I second this motion. I can attest to the FDA and DoD as being insane to work with or for on several levels. They both need ridiculous amounts of paperwork, much of which is useless. But since someone at the govt said its needed, we must document it, record it, and store it for quite some time. We still are managing insane amounts of PAPER paperwork.
And its not just that which goes into our final sale product, but the equipment itself. We have varying levels of holds while parts are validated, but it can get as long as 90 days, where any part that is sold with an unvalidated piece of equipment must sit until the whole validation procedure is complete. Thats inventory that cannot be sold, employees paid well before a sale, and real estate that is wasted on making the feds happy.
This is why nothing is cheap. The fiasco we call the feds.
Sadly the single user Linux/BSD versions are horrid and borderline useless. The decent ones are all 25/50 license packs minimum. Trust me, every month I pester them all about making at least the CLI version available for sale at the standard $40-50/yr cost that the full Win32/Win64 versions cost. Nobody is sofar. I would prefer to release my repair shop from needing a copy of Windows on any of my repair systems, since ALL other tasks can be done in Linux (or BSD for that matter, and Solaris).
1) That is a non-issue because you will fall into two very simple (across the board) methods. Either release a new package or if you are using something akin to Loki's Update tools, then it is implied that you will be using that tool to update the application (I see the latter to be more useful for companies too lazy to sell their software and update it with a repo).
2) Good point. But since we all trusted Microsoft at one point and many of us no longer (from a coding quality standpoint that is), that will be the case with another hapless company due to lazy auditing procedures.
Although, on your second point, which is an amazingly spot on point that we techies are going to have to solve, didnt Fedora run into that issue not too far back? If I am not mistaken, a new set of keys were reissued, but I am not certain as to what else. Perhaps that is a lesson we could learn somthing from. Or maybe not.
Actually, don't forget that of the two most mainstream distros -- Fedora and Ubuntu, any sane user has ZERO need for a package or repository that:
A) Doesnt scrutinize the living snot out of each contributor. B) Doesnt enforce digitally signing of the packages.
And yes I do mean ZERO. Flash, Java, all FLOSS supported, all FLOSS unsupported, etc can all be attained thru SAFE channels. I must say that Ubuntu's were more blatantly in the user's face, but the Red Hat variants certainly have them too.
Though, personally, after not using Ubuntu for a few releases now, I cannot say if they are setup by default to nag the snot out of an unsigned package or repository, but Fedora and RHEL do (and thus CentOS).
To me this should be a simple reinforcement of WHY the old bearded ones act the way they do. But this is hardly a slam on linux, but rather of gnome-look's pathetic acceptance policies, and the need to utilize proper repos and packages.
Although mostly true, as a former user, I can say the presentation + CNR was what made it a hit with the userbase.
CNR was the icing on the cake -- the package cake. Red Hat and Novell never had that. Now Canonical has something like it bundled with Ubuntu, as does Fedora with their own. Plus it was one of the cleaner KDE based desktops I have ever used. Coming from a diehard GNOME/Fluxbox guy -- that should be taken as some praise.
The only issue I saw with the distro was a lack of updates to the kernel. As we all know the kernel adds so much more than just some update, but rather more and imporved device support. It was awful at times to not have properly working modules when Fedora, SuSE, and Mandriva did.
I used to always recommend using GIMP for anyone. Mac users. Windows users. Us linux users well, are pretty much forced to due to little viable competition (and no, I know PS7 works under wine, but that isnt native).
I got yelled at for poor taste. I never understood why.
Then I tried the Windows and Mac ports. They suck. Not just worse versions -- but quite frankly suck.
On the linux front, at least it feels right at home, the others do not have that feel. On linux, GIMP is _STABLE_ !! On Windows it isn't too bad, not great, but not too shabby. The Mac version is absolute hell to the point of utter uselessness. On linux the memory management does its job and I can use insanely large caches. The Mac version, I cant get to be useful long enough to know if this is an issue, but the Windows one is/was a real issue.
But to keep it short(er), the only decent version is the Linux/Open/Free/NetBSD flavors. Win32 and OSX ports smell bad, and run worse. To get someone to respect the GIMP, they first need to run it on a decently supported OS.
Just something I noticed. I dunno, am I wrong here? Have things improved in the last 6 months? Is there a usable Mac version? The X11 one is terrible.
My addendum to that is the experience I have with my AT&T Razr2. The thing becomes a pocket heater when using 3G web access for anything over a few quick connections (check the weather, reply to a text, all the weak crap that even EDGE can handle effortlessly). And the battery life is horrid when using 3G as well. When connected to the laptop its less painful since it grabs a charge, but in less than 40 minutes, the battery is kaputz and the unit is about to pop when going over bluetooth.
If the iPhone was to do this, I would be pissed to have to pay $600 or so plus get a contract to have a tether to the AC outlet. I needed 3G, but thank god I need only a phone and an occasional data connection for ssh, email, and ftp. Although the tools are there for a hacked iPhone, at least I save alot of hassle this way, and know now firsthand why talented engineers are having issues with UMTS and the heat and power fiasco.
