I had an fs corruption with RH 7.2, using the kernel that came with the distro. It trashed the geometry of an entire drive. I was using a combo of ext2 and ext3 on the drive. I didn't lose anything, as I backup my system regularly.
I've since migrated to Mandrake 8.1, which is much more solid than RH 7.2. Yet, it too runs a 2.4 kernel variant. This distro on one boot failed to recognize the ext3 partitions. I migrated all of the ext3 partitions back to ext2.
I'd be very interested in learning if this is a problem that extends far back into the kernel tree.
I've not worn "socks" at work during the normal week for a long time, nearly a year now. Today I'm wearing taupe pantyhose, along with a blue buttondown oxford with beige chinos and Bass penny loafers. Although not "in your face", it is clear that I'm wearing nylons.
I know some have noticed, no one has ever said anything. Doesn't matter. It's within our Dress Code. (And yes, to maintain a look consistent with my female colleagues, I shave my legs every day.)
Hair color.
When I dyed my hair dark red (from medium brown), a few of the females (serious geeks) complimented me on it - and told me of some of the things they'd done to their hair! The color is subtle, but it is definitely different from what it was. The Dress Code doesn't address it. Yes, my manager might say something if I went green or something like that, but an otherwise "natural" color is a non-issue.
I recolor/touchup after every haircut. The color stays even and, afaik, always looks normal.
Age and Responsibilities.
23. On Mars. Do the math. 1 wife, 1 kid, *and* the su (spouse unit) always has a ready reserve of nylons when she runs hers.
Yeah, I actually do these things. I'm working in air traffic control research and development. My degree is applied math, BS, and I write code as needed to solve problems. Here's my resumé as an example (I'm not actively looking, and - don't tell my employer - I actually LIKE what I'm doing).
Look for someone who programs to solve problems, not a person who programs for the sake of programming. There's a difference. You want someone who can do the Right Thing - a simple shell script if that's what's needed, or a processor efficient C program if that's instead what's needed. You want a mathematician/scientist first, programmer second.
Look for someone who loves to solve problems. You want someone who can take a fundamental question and can answer it all of the way from high level concept to bit manipulation. Accordingly you want someone who can ask all of the questions inbetween. You need someone who is essentially a systems engineer, where "system" isn't so much a computer system, it is a collection of related items or elements. (A dictionary definition of "system" will give a better idea.) The person should be able to effectively communicate with everyone from the executive managers through the scientists through the computer system administrators through the secretaries.
A few posters recommended older geek types. In some ways they're right, as long as the older geeks are current. Yet, I would also consider the younger geek types. The older ones might tend to have a deeper understanding of systems, and can draw from many more patterns. The younger ones might tend to just have more enthusiasm and drive, and a hunger to learn and improve.
...a "recall" might amount to nothing more than it does with most automotive problems...
...except that's a rather narrow look at it.
Imagine 1.5 million cars requiring replacement of a part. A part costing a manufacturer $10 to make might be $20 retail (more like $40, but assume the lower number for the example). Remember, the part must be manufactured, shipped, handled, et al; someone must eat the cost. Next. Perhaps the part takes 30 minutes to replace, a quick shop job; labor, $30 (nominal dealer service rate). That's $75 million total, and doesn't even attempt to quantify loss of sales from the error. Per car cost might not be terribly high, but someone's ass is likely to be fired for a loss of 75 big ones.
Overall, though, programming and computer use are the same as they were ten years ago.... Programming is still the same. If someone stopped writing code in 1990 and started up again in 2000, he wouldn't feel like the world had passed him by.
To some degree, you're right. Programming is programming is programming.
To some degree, you're wrong. The faster machines make certain jobs possible today that would have been impossible (or at least impracticable) years ago.
As an example, on the scientific analysis side, I've been crunching some large data files. A single file can have 400K-500K records, and I work pairwise combinations of those records. That's 100G combinations. Yeah, one hundred billion. On the work box (450MHz PII), I cut through that in about 3.33 hours; on the home box (800MHz PIII) I do it in under 2 hours. A fast machine means I can do more, quickly. It also means I can explore other possibilities, as compared with an older machine that might take 20 hours or 2 days or 20 days to run. The main program is written in C and is just under 400 loc w/ comments. It contains nothing special, save some optimizations on algorithm implementation.
