Same here. It always frustrated me that the government was seemingly so narrow minded towards open source.. but it looks like finally they got a bit of common sense, and are exploring the alternatives.
I'd like to back this one up. Our company uses liberum - we have a team of about 14 people and get about (at the minute) around 50 requests per week, maybe more.
You can customize categories, tie it in to Active Directory authentication, stick it on a SQL back end, etc - very flexible, very powerful, and very reliable so far. Oh, and very free.
Heh.. it wasn't that SCO didn't want to meet him.. its just that their entire company now consists of lawyers, and the upper upper management. They were all too busy preparing press releases and law suits to come down and meet him;)
I can understand the logic behind it - the watch is with you all the time.. and you never know as a tech (or indeed as any computer user) when you might need some portable storage... but I gotta say that a watch with 256MB of memory which you hook up to a computer was something I would never have thought of in a million years:)
I think you pretty much nailed it with that description.
I just got a Powermac G4 1.25GHz at work.. its almost confusing to have all the Linux/UNI utilities you are used to, combined with excellent hardware support, and the best GUI I have ever seen.
And as you say, the actual hardware itself its very well designed and looks superb.
I think those who own them, like them - those who stand outside and poke fun don't really know what they are missing. Put it this way.. as someone who has used Linux for about 6 years, I could quite easily see myself ditching in favour of an Apple.. just pricing up whether I can afford one:)
Likewise.. I work in Further Education and the 'Select' prices we are offered just prove how much they are ripping off the general public for copies of Office and Windows.
And when it comes to server applications its even worse. I believe a license for Exchange Server 2003 Enterprise costs us something stupid like $200, and SQL Server 2000 is like $20.. i'm not 100% sure but I know they are silly prices.
Looking at some of the posts on here, it looks like most of you do similar jobs to me.
I was originally hired, fresh out of college (not university as Americans would understand it) on a short term basis because the Linux techie there had just got the sack, and word had gotten to the college that a student knew about Linux. So learning a bit about Linux got me an easy break into IT:)
I then became a part time worker in the short time before I was due to start university.. I did about 4 months at university whilst still working part time at the college. I quickly realised that I hated university and my studies were already suffering so I dropped out and went to work at the college full time as a technician. I often wonder if that was a bad idea, but despite the grief of the job I still wouldn't want to do anything else.
Anyway.. where was I.
So basically to bring us up to date - I am now a 'Senior Computer Technician' - my original technician duties still include the usual stuff:
* Installation of software * PC troubleshooting * Helpdesk stuff * Installation of ink cartridges, etc.
Bolted onto that is my Linux and internet related stuff which I do:
* Admin and maintain two Linux based caching proxy servers, two DHCP servers, and our two DNS servers. * I also assist when general internet related queries and problems arise which (amusingly) our 'internet & securities manager' cannot manage. * I configure Cisco edge switches, and very occasionally do some light configuration on a Cisco 6500 series core switch. But only very occasionally:)
Plus other server related work:
* Configuration of some Windows servers, admin of some Novell NetWare servers. * Patching, updating, installation and configuration of new services such as Microsoft RIS, etc etc.
And then the 'senior' part of my job:
* Helping with basic team management, allocating jobs out to the other technicians * Allowing techinicians time off, scheduling work accordingly, etc.
Its pretty crazy. We are split across two sites with around 30 servers and 1700 workstations - around 1000 staff and quite a lot of students. Yet we are a team of about 12 people (we are SERIOUSLY understaffed yet the college does nothing - and its rare we have a full compliment of people on any given day).
Further to this, did a little reading up and found that once the system checks (and corresponding LED's had lit up or gone out) the OS was actually in control of the LED sequence.. I think the example used was that SunOS used to make the LEDs light up pretty quickly ala Knight Rider and as CPU threads became more active it would slow right down whereas NetBSD would just have a slow ticking LED going from left to right.
Well I think that was one of the versions that had something similar, but for CPU usage. A row of about 5 or 6 LED's used to swish left and right ala Knight Rider at a bit of speed, and as the machine got bogged down with CPU heavy jobs the pattern used to slow right down..
Or was it the other way round.. I can't remeber. Cool none the less - wouldn't mind something similar to stick into a floppy drive blanking plate:)
I know its the job of the media to tell us what is going on in the world today.. but I wish they wouldn't leap on these 'asteroid headed for earth' stories.
Its not like they report on them in a sensible way either.. the headline is always 'huge asteroid headed for earth' or 'asteroid to slam into earth' - all it does is cause un-necessary concern.
Let the scientists do the math and work out how serious (or not as the case has always been so far) the chances are of something like this happening before spreading panic.
..i've seen nothing but positive articles discussion the abilities and the future of the Linux operating system. The only negative things I have read were from the Gartner group.. no surprises there though.
