As far as I can tell, a sales tax allready exists on items purchased on the internet. I purchased A computer game off the net and I did pay a state sales tax here in califorina.
It usually depends on your shipping address. If the shipping address is in the same state (again this differs between states I believe), as the company, you pay sales tax. Just like catalog orders.
An operating system (sometimes abbreviated as "OS") is the program that, after being initially loaded into the computer by a bootstrap program, manages all the other programs in a computer. The other programs are called applications.
Read Operating Systems, Design and Implementation by Andrew Tanenbaum
Or check out whatis.com
It's a textbook used in Operating Systems CS class (at least it was used at Arizona when I went there).
I'd love to see a non MS world. Only if the alternative looked as good as Windows and had the same amount of apps.
I'm wondering who computer companies need to target. Do people buy Windows machines because they use them at work and are familiar with them. Probably so. What percentage? I don't know. Would targeting coporations to change OS's help build the home consumer base. Probably so.
Question: Why do corporations run Windows software? In order to break MS's dominance, corporate software needs to be written on different platforms. Which thanks to Oracle, IBM, etc., it's starting to.
Microsoft got to be who they are today, because they got in to the desktop market early. They created a product that wasn't available on the desktop for the PC and locked companies into their product. If IBM had used the same strategic plan with OS/2, they might own 90% of the market.
So, build good (functionality and pleasing to the eye) applications on an alternate OS, while maintaining compatibility with current infrastructures, and we might have a winner. Or we can convince all of the CTO's out there to dump their current infrastructure and rebuild. Why would a company do this? Just to spite MS? I don't think so. Obviously the only sound attack is to convince new companies to build around the "alternative" OS.
From my orignal post, no one is going to want to build around an alternative OS until the software is easy to use, looks good, and costs little to maintain. but a larger distributer with an established customer base has the clout to do it
Would they lose a lot of business because people looking for MS products just can't get it from them? MS has showed they won't settle for companies selling competitors products. So the distributor can't sell both MS and it's competitors. This is what the DOJ case should REALLY be about. Not the browser issue.
Well MS needs to get profits from somewhere, so they can't possibly compete with Open Source software forever
Sure they can, how does RedHat make their money? Through support.
Solution: Give Windows away for free, and offer support contracts just like RedHat. MS would have to scale down, because their revenue would drop, but with owning 90% of the desktop market, they certainly wouldn't be hurting.
Not for the desktop. Linux isn't there. Who knows if it will ever get there. Not everyone likes to edit perl scripts and configuration files to get things working. It took me a long time to get comfortable with Linux. I used to install it, put Windows back on my machine, a year later, install a newer version of Linux, put Windows back on my machine.
To this day, I still run Windows. Believe me, I hate Microsoft, but currently there is no other alternative to the number of apps, and the type of apps that run on Windows. Everyone talks about the quality of Linux/X apps. They might have less bugs in them then a lot of Windows apps, but they are just starting to LOOK good. Appearance is almost as important to a user if not more, than an occasional crash.
I use Windows NT everyday, both at home and at work, and yes it does crash, sometimes. So does Linux. It's not always the OS, but rather the application running is poorly written.
I've been using Linux off and on since '94, and I am extremely comfortable with it, but it's just not even close to being as easy to use as Windows is (most of the time).
Jackson appears to be convinced that the AOL acquirement of Netscape is significant
What makes you say this? I've seen a lot of press on that, but I still don't see how Netscape being bought by AOL has anything to do with how Microsoft bullies it's "partners".
I believe that Linux is as popular as it is today, because of how everyone has turned anti-Microsoft.
Almost everyone I know that uses Linux is anti-Microsoft. Yes, there are some people who like both Linux and Microsoft (me being one of them), but that's rare in my opinion.
Now because of this hatred towards Microsoft, Linux is gaining coders that were previously Windows coders.