If the City did absolutely nothing, and did not respond, wouldn't it be up to Microsoft to prove that the City held unlicensed copies of the software?
ianal, but my guess would be:
Microsoft must make a case for an audit. A case could be made under two situations I can imagine: Microsoft could have evidence that would suggest Virginia Beach is using unlicensed software; Microsoft could have evidence that shows regular audits are a normal and generally acceptable way of doing business. The second situation seems to be an easy way to justify an audit.
Microsoft must be able to show they followed reasonable and typical procedures for requesting an audit from Virginia Beach. This would include providing reasonable dates for audit response, including request for extension.
Microsoft must show that Virginia Beach did not respond in a manner proper to the audit request. In the US court system, missing a date can be sufficient reason to claim failure to respond.
Microsoft may then claim copyright and/or other intellectual property violations against Virginia Beach. They could in theory file charges against the City of Virginia Beach in a United States Federal Court. In the US, copyright laws are Federal; precedence would typically be: City> County> State> US (Federal).
In other words, if Virginia Beach doesn't respond, Microsoft potentially has the power of the US governement behind them. This would not be a Good Thing for the City of Virginia Beach.
c. brain damage. Your brain only has so many cells to go around and you have to preserve them for later when you actually start to loose them to things like old age and various types of trauma, etc. Notice one of the really big indicators of drug use is low test scores. These figures are supported very frankly by educators and people who are runing ACT/SAT tests.
That's bullshit. I "inhaled" for awhile, and eventually stopped. Sometime thereafter I took an IQ test. I qualified for and subsequently joined Mensa, the High IQ society. (My score, btw, was beyond the minimum required level.)
Sure, do acid constantly, shoot smack, snort coke and you'll have problems. You *could* even kill yourself, and that's not a Good Thing. Blanket "brain damage" statements however indicate propaganda.
"For a long time, Linux was dominated by hackers and somewhat of a less organized group. The result is a slowdown in innovation and a reluctance in enterprises to accept this solution," he said. "This has to grow up."
Where in the bloody fscking hell does he think Linux came from? Yes it is interesting and encouraging that many companies are now supporting Linux in various ways, but I'd call Linux a success story of innovation.
Before Linux, Unix was available to a limited audience. Add Linus, RMS, the ever expanding hardware to support Bill's digital defenestrators, the Hackers, the distro teams, and suddenly Unix is available to anyone who wants it. Geez, even Apple is putting BSD at the core of its OS.
What a neat idea! At least it seems as though it would be an electronic equivalent to a travelers' check.
Numbers could be handled easily. These "credit cards" could be "sold" either individually or in lots. Once a number is issued, it could be reserved, certainly until used, or until some fixed amount of time has passed. Subsequently the number could be reissued, though it might be a few years before that happens.
Follow the links to the design of the mouse. It's probably as good a story on creativity as any. Having ideas is cool; bringing them to fruition is cool work.
Until we actually return samples of rock from Mars, I cannot understand how we can say they are of Martian origin. They might not be of the Earth, I'll allow that. I just think calling them "Martian" is bad science.
Red Hat had the Red Baron browser in RHL 4.1. While it wasn't what I'd call great, it was a start. They've got an idea as to how to do a browser. They've got the vitality of a young and strong company, and potentially they've got the resources.
I'm sure there was wisdom in AOL buying Netscape Communications Corporation. Somewhere. The wisdom however escapes me. The proof, imho, is that AOL's browser engine was, is, and will continue to be Microsoft Internet Explorer. Netscape is at present a pawn.
It's beautiful. Look at Bill Gates and what Microsoft needs to do: sit and watch. Don't port MSIE to Linux. Let Netscape die on its own and watch all viable browsers for Linux die with it. Imagine what happens next to Linux. Laugh and joke, spout the virtues of [minor player browser name], or ignore reality if you want, but who is going to support Linux if it has no usable browser?
Hey folks, the marathon is almost over and the leader is pulling away. Time's almost up.
On days when I'm doing serious work, I've got 8 desktops loaded. On one I've got Netscape and an electronic calendar. On another, a CD player and control panel. On 2 others, development or analysis environments of 3 xterms and emacs. Another has xv, another has ghostview, xephem runs on yet another, and finally some game runs on the last.