Personally, although I can put up with it, I am sure non techies will. With the types of people that I see running around with iPhones attatched to their face, I doubt that it was really that bad of a decision for them to drop 3G in favor of EDGE. People still bought it, and most likely will upgrade. Not bad for a first effort. Not like they are Motorola or Nokia now...
Considering I do PC/Mac/Linux service and repair, yeah, I do have it down to the second. Especially since I must competitively price, and need to know so I keep profiting on both my tech's, and my time on the phone talking to the robots.
As far as doing the call -- yes I prefer this. Its a hell of alot easier than looking for the paperwork for the said software. And knowing how MS in particular treats security, I dont trust that any software on a said windows machine is safe. And to hell if I am going to make a repository for anyone to find and scrape. Then this simple 7 minute call is going to end up closer to an hour long call.
Then again, on a Mac or Linux rig, these repository softwares are handy, and I would trust. But then again, there are few titles that I would buy, and for those that are non-ms, I can keep the serials in an email (as I do now) that is stored encrypted somewhere.
But this is all padding to the point at hand -- in regards to MS, its far simpler to call. MS has this down well, which makes me wonder if they are going to actually crack down seriously or not. Time will tell.
I have done this and charged people for doing so, and its about as damn easy as one could hope for. Takes less than the 7 minutes they claim on the phone, for me its generally just over 5:25 or so depending on how fast I remember what the next comment is, otherwise its about 5:45.
Thats alot easier than locating my paperwork or serial stickers. When you have several systems and a metric shitload of closed source software, its much simpler to do it MS's way.
Personally FLOSS is the best way since this never happens.
I must say although you found the right programs that help make a Windows 2000 or newer machine safe to connect to the internet, you forget the one thing that most people (perhaps not your father, but most regular people) fall short on -- the PM routine.
I run a local shop in Milwaukee, and all of my customers have come back to pay me to just clean it up again. Even though they paid for training of what to do and why. Even though they all understand it. Its just that people don't want to put up with the extra effort. Short of it automatically updating and running scans, the masses will not do the minimal work needed to keep the computer clean. Its the behavior that in essence that needs the modification, not the choice in software.
So when people say is Linux or OS X better, what is the answer for them? Generally its a resounding YES! Simply because if they are the lazy people that I mentioned earlier, then a system that will be difficult own remotely is the superior choice. The system that has no known malware that can infect the system is the superior choice.
And this is why those that have used OS X reccomend it over the Dell. If the Dell ran not(Microsoft), then its another story. Perhaps if it ran Ubuntu (like other systems in their lineup do), the ragings would be more religious than this one. But quite frankly the BS factor of Vista itself, the malware/virus vulnerability of the Windows platform itself, and the fact that on Windows you MUST be proactive and have the routine down, all of which are nonexistent on OS X and Linux (and BSD and soforth, but really the only 3 consumer OSes are Windows, OS X, and Linux at this point) rate the iMac much higher, even if the system has half the ram, %80 of the clock speed, and %75 of the hard drive space (made that one up for arguments sake).
Personally I would love to get my hands on the XPS One to play with Linux on it. I think then it would be a much more attractive system. Hell, XP would make it more attractive:P I have had my fill of BS with Vista already and would never put my family through that one... or an employee. Maybe an arch-nemesis. Maybe. I am not that cruel. I hope not.:P
I agree, however there is a new beast that Adobe has released. Its name is PS Elements. Its under $100 and can be gifted by the parents for a birthday or christmas present or if the parents are a bit more interested in the child's education, buy it upfront (sure that a student discount can bring it under $50).
But on the flip side, why spend a dime on anything at this point? Once you get out into college, the concepts that make certain commercial softwares worth looking into and differentiate them all become necessary. A 16 yr old really needn't worry with Acess, Photoshop, MS-SQL, AIX, or whatnot that can be done in a freeware or FLOSS software.
Realize that if the students are expected to use expensive software its a double cost, first the school needs to buy it which is paid with taxes. Then the student must purchase that said software. If there is zero benefit going commercial, its a waste. If the students are going to benefit (more than simplicity, I mean intelectually), then by all means use the BEST software. Otherwise, go GIMP or whatever else is free (costwise at least).
Not if it is properly setup like that of Apple or Windows OEMs will.
For example, if you had a Fedora, SuSE, or Ubuntu (Left Linspire out since that is the only one that it is simple to get what I am about to explain) preinstall that had:
K3B _ALL_ of the media codecs legally installed. Legal DVD playback Proper xorg config for tvout/svideo-out etc. It should just work. If there are good drivers, install them. FLOSS ones are fine, but if you are going to preload, most people want the most functional ones. Links on the desktop on where to go both to the OEM sites and external from them. The Fedora FAQ is derfinitely one that should be there or at minimally duplicated and cleansed for use on the OEM's page. Java Flash A tool for importing all the old stuff from windows. A good PDF, website, or hell - A FRIGGING MANUAL, that details that OpenOffice uses a different native format and to give that file to an MS Office user just save it as that new file format. All of those incompatibilities that aren't so if you are in the know. A few videos of how to do certain things, or that manual thing.
