Ha ha! Reminds me of Linus' post in 1993, asked why Linux should be chosen over BSD:
> Other than the fact Linux has a cool name, could someone explain why I > should use Linux over BSD?
No. That's it. The cool name, that is. We worked very hard on creating a name that would appeal to the majority of people, and it certainly paid off: thousands of people are using linux just to be able to say "OS/2? Hah. I've got Linux. What a cool name". 386BSD made the mistake of putting a lot of numbers and weird abbreviations into the name, and is scaring away a lot of people just because it sounds too technical.
Packaging and making your software easy to install is as much a part of writing quality software as producing documentation and testing is. It makes just as little sense to leave packaging to third parties as leaving documentation to third parties does, or leaving development of the website to third parties.
You left out support.
So J Random Hacker should write software, make it easy to install, write complete and good documentation, run a website and mailing lists, do the testing and QA, and provide support to users. Great, but that's not my idea of open source development. Open source works because creating software is, on the one hand, creative work: best left to highly motivated programmers. On the other hand, selling software (packaging, testing, QA, support, docs, etc) aren't nearly as creative and interesting, but (for the very reason) offer more of a monetary incentive. An open source software project is like a machine with an open architecture, with easily replaceable parts from different vendors. This model fits well with the "do one thing and do it well" philosophy that made UNIX a success. OSS creates jobs and opportunities for innovation, with different parts of a project in different sets of hands (not one monolithic organisation struggling to keep pace with changing times and tastes).
If you follow these simple rules, success will be yours:
Don't go to parties.
If you must go to parties, drink. A few drinks down, there'll be no difference between you and your stupid "extrovert" friends. Just think of extroverts as permanently drunk (and born stupid) people, and treat them with sympathy.
I haven't had any traumatic experiences like the ones you mention, but am still an introvert.
Do you remember your experiences till the age of 5? Those experiences are counted too. And BTW you have to also count your experiences in your mother's womb: All these together shape your personality.
India! It's such a bright patch, surrounded by darkness from all the sides: Pakistan to the West, China and former USSR to the North, the Indian Ocean to the South, and Burma to the East. Also, it's amazing that China being so economically advanced (or is it?) is so dark.
lets say that Microsoft packaged $10 of micropayment into their next OS...
Let's just say that Windows users have already paid for the content from MSN.com, and anything that comes from Microsoft (including its new search engine).
FYI "steep learning curve" in psychology means that it's easy to learn. Au contraire, in engineering, it means it's difficult to learn. This is due to the different ways the time-knowledge graph can be drawn vis-a-vis the X and Y axes.
In the light of your failure to elect a President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective today.
Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths and other territories. Except Utah, which she does not fancy. [... snip]
[snip]
To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:
You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary. Then look up "aluminium". Check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it. Generally, you should raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. Look up "vocabulary". Using the same twenty seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. Look up "interspersed".
There is no such thing as "US English". We will let Microsoft know on your behalf.
You know there's almost a billion people in India, right? And even with our current job situation in the US, wages have fallen through the floor. How many of these jobs do expect to be created in India? 100 million? Think.
And you thought all one billion Indians are software/IT professionals? C'mon, according to this document [PDF] India has 3,40,000 software/IT people. Even if you don't believe that document (I have no reason to), you can't be naive enough to think that India has more than 10 million-strong IT workforce.
Ok, I forgot to mention that people are NOT INTERESTED in knowing what you can do with Linux/OSS. I couldn't waste my time on such people, so I look down upon them;-)
does a air conditioner repair (wo)man look down on you because you don't know how it works, or know anything about it, besides the very simple UI.
I'm a programmer; I work at a big software company. I look down upon my co-workers--who happen to be programmers--because they don't have much of a clue about Linux and open source.
You:...although it might cost more to employ workers in the US, you get more value for your dollar if you stay at home, you get better code, better communication, and better management of the project.
Just becuase you are shipping off code to India doesn't mean you will be getting the quality you can get in the US when you actually pay people what they are worth.
The problem lies in poor management, not in the Indian coders, etc. Howcome Linux was developed over the Internet? Because Linus is a good manager, right? In this age, distance is not a problem for software development. We have video conferencing with our US counterparts, and we can exchange ideas almost as if we were face to face. And we don't even need that most of the time: email rocks!
Slashdot Mirror
Ha ha! Think about yourself :-) What makes them say "downsizing," "rightsizing," and "head count reduction" for "you're fired, bozo?"
No-brainer. Bombs never destroy their targets without their share of collateral damage. This is not a science problem.
So J Random Hacker should write software, make it easy to install, write complete and good documentation, run a website and mailing lists, do the testing and QA, and provide support to users. Great, but that's not my idea of open source development. Open source works because creating software is, on the one hand, creative work: best left to highly motivated programmers. On the other hand, selling software (packaging, testing, QA, support, docs, etc) aren't nearly as creative and interesting, but (for the very reason) offer more of a monetary incentive. An open source software project is like a machine with an open architecture, with easily replaceable parts from different vendors. This model fits well with the "do one thing and do it well" philosophy that made UNIX a success. OSS creates jobs and opportunities for innovation, with different parts of a project in different sets of hands (not one monolithic organisation struggling to keep pace with changing times and tastes).
Folks, check out these signs all over Oracle HQ if you happen to pass by that area. They seem to have been around for quite a while.
India! It's such a bright patch, surrounded by darkness from all the sides: Pakistan to the West, China and former USSR to the North, the Indian Ocean to the South, and Burma to the East. Also, it's amazing that China being so economically advanced (or is it?) is so dark.
What? This looks like .Net to you? :-P
Slight correction there: it's habeas corpus, not habeus corpus.
FYI "steep learning curve" in psychology means that it's easy to learn. Au contraire, in engineering, it means it's difficult to learn. This is due to the different ways the time-knowledge graph can be drawn vis-a-vis the X and Y axes.
Guys, don't forget Mike Hawash.
Hint: Recruit foreign nationals for protesting against your government (and feel free to confuse this with terrorism).
To the citizens of the United States of America,
In the light of your failure to elect a President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective today.
Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths and other territories. Except Utah, which she does not fancy. [... snip]
[snip]
To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:
- You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary. Then look up "aluminium". Check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it. Generally, you should raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. Look up "vocabulary". Using the same twenty seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. Look up "interspersed".
- There is no such thing as "US English". We will let Microsoft know on your behalf.
[...] Read the whole thing...On a serious note, your use of the term coder slaves is interesting.
Ok, I forgot to mention that people are NOT INTERESTED in knowing what you can do with Linux/OSS. I couldn't waste my time on such people, so I look down upon them ;-)
I suspect Lem was being satrical...
- English is a primary language in more than half of India, at par with Hindi (the national language).
- Face-to-face communication is brought about with the help of video-conferencing, if required. It is not required for the most part. Email. Internet.
- So? Customers can be anywhere in the world. If the customer is in Europe, or Australia, then India is at the same time-(dis)advantage as the US.
Hope that helps.PHB: Shut the fsck up! Get back to work, NOW!
You: Anyhow, those were my 2 cents...
PHB: NOW!!!