This has to be the neatest setup that I have seen. It is a combines merchant account and secure payment gateway. There are several options depending on the number of products/prices you charge. Their coolest product, the Buy-Me button is essentially a link to a CGI that lets a customer buy an item with only two clicks. One click on the buy_me button and another to enter personal info. The service costs $40-$50 per month plus 2.49% of the charge and $.30 per transaction. Very competitve if not awesome terms. When the customer submits an order they send you an email with the info and what was charged. You can even put the link in an email. Even better you don't have to worry about secure transaction security since they handle the secure transaction.
Go E Merchant. I was in the same boat as you until I found these guys.
When I rented a a floor sander from Taylor Rental to redo the wood floors in my house I discovered that they use SCO to network all their rental locations. Unfortunately the reason I learned this is because the system went down on Sunday and nobody working knew how to reboot the system or the login.
META-MARKUP LANGUAGE, schmeta markup language. My examples woold have given you a better indication of what I was talking about, but since this wonderful forum parses out unrecognized or disallowd tags they did no appear.
XML is a set of tags or identifiers that allows a parser to sort out a flat data file into discrete elements (or species as my Chem prof was fond of using). The Babel problem still boils down to the fact that the only way we as users can make use of this technology is if there are difinitive standards. It matters little if two companies develop their own Micro XML implementation. They don't need any help for that. "Hey IBM, here comes a file. The first 10 characters on each line is the persons name and from position 11-40 is their description." Step one should have been to establish a good generic XML. After that then third party industry groups would have had a standard to conform to. That way even if somthing as simple as: : (define database databasename)(define table tablname, keys fieldname, talbeclass tableclasstype fieldlist field1.filed2.field3...) : could be understood and viewed by any basic XML reader even if they didn't have the industry or company specific TableClass method built into the parser.The W3C dropped the ball years ago.
The true promise of XML is to provide a data interchange format that allows far more detail about data structures and document/graphics formatting than current 'MARKUP LANGUAGEs" like HTML, SGML, SVG provide.
I'm usually very sceptical of new buzzword technologies. When I first heard about XML and did a little reasearch I was floored by the elegant simplicity of the model. XML at its most basic is a set of parser(HTML or whatever) tags that allow the representation of structured data. Much like simple HTML tables are constructed of tags like "" tags, XML extend this to define more complex structures.
For instance, a simple dataset containg haircolor,eyecolor and name for a group of people could be represented with tags like.... This idea is not only a boon for people trying to translate complex information across the web but it also allows for greated complexity in documents viewed on the web.
Here's the part where things went Awry. The W3C (World Wide Web Consortium is the offical standards organization for the web. Their biggest problem is that as a standards body they are trying to maintain stabilty and conformity of standards. This makes them rather slow at approving and implementing new standards. In the past this resulted in companies like Netscape and Microsoft integrating new technologies into their browsers long before they become new standards. Javascript and ActiveX are just two examples. Can't really blam them, they have to compete in the marketplace and he who gives the consumer what they want soonest usually wins and gets to set the defacto standards. In a nutshell, the W3C has become little more than a R&D organization.
So, then we get to XML. Initially proposed over six years ago it was initially rejected by the W3C. Many outside the W3C like the proposal though so many groups started developing and testig different variations of XML. XML and similar technologies like XSL-Extensible Style Language, SVG Scalable Vector Graphics and and a plethora of others began to appear. See the Oasis to get an idea for how far this has gone.
Today there are so many standards for XML variants that there are actually groups with competing standards for XML formats as specific as data exchange between banks. Kind of like a modern day tower of Babel.
So, to answer your question, yes XML holds a lot of promise for document and data interchangability among different software products, but between here and that goal is one huge civil war among competing groups and technologies. Giants of the software industry like IMB and Microsoft have already staked their grounds. Recent Patent Rules changes and passage of UCITA in several states have complecated matters by allowing companies to patent abstract things like database structure and parsing rules. Hopefully like the war between VHS and Beta a clear winner emerges quickly more importantly the winner must be an open standard.
What do you to increase readership when you are a clueless reporter? Flamebait. I always wondered what happened to jeuvenile flamers when they grow up. They become hack reporters. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against honest mistakes. Maybe even confusing Gimp and Gnome, but this guy has made a profession of flamebaiting readers. If you realy needed a job bad after getting that philosophy degree then it's probably a good strategy to get your readership up by baiting or spouting extremist mumbojumbo. Then you can point to the page hits on your column and say to your boss, "its time for a raise". Beyond clueless.
Wake up and smell the opression. What we enjoy in the US is the ilusion of freedom. You are only allowed to exercise freedoms if they don't compete with the desires of those in power. Mitnick is feeling the brunt of this. They can deny his freedom saying that he is profiting from his crimes. MS can deny you your freedom of speech by suing you into giving up MSSucks.com and get you Host to pull your site. You have freedom of religion as long as your flavor of Christianity doesn't encroach on the authority of the great god "Government". You can travel to any country they feel like letting you go. They won't sieze your property unless they feel like it and you are guilty it just remains to be seen what of.
