I don't remember them being bad guys; it was before my time, and probably most others. Linux commercials during NFL games, opening their patent portfolio. Just too much to resist. But, here's the funny thing, what do they actually produce in terms of software? The eclipse project, Websphere, and Lotus Notes? Why do they feel like a has-been? (they aren't, but they feel like KMart or something)
The stategy for killing off linux is to marginalize it to a single company, and then kill off that company. Some of the details are here.
"Microsoft and Sun know they can attack Red Hat's limited resources and create doubts around its product and the company's support."
This kind of "instructional feedback" has been going on at least since the early 1960s with programmed instruction (started wtih book format, but also the teaching machine). Jaw dropping that this could be patented by Microsoft. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is safe.
I was a starving graduate student (literally, my idiot advisor dropped my funding), and I couldn't afford a new word processor. This was terrible, as I had a lot of graphics in my dissertation that MS Word 97 COULD NOT HANDLE. OpenOffice to the rescue! I ended up writing my dissertation in OpenOffice, and my dissertation committee was none the wiser.
P.S. An undergraduate had introduced me to Slashdot at the same time, and that was basically my social life:) The pathetic things is that it still is:(
Once again, ESR's aggressive posturing makes the front headlines. A healthy system is a diverse system, and believe it or not, there is an appropriate niche for MS. We should not be seeking world domination (ESR be damned), but rather a balance within our current system. Those who need closed-source systems should be able to access those systems, and those who need OSS systems should have equally unfettered access. MS is an out of control parasite at the moment, but even parasites have their place in our mechanical ecology. An all Linux world is not necessarily a Good Thing.
Same experience here... It was a matter of finding the right distribution, which I happen to think is Debian. Now I use it daily. I must have installed it 20 times before I got it right. I finally learned to use jigdo to download sarge (i.e., testing), burn the iso, and then NOT to hit return at the boot prompt. Instead, type "linux26" to get the 2.6 kernel. It handles hardware detection immaculately. Now, its comical how easy everything is.
A few points with Debian:
Be very selective about what packages you install. Use dselect with caution, updating required packages only and then carefully examining the individual packages.
Search for existing packages with the following command:
apt-cache search [package-name or keyword]
A nice list will result. You can direct the output to a file as follows:
apt-cache search [package-name or keyword] > file.txt
Then search the file for interesting packages.
Use foomatic and cups for printing (search for appropriate packages).
To play around with your desktop settings, use the following:
dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86
Be careful, though, to remember what your settings are before changing them. Biggest performance boosts come from changing from the Vesa driver to the one that matches your card (e.g., Savage, Nvidia).
Configure your console to your liking. Suggest changing the font to Courier 12pt or higher, with a black background and white text. Save your settings as the default.
To change your paths, edit the file.bashrc, and add a line such as:
export PATH="/usr/bin/ActiveTcl/bin/:$PATH"
In the above example, ActiveState's wish8.4 and tclsh8.4 will be automatically found on the command line.
Placing the financial burden of publication onto the scienist is a serious impediment to publication. This is especially relevant to graduate students who are first authors on publications. They are notoriously without cash, and can usually barely afford the hardware they are using.
Having been involved in an active research lab for many years, I am of the opinion that the less that academicians have to worry about money the better. This is after years of chasing grant-money and making compromises in research tracks for the same purpose. Subscription-based models should remain as they are.
I bought a Biostar motherboard a couple of months ago and I'm running Debian testing. I have no sound, and I'm using i810_audio drivers that Fedora handles just fine. I have no sound, and I have no idea when I'll get sound. Why is that important? Because now I can't play GAMES with Linux. Do you really need to know why that is important? (BTW, Fedora wouldn't link my DSL connection, so I'm using Debian; kind of a conundrum...)
