistic to think security can only happen when "designed in".
Real world situations include "securing" existing LANs/WANs; Internet e-commerce sites; etc.
Learning the basics of TCP/IP *IS* a good idea. And *understanding what a firewall is/is not, and what its limitations are* is CRITICAL.
Two days ago I had the head of a medium-sized financial services firm call me and say "my tech here says we don't need virus protection on our desktops because the firewall takes care of that". Oh, and the firewall was simply a VERY basic (and never configured) packet filter on their DSL router.
Typical of politics, and exemplified by the implementation of "Homeland Security". The politicians just seem to want to get something up and visible to show they're "on the job". Quality isn't Job #1, it usually isn't even on the same list. It is smoke, mirrors & hand waving -- "see we did something"!
What about the FBI's cyber crime investigations? What about all the infrastructure/info that the NSA has? Will either of these agencies be mandated to cooperate? Or, will there be petty "Not Invented Here" and "This is MY jurisdiction" bickering?
The gov't doesn't need a new Czar to secure their part of cyberspace (Milnet, etc.), and do they really think some agency will tell people (civilian companies & individuals) how to configure routers, firewalls and virus scanners?
802.11g is screwed anyway, considering in the latest IEEE revision of the draft it is no longer 54 MBps but more along the line of 10-24, depending on 802.11b interoperability or not. You want 54 MBps then you do 802.11a.
The first thing that pops in my mind is running a finger down a vibrating string, like on a guitar. The note gets higher and higher as the string is forced to vibrate in less and less linear space. This sounds like the optical equivalent.
Slashdot Mirror
Spam? Good reputation? Ha! That stuff has been the butt of jokes as longs as I can remember! Who are they kidding?
Last month I was flying cross-country (SouthWest Airlines) and a couple sitting across the aisle from me both pulled out brand new Titanium Powerbooks w/17" screens.
They were awful proud of their laptops and made disparaging comments about my "cute little toy" -- a Fujitsu Lifebook P2120. I was then subjected to a prosetylization sermon that would have done the Jehovas Witnesses proud.
It was my turn when BOTH of them tried to use those behemoths at the same time -- on the fold down trays in economy class, right next to each other.
Those beasts, while pretty, can't be used in economy class airline seats without seriously annoying the person sitting next to you. They're too big.
All they were doing was answering e-mails (offline), checking their calendar -- mostly showing off the new toys and attempting to spread the gospel of St. Steve.
Once I got the point across that I didn't WANT a big screen on a laptop, but preferred a lighter weight (3.5 lbs) and longer battery life (10+ hours with my secondary battery), they left me alone. It also helped that I wasn't running any version of Windows.
If I remember the original article, I don't think the claim was "Debian is Dying", but rather "Debian is becoming maginalized by the big commercial distros" and "the general public doesn't know we are here".
I doubt Debian will die, but I also doubt it will become "main stream" with the general public. That just isn't Debian's goal and personally I think it isn't in their best interest. To do so would require them to turn into something that would no longer be Debian.
The same reason that everyone ended up with VHS and not Beta...
.deb, and because the LSB specifies .rpm and not .deb.
Because RPM is used by many more people than
Because what is chosen as the standard frequently isn't the technically best solution but that is the way it is.
Yup, Linux is just a non-threatening, passing obstacle along the road to complete IT domination by Microsoft.
You know, from a distance, anti-tank mines look just like a non-threatening, passing obstacle along the road...
Teaching everybody the metric system and getting them all to USE IT AT THE SAME TIME!
I found very funny the messages that start like this. It seems no one dares to complain about Debian, because they've somewhat accepted that it's "superior" (note the quotes; I'm not saying it is, just quoting). ...
Okay, I'll say it. I don't use nor recommend Debian. Nor do I consider it superior. Sorry.
Why? Debian is a religion, not an Operating System. (Okay, GNU/Debian-Linux...whatever.)
The original article was talking a great deal about Linux for "Joe User" and on the desktop.
Joe User is NOT interested in debates over licenses, nor the relative merits of FOSS vs Closed-Source, not 90% of anything else that is discussed on Slashdot.