GET SMART AND START PREPARING !At least Tacl Bell has 39 cent bean burritos on Wednesdays.
You live in GR? I grew up in Jenison but I've lived in Virginia since '89. What a small world. I used to really miss Studio28 but then AMC built a huge 24 screen theatre here with all stadium seating that really kicks but. Not a bad screen in the place. The area is pretty high-tech but Linux hasn't really been adopted yet. We havea small user group down in Virginia Beach and hopefully I'll start one up where I am within the next few months.
On the EM thing I also have trouble sometimes when I cross a local bridge down here. Whatever AM or FM station I'm on I pick up some kind of voice for about 5 seconds. Wierd. Voices in my head maybe? The Naval Air Station is nearby and they could be the culprits.
I've had to explain this to my wife a dozen times. First, a tax writeoff is only a reduction in your total tax liability. For instance, if you pay $100 for a piece of software you may be able to lower your taxbase by $100 thus saving that percent (say if you pay a 20% tax then.2($100)= $20 savings).
Second, most businesses will purchase the commercial version of the software with a support contract(See RedHat, LinuxCare, TurboLinux, etc...) So from a TCO standpoint the initial capital outlay for acquiring the software is lower and in most cases the cost of support is lower.
Further, the true advantages to Linux are that updates to the software are free and the company has the ability to hire third party developers/vendors to customise the software. I can tell you from a factual standpoint that MS really makes us pay for each install and update on our NT network. Then you have to pay again every time the damn thing crashes. I see the BSOD twice a day like clockwork and all MS does is say reinstall SP5. We are stuck with our current software configuration because any attempts at updating have resulted in massive crashes. So here we are using Office 97, MSIE 4.0, and NT 4 indefinitely until the big boys decide that another option like Linux is more viable. By the way MS is hooking us up by dropping support for NT4 ASAP.
Despite the obvious flaws with this story it actually has an interresting point. How many system errors are caused by EM interference? At the apartment I just moved out of someone nearby was broadcasting so strongly that sound would come out of my computer speakers even with the power turned off. Freaked me out the first time I heard it. Apparently the EM boradcast was inducing/oscillating current to the speaker or the power line going into the speaker. The computer alwas seemed more stable late at night and most-unstable from 4-11PM. Maybe a good solution would for someone to sell some inexpensive tape made from braided wire that could be applied to sensitive components. Also, does this also mean that Apple computers may be less stable since they have plactic cases? Interresting.
This stuff is really getting out of hand. Regardless of what performance these companies are claiming for their new cards the fact remains that there is a bottleneck in getting all that graphical data to the screen. AGP 2X,4X has proven worthless. Developers haven't even started addressing advances in graphics cards that are two years old. As graphics chipset manufacturers continually leapfrog each other on new features there are very few real tangible benefits for consumers. Personally I use a TNT. It offers excellent 2D and 3D performance and I see little improvemetn from newer cards. For business apps the Matrox Millenium2 still leads on crystal clear resolution and color. I just wish these video chipset manufacturers would start producing their own games so we consumers could actually start taking advantage of all these new features. Beyond that I think consumers interests are best served by getting a good deal on the card that was hottest two years ago. For a fraction of the price you get as good or better performance and better stabilty.
The next questions is what model will support a customer-to-customer model. The restrictions on upload bandwith is self imposed.
I consider myself lucky in that I can choose either DSL or Cable but the truth is that they both limit upload bandwidth. As far as pricing goes Cable beats DSL offering twice the bandwidth for half the price. This certainly meets the definition of viable.
Even considering a customer to customer model, getting 256K upload still beats 50K at the most commonly used model (traditional ISPs). Moreover, since COX has already made the capital investment in fiberoptic technology,they are more adaptable to future technology improvements since the fiber has already been lain. Not to mention that they are also competing with satellite dish TV by providing Digital TV on the same lines.
Phone companies on the other hand must spend much more to upgrade while also having to survive in an extremely competitive market for regular phone services. Around here at least, COX has the monopoly on cable.
Satellite internet has proven unworkable because it requires the user to pay for both the satellite service and a local ISP (for upstream). As yet, I still don't see any viable alternative to cable internet. DSL certainly isn't it. DSL could possibly compete if quality and service could be improved and the price chopped in half.
Yet another downside to both cable and DSL is the current cost of hardware. Roughly $250 for the modems alone at a time when $250 PCs are just around the corner.
Dumbed down computers for dumbed down students
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Laptops In Education
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If the schhols are really so concerned about making the next generation of students computer savy then they should make the students have to really think to use the computers. No fancy GUIs (on first boot) where all they have to do is point and click. Students would have to install all the software and maybe even assemble the computer on day one to start using the laptops. Make them have to learn that there is more to a computer than the mouse and the start button.
Make it tough but not too tough. The students would have to write their own startup script to go beyond the command prompt to start the Windowing agent. This script would have to be configured to optimise it. When you get to the point where they want to browse the web then they again have to write the script to get the browser running and the appropriate clients running and communicating with the host. They wouldn't be learning full-fledged programming but at least garnering some understanding for how the computer functions.
