I have to say, I have never seen anything like this, ever.
I honestly think that over the next 20 years, we will see Microsoft's control rise to such a level that not even the US government can oppose them on any level. I mean, they are able to manipulate entire markets. With the flick of a switch, they alone can bring things to a complete halt. With the deprecation or removal of an API, they can put people out of business, or send companies into bankruptcy.
The introduction of.NET makes it even more evident.
Microsoft... this company... in 20 years will control everything important. They already control 95% of the desktops. They will control almost all messaging. They will control almost all authentication. They will control almost all digital rights management.
Taking down Microsoft after they have such a level of control and we have such a level of dependence would be like us dropping our cars and going back to horses and wagons -- not going to happen.
Honestly, its time for people to wake up before its too late. Do not support this behemoth anymore. Its not about a simple anti-trust case.
This is about one company controlling the most fundamental mechanisms upon which the entire world depends.
As for the "MS and Sun both suck" issue. There is no issue. Everyone fully realizes that both suck.
That being said...
The real issue here is that this authentication 'standard' needs to be truly 'standardized'. Its ownership and control should be governed by a globally acknowledged standards body i.e. ISO.
That is the issue. When people see Sun headlining an initiative, they instantly think of the nightmare that is the JCP (Java Community Process) -- a process which is neither truly open, nor independent. Rather, the JCP is one which profits only Sun in the end.
What we DON'T want is for the global authentication standard to be 'Sun owned'. This needs to be something that is solely owned by something of the likes of the ISO.
That is what the issue is, I think.
Attention : Employers have rights, too.
on
Morals and Layoffs
·
· Score: 1
Maximum warning. Employees ought to have between three and six months' notice before they're laid off, time enough to look for other work in a sane, secure way.
Are you fucking insane? If this is the case, then employees should also have to give employers between three and six months notice before resigning. Time enough for the company to hire new talent and train them.
Continued health benefits. Employment used to be a contract: you worked hard for the company, the company took reasonable care of you. Employees who have been with a corporation any length of time at all -- I'd say six months -- ought to keep their health benefits until they find new work, a guarantee not even COBRA provides.
Are you fucking insane? Let me turn it around. If the employee resigns, the employee should be required to provide free consulting to the company until the company finds someone else adequately fulfill the responsibilities of the vacated position. Sound fair?
Shouldn't they at least have a chance to come up with other tasks, products, functions or ideas before they're booted out?
Maybe or maybe not. It depends on the situation. But in no way are they obligated to do that. Again, if I'm a company... and I deem you to be more of a liability than an asset... for whatever reason... you are gone.
Just like if you work for a company, and someone makes you a better offer, you are gone. It works both ways.
Katz, you need to get real and acknowledge both sides of the coin. Employees aren't the only ones suffering, I assure you. Employers are suffering also.
The foundation of work is this :
1) You work for company.
2) Company owes you a check.
I flashed my Palm IIIxe over the weekend with the demo version of LinuxDA. And it sucks.
The user interface is horrid. Very cumbersome, very unnatural. The selecting of drop-down items is very un-palm-like. The applications have a certain level of lameness. They need to fix all of these things.
I also emailed the development guys over at LinuxDA and asked them if they supported a shell environment, telnet, ethernet, TCP/IP, ftp, http... etc.
Guess what...?
He said the didn't have it right now. None of it. However, they told me that they are working on a release that has all of the major TCP/IP protocols as well as an ethernet stack, and possibly a compiler. And yes, a shell also.
So my observation is this: LinuxDA sucks right now. The only real benefits to Linux are its stability, and the ability to 'tweak it how you want'.
With LinuxDA, you get neither. You basically get a "Palm-like" device that is cumbersome to use at best... with no ability to tweak it or do any kind of networking.
The intent isn't to kill civilians. The intent is to take out the terrorists. There is a difference. Perhaps, you might have us simply lay down and do nothing? Oh no... diplomacy, I bet. That's your answer. Be diplomatic with the people who flew jetliners into our buildings killing thousands.
That's real good, man.
You analogies are useless. They do not relate.
The terrorists attacked us with the sole intent of killing civilians. That is a much different objective than we have. You can't even compare the two.
First off, lets all just accept the fact that there will be civilian casualties. This cannot be avoided. These are terrorists who hide amongst common civilians. If a village has 1,000 people and 100 of them are terrorists, and we can't tell the terrorists from the common citizen, then we have no choice but to bomb the whole place.
There is no other way to do it. To leave these villages untouched is simply sticking our heads in the sand. Who will be next? Britain? France? Germany? America, again?
This is the harsh reality. You can't sit on the fence. You can't ignore it and hope the choice goes away. You either do what it takes to eradicate the threat, or through your complacency you risk the lives of your own citizenry. Every day these terrorist bastards are alive is another day they can hijack an aircraft and turn it into a cruise missile.
