Good points, and it could also be that quality multi-CPU hardware always seems to fetch a hefty price here in Blighty. I remember seeing a Sun Ultra 80 with 4 x 400MHz processors going for something like US$600 on eBay USA, whereas a dual 300MHz Ultra 60 went on the UK site for about equivalent $650. Before anyone jumps down my throat with quotations for a dual P4 Xeon, notice the first line included the word "quality".
I've just bought an HP Visualize Workstation from a place in the USA. In the UK, 400 (~US$750) would have got me a C3000 with FX2 graphics, 512MB RAM and a 9GB SCSI disk. For the same money in the USA I got a C3000, FX4, 1GB RAM, 76GB Disk, plus loads of extra accessories and software... AND that includes insured airmail shipping to the UK.
Totally agree on the SMP thing. I work with some seriously "into it" techies (including myself) who live and breathe Linux/OpenBSD/FreeBSD/Solaris/HP-UX/IRIX at both work and home. Not a single one of them has a personal box with more than one CPU. Maybe that's a European, or maybe even specifically UK trend for developer's own kit at home. Weird. Maybe others would like to chip in here.
As for the "two imports" thing, the only OSS project that I was aware of a serious initial temporary code-freeze on was when Theo forked NetBSD into OpenBSD and audited the lot. But that said, they're now using NetBSD's SMP code as a starting point. Not that that is a bad thing, by any stretch of the imagination.
With Perl being dropped from FreeBSD, what are they actually replacing it with? (I know very little about the FreeBSD project and it shows =).
IIRC, the DF team wanted to implement SMP in a different way and weren't happy with the over-complicated approach in parts of FreeBSD. They're also ripping out a fair bit of the Perl dependent stuff too.
"So who was right, how many Slashdotters are also Java users?"
With the title as "How Much Java in the Linux World?", you can't automatically assume that all Slashdot readers use Linux. I don't, but I do use OpenBSD, IRIX, HP-UX and Windows 2000.
Maybe people value their time more than vouchers? Seriously, how many mothers and fathers are going to take an hour out of a busy day (that they could be spending with their kids) to fill in paperwork to get some rebate on software if they decide to upgrade their system in the future?
Fact is most families don't care if their box isn't secure, patched or running the latest media player 9.03848.8464a - They'll use it once or twice a week to mail grandma.
Sorry Slashdotters, but people who upgrade enough to care about some freebie settlement vouchers ARE that current 14% of settlement takers.
While it is relatively easy to understand the need for patents to encourage commercial development and investment, it is rude and obnoxious for companies to attempt to patent some of the most basic of computing principles.
I'm all for coroporate cash funding new hardware and software, but think where we might be today had IBM really clamped down on their PC systems.
For one system?!!?! I certainly hope you're joking!
I've setup Citrix systems for hundreds of users, and it's no walk in the park if you want the system accessible as well as secure. For those of you who do use Citrix with Microsoft Office products, investigate AppSense for keeping things locked down.
VNC with properly configured IP filtering and/or a firewall would be better here.
In keeping with OpenBSD's promo songs, the 3.5 release features a Monty Python-style sketch and song about CARP/pf and VRRP etc. Very funny stuff indeed. Lyrics and links to download the songs in MP3/OGG format at http://www.openbsd.org/lyrics.html
You can setup the software to stream out MP3s etc and you can use WinAMP or xmms to listen in. Set the administrative page to be viewable from the internet (with user/pass of course) and then you can control the streams from there.
As a former government employee, I found that there was a certain degree of hostility towards open-source software solutions. This was due (in part) to the fact that senior management didn't have a single entity with which to lay the blame when things went wrong. With the continuing business and market prescence being generated by companies such as Red Hat, do you feel that government organisations will start to take Linux (or other OSS) more seriously? Yes, we've seen the articles about the German uptake of Linux (80% of which will run VMWare/Win2k). Do you think that the governmental adoption of open source software will help encourage members of the public to become more technology literate and encourage further development?