Calculators as far as I can see were a complete failure when integrated into the gradeschool. There is an entire generation of graduates who can't do simple math without going to a calculator. Calculators have taken much of the "feeling" or "tangible perception" out of mathematics. Handing over mega-user friendly computers to every student could be even more harmful. Where the only thing involved in using a computer is hitting the power button and clicking the mouse a couple of times there is little knowledge gained and a complete lack of understanding about how computers work and how the internet/networking works (not to mention where all the information on the internet comes from). Without a tangible understding of computers people often thing of computers as magical black boxes that seem extremely fragile and cryptic.
That said, if I were to choose a computer setup to hand over to these students to enhance their learning experience it would be something like this: A laptop case with a 10 inch LCD preinstalled. Motherboard with integrated sound and video custom that is screened with colorcoded descriptions for each component (see that area in red, that is where the video chipset is), CDRom, hard drive and the rest of the basics. Make the operating system a variant of Linux or Mac OS X to keep the costs down. Heck, maybe even offer incentives to top students for upgrades that they can add/install to the laptops.
Customer shall not use the Equipment or the Service directly or indirectly to:
l. operate a Web, http, FTP, email, chat, nntp, game, Gateway or proxy server from home; m. use a VPN (virtual private network) or VPN tunneling protocol;
This means Napster and Gnutella folks!If you fall for their high-speeed access schtick and sign up, does that make you a COX-sucker?
There are already tons of Windows based OpenSource projects. Many of them released under the GPL. The ones I have heard the most about are the ones where a Linux/UNIX program has been ported to windows (Apache, PHP, Gimp) or the software is inherently platform independent (Java, PHP projects) . The most important consideration should be if opening the software will benefit your company or help you produce a better product.
You said it's a timer. Kind of sounds like a niche product. If it were a game or desktop office tool you would probably have a higher profile. This goes for the amount of support you may get from developers also. Most OpenSource developers either are interrested in the software or need the software themselves. Myself I fall into the latter category most of the time.
As far as what license to use. This is a tough question. Coming from the closed source market you tend to shy away from the notion that someone could grab your source, modify it and become a competitor. The fact is that this is very unlikely and in the real world, uncommon. Especially if the product is already reasonably developed (say >4000 lines of code).
The primary reason for this I think is because the competitor will not only have to worry about developing and differentiating their product, they will also have to track the origional and keep up with those improvements/modifications/changes. And in the end, even if they make a killer improvement to the app you have access to the new source code. Stick with the GPL.
I can't believe that with all the companies out there producing enterprise quality accounting software that not even one can see the benefit of going OpenSource.
What we need is a good solid integrated software package. Here is one that I have been checking out. Its called Pacioli2000. They have been around a long time yet I only stumbled across them while looking through the bargain rack at the local computer store. The version I saw was dated 1993 and had tons of kudos on the box from software reviewers. Maybe they failed to catch on big time but at any rate maybe we should pick a company like this and lobby them to go OpenSource.
If you follow the trends in the accounting software industry you see some pretty scary stuff. Peachtree Accounting was bought out by Sage software, the same company that produces MAS90. Already they are upscaling Peachtree to the Pay by install/ module/ user seat model. Last time I checked Peachtree was the only decently priced double-accounting software package (most of the cheapos like Quicken and Money are single accounting). That is sure to change. Pacioli, named after the inventor of accounting, may be another possibility. At least until some other big fish swallows them.
:Alchemy Communications 1200 West 7th Street, Suite L1-100 The Garland Building Los Angeles, CA 90017 TEL: 213-596-3000 FAX: 213-596-3004 Email: goldensales@alchemy.net
PTO Trademark Registration for GOHip Word Mark GOHIP! Owner Name (APPLICANT) GoHip, Inc. Owner Address 8306 Wilshire Boulevard, #54 Beverly Hills CALIFORNIA 90211 CORPORATION CALIFORNIA
Eazel is a new GUI thats supposed to be easier for people to use. I guess you could call it the "Human Gnome Project"
And whats with calling these hacker attacks "DDoS attacks". Next time somthing like this happens give it a better name like "Overloaded Gates Attack" or "MSOverKill" or "Winstorm plague" or "Win2KOut". I mean really, if yer gonna use the bad press really use it.
I can see your point but then again, when I'm working on a business letter I go to WordPerfect.
You may very well organize items based on their "topic" or "theme" but in the end you really organize them by name. The only way most people can rember what file is the birthday card you made for your son Bobby is to name it "Bobby_First_BDay" or some such. By ditching the file extension BS you also get the bonus of using the extension for your (as user) own purposes. Name all your Family files "foo.fam" and all your porn files "naked_teen.porn".
Even better, this could be even a further refinement of the brokering program. The user could set file properties not only for File type (source or binary or user) but also by content. At this level it would merely be a pointer. user selects "View Categories for Category "Porn" and that is what becomes viewable within the application.
