I run multiple machines at work - some native and some on VMWare. Either my Windows XP machine or my SuSE 10 machine can basically do anything that *I* want. RDP is easy with SuSE - none of the problems mentioned in this article. Kerberos and AD authentication was not very problematic - just go into YAST and the kerberos setup, then edit the config file. Windows administration - just RDP to a Windows desktop and use almost any tool from there. A few apps here and there that are Windows only - Citrix. So for it would work fairly well. I also have no problems at home or work with viruses, spyware, etc - mainly because I don't run as an administrative user.
The problem that prevents Linux from being used where I work is (1) with an Enterprise License Agreement for MS versus one for Redhat/Novell - the cost is about the same (**costwise - not sure who has better support). Number (2) and the main issue is that we have many departments that have 'must have' applications that are Windows only. We're not talking one or two applications - but probably about 60 of them. We can run a few on Citrix or some other platform - but that adds up very quickly. Our view of Linux not being ready for the desktop is -only- related to applications. I don't think our users would care about any of the other stuff. IT is going to set it up - so they don't care how hard it is to install drivers, software and hardware. They only care how it is to use. However, the first time you tell them they can't have their business critical application - it's all over (*a lot of these apps were written in-house, but I'm not responsible for the dev team...one of the other critical apps is our point of sale system...which is Windows only).
My guess is that as more and more stuff becomes web enabled, you'll see more and more people migrating to Linux. I think when most people talk about being enabled for the desktop and how 'difficult' Linux is to setup for the 'typical' user they never consider that the 'typical' user never sets up anything in a corporate environment.
Everyone has pointed out most of the stuff you need to know from the development side. CMM and CMMI will give you most of the project standards you need - pick up a starter book and in about a day you'll get the basics. Maybe something like Information Technology Project Management by Kathy Schwalbe - very generic. The big key to take from here is to get the proper scope before starting and have everyone sign-off at the beginning of what they expect and at the end that you satisfied their criteria. Nothing else anyone said here will matter if you don't do those two things.
Secondly I come at this from the support side, because our developers write stuff and dump it on us. We also have developers that document the program and spend a day with the support team going over how to use it effectively - showing them tips and tricks. So the best code can be viewed as a failure if the users and support staff start knocking it because they don't know what they're doing. If you get them up to speed though, they'll support you 100%.
In both cases the key factor is public relations and cya. The larger the company you work for the more you need to worry about things like that unfortunately.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that had this thought. I've seen Steve Irwin wrestle crocs larger than that;)
Maybe it grows bigger if you're nice to it. Of course, maybe they're thinking 'if I drop a nuke on this I'd have Godzilla!'. Who ever knows with scientists...
On Linux you can look at a config file that *gasp* gives you the same information that those checkboxes are - the settings that the system is running under.
Once Linux / Unix / Windows / Any OS has a massive failure - it is complicated to troubleshoot and you need knowledge of how the server and applications work. It's a conceptual nightmare.
In other words - if you talk to a good Windows admin they'll think that the Linux system is a conceptual nightmare because they're used to Windows. If you talk to a *nix admin they'll tell you Windows is a conceptual nightmare because they're used to *nix.
Basically if you don't know the underlying architecture in either system and try and just fake things by guessing - you're not going to get far in a real problem situation. I don't see that as a benefit or drawback of Linux/Windows - just a fact of life. Good administrators have a lot of knowledge about their systems and environment.
I have heard from several people that have had an MRI that (a) it is almost impossible to get scheduled in any reasonable timeframe for one and (b) they are 'incredibly expensive'.
For something like diabetes that can be diagnosed in other ways, I don't see a normal doctor or health insurance company prescribing an MRI. Health care is one of the areas where capitalism is really the wrong motivation (because our long term health is not their concern - just short term costs).
I guess I'm just cynical, but I see some of these great advances being almost useless to the majority of people because they simply can't afford it or don't even have healthcare.
Depends on what you're using. On SuSE Enterprise Server you just go into YAST, click the kerberos module and put in your settings (and lots of directions are found using Google for this, although the only settings it requires are domain, realm and kdc server).
I'm not as familiar with other distros though - so I'm not sure if it is as straightforward.
I think one of the questions that I find myself asking with these articles frequently is not about education being useful, but rather why we go to college.
In the past people went to college for learning, for fun or to get an advanced degree for something like research. Most people that I know of now that are going back to college (not going in at 18) are going back not because they will learn anything at college, but to get past HR at companies in order to get an interview with someone where their experience matters. Although you can debate whether this is actually needed and the percentage - even if it isn't truth, it is the perception of how the world currently is.
My point is that I think a large percentage of people today see college not as a learning environment but as a piece of paper required to get a job - even if the learning is not tied to the job at all. It's the price for entrance into the corporate culture.