Yes, there are some sucky things with X, and a better environment would help. Yet, I would find it inconvenient to do all of this from a virtual console. "screen", while powerful, isn't enough. Geez, sometimes I'll even be using screen in one or more of the devel/analysis xterms.
Once X is running, it is generally okay for me. It lets me do the things I need or want to do. To me, that's the point of using a computer. Imho, that is.
My guess is it won't work, not that it can't, but it simply won't.
Look at Netscape and Mozilla. Here's a project that has the potential to benefit everyone. Furthermore, it has the potential to draw attention and support from anyone in the Linux software development community. It's almost a captive audience. What other integrated browser, mail, and news tool works as well under Linux? The reality is Netscape is the proverbial only game in town.
Now look at the reality of Mozilla.
"Code Rush" (Public Broadcasting System special on Netscape and Mozilla) certainly shows a glimpse into the effort these people are expending on Mozilla. It is hard work, and I have considerable respect for these people. Ultimately however, they've yet to deliver. There's something here that's not working. Is it statistical, where the model is good but it isn't going to work all of the time? Is it a bad model that cannot work?
For a "gated community", a company would need to establish an infrastructure similar to Mozilla.org, at least as regards function. Make the code available out of house, and integrate changes from outside contributors. That costs money. It requires equipment, comm, and staff. If a "gated community" project is to have a chance to succeed, the infrastructure better work.
So, a "gated community" project is established, announced, and initialized. Who is going to contribute? What's the incentive? Mozilla has some degree of incentive. Netscape is respecting me as a potential contributor by giving me certain corresponding rights. Why would I contribute to Acme Software's Foo project if in return they give nothing? My guess is there will be little return on investment on these projects, and will therefore be unattractive to the software companies.
I believe that the "gated community" model is destined for/dev/null.
I'll clarify. The idea of someone like you or me monitoring engine status over the net - or the television - is funny at best. I *am* into the sport, have even driven on a small track (118 mi/hr top speed on a one mile tri-oval). I understand the nuances of the slightest modifications to tire pressures and temperatures, spoiler angles, fuel mixture, engine cooling, et al.
If I was involved with a crew, I'd probably want to telemeter certain info to the pit. That's not necessarily putting it on a network. If I've got available radio frequency, I'll use that and simply transmit the data.
For me to get the data across the net - the Internet - IF it could be streamed quickly enough to be essentially real-time, it would be a waste of bandwidth, imho. As a spectator, what does it add to the "experience"?
When they show engine speed and braking indicator on the tv, it helps gauge a little of what's happening, but not by much. I listen to engine speeds, look at how much the driver is fighting with the wheel, see how much junk is raised from the track as cars fly by a camera. I look at the oil spray from the track, the condition of tires after being changed. I watch the timing of pit stops, and watch the gambling of changing 2 versus 4 tires for short-term position versus long-term.
Bottom line is racing *is* a fast sport, won and lost on margins. Watching a race on the net isn't practicable. Yet. At present the net isn't up to speed.
It is difficult for me to see this one as having any value. At 100 mi/hr (160 km/hr), things happen rather quickly. The vehicle moves at nearly 150ft/sec or 50m/sec. In-car cam views across the net may be technically interesting, but I don't see this being the way to watch a race in the future. (The idea of engine status monitoring over the net is funny at best.)
Now, what *would* be helpful is for certain practical info to be made available in realtime. What lap is being run? What was the top speed of the last lap? What are the positions of the drivers? If this kind of info was typically available on the net, I'd probably watch races on the tv along with following it on the net.
Whether it is the US or some other country, you can thank your government for some of the business "environment".
Regulations (which in the US *are* law) and tax law in essense determine the parameters of how things are used. And as regards regulations and tax laws, in the US they are constantly changing! What was valid two years ago probably isn't today. Long term planning is not even possible. That business can continue to function in this country is amazing.
My first serious programming was on a TI-30. Well, that's not quite right. It was on a slide rule.;-)
Imho, real computing involves numbers. If they can't do that - or if they don't want to do that - that's cool. Not everyone is going to be a programmer. (I hope I remember that as my little one makes her choices in life.