I currently use a laptop for work (PII/NetBSD) and have been interested by the new mac laptops, iPods and iTunes service (which will enable to me to get work done while enjoying media) - I'm basically after a whole new rig. I'm thinking about buying a new laptop (OSX) with an iPod, and I travel a fair bit for my work. Does this cover situations where you could be transporting the device temporarily outside of the US and trying to update it over the 'Net?
Is there a way of converting these downloaded songs into a format (ogg/mp3) which doesn't have these restrictions so that I can travel without fear of losing the data?
It already exists. It's called the GP32. It already emulates SNES, plus PC Engine, Sega Master System, MSX, C64, Gameboy and Neo Geo Pocket Colour. Read about it HERE, and then buy one from HERE (NC Link HERE
Surely there is room for Linux in there somewhere. By promoting it to managers and the like, we can show that *innovation* is the key, and that through constant development and enhancement, your IT department CAN make a difference. If you want something tangible to show management, print out the source to the kernel, bind it, and present it at a meeting. SHOW them how great it can be!
Although what you have said is perfectly valid, I think that there is always that "reading between the lines" viewpoint on whatever legislation is brought in. Most laws are never really used to their full potential, and there is a certain amount of discretion in their application (well, here in the UK anyway). We don't live in a police state, but Britain does have some odd laws which persecute with one swipe, and protect with another (same as our system of social security).
Apologies for not explaining some British slang -
"Yob" : A loutish, obnoxious and aggresive person. Normally used to describe some males aged between 15 - 35.
"Scrote" : Reference to scrotum. Normally used by British police constables to describe an undesirable or criminal.
"You fucking idiot, yes the culture is different."
Thank you for confirming that.
"...doesn't mean that you speak for everyone..."
And where did I claim to be the voice of all?
"The cops are totally unaccountable for that and you can't even look at your own record...
Wrong. In the UK we have something called the Data Protection Act where you can demand a complete copy of your details from ANY organisation, company or government agency. The only current exemption are those details pertaining to national security, and even those are now under review.
Yes, but all the examples you've given are of the US Police and some from Australia. How is this relevant to a discussion on British policing? British laws are different from those of other countries. Corruption exists in every walk of life, but please do not post misleading information like the links above.
Before all the Americans here start harping on about privacy and civil liberties, people should first discuss how our (British) culture is different to that of the United States. Britain already has one of the highest volumes of CCTV systems in Europe (stats were in the Guardian a few weeks ago if you want to check). We have come to accept the Big Brother mentality much more than our US counterparts, even though it does not always benefit us the way we would like it to (the Lawrence murder etc).
I don't know if many of you will be able to relate to this, but when I was a child I had the greatest respect for my elders and for the authorities/law enforcement. It seems that in today's "yob" culture, violence, underage drinking and anarchy are seen as ways of expressing how "hard" you are. This crew-cut sporting, Kappa wearing football hooligan image of thuggery is further idolised by sitting around empty bus stops vandalising public property while drinking Diamond White cider and smoking Mayfair (very cheap) cigarettes - It is seen as a fashion by many young people and actions which will gain them "respect" or credibility among their peers, much like the gang cultures in the USA.
I believe the monitoring of young offenders will be benficial - Anyone who has studied criminology or worked in/with the police should know the old phrase "once a scrote, always a scrote".
Crimes perpetrated by minors are on the rise (this is an undeniable fact). You only have to look at events like the Jamie Bulger killing to realise that our nation is sliding down the same slope as the US when it comes to atrocities commited by young people (Columbine killings to name one).
I don't see this database as a civil rights issue for the children. The database should be managed and controlled like the data in the PNC (Police National Computer) - with the greatest care and confidentiality.
Before anyone flames me with "what about the rights of the children", please first consider the rights of their victims and any others affected by their crimes.
Slashdot Mirror
HP Test Drive
You sign up for a free account and get NetBSD, Linux, Tru64 and HP-UX accounts on a variety of hardware.
The account itself is not mail enabled, but compilers, ftp, editors - it's all there and anything else you need you could compile and run yourself...
HP-UX software ports and archives here.
Enjoy!
RJ
Good points, and it could also be that quality multi-CPU hardware always seems to fetch a hefty price here in Blighty. I remember seeing a Sun Ultra 80 with 4 x 400MHz processors going for something like US$600 on eBay USA, whereas a dual 300MHz Ultra 60 went on the UK site for about equivalent $650. Before anyone jumps down my throat with quotations for a dual P4 Xeon, notice the first line included the word "quality".