I've found that most of my discomfot comes from the unnatural contortions I have to put my wrists through to get comfortable. Last year I bought a Logitech (radio) cordless kb and mouse. What a difference! Sometimes I plop it it my lap. Sometimes I set it on the desk. Sometimes I set it on my stomach. Variety is the idea. Repitition produces stress.
Why not somthing innovative? How about a system where file location is the important part. Each file be it source, binary or simply a document has properties that say where it belongs. A broker would perform the function of sending the file to the correct directory.
If the file is inadvertantly put in the incorrect location, broker engine "cleaners" come along and give notice that file "foo" seems to be in the incorrect location and an idiot proof tool to automatically move it to the correct location so that it can be read by the appropriate application.
This really isn't too far from how things work now. Apache only serves up file from a predefined location. Linux has a default directory structure. MS Office defaults documents to "My Documents". Take it a step further.
In addition to properties like file name, size, date created, date modified would be the default path. The broker program automatically ensures files are put in the correct place and runs scans to ensure there aren't any incorrectly placed files.
Each application developer could fit their program in a structure like this:
For the program: [Root]../[application name]/[app files]/[app source] or [app binary]
For the user's created or downloaded files: [Root]../[application name]/[app user files]/[user1] and [user2].....
There would be many inherent benefits to a system like this. Looking at a tree directory at all would be pointless since all the broker would have to know is who the current user is and where his/her files are stored by default. The entire environment would be cleaner because all files are in the correct place by default. It has advantages over the current file extension registry process because there are only so many three letter combos to use for file extensions and applications tend to "stomp" each other by using the same extension, changing extensions, or overwriting extension registrys.
The association process would be in the hands of the user. Having a broker organize the applications by name there is less of a chance of inadvertant overwriting because there are already worldwide trademark laws. I could go on but you get the idea.
From a user perspective life would be simplified. If you download a particualr graphic format it would automatically be placed in the correct directory to be "seen" by the correct graphics program. Life on the desktop would be simplified to starting applications and browsing the web.
For cases where two applications need to "see" the same file we could set different applications to perform different operations on a file. Each file would have a "edit" directory property or a "browse" directory property. The person then could configure the file broker to send files to the directory for each associated application(s) in the case where the person wants to edit a browsed file (or turn on the option for editing browsed files).
I spend 10-12 hours online or otherwise on a computer each day. 8 hours at work and another 2-4 hours at home.
My first intellectual addiction was TV. Growing up I learned more from PBS than school. In the Navy I got hooked on books. Finding a good book I haden't read started getting tough. I messed around with computers and programming since HS. When I put together my first PC I got hooked on computers. Hardware and then progressively more programming.
When AOL started offering unlimited access I signed up. Bopped around a bunch of flamer tardo infested chat rooms but eventually found the escape hatch (buried deep within the bowels of AOL) to the internet. I dropped AOL after a month. Found a good ISP.
What attracts me to the web is the endless knowledge. I've always been what I call a tangential thinker. I like to work on many things at once. Hopping from one idea/knowledge quest to the next. TV doesn't give you what you want, only what they feel like producing. Books are expensive and tough to find. The net gives me whatever I want whenever I want it.
Sure I have a life outside the computer. I have three wonderful children and an awesome wife. My wife is getting hooked on the net for her own reasons (chatting and buying stuff). I closely monitor my children when they are on the computer. The oldest is only four and unlike my parents I understand that a smart 12y/o has the ability to take responsibility.
I feel more alive now that at any time in the past. I feel connectd. I love this Open Source movement and the sharing of knowledge. So much so that within the month I'm starting a Linux computer business.
Yes I do things out in the physical world. But for me at least, my time on the internet is adding to my life not taking away from it.
The net ain't gravity, the Model-T or Elvis. Its just a bunch of people connecting.
I spend 10-12 hours online or otherwise on a computer each day. 8 hours at work and another 2-4 hours at home.
My first intellectual addiction was TV. Growing up I learned more from PBS than school. In the Navy I got hooked on books. Finding a good book I haden't read started getting tough. I messed around with computers and programming since HS. When I put together my first PC I got hooked on computers. Hardware and then progressively more programming.
When AOL started offering unlimited access I signed up. Bopped around a bunch of flamer tardo infested chat rooms but eventually found the escape hatch (buried deep within the bowels of AOL) to the internet. I dropped AOL after a month. Found a good ISP.
What attracts me to the web is the endless knowledge. I've always been what I call a tangential thinker. I like to work on many things at once. Hopping from one idea/knowledge quest to the next. TV doesn't give you what you want, only what they feel like producing. Books are expensive and tough to find. The net gives me whatever I want whenever I want it.
Sure I have a life outside the computer. I have three wonderful children and an awesome wife. My wife is getting hooked on the net for her own reasons (chatting and buying stuff). I closely monitor my children when they are on the computer. The oldest is only four and unlike my parents I understand that a smart 12y/o has the ability to take responsibility.
I feel more alive now that at any time in the past. I feel connectd. I love this Open Source movement and the sharing of knowledge. So much so that within the month I'm starting a Linux computer business.
Yes I do things out in the physical world. But for me at least, my time on the internet is adding to my life not taking away from it.