I would be curious to know how many people think a degree is more useful than experience and how many people get one because they think they need to in order to get in.
Looking back at historical trends can teach us a lot, but it sometimes only loosely appies to the present.
The main things that seem to take down everything from leaders to companies to countries to empires are arrogance, overconfidence and bureaucracy. Open source won't stop either of those problems, but hopefully they can have less of all of the above.
If people haven't learned from thousands of years of documented history - I'm not sure why we expect software to start learning from it;)
Most people I know go to suburbia because it is where they can afford to live. In cities like Boston, NY, Chicago (one I've lived in), etc - the cost of living in the city itself is outrageous. Living in suburbia and going to the city is much cheaper. So real estate cost is another reason for suburban sprawl.
Lot of catch-22 situations in cities. If they were designed from the start with today's technology I think most of the problems would be easy to solve (and include public transport). Trying to change an existing city to fit some of those things though is a big deal. How do you get enough land to build trains? What kind of cost would it be to build subways? Etc.
Everyone that steals your data (in other words - the people we worry about) does it for some sort of profit motive. I have found the perfect defense against this, and it has protected me well from any sort of charges in my name due to identify theft.
My plan? Have a credit rating bad enough that even if they get all of your data, they can't do anything with it.
For only $19.95* a month, I can show YOU how to safely protect yourself as well!
I agreed with your statement, but I thought I should check Google to see if I could find any information - just out of curiosity. At the time I posted this, I found 8 total articles. The thing that scared me even more was that all of the articles are similar in whole or in part. It looks like most of them probably just printed up a press release.
Does it scare anyone else how lazy our news media has gotten? Couldnt these people even make one phone call and try and add anything slightly new, different, or informative that everyone else doesn't have?
Q: Is PureEdge going to be available on the Macintosh and Linux platforms soon?
A: We hope that over the next nine months to a year, we will be able to serve the Macintosh and Linux users. It is currently supporting both Netscape and Explorer.
Some of the PureEdge products say they support Linux / Unix / Windows - so the reader might already support it. It's hard to tell though, since their website kind of sucks.
To be fair - Novell had all of those things before Microsoft did. They are just porting most of it from Netware to Linux.
I use both AD and eDirectory, and have used both SMS and ZENWorks. If I can do the same things with either one, it means I can choose what I want based on the company rather than on what I am missing from the OS.
The approach you say with Xandros is a very good approach - and I agree that it will hit a definite market that Novell and Sun do not hit. I do think though that trying to have an enterprise wide solution from start to finish from one company with one management interface (sort of) is a real giant step for Linux. They've always had all these tools, but it has never been marketed as a cohesive unit until now. Sometimes the difference is in the perception.
Who says there still can't be non-Microsoft support?;)
I'm sure many consulting companies will make a fortune supporting this stuff once MS stops supporting it for free (notice they are still supporting it for cost, per the article).
One of the things that I wonder about, not being a lawyer, is how this would actually impact the individual. Let us say that you live in Europe and the Washington Post issued a story on their website (viewed in Europe) that was incorrect, and you wanted to sue for libel. Should you then have to file in the United States - and have to pay charges to go there, legal fees in the US, etc?
I'm not saying one is better than another, because I can see some benefits to the 'consumer' in both instances. I'm just curious what the law is now, for a newspaper. If the newspaper was sent to Europe and someone sued for libel - do they have to file in the US?
I guess my concern would be that internet companies based in countries with different laws or other sort of barriers to suing for libel would make it so that they could print anything - or is that already the case?
I'm just not sure how companies standing up to defend themselves against being sued in a foreign country for publishing rumors and innuendo is a 'free speech' issue. It sounds like they just want to make anyone suing them have to do so in the country where they are hosted.
Check Google with a string like Linux NX AMD. There have also been several slashdot stories about it. The short answer is yes it is available, but I don't know how widely used it is.
You're assuming that all buffer overflow issues are theirs. Although they are known for that issue - there are also many 3rd party programs that do this as well. So they SHOULD be responsible for fixing their own bugs, but they're also going the extra step to hopefully protect against people using other buggy software.
Slashdot Mirror
I run multiple machines at work - some native and some on VMWare. Either my Windows XP machine or my SuSE 10 machine can basically do anything that *I* want. RDP is easy with SuSE - none of the problems mentioned in this article. Kerberos and AD authentication was not very problematic - just go into YAST and the kerberos setup, then edit the config file. Windows administration - just RDP to a Windows desktop and use almost any tool from there. A few apps here and there that are Windows only - Citrix. So for it would work fairly well. I also have no problems at home or work with viruses, spyware, etc - mainly because I don't run as an administrative user.