... AND that includes insured airmail shipping to the UK.
I've just bought an HP Visualize Workstation from a place in the USA. In the UK, 400 (~US$750) would have got me a C3000 with FX2 graphics, 512MB RAM and a 9GB SCSI disk. For the same money in the USA I got a C3000, FX4, 1GB RAM, 76GB Disk, plus loads of extra accessories and software
And that's just a single CPU system!!!
Totally agree on the SMP thing. I work with some seriously "into it" techies (including myself) who live and breathe Linux/OpenBSD/FreeBSD/Solaris/HP-UX/IRIX at both work and home. Not a single one of them has a personal box with more than one CPU. Maybe that's a European, or maybe even specifically UK trend for developer's own kit at home. Weird. Maybe others would like to chip in here.
As for the "two imports" thing, the only OSS project that I was aware of a serious initial temporary code-freeze on was when Theo forked NetBSD into OpenBSD and audited the lot. But that said, they're now using NetBSD's SMP code as a starting point. Not that that is a bad thing, by any stretch of the imagination.
With Perl being dropped from FreeBSD, what are they actually replacing it with? (I know very little about the FreeBSD project and it shows =).
RJ
Come for the technical tips, stay for the Theo/Reed battering flamewars.
IIRC, the DF team wanted to implement SMP in a different way and weren't happy with the over-complicated approach in parts of FreeBSD. They're also ripping out a fair bit of the Perl dependent stuff too.
Check the DF interview article for more info.
"So who was right, how many Slashdotters are also Java users?"
With the title as "How Much Java in the Linux World?", you can't automatically assume that all Slashdot readers use Linux. I don't, but I do use OpenBSD, IRIX, HP-UX and Windows 2000.
Sorry, it's just a small point, but pertinent.
Maybe people value their time more than vouchers? Seriously, how many mothers and fathers are going to take an hour out of a busy day (that they could be spending with their kids) to fill in paperwork to get some rebate on software if they decide to upgrade their system in the future?
Fact is most families don't care if their box isn't secure, patched or running the latest media player 9.03848.8464a - They'll use it once or twice a week to mail grandma.
Sorry Slashdotters, but people who upgrade enough to care about some freebie settlement vouchers ARE that current 14% of settlement takers.
While it is relatively easy to understand the need for patents to encourage commercial development and investment, it is rude and obnoxious for companies to attempt to patent some of the most basic of computing principles.
I'm all for coroporate cash funding new hardware and software, but think where we might be today had IBM really clamped down on their PC systems.
No Slashdot for starters.... =)
For one system?!!?! I certainly hope you're joking! I've setup Citrix systems for hundreds of users, and it's no walk in the park if you want the system accessible as well as secure. For those of you who do use Citrix with Microsoft Office products, investigate AppSense for keeping things locked down. VNC with properly configured IP filtering and/or a firewall would be better here.
In keeping with OpenBSD's promo songs, the 3.5 release features a Monty Python-style sketch and song about CARP/pf and VRRP etc. Very funny stuff indeed. Lyrics and links to download the songs in MP3/OGG format at http://www.openbsd.org/lyrics.html
http://www.shoutcast.com/
You can setup the software to stream out MP3s etc and you can use WinAMP or xmms to listen in. Set the administrative page to be viewable from the internet (with user/pass of course) and then you can control the streams from there.
Bruce,
As a former government employee, I found that there was a certain degree of hostility towards open-source software solutions. This was due (in part) to the fact that senior management didn't have a single entity with which to lay the blame when things went wrong. With the continuing business and market prescence being generated by companies such as Red Hat, do you feel that government organisations will start to take Linux (or other OSS) more seriously? Yes, we've seen the articles about the German uptake of Linux (80% of which will run VMWare/Win2k). Do you think that the governmental adoption of open source software will help encourage members of the public to become more technology literate and encourage further development?
Ta!
-Rupert.
Thanks for the info.