When (most definately not an if) SCO are finally trampled, I think either this or next year will be the real boom year for Linux.. commercial interest and vendor support has never been so good.. I can't wait to see where Linux goes!:)
I think the old 'fridge giving you the BSOD' argument is pretty flimsy these days.. Windows has really got its act together, and doesn't fall over anywhere near as much as it did in the Windows 9x days. I have seen a few BSOD's with Windows XP, but they have almost always been hardware faults that caused them.
Though Windows still has a long way to go.. as it has progressed through 2000, into XP, and now into its Server 2003 guise, it seems to have become more of a blackhole of frustrating little glitches.. the kind Microsoft is renowned for. If you enable this option and click this, then this option breaks itself and you have to reinstall this service and apply Q314453a.exe to resolve it. Great.
So don't mistake this as an "I love Windows post" - believe me, I really do not. But slagging Windows off for the famous BSOD is not really as viable any more.. slag it off for its classic ability to fuck you over with stupid glitches and unusually erratic behaviour when you least expect it;)
Dell have something similar to this already.. its an agreement that you have to accept which is part of their BIOS - first time you switch the machine on it comes up with a whole bunch of T&C's which you have to 'hit any key' to accept.. the machine then resets itself (removing that screen) and the system will boot through the BIOS as normal.
They have had this for at least the two years we have been buying their workstations & servers.
Would it be fair to say then, that Red Hat has the right idea trying to make a standardised GUI using the bets bits of (predominantly) GNOME and KDE?
Having used Bluecurve'd GNOME over other versions of GNOME, it really is a superb piece of work.. definately the way forward imho, and a huge improvement over the standard.
Slashdot Mirror
Same here. It always frustrated me that the government was seemingly so narrow minded towards open source.. but it looks like finally they got a bit of common sense, and are exploring the alternatives.
;)
Hooray for the government.. ahem
Ballmer just got the Microsoft private jet out, and is on his way to sell the Russians Windows XP and Office at a GREATLY reduced price ;)
Just had a quick look on the Apple Store for Education, and found the UK price to be 59.99 - I expected it to cost double that!
Have to ask the boss nicely as Panther sounds well worth the asking price.
I'd like to back this one up. Our company uses liberum - we have a team of about 14 people and get about (at the minute) around 50 requests per week, maybe more.
You can customize categories, tie it in to Active Directory authentication, stick it on a SQL back end, etc - very flexible, very powerful, and very reliable so far. Oh, and very free.
Heh.. it wasn't that SCO didn't want to meet him.. its just that their entire company now consists of lawyers, and the upper upper management. They were all too busy preparing press releases and law suits to come down and meet him ;)
That doesn't make the fscking product any better though does it? :)
I can understand the logic behind it - the watch is with you all the time.. and you never know as a tech (or indeed as any computer user) when you might need some portable storage... but I gotta say that a watch with 256MB of memory which you hook up to a computer was something I would never have thought of in a million years :)
Glad I didn't have a drink in my mouth.. would have been all over the screen by now.
:)
Good post
Thats the Microsoft way!
:)
Ahem
The JPL's webcast starts roughly now, and should last about two hours (light delay).
:)
Hehe.. and just so that it doesn't feel left out, that JPL webserver is currently experiencing what its like to get smashed into Jupiter at 48km/s
Good old Slashdot.
And some of us are getting tired of all the Apple bashing.
I think you pretty much nailed it with that description.
:)
I just got a Powermac G4 1.25GHz at work.. its almost confusing to have all the Linux/UNI utilities you are used to, combined with excellent hardware support, and the best GUI I have ever seen.
And as you say, the actual hardware itself its very well designed and looks superb.
I think those who own them, like them - those who stand outside and poke fun don't really know what they are missing. Put it this way.. as someone who has used Linux for about 6 years, I could quite easily see myself ditching in favour of an Apple.. just pricing up whether I can afford one
Likewise.. I work in Further Education and the 'Select' prices we are offered just prove how much they are ripping off the general public for copies of Office and Windows.
And when it comes to server applications its even worse. I believe a license for Exchange Server 2003 Enterprise costs us something stupid like $200, and SQL Server 2000 is like $20.. i'm not 100% sure but I know they are silly prices.
Looking at some of the posts on here, it looks like most of you do similar jobs to me.
:)
:
:
:)
:
:
I was originally hired, fresh out of college (not university as Americans would understand it) on a short term basis because the Linux techie there had just got the sack, and word had gotten to the college that a student knew about Linux. So learning a bit about Linux got me an easy break into IT
I then became a part time worker in the short time before I was due to start university.. I did about 4 months at university whilst still working part time at the college. I quickly realised that I hated university and my studies were already suffering so I dropped out and went to work at the college full time as a technician. I often wonder if that was a bad idea, but despite the grief of the job I still wouldn't want to do anything else.