I, for one, know who's side I'm on. I'm a liberal, but this isn't about politics. It is about protecting the free world and protecting our way of life.
I just installed the LinuxDA demo on my Palm IIIxe. Here are some observations.
First off, The demo is very annoying. About every 15-20 seconds, a message that takes up the entire screen pops up and says, "LinuxDa... a demo copy for limited use... blah blah". I seriously don't think this stuff is GPL. Their license is on their site here.
Second, the UI sucks. I'm not sure why Linux UI implementations have to be so cumbersome. But this one is no different. The drop-down menus are hard-to-control. Often times, selecting a drop-down menu item requires several taps. The UI is 'Palm-like', but it fails horribly in a few key areas of navigability.
Third, I have sent an email off to LinuxDA asking them if they have a shell interface to the RAM filesystem. The demo doesn't have one. Their 'full' version doesn't appear to have one, either. I also asked about whether or not LinuxDA has a TCP/IP stack, or ethernet support. Again, I saw nothing like that in the demo or in the specs of their full version.
So far, my conclusion is thumbs down. I don't like it. Yeah, its Linux, but it sucks right now.
If they give me a shell. If they give me a TCP/IP stack, and ethernet support... then I'm on board. I'm not sure what good Linux on a handheld is without those three things.
I guess this tragedy isn't open source...
on
More WTC News
·
· Score: 1
Is this something that really warrants a copyright? I mean really... don't thousands of people have this same story? "Um, I was up in the building. I was *insert action* at the time. I heard explosions. I ran down the stairs. There was lots of debris. There was smoke. I looked up and saw a bunch of people jumping out of the building to their deaths. I went home. I saw *insert acquantaince name* and hugged them. The End."
The guy probably is getting ready to ink his book deal or something. At least that's how its written. I felt like I was reading something out of the game 'Max Payne' or something... with all of those over-descriptive and flamboyant sentences.
Oh yeah... btw...
This post is Copyright 2001, by me. Don't re-use it without express written express from me.
I am very much a libertarian when it comes to these issues. It is not the right, role, or responsibility of government to permit or restrict your personal internet access within their institutions.
There are BETTER DESERVING issues that need public funding instead of damned internet access within the libraries.
Dump the internet access within the libraries. Take that money and pay down the national debt, feed some hungry people... do SOMETHING constructive.
As a Java developer. I can't really say that I care.
First off, I don't think everyone will be running out and buying Windows XP anytime soon. Why? Because it really is unnecessary for most. The expenditure isn't justified.
Lastly, I do agree with the person who said that its a matter of choice. If the JRE is needed to be installed, then it can be downloaded and installed. That's it.
Forcing a company to include anything in their distros really violates the very priniciples that most "freedom in software" people (including myself) uphold.
Trust me, people. Microsoft is going to dig their own grave... soon enough. Just a matter of time.
This whole GPS/Speed Camera thing is just garbage. This is clearly just a way to generate revenue. It isn't a deterrent. It isn't protecting anyone.
So what is next? Detecting to make sure that your turn signal is on when changing lanes? How about detecting if you have your headlights on at dusk? Perhaps they can detect if you are using a wireless telephone while driving? The list is endless.
If these companies have the technology to detect 'dangerous driving' (very obscure and open-ended language) then why don't they just install a 'governor' on the throttle that won't permit you to go faster than the posted speed limit? First, its probably too costly. And second (most important), they don't get their money that way.
For many years, it has been a common tactic of most governments and law enforcement agencies to profit from the purported wrongdoing of its citizens. Most of these agencies actually BUDGET for these as necessary sources of income. Speeding tickets are probably one of the most idiotic examples of this.
If they really wanted to stop speeding, then they should make it mandatory for offenders to serve time in jail. If they really CARED that much, that is. But they don't... all they care about is the money.
I just can't figure this one out.
What is the practical application for this 100MB optical hub? In the home it won't work unless it is a one-room home with no walls. In a business environment, where cubicle walls are predominantly used, this would not work, either.
I'm more than happy with a wireless solution that passes through walls -- so I don't have to drill holes in my walls and ceilings. 100Mbps? I don't need it. Hell... I'm more than happy with 10Mbps.
It seems to me that this technology is a step forward (technology wise), but a HUGE step-backwards in practical application.
Slashdot Mirror
I have to say, I have never seen anything like this, ever.
.NET makes it even more evident.
I honestly think that over the next 20 years, we will see Microsoft's control rise to such a level that not even the US government can oppose them on any level. I mean, they are able to manipulate entire markets. With the flick of a switch, they alone can bring things to a complete halt. With the deprecation or removal of an API, they can put people out of business, or send companies into bankruptcy.
