If you are utilizing the right tools... disk imaging(roll out an entire office full of workstations in 30 min) antivirus server(pick your vendor) backup systems(BackupPC is one I love, doesn't do bare metal restores though).msi packaging and deployment...(www.wpkg.org) is a nice opensource deployment tool for this. tools like 'Nagios' for server/device monitoring Groupware packages like Zimbra
and of course VMWARE...why have 10 test machines taking up space and heating up the room...test new stuff on a virtual machine and then deploy once you learn and get kinks worked out.
The right tools will save you a LOT of time and manpower.
Hah.. Nike's WHQ rolled out the Avaya crap last year... I sat around laughing as their support staff stumbled over themselves for 6 months... You'd think after paying that much $$ the install would have been a HECK of a lot smoother.
And the virus you get is FREE, but ends up costing you a little more than $140.
joking and MS-flaming aside... OSS support for specific products that you mention is outrageous. but for the MAJORITY of OSS products the support is much less. But it all comes down to simple economics:
Supply vs. Demand if all of those OSS products you mentioned have viable competitors the price would be lower
in the closed source realm there are TONS of players and the costs need to be lower to get a good chuck of the market.
have you seen Fonality's products? nothing special to speak of... As a matter of fact I chose Asterisk@Home over them for a number of reasons... the way they base their support...the COST of that support(simply for software updates)...lack of support(financially) for those doing the actual footwork/installations onsite(bill your own hours, but once you've set it up...we'll take all of the support money thanks)
Their software that they have developed is nice...but will they let you just buy the software, NO..you have to buy a crappy server you could build at 1/3 of the cost.
software-wise this might be a good thing...enterprise-wise if they don't keep Trixbox FOSS...it is going to suck big-time.
It's the parents job to moderate what their children do, participate in etc... instead of doing their job(parenting)...they buy the kid little techno-gadgets to babysit them and keep them busy to make their parenting easier...instead of spending quality time with their kids, the kids spend quality time with their techno-gadgets.
Looking at those pre-elementary school designs I would have mocked them as well. They look ridiculous, and I find it hard to believe their lifespan will be longer than 3 months unless the goofy looking plastic and wireless "ears" is considerably more durable than it appears.
That doesn't take away from the effort though...$100 for a 'modern', fully functional mobile computer for "kids"(not sure what age they are targeting but I don't see any high schoolers with a great interest in those) is a great idea and it's nie to see it coming to fruition.
..that ALL of these comments come from Microsoft employees only. Interesting that the rest of the computing world doesn't agree with them. And by 'computing world' I don't mean mere slashdotters.
It's called a subsidiary... Just like Converse, Hurley, Starter, Bauer are all subsidiaries of Nike Inc. You do NOT see a Nike Swoosh on ANY of those products.
Slashdot Mirror
that your two chairs are completely uncomfortable! and then get bean bags!
that just by being a grad-student or a research assistant you become labeled an expert!
DOH! My clock is only visible when the monitor is connected to a computer ;(
can I get 3.5-D ??
yay..nice research...or do you just keep those old topics' links on file?
Sounds like a EBUAK problem..
that's just funny ... my bet is everyone's monitor is 3 Dimensional ...
Now I know what Vista's full of...
laffs...that was funny :)
;)
Beowolf...he likely thinks you are talking about some Literary character or some game coming out
If you are utilizing the right tools... .msi packaging and deployment...(www.wpkg.org) is a nice opensource deployment tool for this.
disk imaging(roll out an entire office full of workstations in 30 min)
antivirus server(pick your vendor)
backup systems(BackupPC is one I love, doesn't do bare metal restores though)
tools like 'Nagios' for server/device monitoring
Groupware packages like Zimbra
and of course VMWARE...why have 10 test machines taking up space and heating up the room...test new stuff on a virtual machine and then deploy once you learn and get kinks worked out.
The right tools will save you a LOT of time and manpower.
Hah.. Nike's WHQ rolled out the Avaya crap last year...
I sat around laughing as their support staff stumbled over themselves for 6 months...
You'd think after paying that much $$ the install would have been a HECK of a lot smoother.
Well said Trevin!
An OEM version of Windows XP Pro is ~$140.
And the virus you get is FREE, but ends up costing you a little more than $140.
joking and MS-flaming aside...
OSS support for specific products that you mention is outrageous.
but for the MAJORITY of OSS products the support is much less.
But it all comes down to simple economics:
Supply vs. Demand if all of those OSS products you mentioned have viable competitors the price would be lower
in the closed source realm there are TONS of players and the costs need to be lower to get a good chuck of the market.
have you seen Fonality's products?
nothing special to speak of...
As a matter of fact I chose Asterisk@Home over them for a number of reasons...
the way they base their support...the COST of that support(simply for software updates)...lack of support(financially) for those doing the actual footwork/installations onsite(bill your own hours, but once you've set it up...we'll take all of the support money thanks)
Their software that they have developed is nice...but will they let you just buy the software, NO..you have to buy a crappy server you could build at 1/3 of the cost.
software-wise this might be a good thing...enterprise-wise if they don't keep Trixbox FOSS...it is going to suck big-time.
checkout http://k12ltsp.org/
Linux terminal server...slick, easy to roll out, and free!
is the easiest and cheapest way...
http://www.k12ltsp.org/
It's the parents job to moderate what their children do, participate in etc...
instead of doing their job(parenting)...they buy the kid little techno-gadgets to babysit them
and keep them busy to make their parenting easier...instead of spending quality time with their kids, the kids spend quality time with their techno-gadgets.
Astlinux is what you are looking for...
...
astlinux.com
enjoy =)
Just in case:
http://www.abanet.org/email.html
that's their contact page on their website
You've been out of high school too long. =)
Looking at those pre-elementary school designs I would have mocked them as well.
They look ridiculous, and I find it hard to believe their lifespan will be longer than 3 months unless the goofy looking plastic and wireless "ears" is considerably more durable than it appears.
That doesn't take away from the effort though...$100 for a 'modern', fully functional mobile computer for "kids"(not sure what age they are targeting but I don't see any high schoolers with a great interest in those) is a great idea and it's nie to see it coming to fruition.
..that ALL of these comments come from Microsoft employees only.
Interesting that the rest of the computing world doesn't agree with them.
And by 'computing world' I don't mean mere slashdotters.
I'll bet the 'power' button still works ;)
[i]In five years are people really going to carry two devices? One device that is their communication device, one device that is music?[/i]
Umm..it's already been done genius...is this guy for real?
It's called a subsidiary ...
Just like Converse, Hurley, Starter, Bauer are all subsidiaries of Nike Inc.
You do NOT see a Nike Swoosh on ANY of those products.
ruby is quite juicy as well...
and if you want to do webapps..ruby on rails...yummy!