It's funny how religious computers are. When I was 12 years old it was Vic 20's and C64's vs. Atari ST's, and Apple II's. Then it became Amiga's vs. Mac's and PC's, and now that PC's dominate, it's turned to OS's. Windows vs. Linux.
Put in your contract that you will get weekly payments. Or throw the money into an escrow so that the company can't say "Ahh ha, I have your money! Too bad!"
If you make sure you get paid every week, worse thing that will happen is that you lose a weeks pay.
If this really happens to you a lot, find yourself a lawyer and become friends with them. I happen to be lucky, I'm the only engineer in my family, everyone else is a lawyer.
They're spinning it off so that 3com the networking company can merge with Lucent, or some other telecommunications company. The Palm Pilot is in a different industry.
I have no clue WHO you are doing business with, but I have never run into that problem, neither has anyone I know run into that problem. That includes friends who have been in this business for over 35 years. I mentioned this to a family friend who does consulting, and even he was confused.
I do work. Been working my entire life. Never had your problems. The fact that you mention you have gone without eating some nights because checks haven't cleared. Sorry to hear that. I myself, receive every check I'm promised, and always for the amount promised.
Yes there are dishonorable people in this world. But if you are a good judge of character, you can avoid this problem. This problem you mention, is NOT the norm.
Write up contracts that will protect you. It's not difficult.
Confused as to why you have such problems. I have gotten every paycheck, for it's agreed upon amount, and never had to question anybody, or anything.
I was referring to actual interviews. Not just interest. I get hundreds of headhunters calling me, and I have NEVER actually gone through one. Everyone has been through the HR department at the specific company.
The jobs are out there. And I mean engineering jobs. I won't do any other kind. Engineers on the whole don't know how to present themself. That is why I succeed. I know how. I know how to make eye contact with the people who are interviewing me, I am knowledgable, and I don't B.S.
All I can speak for is in So. California. If you have the credentials, can prove that you can do what you say you can, and are personable, a job as an ENGINEER writing software is EASY to come by.
I don't deal with mom and pop shops, only reputable companies. No one is going to offer me $X, and then try to offer me minimum wage. If you got screwed over because of a contract, somethings wrong with your contract and the people you are doing business with. Sorry to hear that, but you obviously need to change who and how you are doing business.
I've been out of school for a couple of years. Trying to find a company I really like. Everytime I have started to look, it takes me a minimum of 1 week to get multiple interviews. And when offers come in, it's always _multiple_ offers. I also get company recruiters calling/emailing me about possible job positions at their companies, even when I'm not looking. This is ironic, but just today a certain Seattle company (not M$), contacted me today, and I haven't even been looking.
I know of no other industry that is as easy as this one to find good, new jobs.
Crossing my fingers that it doesn't change soon! BTW, I live in So. California.
They just wouldn't hire me, because they have 10 other programmers waiting for a job.
Why are all of the tech companies lobbying for more work visas? There IS an IT shortage.
If you're good, prove it to a potential employer. They will want you. Take the jobs with new technologies, and push for exicting stuff. Stay on top of things. There are ALOT of idiots out there, and good employers know this.
Maybe you will make over 100k, maybe you wont. 45% increase in two years is a lot. I doubt the trend will continue.
I too have a CS degree, and have been out of school for a couple of years. I was getting underpaid when I first left school. I've jumped about 30% since my first job, but that's because I am at least getting what I deserve. The increases will be much slower from now on.
However, to disagree with the original poster. I work in my field, have health insurance, 401k, etc. I do agree that companies treat their engineers poorly. But we as engineers are letting them do this to us. Don't take a job if they won't pay health insurance. They will continue to screw people as long as people will take it from them.
Demand more money. I went to one interview where the guy offered me less than what I was currently making. I said, "Good luck finding someone good at that price!" Another problem I see, is that people who don't have the credentials are entering this field, writing crappy, unmaintainable code, and are taking jobs for less money. This brings down everyone's overall earning potential. Employers think fine, this guy has a CS degree, but wants $60k. This guy doesn't have a CS degree and wants $45k. Lets hire the guy for $45k to save money. What they don't realize is in the long run it will probably cost more for them.
