"If they release their apps for Linux, all the other Linux resellers would have them! All Linuxes (including MS's) would be in the same boat and then companies like RedHat could really fight MS's dominance in the OS market."
They could easily bundle MSux with some "merely aggregated" binary-only proprietary app frameworks to provide win api services to their expensive apps.
In theory you're correct. In the abstract, it shouldn't make a difference. In practice though, there's commonly a gap in functionality between the two. There are exceptions, of course, but they're just that: exceptional.
Our botnets span the globe! Our shadowy hosting providers are without peer! Our ability to ddos former republics who move monuments is second to none...
To my mind the biggest weakness of web apps is that you have a hard time doing any sort of schedualed reporting/exports to use in another application. It can be done, but you really have to have the stars line up just right, or use some 3rd party scripting of some sort. Doable, but painful. God forbid you want to share data between two web apps, especially when company A and company B both have it in their heads that the other should pay them for development assistance.
I'd be surprised if anybody with a 4-digit/. id fit the profile I described.:)
You bring up another good point though. I went to an ed-tech conference a few months ago and again and again people were saying, "They bought us [smart boards/testing software/a parent portal/etc...] but didn't increase our personell to provide support/training to the users." The administrators are then shocked when QoS from their IT staff declines when the same resources are spred more thinly. "Stuff not Staff" is the ugly secret of so much funding for infrastructure being based on grants and special earmarks.
I have been fairly impressed by Infinite Campus, but it is a quite large enchillada. Your comparison to Peoplesoft is not far off the mark. I'd hate to have to "find time" for an implementation of that scale.
In my current work, I actually train school IT staff and administrators on the use of an automated phone calling system and batch database synching tool. Some are competant and professional. Some are clearly the office secretary in a little school who has sadly had this thrust upon her. Many fall into the following category:
Age: early 50's to early 60's, trailing edge of the Baby Boom.
Education: Original BA in Education or Math, acquired decades ago. Possibly an MA in Education earned in the late 80's or early 90s.
IT Qualifications: Did some retraining in the 90's when the school computerized in order to get out of the classroom or counseling office and get a raise. Likely an A+ or MCSE, supplemented by basic vendor training on their student database.
Job Role: Most time is spent fixing the same five problems caused by computer semi-literate colleagues teachers or playing students over and over again. Occasionally a large task like a new grading software or office suite rollout comes along, and is completely overwhealming for months.
This profile, while a stereotype, is a significant portion of the "IT Professionals" in primary and secondary ed field today. They're adequate for performing the basic day-to-day tasks in front of them, but when you get outside of their comfort zone they're lost. They get hassled and/or blamed for any surprises that come along, and as such are extremely gunshy about anything unfamilliar.
Their approach is calcified and overly cautious, as any changes, even beneficial ones, tax their time to the limit. It may well be that major inroads of F/OSS into education will either have to be mandated from the top down, or wait until most of these people retire and are placed by people who have a modern IT background.
Rob is not just any pro photographer. He is one of the leading lights in developing comprehensive digital workflows. He absolutely didn't just go to sys prefs. He has tools that are far more precise and comprehensive than that, involving sensors that tack on to the monitor and the like, and he knows how to use them. If Rob says that the increased chromatic pollution from ambient light unacceptably outweighs the improved shadow density in the glossy display, his word on the matter can be trusted.
My take on this is that Obama's candidacy and success were in fact more newsworthy than McCain's. Obama changed the game in a lot of ways, both in terms of who he is and how he ran. McCain was more of a known quantity to begin with, and ran a fairly ordinary race. In fact, the most remarkable thing about McCain's campaign (apart from the stunt-casting VP pick, which generated plenty of news)was that it was so painfully typical, where McCain used to do things more his own way.
In short, if McCain had made more news, he might have gotten more headlines. Instead, he was mostly yesterday's news.
"The deal is, marriage is to promote procreation and stability as a family unit."
Here I thought is was a civil and spiritual affirmation of our commitment to live a shared life based on mutual love, support, and respect.
By your rationale of it being all about procreation, heterosexuals who do not desire children should be excluded from the institution while homosexuals who wish to adopt should be encouraged in it.
I wasn't suggesting it was about to be slashdotted. Rather, I was imagining that the signal to noise ratio would be soon dragged down by random slashdotters joining in on the threads there.
If they look within 24 hours or so, the phone companies should be able to trace the call to the actual circuit from which it originated, using the underlying codes rather than the ANI presented for Caller ID.
The hard part is getting the people who have the power to actually do that for you involved.
The place was all electric. An incandescent bulb compares favorably to many space heaters in terms of V->heat efficiency, and you get light as a bonus.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't know that this rises to the level of "evil." On the other hand, I would call it inconsiderate, self-important, and shoddy workmanship.
"If they release their apps for Linux, all the other Linux resellers would have them! All Linuxes (including MS's) would be in the same boat and then companies like RedHat could really fight MS's dominance in the OS market."