Joe User is interested in getting their work/play done. All their friends have MP3, their DVD/CD player plays MP3 disks and the little gizmos sold at WalMart play MP3. They DO NOT CARE about the license or that it isn't "free". They DO NOT CARE about ogg-vorbis. They want to play their music and have no problem PAYING FOR THE LICENSE for the MP3 format. The bought the CD/DVD player, the RIO and (sometimes) the CD.
Joe User wants to PLAY THEIR DVD without a crapload of hacks to get around licensing CSS. They DO NOT CARE about the politics or the license fee.
Joe User wants to be able to edit/create Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Project, Publisher and Visio files. NOT understand the merits of "closed" vs "open" formats. They need to pay the bills, and if they work in an office that usually means MS Office file formats.
Repeat after me: "The computer is a TOOL, not a way of life. The operating system is a TOOL, not a religion."
Back to the beginning -- why I neither use nor recommend Debian. Because I'm not interested in making excuses for lack of perceived functionality to people who just want to do their work or play a game.
If it is Linux, for a non-geek, it is Red Hat or SuSE. Most non-geeks DO NOT WANT TO BECOME geeks, which is what they will have to do to appreciate Debian.
Debian as a reference platform? Sure, as soon as they get rid of .deb and start using .rpm packages. RedHat, RedFlag, SuSE, Mandrake use RPM, which constitutes the vast majority of non-uber-geek installs.
That'll probably be about the time Steve Ballmer gets praised for his dancing abilities and Bill Gates extolls the virtues of the GPL -- with a straight face.
Hint: "monkey boy" isn't considered praise.
...only outlaws will have Free software.
What does this have to do with Open Office?
If I was going to try to sell linux to my Boss I know the first 3 questions that will be asked.
1) So we can install Office XP. Will Microsoft support it?
2) Can we patch MS Office after we install it? (Microsoft doesn't just do security patches they fix features too. Being able to fix those is a big deal for us.)
3) So we've freed ourselves from dependance on Microsoft for support. How many companies can we get to support Mandrake?
Anyone have any idea on the answers to these? I'm not trying to be sarcastic I really should be able to answer these if I want to even try and suggest linux
1. Yes, you can probably install it. I know Office 2000 works, but haven't personally tried XP. Will MS Support it? Define support. Do you call MS with tech problems for Office? I've never actually heard of anyone doing that. Will they sell you more licenses? Sure. Updates -- See #2
2. Yes, you can patch it. You don't use the Office Update site, but rather download the manual patches that are available then run them.
3. Mandrake? Not sure, though probably Mandrake. With Red Hat or SuSE you can probably get a contract from your PC supplier (HP, IBM, Dell, etc.) and probably from IBM, HP, TRW or a few dozen others for "big company support". You should also be able to find quite a few of smaller, local support options.
Then maybe RAM could replace CPUs, and scanners could replace monitors, right?
Sorry, at least my idea would work. USB is an interface, and so are SM, SD, MMC, CF, Memory Stick, etc. A USB interface on a little card would work fine.
It also explains why most new camcorders have USB interfaces as well as i1394 and one of the others listed above.
But isn't the i1394 (Firewire) interface chipset more expensive? Can you justify i1394 speeds/costs for things like mice & keyboards?
Not to knock Firewire, but I'd rather see it replace IDE, SCSI and Ethernet while USB replaced serial, parallel, keyboard, mouse, floppy. Hell, I'd also like to see USB replace SM, SD, MMC, CF, Memory Stick, etc.
Actually, it is Firewire-400. Some of the new Macs are supposed to sport Firewire-800. :-)
-Chas
I have no idea what "most" is supposed to mean in this context, but systems like NTFS, ext3, ReiserFS, XFS, and JFS were definitely designed for those kinds of applications.
Well, NTFS for one does NOT handle these things well. Case in point...Cadence.
Cadence is a very expensive CAD/CAE program. The "parts" library consists of tens of thousands of files in one directory tree. It is available for Solaris, WinNT/2K and (I think) Linux.