I use graphical tools, I've no problem with that. I've played with Mathematica, and know people who use Matlab. I also use tools with GUIs.
To display the aforementioned complex data, most often I use gnuplot, an excellent tool to make 2D plots and scatter diagrams. A lot of the data I crunch would have little meaning without a way to visualize it. Gnuplot works at the command line, though I wouldn't mind something that had a GUI *if* it worked well.
My point, however, regarded programming. More explicitly, I'll probably never write something that uses Motif or similar widgets. It's just not me. There is certainly value in GUIs, but I have no ambition to write any.
Finally, and I hope you read this, I agree with your closing statement.
I am a mathematician. I use my machines as giant supercalculators. My goal is to be able to program my machines to analyze complex data. My tools of choice are C (GNU C) and Awk (GAWK - GNU Awk and MAWK - Mike's Awk), and they are simply the best. I'll never do GUIs except as a curiosity, will probably never do Python or Tcl/TK, will probably do Perl someday. (I've also done FORTRAN IV/77, COBOL, PL/I, BASIC, Visual C++.)
For me, programming is a means to an end. It allows me to express my ideas in ways otherwise unavailable to me. I am both developer and user.
I was with him right up until he started his own rant against guns. At that point he lost his rationality, and he lost me. It's funny that someone writing against irrational and unsupported bias should himself present same.
Samuel Adams is to Linux as Budweiser is to Windoze.
Sam Adams is brewed in relatively small quantities. It is a rich, full flavored beer that is (or at least originally was) brewed to German standards of purity for beer. Cost is $7/6-pack.
Bud is brewed in mass quantities. It is a light, inoffensive beer that is brewed with the best ingredients that allow it to be competitively priced for the average American who drinks beer. Cost is $4/6-pack.
Sam Adams "competes" with other microbreweries, which produce the likes of Anchor Steam and other delights. The microbreweries produce their art out of a love and passion for what they do. They don't always produce the very best, but that's usually their goal and they come pretty darned close. Profit margin on the product is low. [In OS terms, there is considerable personal upfront cost to learn how to use Linux.]
If Sam Adams (The Boston Beer Company) departs from being their very best, their followers will know and will depart in an instant. Whether they follow Anchor Brewing or Dominion or other, they will seek the best.
Bud "competes" for early mindshare and a captive audience. If mom and pop drink Bud, there's a good chance daughter and son will do the same. Anheuser-Busch sells "lifestyle" probably even more than they sell beer. Advertising is of the nature, "Drink our beer and Be One Of Us." It works not only with Bud or beer, but with many products. Profit margin is high. [In OS terms, there is little personal upfront cost to learn how to use Windoze.]
Bud drinkers generally stay Bud drinkers as long as Anheuser-Busch doesn't depart from what it sells for lifestyle and as long as the overall flavor of the beer doesn't change. Flavor migrations translate to a new brand that can be marketted without abandoning its current share.
Now back to operating systems.
If Linux departs from what it is, if it somehow becomes perverted, it will be rejected by its followers and will be supplanted by something else.
I am *not* a part of support services. I'm tech staff, analyst, mathemagician. Support services sets up these machines for Windoze, but they won't touch anything that looks like a real OS. It isn't like they couldn't, they're certainly capable, it's simply Not Corporate Policy.
Hullo, We Do Research and Development, and we're into Unix in a fairly big way. "Oh, we don't support Unix."
So the managers who have limited budget and little direct experience have no idea what they're doing and have little basis for decision making as regards Linux. They buy the latest laptops - nice ones actually - and expect everything to be done quickly and in spare time - mine namely. To be fair, they *are* trying, but it's not enough. In between getting laptops ready for road shows, I have real deadlines to meet. When it comes to doing something with a Linux Laptop or something for which I am being reviewed as regards salary, guess which one I'm more likely to do.
I don't know how a company such as LinuxCare can get a company to buy a service such as would solve my problems, but I do see this as an opportunity.
Slashdot Mirror
I had an fs corruption with RH 7.2, using the kernel that came with the distro. It trashed the geometry of an entire drive. I was using a combo of ext2 and ext3 on the drive. I didn't lose anything, as I backup my system regularly.