The introduction of
Microsoft... this company... in 20 years will control everything important. They already control 95% of the desktops. They will control almost all messaging. They will control almost all authentication. They will control almost all digital rights management.
Taking down Microsoft after they have such a level of control and we have such a level of dependence would be like us dropping our cars and going back to horses and wagons -- not going to happen.
Honestly, its time for people to wake up before its too late. Do not support this behemoth anymore. Its not about a simple anti-trust case.
This is about one company controlling the most fundamental mechanisms upon which the entire world depends.
And THAT is extremely dangerous.
As for the "MS and Sun both suck" issue. There is no issue. Everyone fully realizes that both suck.
That being said...
The real issue here is that this authentication 'standard' needs to be truly 'standardized'. Its ownership and control should be governed by a globally acknowledged standards body i.e. ISO.
That is the issue. When people see Sun headlining an initiative, they instantly think of the nightmare that is the JCP (Java Community Process) -- a process which is neither truly open, nor independent. Rather, the JCP is one which profits only Sun in the end.
What we DON'T want is for the global authentication standard to be 'Sun owned'. This needs to be something that is solely owned by something of the likes of the ISO.
That is what the issue is, I think.
Maximum warning. Employees ought to have between three and six months' notice before they're laid off, time enough to look for other work in a sane, secure way.
Are you fucking insane? If this is the case, then employees should also have to give employers between three and six months notice before resigning. Time enough for the company to hire new talent and train them.
Continued health benefits. Employment used to be a contract: you worked hard for the company, the company took reasonable care of you. Employees who have been with a corporation any length of time at all -- I'd say six months -- ought to keep their health benefits until they find new work, a guarantee not even COBRA provides.
Are you fucking insane? Let me turn it around. If the employee resigns, the employee should be required to provide free consulting to the company until the company finds someone else adequately fulfill the responsibilities of the vacated position. Sound fair?
Shouldn't they at least have a chance to come up with other tasks, products, functions or ideas before they're booted out?
Maybe or maybe not. It depends on the situation. But in no way are they obligated to do that. Again, if I'm a company... and I deem you to be more of a liability than an asset... for whatever reason... you are gone.
Just like if you work for a company, and someone makes you a better offer, you are gone. It works both ways.
Katz, you need to get real and acknowledge both sides of the coin. Employees aren't the only ones suffering, I assure you. Employers are suffering also.
The foundation of work is this :
1) You work for company.
2) Company owes you a check.
Nothing more to it.
I flashed my Palm IIIxe over the weekend with the demo version of LinuxDA. And it sucks.
The user interface is horrid. Very cumbersome, very unnatural. The selecting of drop-down items is very un-palm-like. The applications have a certain level of lameness. They need to fix all of these things.
I also emailed the development guys over at LinuxDA and asked them if they supported a shell environment, telnet, ethernet, TCP/IP, ftp, http... etc.
Guess what...?
He said the didn't have it right now. None of it. However, they told me that they are working on a release that has all of the major TCP/IP protocols as well as an ethernet stack, and possibly a compiler. And yes, a shell also.
So my observation is this: LinuxDA sucks right now. The only real benefits to Linux are its stability, and the ability to 'tweak it how you want'.
With LinuxDA, you get neither. You basically get a "Palm-like" device that is cumbersome to use at best... with no ability to tweak it or do any kind of networking.
The intent isn't to kill civilians. The intent is to take out the terrorists. There is a difference. Perhaps, you might have us simply lay down and do nothing? Oh no... diplomacy, I bet. That's your answer. Be diplomatic with the people who flew jetliners into our buildings killing thousands.
That's real good, man.
You analogies are useless. They do not relate.
The terrorists attacked us with the sole intent of killing civilians. That is a much different objective than we have. You can't even compare the two.
War is hell. You'd better get used to it.
First off, lets all just accept the fact that there will be civilian casualties. This cannot be avoided. These are terrorists who hide amongst common civilians. If a village has 1,000 people and 100 of them are terrorists, and we can't tell the terrorists from the common citizen, then we have no choice but to bomb the whole place.
There is no other way to do it. To leave these villages untouched is simply sticking our heads in the sand. Who will be next? Britain? France? Germany? America, again?
This is the harsh reality. You can't sit on the fence. You can't ignore it and hope the choice goes away. You either do what it takes to eradicate the threat, or through your complacency you risk the lives of your own citizenry. Every day these terrorist bastards are alive is another day they can hijack an aircraft and turn it into a cruise missile.
I, for one, know who's side I'm on. I'm a liberal, but this isn't about politics. It is about protecting the free world and protecting our way of life.
I just installed the LinuxDA demo on my Palm IIIxe. Here are some observations.
