Don't tell people "no" -- it's not what they want to hear, and even if they accept it, they're going to be far less than impressed with you.
Rather, if there are tradeoffs involved, then tell your boss what the options are. Often, PHB's don't understand that software development/ IT/ etc isn't like digging a hole: you can always dig a hole faster, given sufficient incentive (a levelled gun, for instance). But computing doesn't work way. There are whole branches of software engineering devoted to just that principle.
For instance: in a five-day period, you may be able to:
take support calls and only have time to maintain the disk servers and backups, or
only maintain networking equipment and perform upgrades, or
etc.
Do your research. Find out what resources are required for x, y and z. How long does an upgrade take? How much time is spent configuring new routers? Tabulate your findings, and present them to management -- and let them work out how to say 'no' to their bosses.
And best of all -- if you do that, you're the good guy who had the initiative to do the research in the first place.
No doubt it would be impossible to release the details to the public about the offending lines of code.
However, what if the companies in question were to correct the licensing problem by, say, enlisting the help of kernel developers (under court-approved NDA, of course) to replace the code?
The biggest problem with the Kernel guys redoing it, is now they can be considered 'tainted'
That's not true.
Remember: this is not a PATENT issue, but a COPYRIGHT issue. Copyright protects only the actual "creative work," not the ideas it contains. Otherwise it would be illegal for newspapers publish film or book reviews, as they give away ideas contained in the movie or novel.
According to the description in the article the algorithm has random seeding, mutations, a ranking function and survival of the fittest - but it doesn't have genetic exchange.
Actually, you're right -- strictly speaking this isn't a genetic algorithm. If I remember my algorithms class right, genetic algorithms explore the solution space by random combinations of partial solutions. ("having sex")
This is more like a simulated annealing algorithm, without the "cooling" function. Perhaps the solution could be improved with the introduction of such a function? Volunteers?
On the other hand,the solution space is relatively small with 104-key keyboards, so I imagine that the benefit drawn from such a facility would be minimal.
Lots and lots of people use two different language keyboards without any trouble at all (I use English QWERTY and Russian Ð(TM)ЦУÐsÐÐ) and after a while (maybe a week, tops) you get used to switching between the two. Now I don't even think about it, my brain switches automatically.
Just make sure you use both layouts a lot when you're learning how to type on them, and I'm sure you'll surprise yourself.
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Don't tell people "no" -- it's not what they want to hear, and even if they accept it, they're going to be far less than impressed with you.
Rather, if there are tradeoffs involved, then tell your boss what the options are. Often, PHB's don't understand that software development/ IT/ etc isn't like digging a hole: you can always dig a hole faster, given sufficient incentive (a levelled gun, for instance). But computing doesn't work way. There are whole branches of software engineering devoted to just that principle.
For instance: in a five-day period, you may be able to:
Do your research. Find out what resources are required for x, y and z. How long does an upgrade take? How much time is spent configuring new routers? Tabulate your findings, and present them to management -- and let them work out how to say 'no' to their bosses.
And best of all -- if you do that, you're the good guy who had the initiative to do the research in the first place.
No doubt it would be impossible to release the details to the public about the offending lines of code.
However, what if the companies in question were to correct the licensing problem by, say, enlisting the help of kernel developers (under court-approved NDA, of course) to replace the code?
The biggest problem with the Kernel guys redoing it, is now they can be considered 'tainted'
That's not true.
Remember: this is not a PATENT issue, but a COPYRIGHT issue. Copyright protects only the actual "creative work," not the ideas it contains. Otherwise it would be illegal for newspapers publish film or book reviews, as they give away ideas contained in the movie or novel.
Actually, you're right -- strictly speaking this isn't a genetic algorithm. If I remember my algorithms class right, genetic algorithms explore the solution space by random combinations of partial solutions. ("having sex")
This is more like a simulated annealing algorithm, without the "cooling" function. Perhaps the solution could be improved with the introduction of such a function? Volunteers?
On the other hand,the solution space is relatively small with 104-key keyboards, so I imagine that the benefit drawn from such a facility would be minimal.
I disagree entirely.
Lots and lots of people use two different language keyboards without any trouble at all (I use English QWERTY and Russian Ð(TM)ЦУÐsÐÐ) and after a while (maybe a week, tops) you get used to switching between the two. Now I don't even think about it, my brain switches automatically.
Just make sure you use both layouts a lot when you're learning how to type on them, and I'm sure you'll surprise yourself.