I've since migrated to Mandrake 8.1, which is much more solid than RH 7.2. Yet, it too runs a 2.4 kernel variant. This distro on one boot failed to recognize the ext3 partitions. I migrated all of the ext3 partitions back to ext2.
I'd be very interested in learning if this is a problem that extends far back into the kernel tree.
Nylons.
I've not worn "socks" at work during the normal week for a long time, nearly a year now. Today I'm wearing taupe pantyhose, along with a blue buttondown oxford with beige chinos and Bass penny loafers. Although not "in your face", it is clear that I'm wearing nylons.
I know some have noticed, no one has ever said anything. Doesn't matter. It's within our Dress Code. (And yes, to maintain a look consistent with my female colleagues, I shave my legs every day.)
Hair color.
When I dyed my hair dark red (from medium brown), a few of the females (serious geeks) complimented me on it - and told me of some of the things they'd done to their hair! The color is subtle, but it is definitely different from what it was. The Dress Code doesn't address it. Yes, my manager might say something if I went green or something like that, but an otherwise "natural" color is a non-issue.
I recolor/touchup after every haircut. The color stays even and, afaik, always looks normal.
Age and Responsibilities.
23. On Mars. Do the math. 1 wife, 1 kid, *and* the su (spouse unit) always has a ready reserve of nylons when she runs hers.
Graham
Yeah, I actually do these things. I'm working in air traffic control research and development. My degree is applied math, BS, and I write code as needed to solve problems. Here's my resumé as an example (I'm not actively looking, and - don't tell my employer - I actually LIKE what I'm doing).
Look for someone who programs to solve problems, not a person who programs for the sake of programming. There's a difference. You want someone who can do the Right Thing - a simple shell script if that's what's needed, or a processor efficient C program if that's instead what's needed. You want a mathematician/scientist first, programmer second.
Look for someone who loves to solve problems. You want someone who can take a fundamental question and can answer it all of the way from high level concept to bit manipulation. Accordingly you want someone who can ask all of the questions inbetween. You need someone who is essentially a systems engineer, where "system" isn't so much a computer system, it is a collection of related items or elements. (A dictionary definition of "system" will give a better idea.) The person should be able to effectively communicate with everyone from the executive managers through the scientists through the computer system administrators through the secretaries.
A few posters recommended older geek types. In some ways they're right, as long as the older geeks are current. Yet, I would also consider the younger geek types. The older ones might tend to have a deeper understanding of systems, and can draw from many more patterns. The younger ones might tend to just have more enthusiasm and drive, and a hunger to learn and improve.
Graham
Imagine 1.5 million cars requiring replacement of a part. A part costing a manufacturer $10 to make might be $20 retail (more like $40, but assume the lower number for the example). Remember, the part must be manufactured, shipped, handled, et al; someone must eat the cost. Next. Perhaps the part takes 30 minutes to replace, a quick shop job; labor, $30 (nominal dealer service rate). That's $75 million total, and doesn't even attempt to quantify loss of sales from the error. Per car cost might not be terribly high, but someone's ass is likely to be fired for a loss of 75 big ones.
Graham
Overall, though, programming and computer use are the same as they were ten years ago. ... Programming is still the same. If someone stopped writing code in 1990 and started up again in 2000, he wouldn't feel like the world had passed him by.
To some degree, you're right. Programming is programming is programming.
To some degree, you're wrong. The faster machines make certain jobs possible today that would have been impossible (or at least impracticable) years ago.
As an example, on the scientific analysis side, I've been crunching some large data files. A single file can have 400K-500K records, and I work pairwise combinations of those records. That's 100G combinations. Yeah, one hundred billion. On the work box (450MHz PII), I cut through that in about 3.33 hours; on the home box (800MHz PIII) I do it in under 2 hours. A fast machine means I can do more, quickly. It also means I can explore other possibilities, as compared with an older machine that might take 20 hours or 2 days or 20 days to run. The main program is written in C and is just under 400 loc w/ comments. It contains nothing special, save some optimizations on algorithm implementation.
programming_new_what-if_questions = faster_box;
Graham
If the City did absolutely nothing, and did not respond, wouldn't it be up to Microsoft to prove that the City held unlicensed copies of the software?
ianal, but my guess would be:
- Microsoft must make a case for an audit. A case could be made under two situations I can imagine: Microsoft could have evidence that would suggest Virginia Beach is using unlicensed software; Microsoft could have evidence that shows regular audits are a normal and generally acceptable way of doing business. The second situation seems to be an easy way to justify an audit.