Slashdot Mirror
Rack-on... Rackoff...The Racker Quite a Rak in the balls for MP3.com
Go E Merchant. I was in the same boat as you until I found these guys.
When I rented a a floor sander from Taylor Rental to redo the wood floors in my house I discovered that they use SCO to network all their rental locations. Unfortunately the reason I learned this is because the system went down on Sunday and nobody working knew how to reboot the system or the login.
META-MARKUP LANGUAGE, schmeta markup language. My examples woold have given you a better indication of what I was talking about, but since this wonderful forum parses out unrecognized or disallowd tags they did no appear.
XML is a set of tags or identifiers that allows a parser to sort out a flat data file into discrete elements (or species as my Chem prof was fond of using). The Babel problem still boils down to the fact that the only way we as users can make use of this technology is if there are difinitive standards. It matters little if two companies develop their own Micro XML implementation. They don't need any help for that. "Hey IBM, here comes a file. The first 10 characters on each line is the persons name and from position 11-40 is their description." Step one should have been to establish a good generic XML. After that then third party industry groups would have had a standard to conform to. That way even if somthing as simple as:
:
(define database databasename)(define table tablname, keys fieldname, talbeclass tableclasstype fieldlist field1.filed2.field3...)
:
could be understood and viewed by any basic XML reader even if they didn't have the industry or company specific TableClass method built into the parser.The W3C dropped the ball years ago.
The true promise of XML is to provide a data interchange format that allows far more detail about data structures and document/graphics formatting than current 'MARKUP LANGUAGEs" like HTML, SGML, SVG provide.
I'm usually very sceptical of new buzzword technologies. When I first heard about XML and did a little reasearch I was floored by the elegant simplicity of the model. XML at its most basic is a set of parser(HTML or whatever) tags that allow the representation of structured data. Much like simple HTML tables are constructed of tags like "" tags, XML extend this to define more complex structures.
For instance, a simple dataset containg haircolor,eyecolor and name for a group of people could be represented with tags like .... This idea is not only a boon for people trying to translate complex information across the web but it also allows for greated complexity in documents viewed on the web.
Here's the part where things went Awry. The W3C (World Wide Web Consortium is the offical standards organization for the web. Their biggest problem is that as a standards body they are trying to maintain stabilty and conformity of standards. This makes them rather slow at approving and implementing new standards. In the past this resulted in companies like Netscape and Microsoft integrating new technologies into their browsers long before they become new standards. Javascript and ActiveX are just two examples. Can't really blam them, they have to compete in the marketplace and he who gives the consumer what they want soonest usually wins and gets to set the defacto standards. In a nutshell, the W3C has become little more than a R&D organization.
So, then we get to XML. Initially proposed over six years ago it was initially rejected by the W3C. Many outside the W3C like the proposal though so many groups started developing and testig different variations of XML. XML and similar technologies like XSL-Extensible Style Language, SVG Scalable Vector Graphics and and a plethora of others began to appear. See the Oasis to get an idea for how far this has gone.
Today there are so many standards for XML variants that there are actually groups with competing standards for XML formats as specific as data exchange between banks. Kind of like a modern day tower of Babel.
So, to answer your question, yes XML holds a lot of promise for document and data interchangability among different software products, but between here and that goal is one huge civil war among competing groups and technologies. Giants of the software industry like IMB and Microsoft have already staked their grounds. Recent Patent Rules changes and passage of UCITA in several states have complecated matters by allowing companies to patent abstract things like database structure and parsing rules. Hopefully like the war between VHS and Beta a clear winner emerges quickly more importantly the winner must be an open standard.
Sool boong fleure grewl es elama, ishmet cnanor teer flugle? Es boong feleey peena?
What do you to increase readership when you are a clueless reporter? Flamebait. I always wondered what happened to jeuvenile flamers when they grow up. They become hack reporters. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against honest mistakes. Maybe even confusing Gimp and Gnome, but this guy has made a profession of flamebaiting readers. If you realy needed a job bad after getting that philosophy degree then it's probably a good strategy to get your readership up by baiting or spouting extremist mumbojumbo. Then you can point to the page hits on your column and say to your boss, "its time for a raise". Beyond clueless.
VA Linux is in California
Wake up and smell the opression. What we enjoy in the US is the ilusion of freedom. You are only allowed to exercise freedoms if they don't compete with the desires of those in power. Mitnick is feeling the brunt of this. They can deny his freedom saying that he is profiting from his crimes. MS can deny you your freedom of speech by suing you into giving up MSSucks.com and get you Host to pull your site. You have freedom of religion as long as your flavor of Christianity doesn't encroach on the authority of the great god "Government". You can travel to any country they feel like letting you go. They won't sieze your property unless they feel like it and you are guilty it just remains to be seen what of.
GET SMART AND START PREPARING !At least Tacl Bell has 39 cent bean burritos on Wednesdays.
You live in GR? I grew up in Jenison but I've lived in Virginia since '89. What a small world. I used to really miss Studio28 but then AMC built a huge 24 screen theatre here with all stadium seating that really kicks but. Not a bad screen in the place. The area is pretty high-tech but Linux hasn't really been adopted yet. We havea small user group down in Virginia Beach and hopefully I'll start one up where I am within the next few months.