First off, The demo is very annoying. About every 15-20 seconds, a message that takes up the entire screen pops up and says, "LinuxDa... a demo copy for limited use... blah blah". I seriously don't think this stuff is GPL. Their license is on their site here.
Second, the UI sucks. I'm not sure why Linux UI implementations have to be so cumbersome. But this one is no different. The drop-down menus are hard-to-control. Often times, selecting a drop-down menu item requires several taps. The UI is 'Palm-like', but it fails horribly in a few key areas of navigability.
Third, I have sent an email off to LinuxDA asking them if they have a shell interface to the RAM filesystem. The demo doesn't have one. Their 'full' version doesn't appear to have one, either. I also asked about whether or not LinuxDA has a TCP/IP stack, or ethernet support. Again, I saw nothing like that in the demo or in the specs of their full version.
So far, my conclusion is thumbs down. I don't like it. Yeah, its Linux, but it sucks right now.
If they give me a shell. If they give me a TCP/IP stack, and ethernet support... then I'm on board. I'm not sure what good Linux on a handheld is without those three things.
Contents © 2001 Brian J. Bernstein. Not to be used without written permission from the author.
Is this something that really warrants a copyright? I mean really... don't thousands of people have this same story? "Um, I was up in the building. I was *insert action* at the time. I heard explosions. I ran down the stairs. There was lots of debris. There was smoke. I looked up and saw a bunch of people jumping out of the building to their deaths. I went home. I saw *insert acquantaince name* and hugged them. The End."
The guy probably is getting ready to ink his book deal or something. At least that's how its written. I felt like I was reading something out of the game 'Max Payne' or something... with all of those over-descriptive and flamboyant sentences.
Oh yeah... btw...
This post is Copyright 2001, by me. Don't re-use it without express written express from me.
Make check payable to blah blah blah...
Excuse me. But we're getting a little ridiculous about our titles.
First it was programmer, then it was programmer/analyst, then it was software developer, then it was software engineer, then it was architect...
... now its Computer Scientist?
Puhleeze... anyone who uses that term so loosely needs to read one of Knuth's books to understand what a computer scientist really is.
Look...
/. is a great message board. It provides great content. You don't have to support it. You don't even have to be here.
Who care what they use? Who cares if they are down now and then? Who cares what database they use? Who cares what language they use?
GET A LIFE, MORON.
Yeah... I can see the system working in a crowd of 'goth' individuals.
"Sir, the identification cameras have positively confirmed that every 1 out of 2 people in this crowd is Robert Smith."
I am very much a libertarian when it comes to these issues. It is not the right, role, or responsibility of government to permit or restrict your personal internet access within their institutions.
There are BETTER DESERVING issues that need public funding instead of damned internet access within the libraries.
Dump the internet access within the libraries. Take that money and pay down the national debt, feed some hungry people... do SOMETHING constructive.
As a Java developer. I can't really say that I care.
First off, I don't think everyone will be running out and buying Windows XP anytime soon. Why? Because it really is unnecessary for most. The expenditure isn't justified.
Lastly, I do agree with the person who said that its a matter of choice. If the JRE is needed to be installed, then it can be downloaded and installed. That's it.
Forcing a company to include anything in their distros really violates the very priniciples that most "freedom in software" people (including myself) uphold.
Trust me, people. Microsoft is going to dig their own grave... soon enough. Just a matter of time.
This whole GPS/Speed Camera thing is just garbage. This is clearly just a way to generate revenue. It isn't a deterrent. It isn't protecting anyone.
So what is next? Detecting to make sure that your turn signal is on when changing lanes? How about detecting if you have your headlights on at dusk? Perhaps they can detect if you are using a wireless telephone while driving? The list is endless.
If these companies have the technology to detect 'dangerous driving' (very obscure and open-ended language) then why don't they just install a 'governor' on the throttle that won't permit you to go faster than the posted speed limit? First, its probably too costly. And second (most important), they don't get their money that way.
For many years, it has been a common tactic of most governments and law enforcement agencies to profit from the purported wrongdoing of its citizens. Most of these agencies actually BUDGET for these as necessary sources of income. Speeding tickets are probably one of the most idiotic examples of this.
If they really wanted to stop speeding, then they should make it mandatory for offenders to serve time in jail. If they really CARED that much, that is. But they don't... all they care about is the money.
I just can't figure this one out. What is the practical application for this 100MB optical hub? In the home it won't work unless it is a one-room home with no walls. In a business environment, where cubicle walls are predominantly used, this would not work, either. I'm more than happy with a wireless solution that passes through walls -- so I don't have to drill holes in my walls and ceilings. 100Mbps? I don't need it. Hell... I'm more than happy with 10Mbps. It seems to me that this technology is a step forward (technology wise), but a HUGE step-backwards in practical application.