Get my drift? There is alot to do, but little is all that tecnical, its just piecing that thing called logic back into the equation. People never liked having to go get Java, why would they now? People hated having to jump thru hoops to do things that if not obvious, could be written down.
We have an oppurtunity to redefine computing; lets do it right!
Dont forget your Mac (and both of my Intel based Macs) can run linux just fine. Ubuntu and Fedora/Red Hat install perfectly. On my iMac, I finally got ATI drivers for my ATI 2000 series card the other day, but it still ran without them.
I went Apple to have all 4 major OS's available at my fingertips - Apple, Windows, Linux, BSD. Simple as that. A WinTel box cannot the the first (Apple). Wish they could, but its not a reality yet.
Not at all. The Pen and Paper aspect is getting together in person as opposed to an MMO or online. Not that I have a personal problem with online DnD/Shadowrun/Battletech, I think there is something to be said for having the face-to-face interaction with people.
All the computerization I use for is collating the data and making it easier to have handy so a pick up game is simpler to get going. I no longer need pencils, core books, char sheets, dice. Nothing. The DM has his/her material and I have mine. A notebook and a power brick is much simpler to tote around than a notepad, a core rulebook, any expansion material, sets of dice, pencils, and erasers. What was an extremely heavy backpack now turned into a rather light satchel (and this is somewhat overkill, do I really need my tv-out adaper?).
In the end, this is a game. And when the game becomes too cumbersome to have fun, it no longer is worth playing. Games are played for fun. Simplifying the game whilst still retaining the same environment, style, and rules to me is a natural evolution in all games.
I agree with the bean counting, but that was to offload effort on the dm IMHO. Now the DM has the CRs of various skill-tests, and the player is very easily capable of rolling it and telling the DM what they CR they hit.
If keeping track of things is that painful, I have been working on an OpenOffice spreadsheet and database set with all of the 3.5e core classes 1-20 progression and spell lists. Since I always have my laptop, and rarely just have my books, I can more simply keep my chars handy and have the core material there. Perhaps you can do the same thing (took about 3 hours total to copy in the progression tables and program the spreadsheet up to know what is going on and have the core items and equipment ready).
But I do agree, the math is much more now, even with the simplification of your AC and attack rolls.
He said kill off, not improve upon or eradicate. It is probable that Silverlight will become the next misused web framework to cause any IT/IS tech a whole world of woe.
A company I consulted for was in a real pickle -- they had the licenses for most but not all of the software. Some whitebox systems were using pirated or cloned keys of existing software or just flat out pirated stuff. I advised to either pony up the cash needed for the licenses or go FLOSS (OpenOffice, Zimbra, etc.). They chose the latter route, but took a bit. A pissed off employee that overheard the conversation got to the BSA before I could even start making an image of a server to do Zimbra, and roll out the whole company on OpenOffice (Parallel installs with MS Office on the LEGAL copies). Microsoft and another company that did proprietary stuff were pretty damn cool about it all. They asked for proof of how long. They told them to talk to me. I verified a guesstimated time and the response was simple. Since you are using it, something needs to be paid. But since management was unaware of the previous tech's misdeeds and your advice that was heeded (they didnt get 2 hours from talking to me to the BSA's contact call), that the cost will be nominal. And it was. What was nearly $5000 was a mere $2000 and it all went away.
Intent does play a part here. Don't try to skirt responsibility and don't cheat the system. In my case the previous tech's name was given out to the BSA and presumably MS is going after him/her civilly. He was the criminal here.
Hope this adds some insight to the topic here. Not a clear answer, but something to ponder.
The computer demo aforementioned in the link (quick google search, sorry if its not the best article) is a mere 16qbits. From what I gathered, 256qbits is the minimum for a useful qpc. But I am no professional or even a hobbyist in the field. Talk to one if you want more reliable data.
On the non supported platforms, you can install and run Vista in a VM, but you get zero support. On the supported platforms, MS will support you via phone or email support to resolve any issues that crop up.
With the supported versions, you are allowed to do one native install or one vm, except the Enterprise, which is one native and 4 vms per key.
Personally, I did this = Bought my one copy for learning it for field repairs. Bound that copy or Ultimate to my main wworkstation. Each vm is using the trial and the rearm hack. To me I dont need 2 more keys, since the vms dont do anything except extend my workstation to the road. If MS became hostile, I would choose to just run ONE vm, and host it off of a remote VMWare server. Vista does nothing for me that RHEL cannot do, much less at even remotely the same quality as RHEL.
MS to me is running scared and is trying to magically create cash to influx into its next product. Vista == modern day ME. Its a flop. Everybody knows it. Just a matter of time before they are either dethroned or come back to their senses. 98 was good fwiw, 2k rocked, xp was okay, but the other interim releases stunk bad.
I find it interesting that non-geeks are complaining with mostly the same issues as we geeks/nerds are.