I currently use a laptop for work (PII/NetBSD) and have been interested by the new mac laptops, iPods and iTunes service (which will enable to me to get work done while enjoying media) - I'm basically after a whole new rig. I'm thinking about buying a new laptop (OSX) with an iPod, and I travel a fair bit for my work. Does this cover situations where you could be transporting the device temporarily outside of the US and trying to update it over the 'Net?
Is there a way of converting these downloaded songs into a format (ogg/mp3) which doesn't have these restrictions so that I can travel without fear of losing the data?
Thanks!
It already exists. It's called the GP32. It already emulates SNES, plus PC Engine, Sega Master System, MSX, C64, Gameboy and Neo Geo Pocket Colour. Read about it HERE, and then buy one from HERE (NC Link HERE
Cyberguard firewall products allow you to strip ActiveX/Java/JavaScipt/VBScript etc. Find them HERE
WEBSweeper proxy is also a good product, find that HERE
There is an export company in Hong Kong that used to sell these BBA's. You can find them at Lik Sang
Surely there is room for Linux in there somewhere. By promoting it to managers and the like, we can show that *innovation* is the key, and that through constant development and enhancement, your IT department CAN make a difference. If you want something tangible to show management, print out the source to the kernel, bind it, and present it at a meeting. SHOW them how great it can be!
You can get the GBA hardware carts/writers from: Lik Sang
Although what you have said is perfectly valid, I think that there is always that "reading between the lines" viewpoint on whatever legislation is brought in. Most laws are never really used to their full potential, and there is a certain amount of discretion in their application (well, here in the UK anyway). We don't live in a police state, but Britain does have some odd laws which persecute with one swipe, and protect with another (same as our system of social security).
Apologies for not explaining some British slang -
"Yob" : A loutish, obnoxious and aggresive person. Normally used to describe some males aged between 15 - 35.
"Scrote" : Reference to scrotum. Normally used by British police constables to describe an undesirable or criminal.
"You fucking idiot, yes the culture is different." Thank you for confirming that. "...doesn't mean that you speak for everyone..." And where did I claim to be the voice of all? "The cops are totally unaccountable for that and you can't even look at your own record... Wrong. In the UK we have something called the Data Protection Act where you can demand a complete copy of your details from ANY organisation, company or government agency. The only current exemption are those details pertaining to national security, and even those are now under review.
And how did you come to that opinion? Please tell how you were subject to injustice or persecution.
Yes, but all the examples you've given are of the US Police and some from Australia. How is this relevant to a discussion on British policing? British laws are different from those of other countries. Corruption exists in every walk of life, but please do not post misleading information like the links above.
Before all the Americans here start harping on about privacy and civil liberties, people should first discuss how our (British) culture is different to that of the United States. Britain already has one of the highest volumes of CCTV systems in Europe (stats were in the Guardian a few weeks ago if you want to check). We have come to accept the Big Brother mentality much more than our US counterparts, even though it does not always benefit us the way we would like it to (the Lawrence murder etc).
I don't know if many of you will be able to relate to this, but when I was a child I had the greatest respect for my elders and for the authorities/law enforcement. It seems that in today's "yob" culture, violence, underage drinking and anarchy are seen as ways of expressing how "hard" you are. This crew-cut sporting, Kappa wearing football hooligan image of thuggery is further idolised by sitting around empty bus stops vandalising public property while drinking Diamond White cider and smoking Mayfair (very cheap) cigarettes - It is seen as a fashion by many young people and actions which will gain them "respect" or credibility among their peers, much like the gang cultures in the USA.
I believe the monitoring of young offenders will be benficial - Anyone who has studied criminology or worked in/with the police should know the old phrase "once a scrote, always a scrote".
Crimes perpetrated by minors are on the rise (this is an undeniable fact). You only have to look at events like the Jamie Bulger killing to realise that our nation is sliding down the same slope as the US when it comes to atrocities commited by young people (Columbine killings to name one).
I don't see this database as a civil rights issue for the children. The database should be managed and controlled like the data in the PNC (Police National Computer) - with the greatest care and confidentiality.
Before anyone flames me with "what about the rights of the children", please first consider the rights of their victims and any others affected by their crimes.