They could easily bundle MSux with some "merely aggregated" binary-only proprietary app frameworks to provide win api services to their expensive apps.
"I'd like to point out that open source does not have to mean free."
True. It just means free to anyone on a world wide data network with at least one user willing and able to operate a compiler.
That being said, I've paid for SUSE and Slackware install media and printed manuals in years gone by.
gabriel.vatican.va michael.vatican.va uriel.vatican.va raphael.vatican.va etc
In theory you're correct. In the abstract, it shouldn't make a difference. In practice though, there's commonly a gap in functionality between the two. There are exceptions, of course, but they're just that: exceptional.
Our botnets span the globe! Our shadowy hosting providers are without peer! Our ability to ddos former republics who move monuments is second to none...
To my mind the biggest weakness of web apps is that you have a hard time doing any sort of schedualed reporting/exports to use in another application. It can be done, but you really have to have the stars line up just right, or use some 3rd party scripting of some sort. Doable, but painful. God forbid you want to share data between two web apps, especially when company A and company B both have it in their heads that the other should pay them for development assistance.
Motivated people who take responsibility for their own success are never the problem.
I'd be surprised if anybody with a 4-digit /. id fit the profile I described. :)
You bring up another good point though. I went to an ed-tech conference a few months ago and again and again people were saying, "They bought us [smart boards/testing software/a parent portal/etc...] but didn't increase our personell to provide support/training to the users." The administrators are then shocked when QoS from their IT staff declines when the same resources are spred more thinly. "Stuff not Staff" is the ugly secret of so much funding for infrastructure being based on grants and special earmarks.
I have been fairly impressed by Infinite Campus, but it is a quite large enchillada. Your comparison to Peoplesoft is not far off the mark. I'd hate to have to "find time" for an implementation of that scale.
In my current work, I actually train school IT staff and administrators on the use of an automated phone calling system and batch database synching tool. Some are competant and professional. Some are clearly the office secretary in a little school who has sadly had this thrust upon her. Many fall into the following category:
This profile, while a stereotype, is a significant portion of the "IT Professionals" in primary and secondary ed field today. They're adequate for performing the basic day-to-day tasks in front of them, but when you get outside of their comfort zone they're lost. They get hassled and/or blamed for any surprises that come along, and as such are extremely gunshy about anything unfamilliar.
Their approach is calcified and overly cautious, as any changes, even beneficial ones, tax their time to the limit. It may well be that major inroads of F/OSS into education will either have to be mandated from the top down, or wait until most of these people retire and are placed by people who have a modern IT background.
Rob is not just any pro photographer. He is one of the leading lights in developing comprehensive digital workflows. He absolutely didn't just go to sys prefs. He has tools that are far more precise and comprehensive than that, involving sensors that tack on to the monitor and the like, and he knows how to use them. If Rob says that the increased chromatic pollution from ambient light unacceptably outweighs the improved shadow density in the glossy display, his word on the matter can be trusted.
It seems it's possible to have anyone's account killed by sending three letters.
Yet, from Hell's heart he will stab at thee!
With a few of these, you could power a tuly Fabulous Riverboat.
Sealand has held off armed raiders before, even before Havenco set-up shop there.
..."Reality has a strong liberal bias."
My take on this is that Obama's candidacy and success were in fact more newsworthy than McCain's. Obama changed the game in a lot of ways, both in terms of who he is and how he ran. McCain was more of a known quantity to begin with, and ran a fairly ordinary race. In fact, the most remarkable thing about McCain's campaign (apart from the stunt-casting VP pick, which generated plenty of news)was that it was so painfully typical, where McCain used to do things more his own way.
In short, if McCain had made more news, he might have gotten more headlines. Instead, he was mostly yesterday's news.
Note how much the past tense was used there. That's no more what marriage is about in modern society than a wife is her husband's property.
"The deal is, marriage is to promote procreation and stability as a family unit."
Here I thought is was a civil and spiritual affirmation of our commitment to live a shared life based on mutual love, support, and respect.
By your rationale of it being all about procreation, heterosexuals who do not desire children should be excluded from the institution while homosexuals who wish to adopt should be encouraged in it.
I wasn't suggesting it was about to be slashdotted. Rather, I was imagining that the signal to noise ratio would be soon dragged down by random slashdotters joining in on the threads there.
Or at least there was until you linked there on /.
If they look within 24 hours or so, the phone companies should be able to trace the call to the actual circuit from which it originated, using the underlying codes rather than the ANI presented for Caller ID.
The hard part is getting the people who have the power to actually do that for you involved.
And yet, they sometimes glow, or have higher inductive losses due to large coils, or use part of their power for a blower, or...
Learn the difference between theory and practice sometime.
The place was all electric. An incandescent bulb compares favorably to many space heaters in terms of V->heat efficiency, and you get light as a bonus.
In the past, I've under-clocked primarily for noise benefits. Lower clock->lower temp->slower fam RPM->lower dbSPL.
When in college, I heated my crappy little schack by putting 150W bulbs in every light. It was like my own little Easy-Bake oven.