Well very true. I have lived by and love direct deposit. I do know a few people that for some reason just do not want a bank account, and prefer getting raped by the check cashing centers to cash a check and buy money orders. For me, I cannot justify paying the exorbidant fees for cashing and for money orders. Its the occasional ebay purchase that dislikes paypal that they get the $5 a year out of me on -- and thats it.
I agree with the parent. In fact, get a job working for a collection agency. You will learn exactly how credit works, how to break it, how to mend it, and how to grow it without that much effort.
As the parent said, get a prepaid credit card. These work generally in $100 or $250 increments, and are issued at all major banks and credit unions. Get one for whatever your monthly bills are to accrue (minus rent, since you probably cannot pay with a Visa there). Gas, food, smokes, chips, phone bill. Run it up, at the end/middle/start of the month, pay it all off. Do this repeatedly throughout the term of the deposit. Then when you can get a real Visa/Mastercard, do the same.
Another option is similar, but with a secured loan. You put whatever the amount of the loan is. lets say 12 month / $1000 loan. You drop the $1000 in, it is locked. You earn interest on it. In exchange, you get $1000 to do what you want. Use this to pay the monthly payment on that loan. You end up making $50 or so in interest over the next year, and build credit fast (or repair it).
Also, you WILL WANT A BANK ACCOUNT! Either with a bank (if you travel alot this is most handy) or a credit union (better interest rates, and better loans, but usually only local). If your employer has a credit union, join it. You can usually, even with shit credit, get a loan after a few years (5 to 10) just because you were a reliable member for a while. Even if it is a $20 every pay period over the time in a savings (not checking, or money market) account.
Again, take a 3-9 month gig at a collection agency. If you can deal with the phone, its a cakewalk for decent money. I worked one for 6 months and made a crapload off fees alone (fees are the fees tha collection agency charges the creditor for successfully working the debtor into paying a portion or full amount of the debt).
You all-so-elagantly underscored,bolded, and reiterated why I fully back Red Hat in all forms. They spend alot of money to make FLOSS great, and contribute meaningfully to the community as a whole without stabbing the other guys in the back - which btw is what I feel all of these companies have done with the EvilPact.
RHEL has made my professional life easier, and I fully stand behind Red Hat by pushing RHEL over CentOS. Why? The money goes to a company that does the RIGHT things.
I have zero issue with Linspire Inc paying MS for codecs. Thats life, I can deal with that. Paying though to not be sued, but letting all the much more involved non-Linspire Inc devs hang in the breeze pisses the shit out of me, and quite frankly, ends immediately any support whatsoever to Linspire or Freespire and the CNR client. Fedora/Ubuntu will most likely have their own uber package manager within no time (look in the past year what both have evolved into). CNR is cool and sweet for noobs, but honestly, Ubuntu's pacakge manager and Fedora'a Pup are progressing very well and cost the end user nothing. Pay to evil, not pay and support the good guys... hmmm. Tough choice... Really hard eh?
Then I must be getting old too. I was a Commodore guy and got one in 1984 (I was 5 at the time). Computers then had several things that I noticed:
1) If you spent the time, you could really learn it. This was not an absurd amount of time (like today). You could comprehend how the tape/disk drive worked, the serial port, the printer port, and game ports. It just took a day or two and it was pretty well mastered, considering it takes months now to do what took a few hours to figure out.
2) Limitations. Lots of them. You had what Commodore wanted you to have (or Apple, or Atari) and that was about it. The software comanies made the software to work on a standard non-modded (C64's had RAM carts you could plug in adding up to another 512K on top of the 64K present) computer. Same for the disk drives. I think this aided more than it hurt the software to become more than what was otherwise doable. Games that were fun and apps that were useful were cleanly put together because only then could the copy protection suitably be utilized and then refined to fit on the 1/2/4 sides of the floppies that they could afford to use.
3) Competition. Really, what competition is out there? You have God (MS) and the two lessers rivaling (Apple and Linux). This is why we all lost out. Apple, Commodore, and Atari were constantly at each other and seriously, it may have very well continued today if poor management would not have killed off Commodore and Atari completely from the playing field, and damn near murdering Apple.
Note, I am not old, but got to experience computing when it was fun, educational if you wanted it to be, and work when you were paid to do it or felt like it. Now dealing with Windows is not fun, not really educational in any meaningful sense (other than MS is not working for anything we care about as consumers, rather the Linuxes and Apple are), and is always a chore. Work, oh, yeah, you can do that if you invest another 20% more time and a few hundred each year in extra software to "fix" the flaws that are constantly being exploited thru carelessness on your vendor's part (yes that would be Apple, -->MS--, Red Hat, or Canonical).
Too bad it ended up this way. Now hooking up a printer is more work than when I had to deal with a VHS tape sized adaptor to make my C64 talk to the Epson.... Oh well...
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I second this motion. I can attest to the FDA and DoD as being insane to work with or for on several levels. They both need ridiculous amounts of paperwork, much of which is useless. But since someone at the govt said its needed, we must document it, record it, and store it for quite some time. We still are managing insane amounts of PAPER paperwork.