I'm using a Debian Linux box with the Mozilla browser to write this. I built it myself, and with the help of Slashdot, the web site that introduced me to free software, open source software, and widened my eyes over the years to the complicated logistics and truly revolutionary nature of collaborative development. I recommend that Slashdot and its editors take the lead once more and join in the demonstration against software patents in Europe. Slashdot itself is in the crosshairs of this legislation, and high profile action may be necessary. Let's fight these bastards.
Steve Scherer
Installation
on
Real Problems
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I just downloaded and installed the "free" player... Wouldn't be surprised if they recently changed their site to make it easier to download the free version.
The problem that I saw was that it tried to take over my machine:
1. It wanted to change my registry defaults so that real would be the player for any and all media that I use (.mp3,.mpg,.wav, DVD, etc., etc.).
2. It wanted to put icons everywhere (startup, taskbar, etc.)
3. It asks for a bunch of personal information (WTF? Why do I need to give them that so that I can play their files? Should be illegal.)
Any newbie would be too scared to not change all of their defaults, not put icons everywhere, and not give out their personal information. It doesn't matter if the "free" Real is now easier to install. The player takes advantage of the fact that most people don't understand that all of the above tasks are completely optional. The only free media player out there is MPlayer, and that's the one I'll be using from now on. Let me go and listen to my music in peace.
A large part of the problem is that constructivists have taken over the educational system, especially higher education. These are folks who believe that no one person's viewpoint is more valid than another's (all are equally valid and valuable), and that our current obsession with science is in conflict with the notion of being obsessed with, or highly valuing, any one perpsective or "story" more than any other. Fingerpainting should be valued as highly as performing calculus. The result: you are absolved from teaching (i.e., imposing your value system upon the student). If you can't do you teach, and if you can't teach you justify it with constructivist philosophies.
A better solution is to search for the most effective teaching technologies, such as programmed instruction, and use them to create a highly educated populace that can get us out of this mess. Then again, is there anything more threatening than an informed, educated populace?
Found the reason for the discrepant stats. The article, as someone mentioned above (or below), is counting for PAID server deployments (i.e., licensed deployments):
*Market share of paid new software license shipments.
Why do people like the author of this article have such a difficult time with the concept of free software, so much so that they fail to include it in their 'professional' surveys? SHEESH
Juicy quote: "Frankly, I'd be more worried that someone was going to use this as a base for developing software or another operating system based on Microsoft's proprietary code."
1. Why was Sauron visible when he wore the ring in the opening sequence of the Fellowship of the Rings? 2. What is so great about the ring? Sauron wore the ring, and his hand was cut off. I think Sauron should have gotten a refund. 3. Bilbo loved the ring, and had a good time with it. It scared the beejezus out of Frodo when he wore it. Why the difference? 4. If anyone deserved the ring, it was Boromir: "By the blood of our people are your lands kept free." Naw, give it to the cute little hobbits. No way.
One very popular alternative is DarkBasic. The scripting language sucks, but if you want experience at game development it may be worth your while.
An even better alternative is 3D GameStudio. This is a complete development environment as well, and it uses a proprietary C-script that looks pretty easy to pick up. Actually, if you look at the future plans for this game authoring environment, you'd be pretty impressed. It may be good to use a simpler environment to get your feet wet, then move on when you've outgrown it.
I've found the more flexible solution to creating an executable is to use McMillan's installer with UPX. I can create a distributable wxPython app at approximately 2MB with this combination.
Python is lacking in several important areas: Multimedia (i.e., QuickTime integration) and wxPython's lack of a decent rich text widget were enough to force me to use Tcl.
I'm unfamiliar with the video cards out today. Is this OpenGL? If it is, it's fantastic. For a while I was concerned about OpenGL falling so far behind DrirectX, but I have to admit that those images look quite nice.
The widgetry, which is supposed to retrieve all kinds of file types, both structured and unstructured, and all kinds of storage systems, beginning with the user's own drive, will be integrated into its operating systems like the anticipated Longhorn.