On the EM thing I also have trouble sometimes when I cross a local bridge down here. Whatever AM or FM station I'm on I pick up some kind of voice for about 5 seconds. Wierd. Voices in my head maybe? The Naval Air Station is nearby and they could be the culprits.
I've had to explain this to my wife a dozen times. First, a tax writeoff is only a reduction in your total tax liability. For instance, if you pay $100 for a piece of software you may be able to lower your taxbase by $100 thus saving that percent (say if you pay a 20% tax then .2($100)= $20 savings).
Second, most businesses will purchase the commercial version of the software with a support contract(See RedHat, LinuxCare, TurboLinux, etc...) So from a TCO standpoint the initial capital outlay for acquiring the software is lower and in most cases the cost of support is lower.
Further, the true advantages to Linux are that updates to the software are free and the company has the ability to hire third party developers/vendors to customise the software. I can tell you from a factual standpoint that MS really makes us pay for each install and update on our NT network. Then you have to pay again every time the damn thing crashes. I see the BSOD twice a day like clockwork and all MS does is say reinstall SP5. We are stuck with our current software configuration because any attempts at updating have resulted in massive crashes. So here we are using Office 97, MSIE 4.0, and NT 4 indefinitely until the big boys decide that another option like Linux is more viable. By the way MS is hooking us up by dropping support for NT4 ASAP.
Despite the obvious flaws with this story it actually has an interresting point. How many system errors are caused by EM interference? At the apartment I just moved out of someone nearby was broadcasting so strongly that sound would come out of my computer speakers even with the power turned off. Freaked me out the first time I heard it. Apparently the EM boradcast was inducing/oscillating current to the speaker or the power line going into the speaker. The computer alwas seemed more stable late at night and most-unstable from 4-11PM. Maybe a good solution would for someone to sell some inexpensive tape made from braided wire that could be applied to sensitive components. Also, does this also mean that Apple computers may be less stable since they have plactic cases? Interresting.
This stuff is really getting out of hand. Regardless of what performance these companies are claiming for their new cards the fact remains that there is a bottleneck in getting all that graphical data to the screen. AGP 2X,4X has proven worthless. Developers haven't even started addressing advances in graphics cards that are two years old. As graphics chipset manufacturers continually leapfrog each other on new features there are very few real tangible benefits for consumers. Personally I use a TNT. It offers excellent 2D and 3D performance and I see little improvemetn from newer cards. For business apps the Matrox Millenium2 still leads on crystal clear resolution and color. I just wish these video chipset manufacturers would start producing their own games so we consumers could actually start taking advantage of all these new features. Beyond that I think consumers interests are best served by getting a good deal on the card that was hottest two years ago. For a fraction of the price you get as good or better performance and better stabilty.
I consider myself lucky in that I can choose either DSL or Cable but the truth is that they both limit upload bandwidth. As far as pricing goes Cable beats DSL offering twice the bandwidth for half the price. This certainly meets the definition of viable.
Even considering a customer to customer model, getting 256K upload still beats 50K at the most commonly used model (traditional ISPs). Moreover, since COX has already made the capital investment in fiberoptic technology ,they are more adaptable to future technology improvements since the fiber has already been lain. Not to mention that they are also competing with satellite dish TV by providing Digital TV on the same lines.
Phone companies on the other hand must spend much more to upgrade while also having to survive in an extremely competitive market for regular phone services. Around here at least, COX has the monopoly on cable.
Satellite internet has proven unworkable because it requires the user to pay for both the satellite service and a local ISP (for upstream). As yet, I still don't see any viable alternative to cable internet. DSL certainly isn't it. DSL could possibly compete if quality and service could be improved and the price chopped in half.
Yet another downside to both cable and DSL is the current cost of hardware. Roughly $250 for the modems alone at a time when $250 PCs are just around the corner.
Make it tough but not too tough. The students would have to write their own startup script to go beyond the command prompt to start the Windowing agent. This script would have to be configured to optimise it. When you get to the point where they want to browse the web then they again have to write the script to get the browser running and the appropriate clients running and communicating with the host. They wouldn't be learning full-fledged programming but at least garnering some understanding for how the computer functions.
Calculators as far as I can see were a complete failure when integrated into the gradeschool. There is an entire generation of graduates who can't do simple math without going to a calculator. Calculators have taken much of the "feeling" or "tangible perception" out of mathematics. Handing over mega-user friendly computers to every student could be even more harmful. Where the only thing involved in using a computer is hitting the power button and clicking the mouse a couple of times there is little knowledge gained and a complete lack of understanding about how computers work and how the internet/networking works (not to mention where all the information on the internet comes from). Without a tangible understding of computers people often thing of computers as magical black boxes that seem extremely fragile and cryptic.