And its not just that which goes into our final sale product, but the equipment itself. We have varying levels of holds while parts are validated, but it can get as long as 90 days, where any part that is sold with an unvalidated piece of equipment must sit until the whole validation procedure is complete. Thats inventory that cannot be sold, employees paid well before a sale, and real estate that is wasted on making the feds happy.
This is why nothing is cheap. The fiasco we call the feds.
Sadly the single user Linux/BSD versions are horrid and borderline useless. The decent ones are all 25/50 license packs minimum. Trust me, every month I pester them all about making at least the CLI version available for sale at the standard $40-50/yr cost that the full Win32/Win64 versions cost. Nobody is sofar. I would prefer to release my repair shop from needing a copy of Windows on any of my repair systems, since ALL other tasks can be done in Linux (or BSD for that matter, and Solaris).
1) That is a non-issue because you will fall into two very simple (across the board) methods. Either release a new package or if you are using something akin to Loki's Update tools, then it is implied that you will be using that tool to update the application (I see the latter to be more useful for companies too lazy to sell their software and update it with a repo).
2) Good point. But since we all trusted Microsoft at one point and many of us no longer (from a coding quality standpoint that is), that will be the case with another hapless company due to lazy auditing procedures.
Although, on your second point, which is an amazingly spot on point that we techies are going to have to solve, didnt Fedora run into that issue not too far back? If I am not mistaken, a new set of keys were reissued, but I am not certain as to what else. Perhaps that is a lesson we could learn somthing from. Or maybe not.
Great post though, Shadow.
Actually, don't forget that of the two most mainstream distros -- Fedora and Ubuntu, any sane user has ZERO need for a package or repository that:
A) Doesnt scrutinize the living snot out of each contributor.
B) Doesnt enforce digitally signing of the packages.
And yes I do mean ZERO. Flash, Java, all FLOSS supported, all FLOSS unsupported, etc can all be attained thru SAFE channels. I must say that Ubuntu's were more blatantly in the user's face, but the Red Hat variants certainly have them too.
Though, personally, after not using Ubuntu for a few releases now, I cannot say if they are setup by default to nag the snot out of an unsigned package or repository, but Fedora and RHEL do (and thus CentOS).
To me this should be a simple reinforcement of WHY the old bearded ones act the way they do. But this is hardly a slam on linux, but rather of gnome-look's pathetic acceptance policies, and the need to utilize proper repos and packages.
Had to say it.
Thanks much,
Andrew.
Although mostly true, as a former user, I can say the presentation + CNR was what made it a hit with the userbase.
CNR was the icing on the cake -- the package cake. Red Hat and Novell never had that. Now Canonical has something like it bundled with Ubuntu, as does Fedora with their own. Plus it was one of the cleaner KDE based desktops I have ever used. Coming from a diehard GNOME/Fluxbox guy -- that should be taken as some praise.
The only issue I saw with the distro was a lack of updates to the kernel. As we all know the kernel adds so much more than just some update, but rather more and imporved device support. It was awful at times to not have properly working modules when Fedora, SuSE, and Mandriva did.
I used to always recommend using GIMP for anyone. Mac users. Windows users. Us linux users well, are pretty much forced to due to little viable competition (and no, I know PS7 works under wine, but that isnt native).
I got yelled at for poor taste. I never understood why.
Then I tried the Windows and Mac ports. They suck. Not just worse versions -- but quite frankly suck.
On the linux front, at least it feels right at home, the others do not have that feel.
On linux, GIMP is _STABLE_ !! On Windows it isn't too bad, not great, but not too shabby. The Mac version is absolute hell to the point of utter uselessness.
On linux the memory management does its job and I can use insanely large caches. The Mac version, I cant get to be useful long enough to know if this is an issue, but the Windows one is/was a real issue.
But to keep it short(er), the only decent version is the Linux/Open/Free/NetBSD flavors. Win32 and OSX ports smell bad, and run worse. To get someone to respect the GIMP, they first need to run it on a decently supported OS.
Just something I noticed. I dunno, am I wrong here? Have things improved in the last 6 months? Is there a usable Mac version? The X11 one is terrible.
Laters.
Extremely well put.
...
My addendum to that is the experience I have with my AT&T Razr2. The thing becomes a pocket heater when using 3G web access for anything over a few quick connections (check the weather, reply to a text, all the weak crap that even EDGE can handle effortlessly). And the battery life is horrid when using 3G as well. When connected to the laptop its less painful since it grabs a charge, but in less than 40 minutes, the battery is kaputz and the unit is about to pop when going over bluetooth.
If the iPhone was to do this, I would be pissed to have to pay $600 or so plus get a contract to have a tether to the AC outlet. I needed 3G, but thank god I need only a phone and an occasional data connection for ssh, email, and ftp. Although the tools are there for a hacked iPhone, at least I save alot of hassle this way, and know now firsthand why talented engineers are having issues with UMTS and the heat and power fiasco.