- Microsoft must be able to show they followed reasonable and typical procedures for requesting an audit from Virginia Beach. This would include providing reasonable dates for audit response, including request for extension.
- Microsoft must show that Virginia Beach did not respond in a manner proper to the audit request. In the US court system, missing a date can be sufficient reason to claim failure to respond.
- Microsoft may then claim copyright and/or other intellectual property violations against Virginia Beach. They could in theory file charges against the City of Virginia Beach in a United States Federal Court. In the US, copyright laws are Federal; precedence would typically be: City> County> State> US (Federal).
In other words, if Virginia Beach doesn't respond, Microsoft potentially has the power of the US governement behind them. This would not be a Good Thing for the City of Virginia Beach.Graham
No.
S-T-U-D-I-E-S, not propaganda. You waste my time. The first two links didn't work, and the last one was garbage. Peddle your snake oil elsewhere.
Graham
Show me the studies, not just "soundbites". Then we'll talk.
Graham
c. brain damage. Your brain only has so many cells to go around and you have to preserve them for later when you actually start to loose them to things like old age and various types of trauma, etc. Notice one of the really big indicators of drug use is low test scores. These figures are supported very frankly by educators and people who are runing ACT/SAT tests.
That's bullshit. I "inhaled" for awhile, and eventually stopped. Sometime thereafter I took an IQ test. I qualified for and subsequently joined Mensa, the High IQ society. (My score, btw, was beyond the minimum required level.)
Sure, do acid constantly, shoot smack, snort coke and you'll have problems. You *could* even kill yourself, and that's not a Good Thing. Blanket "brain damage" statements however indicate propaganda.
Graham
"For a long time, Linux was dominated by hackers and somewhat of a less organized group. The result is a slowdown in innovation and a reluctance in enterprises to accept this solution," he said. "This has to grow up."
Where in the bloody fscking hell does he think Linux came from? Yes it is interesting and encouraging that many companies are now supporting Linux in various ways, but I'd call Linux a success story of innovation.
Before Linux, Unix was available to a limited audience. Add Linus, RMS, the ever expanding hardware to support Bill's digital defenestrators, the Hackers, the distro teams, and suddenly Unix is available to anyone who wants it. Geez, even Apple is putting BSD at the core of its OS.
"...a slowdown in innovation..."
I'd call it a golden age in computing.
Graham
What a neat idea! At least it seems as though it would be an electronic equivalent to a travelers' check.
Numbers could be handled easily. These "credit cards" could be "sold" either individually or in lots. Once a number is issued, it could be reserved, certainly until used, or until some fixed amount of time has passed. Subsequently the number could be reissued, though it might be a few years before that happens.
Graham
Follow the links to the design of the mouse. It's probably as good a story on creativity as any. Having ideas is cool; bringing them to fruition is cool work.
Graham
Until we actually return samples of rock from Mars, I cannot understand how we can say they are of Martian origin. They might not be of the Earth, I'll allow that. I just think calling them "Martian" is bad science.
Graham
Red Hat had the Red Baron browser in RHL 4.1. While it wasn't what I'd call great, it was a start. They've got an idea as to how to do a browser. They've got the vitality of a young and strong company, and potentially they've got the resources.
I'm sure there was wisdom in AOL buying Netscape Communications Corporation. Somewhere. The wisdom however escapes me. The proof, imho, is that AOL's browser engine was, is, and will continue to be Microsoft Internet Explorer. Netscape is at present a pawn.
It's beautiful. Look at Bill Gates and what Microsoft needs to do: sit and watch. Don't port MSIE to Linux. Let Netscape die on its own and watch all viable browsers for Linux die with it. Imagine what happens next to Linux. Laugh and joke, spout the virtues of [minor player browser name], or ignore reality if you want, but who is going to support Linux if it has no usable browser?
Hey folks, the marathon is almost over and the leader is pulling away. Time's almost up.
Graham
I dunno, I think X is okay.