Doing anything with the parts library -- moving, defragmenting, searching, etc. -- brings NTFS to it's knees. (It won't run on FAT partitions, there are too many nested folders/files.) It is much better on Solaris, but a dog on WinNT/2K. Actual operation is okay, just accessing the massive library.
I haven't had an opportunity to test it on the other file systems. However, since it is running on an MS product, and I don't see them adopting someone else's FS, then NTFS has to go.
and may I ask, how many people have 1000 40kb files on a hard drive let alone one that is 500MB in size?
Three words...
Internet Temporary Files
A thousand small files is nothing with the default IE cache settings if you have a large drive.
A relational database setup should do wonders for file search and access. Most filesystems today weren't designed with 200 Gb drives and millions of files in mind.
I keep thinking back to my Amiga when a 40 Mb hard drive was huge. Hell, I have a keyfob with more storage space now! Can you imagine AmigaDOS (not FFS, the old, slow one) on a 200 Gb drive?
Many truckers keep in touch with family by e-mail. It is also a way to get traffic information, etc.
You don't have to be a geek to read e-mail, use IM or browse the web in your off time. Just look at how many people AOL has signed up.
So the question (or just one of the main) is, Why should I invest in a platform that will keep me from copying/burning/reading/deleting/modifing/anything else you could possible ever want to do you data? Do I want to plainly accept the fact that people selling me content dont trust me to get out the Wal-mart parking lot without trying to steal their intellectual property?
Because it isn't YOUR DATA?
Forget the RIAA and MPAA for a moment. The world does not revolve around geeks ripping DVDs and CDs. Start thinking about businesses that produce products. Start thinking about document control mechanisms that make certain the worker building widget X is actually looking at a valid part spec and drawing. I mean the exact revision.
The ISO 9000 series and QS 9000 series of certifications (QA is automotive industry) are certifying the following of quality policies, procedures and processes. Accurate document control is a MUST.
Businesses NEED the ability to control their data, not only from theft but from erroneous use.
However, a square is a quadrilateral with each side being of an equal length.
o metry/chap3/g0303701.asp
Ouch. Close, but wrong. Well, not detailed enough. The angles must also be equal (90 deg). Your definition also fits a rhombus. http://www.pinkmonkey.com/studyguides/subjects/ge
The problem with most projects is that they are completed and rolled out before security is addressed. It is not realistic to think security can only happen when "designed in".
Real world situations include "securing" existing LANs/WANs; Internet e-commerce sites; etc.
Learning the basics of TCP/IP *IS* a good idea. And *understanding what a firewall is/is not, and what its limitations are* is CRITICAL.
Two days ago I had the head of a medium-sized financial services firm call me and say "my tech here says we don't need virus protection on our desktops because the firewall takes care of that". Oh, and the firewall was simply a VERY basic (and never configured) packet filter on their DSL router.
All squares are rectangles.
:-)
THAT sentence begins with "all" and is a true statement, thus your original premise is incorrect. No paradox exists. Q.E.D.
Typical of politics, and exemplified by the implementation of "Homeland Security". The politicians just seem to want to get something up and visible to show they're "on the job". Quality isn't Job #1, it usually isn't even on the same list. It is smoke, mirrors & hand waving -- "see we did something"!
What about the FBI's cyber crime investigations? What about all the infrastructure/info that the NSA has? Will either of these agencies be mandated to cooperate? Or, will there be petty "Not Invented Here" and "This is MY jurisdiction" bickering?
The gov't doesn't need a new Czar to secure their part of cyberspace (Milnet, etc.), and do they really think some agency will tell people (civilian companies & individuals) how to configure routers, firewalls and virus scanners?
802.11g is screwed anyway, considering in the latest IEEE revision of the draft it is no longer 54 MBps but more along the line of 10-24, depending on 802.11b interoperability or not. You want 54 MBps then you do 802.11a.
The first thing that pops in my mind is running a finger down a vibrating string, like on a guitar. The note gets higher and higher as the string is forced to vibrate in less and less linear space. This sounds like the optical equivalent.