Personally, although I can put up with it, I am sure non techies will. With the types of people that I see running around with iPhones attatched to their face, I doubt that it was really that bad of a decision for them to drop 3G in favor of EDGE. People still bought it, and most likely will upgrade. Not bad for a first effort. Not like they are Motorola or Nokia now
Considering I do PC/Mac/Linux service and repair, yeah, I do have it down to the second. Especially since I must competitively price, and need to know so I keep profiting on both my tech's, and my time on the phone talking to the robots.
As far as doing the call -- yes I prefer this. Its a hell of alot easier than looking for the paperwork for the said software. And knowing how MS in particular treats security, I dont trust that any software on a said windows machine is safe. And to hell if I am going to make a repository for anyone to find and scrape. Then this simple 7 minute call is going to end up closer to an hour long call.
Then again, on a Mac or Linux rig, these repository softwares are handy, and I would trust. But then again, there are few titles that I would buy, and for those that are non-ms, I can keep the serials in an email (as I do now) that is stored encrypted somewhere.
But this is all padding to the point at hand -- in regards to MS, its far simpler to call. MS has this down well, which makes me wonder if they are going to actually crack down seriously or not. Time will tell.
You know, that is an idiotic comment.
I have done this and charged people for doing so, and its about as damn easy as one could hope for. Takes less than the 7 minutes they claim on the phone, for me its generally just over 5:25 or so depending on how fast I remember what the next comment is, otherwise its about 5:45.
Thats alot easier than locating my paperwork or serial stickers. When you have several systems and a metric shitload of closed source software, its much simpler to do it MS's way.
Personally FLOSS is the best way since this never happens.
I must say although you found the right programs that help make a Windows 2000 or newer machine safe to connect to the internet, you forget the one thing that most people (perhaps not your father, but most regular people) fall short on -- the PM routine.
:P I have had my fill of BS with Vista already and would never put my family through that one ... or an employee. Maybe an arch-nemesis. Maybe. I am not that cruel. I hope not. :P
I run a local shop in Milwaukee, and all of my customers have come back to pay me to just clean it up again. Even though they paid for training of what to do and why. Even though they all understand it. Its just that people don't want to put up with the extra effort. Short of it automatically updating and running scans, the masses will not do the minimal work needed to keep the computer clean. Its the behavior that in essence that needs the modification, not the choice in software.
So when people say is Linux or OS X better, what is the answer for them? Generally its a resounding YES! Simply because if they are the lazy people that I mentioned earlier, then a system that will be difficult own remotely is the superior choice. The system that has no known malware that can infect the system is the superior choice.
And this is why those that have used OS X reccomend it over the Dell. If the Dell ran not(Microsoft), then its another story. Perhaps if it ran Ubuntu (like other systems in their lineup do), the ragings would be more religious than this one. But quite frankly the BS factor of Vista itself, the malware/virus vulnerability of the Windows platform itself, and the fact that on Windows you MUST be proactive and have the routine down, all of which are nonexistent on OS X and Linux (and BSD and soforth, but really the only 3 consumer OSes are Windows, OS X, and Linux at this point) rate the iMac much higher, even if the system has half the ram, %80 of the clock speed, and %75 of the hard drive space (made that one up for arguments sake).
Personally I would love to get my hands on the XPS One to play with Linux on it. I think then it would be a much more attractive system. Hell, XP would make it more attractive
I agree, however there is a new beast that Adobe has released. Its name is PS Elements. Its under $100 and can be gifted by the parents for a birthday or christmas present or if the parents are a bit more interested in the child's education, buy it upfront (sure that a student discount can bring it under $50).
But on the flip side, why spend a dime on anything at this point? Once you get out into college, the concepts that make certain commercial softwares worth looking into and differentiate them all become necessary. A 16 yr old really needn't worry with Acess, Photoshop, MS-SQL, AIX, or whatnot that can be done in a freeware or FLOSS software.
Realize that if the students are expected to use expensive software its a double cost, first the school needs to buy it which is paid with taxes. Then the student must purchase that said software. If there is zero benefit going commercial, its a waste. If the students are going to benefit (more than simplicity, I mean intelectually), then by all means use the BEST software. Otherwise, go GIMP or whatever else is free (costwise at least).
Sopwith Camel is actually an old biplane.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopwith_Camel
And for the linux game, some screenshots:
http://sdl-sopwith.sourceforge.net/sshot.shtml
Not if it is properly setup like that of Apple or Windows OEMs will.
For example, if you had a Fedora, SuSE, or Ubuntu (Left Linspire out since that is the only one that it is simple to get what I am about to explain) preinstall that had:
K3B
_ALL_ of the media codecs legally installed.
Legal DVD playback
Proper xorg config for tvout/svideo-out etc. It should just work.
If there are good drivers, install them. FLOSS ones are fine, but if you are going to preload, most people want the most functional ones.
Links on the desktop on where to go both to the OEM sites and external from them. The Fedora FAQ is derfinitely one that should be there or at minimally duplicated and cleansed for use on the OEM's page.
Java
Flash
A tool for importing all the old stuff from windows.
A good PDF, website, or hell - A FRIGGING MANUAL, that details that OpenOffice uses a different native format and to give that file to an MS Office user just save it as that new file format. All of those incompatibilities that aren't so if you are in the know.