Anyway.. where was I.
So basically to bring us up to date - I am now a 'Senior Computer Technician' - my original technician duties still include the usual stuff
* Installation of software
* PC troubleshooting
* Helpdesk stuff
* Installation of ink cartridges, etc.
Bolted onto that is my Linux and internet related stuff which I do
* Admin and maintain two Linux based caching proxy servers, two DHCP servers, and our two DNS servers.
* I also assist when general internet related queries and problems arise which (amusingly) our 'internet & securities manager' cannot manage.
* I configure Cisco edge switches, and very occasionally do some light configuration on a Cisco 6500 series core switch. But only very occasionally
Plus other server related work
* Configuration of some Windows servers, admin of some Novell NetWare servers.
* Patching, updating, installation and configuration of new services such as Microsoft RIS, etc etc.
And then the 'senior' part of my job
* Helping with basic team management, allocating jobs out to the other technicians
* Allowing techinicians time off, scheduling work accordingly, etc.
Its pretty crazy. We are split across two sites with around 30 servers and 1700 workstations - around 1000 staff and quite a lot of students. Yet we are a team of about 12 people (we are SERIOUSLY understaffed yet the college does nothing - and its rare we have a full compliment of people on any given day).
Its a tough job but we manage.
Further to this, did a little reading up and found that once the system checks (and corresponding LED's had lit up or gone out) the OS was actually in control of the LED sequence.. I think the example used was that SunOS used to make the LEDs light up pretty quickly ala Knight Rider and as CPU threads became more active it would slow right down whereas NetBSD would just have a slow ticking LED going from left to right.
Pointless but interesting none the less.
Well I think that was one of the versions that had something similar, but for CPU usage. A row of about 5 or 6 LED's used to swish left and right ala Knight Rider at a bit of speed, and as the machine got bogged down with CPU heavy jobs the pattern used to slow right down..
:)
Or was it the other way round.. I can't remeber. Cool none the less - wouldn't mind something similar to stick into a floppy drive blanking plate
The irony is that its not much different after you leave school and get into an office environment.. difference being there are just more politics!! :)
Yahoo.. then realised that most of the useful results came back from something called Google, which had a little link to it on every page.
:)
Started to use Google and now I don't ever use Yahoo.. Google gets my exclusive search attention
I know its the job of the media to tell us what is going on in the world today.. but I wish they wouldn't leap on these 'asteroid headed for earth' stories.
Its not like they report on them in a sensible way either.. the headline is always 'huge asteroid headed for earth' or 'asteroid to slam into earth' - all it does is cause un-necessary concern.
Let the scientists do the math and work out how serious (or not as the case has always been so far) the chances are of something like this happening before spreading panic.
The obligatory "You're new here.." comment is due ;)
Unfortunately, it looks like someone has DoSed the site. Bummer.
;)
Yeah.. real shame that..
..i've seen nothing but positive articles discussion the abilities and the future of the Linux operating system. The only negative things I have read were from the Gartner group.. no surprises there though.
:)
When (most definately not an if) SCO are finally trampled, I think either this or next year will be the real boom year for Linux.. commercial interest and vendor support has never been so good.. I can't wait to see where Linux goes!
I think the old 'fridge giving you the BSOD' argument is pretty flimsy these days.. Windows has really got its act together, and doesn't fall over anywhere near as much as it did in the Windows 9x days. I have seen a few BSOD's with Windows XP, but they have almost always been hardware faults that caused them.
;)
Though Windows still has a long way to go.. as it has progressed through 2000, into XP, and now into its Server 2003 guise, it seems to have become more of a blackhole of frustrating little glitches.. the kind Microsoft is renowned for. If you enable this option and click this, then this option breaks itself and you have to reinstall this service and apply Q314453a.exe to resolve it. Great.
So don't mistake this as an "I love Windows post" - believe me, I really do not. But slagging Windows off for the famous BSOD is not really as viable any more.. slag it off for its classic ability to fuck you over with stupid glitches and unusually erratic behaviour when you least expect it
Dell have something similar to this already.. its an agreement that you have to accept which is part of their BIOS - first time you switch the machine on it comes up with a whole bunch of T&C's which you have to 'hit any key' to accept.. the machine then resets itself (removing that screen) and the system will boot through the BIOS as normal.
They have had this for at least the two years we have been buying their workstations & servers.
Would it be fair to say then, that Red Hat has the right idea trying to make a standardised GUI using the bets bits of (predominantly) GNOME and KDE?
Having used Bluecurve'd GNOME over other versions of GNOME, it really is a superb piece of work.. definately the way forward imho, and a huge improvement over the standard.