Why do lawyers make so much? Because everyone demands that price. I support some sort of centralized exam (similar to the bar), where people can really be tested on what they know. These platform dependent (MCSD) exams, have the right idea, but aren't quite there yet.
I'm just pissed off, because I had to fix some contractors program yesterday and today, and he obviously has had no formal teaching. I hate it! Learn to code people! Read "The Practice of Programming", or "Code Complete". Do SOMETHING to improve!
There was QuantumLink which was only for Commodore users. For $9.95 you could order the disk to use the service. My 300 baud modem from Comb Liquidation cost me $20!
Give me a break. This whole discussion on which license to use is more of a religious war than anything. Personally I don't believe in free code. If someone wants to distribute their source code, good for them! I however live in a capatalist society where I make money for the time and effort I put into my work. Should movies, tv, magazines, and video games be free too? People have bills to pay. Life is not a fairy tale. As soon as someone _gives_ me a house, _gives_ me free electricity, _gives_ me free water,... , I'll write software for free. Until then, I'll continue to charge for the software I develop.
"Microsoft was always on the offensive, and everyone else was on the defensive (with the possible exception of Sun). Anyone who's watched a football or baseball or soccer or chess game knows who's more likely to win in a scenario like that."
Slashdot Mirror
As far as I can tell, a sales tax allready exists on items purchased on the internet. I purchased A computer game off the net and I did pay a state sales tax here in califorina.
It usually depends on your shipping address. If the shipping address is in the same state (again this differs between states I believe), as the company, you pay sales tax. Just like catalog orders.
No one knows for sure what Transmeta is doing. We've heard talk about a super-processor.
Torvalds Allen Gates
Allen co-founded Microsoft. Are Allen and Gates still friends? Allen employs one of Gates' competitors.
Is there going to be a link between Transmeta and Microsoft?
I'll give you OJ, but the other two?
An operating system (sometimes abbreviated as "OS") is the program that, after being initially loaded into the computer by a bootstrap program, manages all the other programs in a computer. The other programs are called applications.
Read Operating Systems, Design and Implementation by Andrew Tanenbaum
Or check out whatis.com
It's a textbook used in Operating Systems CS class (at least it was used at Arizona when I went there).
I'd love to see a non MS world. Only if the alternative looked as good as Windows and had the same amount of apps.
I'm wondering who computer companies need to target. Do people buy Windows machines because they use them at work and are familiar with them. Probably so. What percentage? I don't know. Would targeting coporations to change OS's help build the home consumer base. Probably so.
Question: Why do corporations run Windows software? In order to break MS's dominance, corporate software needs to be written on different platforms. Which thanks to Oracle, IBM, etc., it's starting to.
Microsoft got to be who they are today, because they got in to the desktop market early. They created a product that wasn't available on the desktop for the PC and locked companies into their product. If IBM had used the same strategic plan with OS/2, they might own 90% of the market.
So, build good (functionality and pleasing to the eye) applications on an alternate OS, while maintaining compatibility with current infrastructures, and we might have a winner. Or we can convince all of the CTO's out there to dump their current infrastructure and rebuild. Why would a company do this? Just to spite MS? I don't think so. Obviously the only sound attack is to convince new companies to build around the "alternative" OS.
From my orignal post, no one is going to want to build around an alternative OS until the software is easy to use, looks good, and costs little to maintain.
but a larger distributer with an established customer base has the clout to do it
Would they lose a lot of business because people looking for MS products just can't get it from them? MS has showed they won't settle for companies selling competitors products. So the distributor can't sell both MS and it's competitors. This is what the DOJ case should REALLY be about. Not the browser issue.
Well MS needs to get profits from somewhere, so they can't possibly compete with Open Source software forever
Sure they can, how does RedHat make their money? Through support.