A few videos of how to do certain things, or that manual thing.
Get my drift? There is alot to do, but little is all that tecnical, its just piecing that thing called logic back into the equation. People never liked having to go get Java, why would they now? People hated having to jump thru hoops to do things that if not obvious, could be written down.
We have an oppurtunity to redefine computing; lets do it right!
Dont forget your Mac (and both of my Intel based Macs) can run linux just fine. Ubuntu and Fedora/Red Hat install perfectly. On my iMac, I finally got ATI drivers for my ATI 2000 series card the other day, but it still ran without them.
I went Apple to have all 4 major OS's available at my fingertips - Apple, Windows, Linux, BSD. Simple as that. A WinTel box cannot the the first (Apple). Wish they could, but its not a reality yet.
Not at all. The Pen and Paper aspect is getting together in person as opposed to an MMO or online. Not that I have a personal problem with online DnD/Shadowrun/Battletech, I think there is something to be said for having the face-to-face interaction with people.
All the computerization I use for is collating the data and making it easier to have handy so a pick up game is simpler to get going. I no longer need pencils, core books, char sheets, dice. Nothing. The DM has his/her material and I have mine. A notebook and a power brick is much simpler to tote around than a notepad, a core rulebook, any expansion material, sets of dice, pencils, and erasers. What was an extremely heavy backpack now turned into a rather light satchel (and this is somewhat overkill, do I really need my tv-out adaper?).
In the end, this is a game. And when the game becomes too cumbersome to have fun, it no longer is worth playing. Games are played for fun. Simplifying the game whilst still retaining the same environment, style, and rules to me is a natural evolution in all games.
I agree with the bean counting, but that was to offload effort on the dm IMHO. Now the DM has the CRs of various skill-tests, and the player is very easily capable of rolling it and telling the DM what they CR they hit.
If keeping track of things is that painful, I have been working on an OpenOffice spreadsheet and database set with all of the 3.5e core classes 1-20 progression and spell lists. Since I always have my laptop, and rarely just have my books, I can more simply keep my chars handy and have the core material there. Perhaps you can do the same thing (took about 3 hours total to copy in the progression tables and program the spreadsheet up to know what is going on and have the core items and equipment ready).
But I do agree, the math is much more now, even with the simplification of your AC and attack rolls.
He said kill off, not improve upon or eradicate. It is probable that Silverlight will become the next misused web framework to cause any IT/IS tech a whole world of woe.
A company I consulted for was in a real pickle -- they had the licenses for most but not all of the software. Some whitebox systems were using pirated or cloned keys of existing software or just flat out pirated stuff. I advised to either pony up the cash needed for the licenses or go FLOSS (OpenOffice, Zimbra, etc.). They chose the latter route, but took a bit. A pissed off employee that overheard the conversation got to the BSA before I could even start making an image of a server to do Zimbra, and roll out the whole company on OpenOffice (Parallel installs with MS Office on the LEGAL copies). Microsoft and another company that did proprietary stuff were pretty damn cool about it all. They asked for proof of how long. They told them to talk to me. I verified a guesstimated time and the response was simple. Since you are using it, something needs to be paid. But since management was unaware of the previous tech's misdeeds and your advice that was heeded (they didnt get 2 hours from talking to me to the BSA's contact call), that the cost will be nominal. And it was. What was nearly $5000 was a mere $2000 and it all went away.
Intent does play a part here. Don't try to skirt responsibility and don't cheat the system. In my case the previous tech's name was given out to the BSA and presumably MS is going after him/her civilly. He was the criminal here.
Hope this adds some insight to the topic here. Not a clear answer, but something to ponder.
Because although the potential is phemomenonally great, it just isnt there yet to kill 1 terabit encryption yet.
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/feb07/comments/1710
The computer demo aforementioned in the link (quick google search, sorry if its not the best article) is a mere 16qbits. From what I gathered, 256qbits is the minimum for a useful qpc. But I am no professional or even a hobbyist in the field. Talk to one if you want more reliable data.
Actually the license is simple:
e nsing.asp
On the non supported platforms, you can install and run Vista in a VM, but you get zero support. On the supported platforms, MS will support you via phone or email support to resolve any issues that crop up.
With the supported versions, you are allowed to do one native install or one vm, except the Enterprise, which is one native and 4 vms per key.
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_lic
Personally, I did this = Bought my one copy for learning it for field repairs. Bound that copy or Ultimate to my main wworkstation. Each vm is using the trial and the rearm hack. To me I dont need 2 more keys, since the vms dont do anything except extend my workstation to the road. If MS became hostile, I would choose to just run ONE vm, and host it off of a remote VMWare server. Vista does nothing for me that RHEL cannot do, much less at even remotely the same quality as RHEL.
MS to me is running scared and is trying to magically create cash to influx into its next product. Vista == modern day ME. Its a flop. Everybody knows it. Just a matter of time before they are either dethroned or come back to their senses. 98 was good fwiw, 2k rocked, xp was okay, but the other interim releases stunk bad.