That said, if I were to choose a computer setup to hand over to these students to enhance their learning experience it would be something like this: A laptop case with a 10 inch LCD preinstalled. Motherboard with integrated sound and video custom that is screened with colorcoded descriptions for each component (see that area in red, that is where the video chipset is), CDRom, hard drive and the rest of the basics. Make the operating system a variant of Linux or Mac OS X to keep the costs down. Heck, maybe even offer incentives to top students for upgrades that they can add/install to the laptops.
l. operate a Web, http, FTP, email, chat, nntp, game, Gateway or proxy server from home;
m. use a VPN (virtual private network) or VPN tunneling protocol;
This means Napster and Gnutella folks!If you fall for their high-speeed access schtick and sign up, does that make you a COX-sucker?
There are already tons of Windows based OpenSource projects. Many of them released under the GPL. The ones I have heard the most about are the ones where a Linux/UNIX program has been ported to windows (Apache, PHP, Gimp) or the software is inherently platform independent (Java, PHP projects) . The most important consideration should be if opening the software will benefit your company or help you produce a better product.
You said it's a timer. Kind of sounds like a niche product. If it were a game or desktop office tool you would probably have a higher profile. This goes for the amount of support you may get from developers also. Most OpenSource developers either are interrested in the software or need the software themselves. Myself I fall into the latter category most of the time.
As far as what license to use. This is a tough question. Coming from the closed source market you tend to shy away from the notion that someone could grab your source, modify it and become a competitor. The fact is that this is very unlikely and in the real world, uncommon. Especially if the product is already reasonably developed (say >4000 lines of code).
The primary reason for this I think is because the competitor will not only have to worry about developing and differentiating their product, they will also have to track the origional and keep up with those improvements/modifications/changes. And in the end, even if they make a killer improvement to the app you have access to the new source code. Stick with the GPL.
I can't believe that with all the companies out there producing enterprise quality accounting software that not even one can see the benefit of going OpenSource.
What we need is a good solid integrated software package. Here is one that I have been checking out. Its called Pacioli2000. They have been around a long time yet I only stumbled across them while looking through the bargain rack at the local computer store. The version I saw was dated 1993 and had tons of kudos on the box from software reviewers. Maybe they failed to catch on big time but at any rate maybe we should pick a company like this and lobby them to go OpenSource.
If you follow the trends in the accounting software industry you see some pretty scary stuff. Peachtree Accounting was bought out by Sage software, the same company that produces MAS90. Already they are upscaling Peachtree to the Pay by install/ module/ user seat model. Last time I checked Peachtree was the only decently priced double-accounting software package (most of the cheapos like Quicken and Money are single accounting). That is sure to change. Pacioli, named after the inventor of accounting, may be another possibility. At least until some other big fish swallows them.
Here is their info from the WhoIS registry. Also the USPTO registration.
Registrant:
Alchemy Communications (GOHIP-DOM)
9610 DeSoto Ave.
Chatsworth, CA 91311
US
Domain Name: GOHIP.COM
Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
Administrator, DNS (JH334) dnsadmin@ALCHEMY.NET
Alchemy Communications
9610 Desoto Ave
Chatsworth, CA 91311
(818) 718-0366 ext. 402 (FAX) (818) 700-2835
Record last updated on 14-May-1998.
Record created on 14-May-1998.
Database last updated on 26-Feb-2000 12:35:37 EST.
Domain servers in listed order:
NS1.ALCHEMYFX.COM 209.132.221.21
NS2.ALCHEMYFX.COM 209.132.221.22
About Alchemy, GoHip's host/ Parent Company
:Alchemy Communications
1200 West 7th Street, Suite L1-100
The Garland Building
Los Angeles, CA 90017
TEL: 213-596-3000
FAX: 213-596-3004
Email: goldensales@alchemy.net
PTO Trademark Registration for GOHip
Word Mark GOHIP!
Owner Name (APPLICANT) GoHip, Inc.
Owner Address 8306 Wilshire Boulevard, #54 Beverly Hills CALIFORNIA 90211 CORPORATION CALIFORNIA
Eazel is a new GUI thats supposed to be easier for people to use. I guess you could call it the "Human Gnome Project"
And whats with calling these hacker attacks "DDoS attacks". Next time somthing like this happens give it a better name like "Overloaded Gates Attack" or "MSOverKill" or "Winstorm plague" or "Win2KOut". I mean really, if yer gonna use the bad press really use it.
I can see your point but then again, when I'm working on a business letter I go to WordPerfect.
You may very well organize items based on their "topic" or "theme" but in the end you really organize them by name. The only way most people can rember what file is the birthday card you made for your son Bobby is to name it "Bobby_First_BDay" or some such. By ditching the file extension BS you also get the bonus of using the extension for your (as user) own purposes. Name all your Family files "foo.fam" and all your porn files "naked_teen.porn".
Even better, this could be even a further refinement of the brokering program. The user could set file properties not only for File type (source or binary or user) but also by content. At this level it would merely be a pointer. user selects "View Categories for Category "Porn" and that is what becomes viewable within the application.
[Root..]/[app name]/[user]/[category]..[subcat]
I've found that most of my discomfot comes from the unnatural contortions I have to put my wrists through to get comfortable. Last year I bought a Logitech (radio) cordless kb and mouse. What a difference! Sometimes I plop it it my lap. Sometimes I set it on the desk. Sometimes I set it on my stomach. Variety is the idea. Repitition produces stress.