Solution: Give Windows away for free, and offer support contracts just like RedHat. MS would have to scale down, because their revenue would drop, but with owning 90% of the desktop market, they certainly wouldn't be hurting.
There has always been other choices out there
Not for the desktop. Linux isn't there. Who knows if it will ever get there. Not everyone likes to edit perl scripts and configuration files to get things working. It took me a long time to get comfortable with Linux. I used to install it, put Windows back on my machine, a year later, install a newer version of Linux, put Windows back on my machine.
To this day, I still run Windows. Believe me, I hate Microsoft, but currently there is no other alternative to the number of apps, and the type of apps that run on Windows. Everyone talks about the quality of Linux/X apps. They might have less bugs in them then a lot of Windows apps, but they are just starting to LOOK good. Appearance is almost as important to a user if not more, than an occasional crash.
I use Windows NT everyday, both at home and at work, and yes it does crash, sometimes. So does Linux. It's not always the OS, but rather the application running is poorly written.
I've been using Linux off and on since '94, and I am extremely comfortable with it, but it's just not even close to being as easy to use as Windows is (most of the time).
Jackson appears to be convinced that the AOL acquirement of Netscape is significant
What makes you say this? I've seen a lot of press on that, but I still don't see how Netscape being bought by AOL has anything to do with how Microsoft bullies it's "partners".
I believe that Linux is as popular as it is today, because of how everyone has turned anti-Microsoft.
Almost everyone I know that uses Linux is anti-Microsoft. Yes, there are some people who like both Linux and Microsoft (me being one of them), but that's rare in my opinion.
Now because of this hatred towards Microsoft, Linux is gaining coders that were previously Windows coders.
It's funny how religious computers are. When I was 12 years old it was Vic 20's and C64's vs. Atari ST's, and Apple II's. Then it became Amiga's vs. Mac's and PC's, and now that PC's dominate, it's turned to OS's. Windows vs. Linux.
As The World Turns...
Yes, but how do you make the companies pay?
Put in your contract that you will get weekly payments. Or throw the money into an escrow so that the company can't say "Ahh ha, I have your money! Too bad!"
If you make sure you get paid every week, worse thing that will happen is that you lose a weeks pay.
If this really happens to you a lot, find yourself a lawyer and become friends with them. I happen to be lucky, I'm the only engineer in my family, everyone else is a lawyer.
They're spinning it off so that 3com the networking company can merge with Lucent, or some other telecommunications company. The Palm Pilot is in a different industry.
I have no clue WHO you are doing business with, but I have never run into that problem, neither has anyone I know run into that problem. That includes friends who have been in this business for over 35 years. I mentioned this to a family friend who does consulting, and even he was confused.
I do work. Been working my entire life. Never had your problems. The fact that you mention you have gone without eating some nights because checks haven't cleared. Sorry to hear that. I myself, receive every check I'm promised, and always for the amount promised.
Yes there are dishonorable people in this world. But if you are a good judge of character, you can avoid this problem. This problem you mention, is NOT the norm.
Write up contracts that will protect you. It's not difficult.
Confused as to why you have such problems. I have gotten every paycheck, for it's agreed upon amount, and never had to question anybody, or anything.
I was referring to actual interviews. Not just interest. I get hundreds of headhunters calling me, and I have NEVER actually gone through one. Everyone has been through the HR department at the specific company.
The jobs are out there. And I mean engineering jobs. I won't do any other kind. Engineers on the whole don't know how to present themself. That is why I succeed. I know how. I know how to make eye contact with the people who are interviewing me, I am knowledgable, and I don't B.S.
All I can speak for is in So. California. If you have the credentials, can prove that you can do what you say you can, and are personable, a job as an ENGINEER writing software is EASY to come by.
I don't deal with mom and pop shops, only reputable companies. No one is going to offer me $X, and then try to offer me minimum wage. If you got screwed over because of a contract, somethings wrong with your contract and the people you are doing business with. Sorry to hear that, but you obviously need to change who and how you are doing business.