I find it interesting that non-geeks are complaining with mostly the same issues as we geeks/nerds are.
Well very true. I have lived by and love direct deposit. I do know a few people that for some reason just do not want a bank account, and prefer getting raped by the check cashing centers to cash a check and buy money orders. For me, I cannot justify paying the exorbidant fees for cashing and for money orders. Its the occasional ebay purchase that dislikes paypal that they get the $5 a year out of me on -- and thats it.
I agree with the parent. In fact, get a job working for a collection agency. You will learn exactly how credit works, how to break it, how to mend it, and how to grow it without that much effort.
As the parent said, get a prepaid credit card. These work generally in $100 or $250 increments, and are issued at all major banks and credit unions. Get one for whatever your monthly bills are to accrue (minus rent, since you probably cannot pay with a Visa there). Gas, food, smokes, chips, phone bill. Run it up, at the end/middle/start of the month, pay it all off. Do this repeatedly throughout the term of the deposit. Then when you can get a real Visa/Mastercard, do the same.
Another option is similar, but with a secured loan. You put whatever the amount of the loan is. lets say 12 month / $1000 loan. You drop the $1000 in, it is locked. You earn interest on it. In exchange, you get $1000 to do what you want. Use this to pay the monthly payment on that loan. You end up making $50 or so in interest over the next year, and build credit fast (or repair it).
Also, you WILL WANT A BANK ACCOUNT! Either with a bank (if you travel alot this is most handy) or a credit union (better interest rates, and better loans, but usually only local). If your employer has a credit union, join it. You can usually, even with shit credit, get a loan after a few years (5 to 10) just because you were a reliable member for a while. Even if it is a $20 every pay period over the time in a savings (not checking, or money market) account.
Again, take a 3-9 month gig at a collection agency. If you can deal with the phone, its a cakewalk for decent money. I worked one for 6 months and made a crapload off fees alone (fees are the fees tha collection agency charges the creditor for successfully working the debtor into paying a portion or full amount of the debt).
Cashless is a fantasy these days.
You all-so-elagantly underscored,bolded, and reiterated why I fully back Red Hat in all forms. They spend alot of money to make FLOSS great, and contribute meaningfully to the community as a whole without stabbing the other guys in the back - which btw is what I feel all of these companies have done with the EvilPact.
... hmmm. Tough choice ... Really hard eh?
RHEL has made my professional life easier, and I fully stand behind Red Hat by pushing RHEL over CentOS. Why? The money goes to a company that does the RIGHT things.
I have zero issue with Linspire Inc paying MS for codecs. Thats life, I can deal with that. Paying though to not be sued, but letting all the much more involved non-Linspire Inc devs hang in the breeze pisses the shit out of me, and quite frankly, ends immediately any support whatsoever to Linspire or Freespire and the CNR client. Fedora/Ubuntu will most likely have their own uber package manager within no time (look in the past year what both have evolved into). CNR is cool and sweet for noobs, but honestly, Ubuntu's pacakge manager and Fedora'a Pup are progressing very well and cost the end user nothing. Pay to evil, not pay and support the good guys
Then I must be getting old too. I was a Commodore guy and got one in 1984 (I was 5 at the time). Computers then had several things that I noticed:
.... Oh well ...
1) If you spent the time, you could really learn it. This was not an absurd amount of time (like today). You could comprehend how the tape/disk drive worked, the serial port, the printer port, and game ports. It just took a day or two and it was pretty well mastered, considering it takes months now to do what took a few hours to figure out.
2) Limitations. Lots of them. You had what Commodore wanted you to have (or Apple, or Atari) and that was about it. The software comanies made the software to work on a standard non-modded (C64's had RAM carts you could plug in adding up to another 512K on top of the 64K present) computer. Same for the disk drives. I think this aided more than it hurt the software to become more than what was otherwise doable. Games that were fun and apps that were useful were cleanly put together because only then could the copy protection suitably be utilized and then refined to fit on the 1/2/4 sides of the floppies that they could afford to use.
3) Competition. Really, what competition is out there? You have God (MS) and the two lessers rivaling (Apple and Linux). This is why we all lost out. Apple, Commodore, and Atari were constantly at each other and seriously, it may have very well continued today if poor management would not have killed off Commodore and Atari completely from the playing field, and damn near murdering Apple.
Note, I am not old, but got to experience computing when it was fun, educational if you wanted it to be, and work when you were paid to do it or felt like it. Now dealing with Windows is not fun, not really educational in any meaningful sense (other than MS is not working for anything we care about as consumers, rather the Linuxes and Apple are), and is always a chore. Work, oh, yeah, you can do that if you invest another 20% more time and a few hundred each year in extra software to "fix" the flaws that are constantly being exploited thru carelessness on your vendor's part (yes that would be Apple, -->MS--, Red Hat, or Canonical).
Too bad it ended up this way. Now hooking up a printer is more work than when I had to deal with a VHS tape sized adaptor to make my C64 talk to the Epson
Actually the Catholic Church did the hell stuff. That along with four different words getting translated to "hell" makes things murkier here.