The problem that prevents Linux from being used where I work is (1) with an Enterprise License Agreement for MS versus one for Redhat/Novell - the cost is about the same (**costwise - not sure who has better support). Number (2) and the main issue is that we have many departments that have 'must have' applications that are Windows only. We're not talking one or two applications - but probably about 60 of them. We can run a few on Citrix or some other platform - but that adds up very quickly. Our view of Linux not being ready for the desktop is -only- related to applications. I don't think our users would care about any of the other stuff. IT is going to set it up - so they don't care how hard it is to install drivers, software and hardware. They only care how it is to use. However, the first time you tell them they can't have their business critical application - it's all over (*a lot of these apps were written in-house, but I'm not responsible for the dev team...one of the other critical apps is our point of sale system...which is Windows only).
My guess is that as more and more stuff becomes web enabled, you'll see more and more people migrating to Linux. I think when most people talk about being enabled for the desktop and how 'difficult' Linux is to setup for the 'typical' user they never consider that the 'typical' user never sets up anything in a corporate environment.
Everyone has pointed out most of the stuff you need to know from the development side. CMM and CMMI will give you most of the project standards you need - pick up a starter book and in about a day you'll get the basics. Maybe something like Information Technology Project Management by Kathy Schwalbe - very generic. The big key to take from here is to get the proper scope before starting and have everyone sign-off at the beginning of what they expect and at the end that you satisfied their criteria. Nothing else anyone said here will matter if you don't do those two things.
Secondly I come at this from the support side, because our developers write stuff and dump it on us. We also have developers that document the program and spend a day with the support team going over how to use it effectively - showing them tips and tricks. So the best code can be viewed as a failure if the users and support staff start knocking it because they don't know what they're doing. If you get them up to speed though, they'll support you 100%.
In both cases the key factor is public relations and cya. The larger the company you work for the more you need to worry about things like that unfortunately.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that had this thought. I've seen Steve Irwin wrestle crocs larger than that ;)
Maybe it grows bigger if you're nice to it. Of course, maybe they're thinking 'if I drop a nuke on this I'd have Godzilla!'. Who ever knows with scientists...
Just write a utility to do it for you, or download one of the numerous ones that do this for you. IE:
http://www.dr-hoiby.com/WhoLockMe/index.php
I don't really see the big deal...
On Linux you can look at a config file that *gasp* gives you the same information that those checkboxes are - the settings that the system is running under.
Once Linux / Unix / Windows / Any OS has a massive failure - it is complicated to troubleshoot and you need knowledge of how the server and applications work. It's a conceptual nightmare.
In other words - if you talk to a good Windows admin they'll think that the Linux system is a conceptual nightmare because they're used to Windows. If you talk to a *nix admin they'll tell you Windows is a conceptual nightmare because they're used to *nix.
Basically if you don't know the underlying architecture in either system and try and just fake things by guessing - you're not going to get far in a real problem situation. I don't see that as a benefit or drawback of Linux/Windows - just a fact of life. Good administrators have a lot of knowledge about their systems and environment.
I have heard from several people that have had an MRI that (a) it is almost impossible to get scheduled in any reasonable timeframe for one and (b) they are 'incredibly expensive'.
:)
For something like diabetes that can be diagnosed in other ways, I don't see a normal doctor or health insurance company prescribing an MRI. Health care is one of the areas where capitalism is really the wrong motivation (because our long term health is not their concern - just short term costs).
I guess I'm just cynical, but I see some of these great advances being almost useless to the majority of people because they simply can't afford it or don't even have healthcare.
I keep hoping for things to change though
If I had any mod points left - you would have gotten all of them. First post in a long time that made me laugh out loud.
Depends on what you're using. On SuSE Enterprise Server you just go into YAST, click the kerberos module and put in your settings (and lots of directions are found using Google for this, although the only settings it requires are domain, realm and kdc server).
I'm not as familiar with other distros though - so I'm not sure if it is as straightforward.
I'm always surprised that this isn't touted more with Linux / Mac, etc. The fact that you have to reboot to do most upgrades is a pain.
So far I haven't seen once convincing reason to upgrade to Longhorn, if it is ever released anyway.
I think one of the questions that I find myself asking with these articles frequently is not about education being useful, but rather why we go to college.
In the past people went to college for learning, for fun or to get an advanced degree for something like research. Most people that I know of now that are going back to college (not going in at 18) are going back not because they will learn anything at college, but to get past HR at companies in order to get an interview with someone where their experience matters. Although you can debate whether this is actually needed and the percentage - even if it isn't truth, it is the perception of how the world currently is.
My point is that I think a large percentage of people today see college not as a learning environment but as a piece of paper required to get a job - even if the learning is not tied to the job at all. It's the price for entrance into the corporate culture.
I would be curious to know how many people think a degree is more useful than experience and how many people get one because they think they need to in order to get in.
Looking back at historical trends can teach us a lot, but it sometimes only loosely appies to the present.