On days when I'm doing serious work, I've got 8 desktops loaded. On one I've got Netscape and an electronic calendar. On another, a CD player and control panel. On 2 others, development or analysis environments of 3 xterms and emacs. Another has xv, another has ghostview, xephem runs on yet another, and finally some game runs on the last.
Yes, there are some sucky things with X, and a better environment would help. Yet, I would find it inconvenient to do all of this from a virtual console. "screen", while powerful, isn't enough. Geez, sometimes I'll even be using screen in one or more of the devel/analysis xterms.
Once X is running, it is generally okay for me. It lets me do the things I need or want to do. To me, that's the point of using a computer. Imho, that is.
Graham
My guess is it won't work, not that it can't, but it simply won't.
Look at Netscape and Mozilla. Here's a project that has the potential to benefit everyone. Furthermore, it has the potential to draw attention and support from anyone in the Linux software development community. It's almost a captive audience. What other integrated browser, mail, and news tool works as well under Linux? The reality is Netscape is the proverbial only game in town.
Now look at the reality of Mozilla.
"Code Rush" (Public Broadcasting System special on Netscape and Mozilla) certainly shows a glimpse into the effort these people are expending on Mozilla. It is hard work, and I have considerable respect for these people. Ultimately however, they've yet to deliver. There's something here that's not working. Is it statistical, where the model is good but it isn't going to work all of the time? Is it a bad model that cannot work?
For a "gated community", a company would need to establish an infrastructure similar to Mozilla.org, at least as regards function. Make the code available out of house, and integrate changes from outside contributors. That costs money. It requires equipment, comm, and staff. If a "gated community" project is to have a chance to succeed, the infrastructure better work.
So, a "gated community" project is established, announced, and initialized. Who is going to contribute? What's the incentive? Mozilla has some degree of incentive. Netscape is respecting me as a potential contributor by giving me certain corresponding rights. Why would I contribute to Acme Software's Foo project if in return they give nothing? My guess is there will be little return on investment on these projects, and will therefore be unattractive to the software companies.
I believe that the "gated community" model is destined for /dev/null.
Graham
I'll clarify. The idea of someone like you or me monitoring engine status over the net - or the television - is funny at best. I *am* into the sport, have even driven on a small track (118 mi/hr top speed on a one mile tri-oval). I understand the nuances of the slightest modifications to tire pressures and temperatures, spoiler angles, fuel mixture, engine cooling, et al.
If I was involved with a crew, I'd probably want to telemeter certain info to the pit. That's not necessarily putting it on a network. If I've got available radio frequency, I'll use that and simply transmit the data.
For me to get the data across the net - the Internet - IF it could be streamed quickly enough to be essentially real-time, it would be a waste of bandwidth, imho. As a spectator, what does it add to the "experience"?
When they show engine speed and braking indicator on the tv, it helps gauge a little of what's happening, but not by much. I listen to engine speeds, look at how much the driver is fighting with the wheel, see how much junk is raised from the track as cars fly by a camera. I look at the oil spray from the track, the condition of tires after being changed. I watch the timing of pit stops, and watch the gambling of changing 2 versus 4 tires for short-term position versus long-term.
Bottom line is racing *is* a fast sport, won and lost on margins. Watching a race on the net isn't practicable. Yet. At present the net isn't up to speed.
Graham
It is difficult for me to see this one as having any value. At 100 mi/hr (160 km/hr), things happen rather quickly. The vehicle moves at nearly 150ft/sec or 50m/sec. In-car cam views across the net may be technically interesting, but I don't see this being the way to watch a race in the future. (The idea of engine status monitoring over the net is funny at best.)
Now, what *would* be helpful is for certain practical info to be made available in realtime. What lap is being run? What was the top speed of the last lap? What are the positions of the drivers? If this kind of info was typically available on the net, I'd probably watch races on the tv along with following it on the net.
Graham
Whether it is the US or some other country, you can thank your government for some of the business "environment".
Regulations (which in the US *are* law) and tax law in essense determine the parameters of how things are used. And as regards regulations and tax laws, in the US they are constantly changing! What was valid two years ago probably isn't today. Long term planning is not even possible. That business can continue to function in this country is amazing.