Does anyone know where to find a list of "features" that will be incorporated into the wonderful Winblows Operating System? Wasn't the court settlement supposed to prevent MS from this kind of anticompetitive behavior? Is there someone that I can complain to? Before I get sick?
"There is the risk of creating a technology island in Brazil supported by law."
Hmmm... Sounds like a reference to the "remote attestation" procedure in Trusted Computing. Basically, if a Windows server doesn't "trust" the operating system, it won't interact with it. Brazil could really find itself out of the loop if that were the case.
'For the first time, it seemed, flaws in Microsoft's software were translating into flaws in the company's business model.'
It might be more accurate to say that flaws in Microsoft's business model are translating into flaws in their software. The "bottom-up" approach of software development, that is, tackling the easy problems first, have led to the problems today as the software becomes increasingly complex. They should just stay the hell away from servers and stick with the desktop.
With Microsoft, IBM, and other major players involved in this process, the EFF doesn't have much of a choice but to work with what they've got. I don't think that the EFF agrees with the Trusted Computing initiative; as they say in the article, most of the changes described by the initiative can be implemented at the software level. I agree that that is where the changes should take place.
I agree with some of the other posters here and I don't really see anything useful about the attestation process (see the chart at the bottom of the page). I'm especially concerned about all of hardware specs that I know nothing about: Do you honestly expect me to think that the Bush administration isn't salivating over this? Can you say "backdoor"?
It sounds pathetic, but the only way I see out of this is through education and certification. People should be certified to connect to a network, and if they screw up, they are responsible. It's the way it works (usually) in academia.
"I consider that the golden rule requires that if I like a program I must share it with other people who like it. I cannot in good
conscience sign a nondisclosure agreement or a software license agreement."
Slashdot Mirror
I don't remember them being bad guys; it was before my time, and probably most others. Linux commercials during NFL games, opening their patent portfolio. Just too much to resist. But, here's the funny thing, what do they actually produce in terms of software? The eclipse project, Websphere, and Lotus Notes? Why do they feel like a has-been? (they aren't, but they feel like KMart or something)
The stategy for killing off linux is to marginalize it to a single company, and then kill off that company. Some of the details are here. "Microsoft and Sun know they can attack Red Hat's limited resources and create doubts around its product and the company's support."
This kind of "instructional feedback" has been going on at least since the early 1960s with programmed instruction (started wtih book format, but also the teaching machine). Jaw dropping that this could be patented by Microsoft. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is safe.
I was a starving graduate student (literally, my idiot advisor dropped my funding), and I couldn't afford a new word processor. This was terrible, as I had a lot of graphics in my dissertation that MS Word 97 COULD NOT HANDLE. OpenOffice to the rescue! I ended up writing my dissertation in OpenOffice, and my dissertation committee was none the wiser.
P.S. An undergraduate had introduced me to Slashdot at the same time, and that was basically my social life
Once again, ESR's aggressive posturing makes the front headlines. A healthy system is a diverse system, and believe it or not, there is an appropriate niche for MS. We should not be seeking world domination (ESR be damned), but rather a balance within our current system. Those who need closed-source systems should be able to access those systems, and those who need OSS systems should have equally unfettered access. MS is an out of control parasite at the moment, but even parasites have their place in our mechanical ecology.
An all Linux world is not necessarily a Good Thing.
P.S. ESR, shut up you spoiled brat.
Same experience here... It was a matter of finding the right distribution, which I happen to think is Debian. Now I use it daily. I must have installed it 20 times before I got it right. I finally learned to use jigdo to download sarge (i.e., testing), burn the iso, and then NOT to hit return at the boot prompt. Instead, type "linux26" to get the 2.6 kernel. It handles hardware detection immaculately. Now, its comical how easy everything is.
.bashrc, and add a line such as:
A few points with Debian:
Be very selective about what packages you install. Use dselect with caution, updating required packages only and then carefully examining the individual packages.