Why not somthing innovative? How about a system where file location is the important part. Each file be it source, binary or simply a document has properties that say where it belongs. A broker would perform the function of sending the file to the correct directory.
If the file is inadvertantly put in the incorrect location, broker engine "cleaners" come along and give notice that file "foo" seems to be in the incorrect location and an idiot proof tool to automatically move it to the correct location so that it can be read by the appropriate application.
This really isn't too far from how things work now. Apache only serves up file from a predefined location. Linux has a default directory structure. MS Office defaults documents to "My Documents". Take it a step further.
In addition to properties like file name, size, date created, date modified would be the default path. The broker program automatically ensures files are put in the correct place and runs scans to ensure there aren't any incorrectly placed files.
Each application developer could fit their program in a structure like this:
For the program: [Root]../[application name]/[app files]/[app source] or [app binary]
For the user's created or downloaded files: [Root]../[application name]/[app user files]/[user1] and [user2] .....
There would be many inherent benefits to a system like this. Looking at a tree directory at all would be pointless since all the broker would have to know is who the current user is and where his/her files are stored by default. The entire environment would be cleaner because all files are in the correct place by default. It has advantages over the current file extension registry process because there are only so many three letter combos to use for file extensions and applications tend to "stomp" each other by using the same extension, changing extensions, or overwriting extension registrys.
The association process would be in the hands of the user. Having a broker organize the applications by name there is less of a chance of inadvertant overwriting because there are already worldwide trademark laws. I could go on but you get the idea.
From a user perspective life would be simplified. If you download a particualr graphic format it would automatically be placed in the correct directory to be "seen" by the correct graphics program. Life on the desktop would be simplified to starting applications and browsing the web.
For cases where two applications need to "see" the same file we could set different applications to perform different operations on a file. Each file would have a "edit" directory property or a "browse" directory property. The person then could configure the file broker to send files to the directory for each associated application(s) in the case where the person wants to edit a browsed file (or turn on the option for editing browsed files).
I spend 10-12 hours online or otherwise on a computer each day. 8 hours at work and another 2-4 hours at home.
My first intellectual addiction was TV. Growing up I learned more from PBS than school. In the Navy I got hooked on books. Finding a good book I haden't read started getting tough. I messed around with computers and programming since HS. When I put together my first PC I got hooked on computers. Hardware and then progressively more programming.
When AOL started offering unlimited access I signed up. Bopped around a bunch of flamer tardo infested chat rooms but eventually found the escape hatch (buried deep within the bowels of AOL) to the internet. I dropped AOL after a month. Found a good ISP.
What attracts me to the web is the endless knowledge. I've always been what I call a tangential thinker. I like to work on many things at once. Hopping from one idea/knowledge quest to the next. TV doesn't give you what you want, only what they feel like producing. Books are expensive and tough to find. The net gives me whatever I want whenever I want it.
Sure I have a life outside the computer. I have three wonderful children and an awesome wife. My wife is getting hooked on the net for her own reasons (chatting and buying stuff). I closely monitor my children when they are on the computer. The oldest is only four and unlike my parents I understand that a smart 12y/o has the ability to take responsibility.
I feel more alive now that at any time in the past. I feel connectd. I love this Open Source movement and the sharing of knowledge. So much so that within the month I'm starting a Linux computer business.
Yes I do things out in the physical world. But for me at least, my time on the internet is adding to my life not taking away from it.
The net ain't gravity, the Model-T or Elvis. Its just a bunch of people connecting.
I spend 10-12 hours online or otherwise on a computer each day. 8 hours at work and another 2-4 hours at home.
My first intellectual addiction was TV. Growing up I learned more from PBS than school. In the Navy I got hooked on books. Finding a good book I haden't read started getting tough. I messed around with computers and programming since HS. When I put together my first PC I got hooked on computers. Hardware and then progressively more programming.
When AOL started offering unlimited access I signed up. Bopped around a bunch of flamer tardo infested chat rooms but eventually found the escape hatch (buried deep within the bowels of AOL) to the internet. I dropped AOL after a month. Found a good ISP.
What attracts me to the web is the endless knowledge. I've always been what I call a tangential thinker. I like to work on many things at once. Hopping from one idea/knowledge quest to the next. TV doesn't give you what you want, only what they feel like producing. Books are expensive and tough to find. The net gives me whatever I want whenever I want it.
Sure I have a life outside the computer. I have three wonderful children and an awesome wife. My wife is getting hooked on the net for her own reasons (chatting and buying stuff). I closely monitor my children when they are on the computer. The oldest is only four and unlike my parents I understand that a smart 12y/o has the ability to take responsibility.
I feel more alive now that at any time in the past. I feel connectd. I love this Open Source movement and the sharing of knowledge. So much so that within the month I'm starting a Linux computer business.
Yes I do things out in the physical world. But for me at least, my time on the internet is adding to my life not taking away from it.