Graham
My first serious programming was on a TI-30. Well, that's not quite right. It was on a slide rule. ;-)
Imho, real computing involves numbers. If they can't do that - or if they don't want to do that - that's cool. Not everyone is going to be a programmer. (I hope I remember that as my little one makes her choices in life.
Graham
Ah, a subtlety. ;-)
I use graphical tools, I've no problem with that. I've played with Mathematica, and know people who use Matlab. I also use tools with GUIs.
To display the aforementioned complex data, most often I use gnuplot, an excellent tool to make 2D plots and scatter diagrams. A lot of the data I crunch would have little meaning without a way to visualize it. Gnuplot works at the command line, though I wouldn't mind something that had a GUI *if* it worked well.
My point, however, regarded programming. More explicitly, I'll probably never write something that uses Motif or similar widgets. It's just not me. There is certainly value in GUIs, but I have no ambition to write any.
Finally, and I hope you read this, I agree with your closing statement.
Graham
I am a mathematician. I use my machines as giant supercalculators. My goal is to be able to program my machines to analyze complex data. My tools of choice are C (GNU C) and Awk (GAWK - GNU Awk and MAWK - Mike's Awk), and they are simply the best. I'll never do GUIs except as a curiosity, will probably never do Python or Tcl/TK, will probably do Perl someday. (I've also done FORTRAN IV/77, COBOL, PL/I, BASIC, Visual C++.)
For me, programming is a means to an end. It allows me to express my ideas in ways otherwise unavailable to me. I am both developer and user.
Graham
I was with him right up until he started his own rant against guns. At that point he lost his rationality, and he lost me. It's funny that someone writing against irrational and unsupported bias should himself present same.
Graham
Samuel Adams is to Linux as Budweiser is to Windoze.
Sam Adams is brewed in relatively small quantities. It is a rich, full flavored beer that is (or at least originally was) brewed to German standards of purity for beer. Cost is $7/6-pack.
Bud is brewed in mass quantities. It is a light, inoffensive beer that is brewed with the best ingredients that allow it to be competitively priced for the average American who drinks beer. Cost is $4/6-pack.
Sam Adams "competes" with other microbreweries, which produce the likes of Anchor Steam and other delights. The microbreweries produce their art out of a love and passion for what they do. They don't always produce the very best, but that's usually their goal and they come pretty darned close. Profit margin on the product is low. [In OS terms, there is considerable personal upfront cost to learn how to use Linux.]
If Sam Adams (The Boston Beer Company) departs from being their very best, their followers will know and will depart in an instant. Whether they follow Anchor Brewing or Dominion or other, they will seek the best.
Bud "competes" for early mindshare and a captive audience. If mom and pop drink Bud, there's a good chance daughter and son will do the same. Anheuser-Busch sells "lifestyle" probably even more than they sell beer. Advertising is of the nature, "Drink our beer and Be One Of Us." It works not only with Bud or beer, but with many products. Profit margin is high. [In OS terms, there is little personal upfront cost to learn how to use Windoze.]
Bud drinkers generally stay Bud drinkers as long as Anheuser-Busch doesn't depart from what it sells for lifestyle and as long as the overall flavor of the beer doesn't change. Flavor migrations translate to a new brand that can be marketted without abandoning its current share.
Now back to operating systems.
If Linux departs from what it is, if it somehow becomes perverted, it will be rejected by its followers and will be supplanted by something else.
Graham
Let me add a bit more to this.
I am *not* a part of support services. I'm tech staff, analyst, mathemagician. Support services sets up these machines for Windoze, but they won't touch anything that looks like a real OS. It isn't like they couldn't, they're certainly capable, it's simply Not Corporate Policy.
Hullo, We Do Research and Development, and we're into Unix in a fairly big way. "Oh, we don't support Unix."
So the managers who have limited budget and little direct experience have no idea what they're doing and have little basis for decision making as regards Linux. They buy the latest laptops - nice ones actually - and expect everything to be done quickly and in spare time - mine namely. To be fair, they *are* trying, but it's not enough. In between getting laptops ready for road shows, I have real deadlines to meet. When it comes to doing something with a Linux Laptop or something for which I am being reviewed as regards salary, guess which one I'm more likely to do.
I don't know how a company such as LinuxCare can get a company to buy a service such as would solve my problems, but I do see this as an opportunity.
Graham