Search for existing packages with the following command:
apt-cache search [package-name or keyword]
A nice list will result. You can direct the output to a file as follows:
apt-cache search [package-name or keyword] > file.txt
Then search the file for interesting packages.
Use foomatic and cups for printing (search for appropriate packages).
To play around with your desktop settings, use the following:
dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86
Be careful, though, to remember what your settings are before changing them. Biggest performance boosts come from changing from the Vesa driver to the one that matches your card (e.g., Savage, Nvidia).
Configure your console to your liking. Suggest changing the font to Courier 12pt or higher, with a black background and white text. Save your settings as the default.
To change your paths, edit the file
export PATH="/usr/bin/ActiveTcl/bin/:$PATH"
In the above example, ActiveState's wish8.4 and tclsh8.4 will be automatically found on the command line.
Placing the financial burden of publication onto the scienist is a serious impediment to publication. This is especially relevant to graduate students who are first authors on publications. They are notoriously without cash, and can usually barely afford the hardware they are using.
Having been involved in an active research lab for many years, I am of the opinion that the less that academicians have to worry about money the better. This is after years of chasing grant-money and making compromises in research tracks for the same purpose. Subscription-based models should remain as they are.
Game over for the Free Software movement. I can't even begin to express my anger. Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer. You sick fscking bastards.
I bought a Biostar motherboard a couple of months ago and I'm running Debian testing. I have no sound, and I'm using i810_audio drivers that Fedora handles just fine. I have no sound, and I have no idea when I'll get sound. Why is that important? Because now I can't play GAMES with Linux. Do you really need to know why that is important? (BTW, Fedora wouldn't link my DSL connection, so I'm using Debian; kind of a conundrum...)
I'm using a Debian Linux box with the Mozilla browser to write this. I built it myself, and with the help of Slashdot, the web site that introduced me to free software, open source software, and widened my eyes over the years to the complicated logistics and truly revolutionary nature of collaborative development. I recommend that Slashdot and its editors take the lead once more and join in the demonstration against software patents in Europe. Slashdot itself is in the crosshairs of this legislation, and high profile action may be necessary.
Let's fight these bastards.
Steve Scherer
I just downloaded and installed the "free" player... Wouldn't be surprised if they recently changed their site to make it easier to download the free version.
The problem that I saw was that it tried to take over my machine:
1. It wanted to change my registry defaults so that real would be the player for any and all media that I use (.mp3,
2. It wanted to put icons everywhere (startup, taskbar, etc.)
3. It asks for a bunch of personal information (WTF? Why do I need to give them that so that I can play their files? Should be illegal.)
Any newbie would be too scared to not change all of their defaults, not put icons everywhere, and not give out their personal information. It doesn't matter if the "free" Real is now easier to install. The player takes advantage of the fact that most people don't understand that all of the above tasks are completely optional. The only free media player out there is MPlayer, and that's the one I'll be using from now on. Let me go and listen to my music in peace.
Big rant here...
A large part of the problem is that constructivists have taken over the educational system, especially higher education. These are folks who believe that no one person's viewpoint is more valid than another's (all are equally valid and valuable), and that our current obsession with science is in conflict with the notion of being obsessed with, or highly valuing, any one perpsective or "story" more than any other. Fingerpainting should be valued as highly as performing calculus. The result: you are absolved from teaching (i.e., imposing your value system upon the student). If you can't do you teach, and if you can't teach you justify it with constructivist philosophies.
A better solution is to search for the most effective teaching technologies, such as programmed instruction, and use them to create a highly educated populace that can get us out of this mess. Then again, is there anything more threatening than an informed, educated populace?
Found the reason for the discrepant stats. The article, as someone mentioned above (or below), is counting for PAID server deployments (i.e., licensed deployments):
*Market share of paid new software license shipments.
Why do people like the author of this article have such a difficult time with the concept of free software, so much so that they fail to include it in their 'professional' surveys? SHEESH
Can someone help out here? The following stats are provided in the article:
Market share*, 2002 23.1% 55.1%
Market share, 2001 22.4% 50.5%
indicating that MS has approximately twice the market share as Unix/Linux.