;)
The main things that seem to take down everything from leaders to companies to countries to empires are arrogance, overconfidence and bureaucracy. Open source won't stop either of those problems, but hopefully they can have less of all of the above.
If people haven't learned from thousands of years of documented history - I'm not sure why we expect software to start learning from it
Most people I know go to suburbia because it is where they can afford to live. In cities like Boston, NY, Chicago (one I've lived in), etc - the cost of living in the city itself is outrageous. Living in suburbia and going to the city is much cheaper. So real estate cost is another reason for suburban sprawl.
Lot of catch-22 situations in cities. If they were designed from the start with today's technology I think most of the problems would be easy to solve (and include public transport). Trying to change an existing city to fit some of those things though is a big deal. How do you get enough land to build trains? What kind of cost would it be to build subways? Etc.
Everyone that steals your data (in other words - the people we worry about) does it for some sort of profit motive. I have found the perfect defense against this, and it has protected me well from any sort of charges in my name due to identify theft.
My plan? Have a credit rating bad enough that even if they get all of your data, they can't do anything with it.
For only $19.95* a month, I can show YOU how to safely protect yourself as well!
* Only cash accepted!
GUN Linux?
;)
Is that the new Linux that doesn't try and beat Windows/Apple/Unix with better features but just goes out and shoots them dead?
You read my mind.
Wow. I'm relieved to know I'm in good hands. ;)
I agreed with your statement, but I thought I should check Google to see if I could find any information - just out of curiosity. At the time I posted this, I found 8 total articles. The thing that scared me even more was that all of the articles are similar in whole or in part. It looks like most of them probably just printed up a press release.
Does it scare anyone else how lazy our news media has gotten? Couldnt these people even make one phone call and try and add anything slightly new, different, or informative that everyone else doesn't have?
http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:OTOiWnGpzuMJ: www.grants.gov/assets/MinutesJune.doc+pureedge+rea der+linux&hl=en&client=firefox-a/
The article states:
Q: Is PureEdge going to be available on the Macintosh and Linux platforms soon?
A: We hope that over the next nine months to a year, we will be able to serve the Macintosh and Linux users. It is currently supporting both Netscape and Explorer.
Some of the PureEdge products say they support Linux / Unix / Windows - so the reader might already support it. It's hard to tell though, since their website kind of sucks.
In most companies you'll find the main time for that 5 minutes per desktop is lugging it up from receiving and putting it on someone's desk ;)
;)
Even if you use SMS or ZenWorks...it's still 5 minutes per desktop!
Lines they could never use again:
Honey, I forgot your birthday....
I really was going to call you the next day - but I forgot your number.
I was going to get you that more expensive present, but I couldn't remember where it came from.
I'm sorry boss, I forgot about that deadline.
The expectations would be so high nobody would ever believe them if they said they forgot something.
To be fair - Novell had all of those things before Microsoft did. They are just porting most of it from Netware to Linux.
I use both AD and eDirectory, and have used both SMS and ZENWorks. If I can do the same things with either one, it means I can choose what I want based on the company rather than on what I am missing from the OS.
The approach you say with Xandros is a very good approach - and I agree that it will hit a definite market that Novell and Sun do not hit. I do think though that trying to have an enterprise wide solution from start to finish from one company with one management interface (sort of) is a real giant step for Linux. They've always had all these tools, but it has never been marketed as a cohesive unit until now. Sometimes the difference is in the perception.
Who says there still can't be non-Microsoft support? ;)
I'm sure many consulting companies will make a fortune supporting this stuff once MS stops supporting it for free (notice they are still supporting it for cost, per the article).
One of the things that I wonder about, not being a lawyer, is how this would actually impact the individual. Let us say that you live in Europe and the Washington Post issued a story on their website (viewed in Europe) that was incorrect, and you wanted to sue for libel. Should you then have to file in the United States - and have to pay charges to go there, legal fees in the US, etc?
I'm not saying one is better than another, because I can see some benefits to the 'consumer' in both instances. I'm just curious what the law is now, for a newspaper. If the newspaper was sent to Europe and someone sued for libel - do they have to file in the US?
I guess my concern would be that internet companies based in countries with different laws or other sort of barriers to suing for libel would make it so that they could print anything - or is that already the case?
I'm just not sure how companies standing up to defend themselves against being sued in a foreign country for publishing rumors and innuendo is a 'free speech' issue. It sounds like they just want to make anyone suing them have to do so in the country where they are hosted.
Check Google with a string like Linux NX AMD. There have also been several slashdot stories about it. The short answer is yes it is available, but I don't know how widely used it is.
You're assuming that all buffer overflow issues are theirs. Although they are known for that issue - there are also many 3rd party programs that do this as well. So they SHOULD be responsible for fixing their own bugs, but they're also going the extra step to hopefully protect against people using other buggy software.