I've been out of school for a couple of years. Trying to find a company I really like. Everytime I have started to look, it takes me a minimum of 1 week to get multiple interviews. And when offers come in, it's always _multiple_ offers. I also get company recruiters calling/emailing me about possible job positions at their companies, even when I'm not looking. This is ironic, but just today a certain Seattle company (not M$), contacted me today, and I haven't even been looking.
I know of no other industry that is as easy as this one to find good, new jobs.
Crossing my fingers that it doesn't change soon!
BTW, I live in So. California.
They just wouldn't hire me, because they have 10 other programmers waiting for a job.
Why are all of the tech companies lobbying for more work visas? There IS an IT shortage.
If you're good, prove it to a potential employer. They will want you. Take the jobs with new technologies, and push for exicting stuff. Stay on top of things. There are ALOT of idiots out there, and good employers know this.
Maybe you will make over 100k, maybe you wont. 45% increase in two years is a lot. I doubt the trend will continue.
I too have a CS degree, and have been out of school for a couple of years. I was getting underpaid when I first left school. I've jumped about 30% since my first job, but that's because I am at least getting what I deserve. The increases will be much slower from now on.
However, to disagree with the original poster. I work in my field, have health insurance, 401k, etc. I do agree that companies treat their engineers poorly. But we as engineers are letting them do this to us. Don't take a job if they won't pay health insurance. They will continue to screw people as long as people will take it from them.
Demand more money. I went to one interview where the guy offered me less than what I was currently making. I said, "Good luck finding someone good at that price!" Another problem I see, is that people who don't have the credentials are entering this field, writing crappy, unmaintainable code, and are taking jobs for less money. This brings down everyone's overall earning potential. Employers think fine, this guy has a CS degree, but wants $60k. This guy doesn't have a CS degree and wants $45k. Lets hire the guy for $45k to save money. What they don't realize is in the long run it will probably cost more for them.
Why do lawyers make so much? Because everyone demands that price. I support some sort of centralized exam (similar to the bar), where people can really be tested on what they know. These platform dependent (MCSD) exams, have the right idea, but aren't quite there yet.
I'm just pissed off, because I had to fix some contractors program yesterday and today, and he obviously has had no formal teaching. I hate it! Learn to code people! Read "The Practice of Programming", or "Code Complete". Do SOMETHING to improve!
It's all about the money.
we don't care, and we won't until they actually do something
Whose we? I do. I gave up on the Amiga about 8 or 9 years ago, but still like to hear what is going on with it.
There was QuantumLink which was only for Commodore users. For $9.95 you could order the disk to use the service. My 300 baud modem from Comb Liquidation cost me $20!
Unfortunately some AC's ruin it for all AC's. If people were to act like adults and not like idiots, none of this would be a problem.
Give me a break. This whole discussion on which license to use is more of a religious war than anything. Personally I don't believe in free code. If someone wants to distribute their source code, good for them! I however live in a capatalist society where I make money for the time and effort I put into my work. Should movies, tv, magazines, and video games be free too? People have bills to pay. Life is not a fairy tale. As soon as someone _gives_ me a house, _gives_ me free electricity, _gives_ me free water, ... , I'll write software for free. Until then, I'll continue to charge for the software I develop.
They're going to be dead also?
In 20 years from now, there will be something else that we're using. XML won't be it.
"Microsoft was always on the offensive, and everyone else was on the defensive (with the possible exception of Sun). Anyone who's watched a football or baseball or soccer or chess game knows who's more likely to win in a scenario like that."
It wasn't the best analogy.
However, in the case of Qaddafi & Hussein, where they rule the land, and terrorists are bread, it's not an individual situation anymore.
Not that I believe in this kind of restriction.
Yes, there are nuts in the US as well, but what are we going to do? Add a law that says anyone suspected of terrorism isn't allowed to buy a computer?