Netcraft's site says something different, however:
Apache 67.20
Microsoft 20.88
Here, Apache over has three times as many deployments as MS. Anyone aware of why there are differences between the two sources?
Juicy quote: "Frankly, I'd be more worried that someone was going to use this as a base for developing software or another operating system based on Microsoft's proprietary code."
Interesting. The first interesting Torque Engine releases that I've seen. Strong network code here.
1. Why was Sauron visible when he wore the ring in the opening sequence of the Fellowship of the Rings?
2. What is so great about the ring? Sauron wore the ring, and his hand was cut off. I think Sauron should have gotten a refund.
3. Bilbo loved the ring, and had a good time with it. It scared the beejezus out of Frodo when he wore it. Why the difference?
4. If anyone deserved the ring, it was Boromir: "By the blood of our people are your lands kept free." Naw, give it to the cute little hobbits. No way.
STeve
There are a lot simpler ways to go...
One very popular alternative is DarkBasic. The scripting language sucks, but if you want experience at game development it may be worth your while.
An even better alternative is 3D GameStudio. This is a complete development environment as well, and it uses a proprietary C-script that looks pretty easy to pick up. Actually, if you look at the future plans for this game authoring environment, you'd be pretty impressed. It may be good to use a simpler environment to get your feet wet, then move on when you've outgrown it.
I've found the more flexible solution to creating an executable is to use McMillan's installer with UPX. I can create a distributable wxPython app at approximately 2MB with this combination.
Python is lacking in several important areas: Multimedia (i.e., QuickTime integration) and wxPython's lack of a decent rich text widget were enough to force me to use Tcl.
Steve
I'm unfamiliar with the video cards out today. Is this OpenGL? If it is, it's fantastic. For a while I was concerned about OpenGL falling so far behind DrirectX, but I have to admit that those images look quite nice.
The widgetry, which is supposed to retrieve all kinds of file types, both structured and unstructured, and all kinds of storage systems, beginning with the user's own drive, will be integrated into its operating systems like the anticipated Longhorn.
Does anyone know where to find a list of "features" that will be incorporated into the wonderful Winblows Operating System? Wasn't the court settlement supposed to prevent MS from this kind of anticompetitive behavior? Is there someone that I can complain to? Before I get sick?
"There is the risk of creating a technology island in Brazil supported by law."
Hmmm... Sounds like a reference to the "remote attestation" procedure in Trusted Computing. Basically, if a Windows server doesn't "trust" the operating system, it won't interact with it. Brazil could really find itself out of the loop if that were the case.
'For the first time, it seemed, flaws in Microsoft's software were translating into flaws in the company's business model.'
It might be more accurate to say that flaws in Microsoft's business model are translating into flaws in their software. The "bottom-up" approach of software development, that is, tackling the easy problems first, have led to the problems today as the software becomes increasingly complex. They should just stay the hell away from servers and stick with the desktop.
With Microsoft, IBM, and other major players involved in this process, the EFF doesn't have much of a choice but to work with what they've got. I don't think that the EFF agrees with the Trusted Computing initiative; as they say in the article, most of the changes described by the initiative can be implemented at the software level. I agree that that is where the changes should take place.
I agree with some of the other posters here and I don't really see anything useful about the attestation process (see the chart at the bottom of the page). I'm especially concerned about all of hardware specs that I know nothing about: Do you honestly expect me to think that the Bush administration isn't salivating over this? Can you say "backdoor"?
It sounds pathetic, but the only way I see out of this is through education and certification. People should be certified to connect to a network, and if they screw up, they are responsible. It's the way it works (usually) in academia.
What a mess.
"I consider that the golden rule requires that if I like a program I must share it with other people who like it. I cannot in good conscience sign a nondisclosure agreement or a software license agreement."
Thankyou RMS