I don't think it's just being considered
on
CIOs Looking At OSS
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· Score: 5, Interesting
I think it's safer to say it's gaining in popularity, and because of the cost savings involved is now starting to come to the attention of the executive management.
I've worked (and continue to work) with or for a number of large corporations, and OSS has always had a place there. The big difference is you're starting to see a few more core applications and/or platforms replaced because the commercial apps are generally overkill and cost an arm and a leg to support and maintain.
People have always used Perl to automate batch processing. There are a whole lot of smaller custom applications that use MySQL instead of (ack!) Access or MS SQL Server because it does the job. There are a number of shops I've seen that use Nagios for monitoring because it meets their needs. OSS is out there, has been there for a while, and is now moving out of the closet and into the light.
Now that it can have such a positive impact on the bottom line in tight times, corporate execs are starting to realize there are significant gains to be had. It'll never replace commercial software, but it can certainly play a very complementary role.
Tradeoffs exist, but the communities which typically support OSS can usually (I've found) provide better support coupled with faster workarounds and patches than going through a vendor. It's not perfect, but most of the time it works.
It's nice to see that people are finally taking the attitude that you CAN get fired for buying Big Blue. About time we get back to right tool for the right job. Here's hoping those same CIO's will see the benefits of giving back as well, and releasing useful mods/patches back into the community.
Agreed. Some of the certifications out there I have a tonne of respect for (like, say, doctor or even CCIE), but they're few and far between. Most of the certifications that people use/look for are low-end and used for screening criteria only so people can point a finger if shit happens. Any certification that mixes a practical examination with the theory (as almost all of the higher end stuff requires) is goodness, and I put a lot more value into those.
I've taken my car to certified service centres, and been taken to the cleaners.
I've had many bad haircuts.
I've met lots of people who are MCSE's who are clueless.
All the certifications mean is that someone has demonstrated to someone else that they can regurgitate material that has been laid out for them. It doesn't mean they can apply the knowledge to real world situations.
I go to organizations that have a good reputation, I've had good experience with, or my friends/peers have had good experience with. If I have a bad experience with them, I move elsewhere.
I like the system. It works. Sometimes I get burned, but for the most part I'm happy because I use common sense.
I think almost anyone who has ever done anything with app development (hell, even making spreadsheets for the masses) has been bitten by this one. It's the most common mistake, and while it may not always have catastrophic consequences, it can make some mighty fine wall imprints on your forehead.
The problem with the reporting on the incident is that it's not really clear if the OS crashed or not. People in the article I linked to mentioned it was an NT system, but no where have I read anywhere that it was the OS that crashed. NT tends to get blamed for a lot of things when bad things happen (hell, I do it myself because it's too easy not to).
I would love to know if it was the OS that failed, or the applications running on the OS. The data which caused the panic was stored in the database. It stands to reason that every time a restart of the application was attempted, the same error condition would occur because the bad data was the cause, the crash was the effect. The OS could have been fine, it was the application which provided the control systems for the ship, not the OS itself.
I've had a number of experiences with software where I have changed the config or used data that was supposed to work, but the app would segfault and dump when reading it (gotta love it when things fail at 3am and you don't know why). The OS never failed, the app I was looking to provide the services did. After determining there was a problem, it was then a matter of tracking what caused the problem, and correcting it.
I can hypothesise all I want, but I can't find anywhere that says definitively whether the OS actually crashed, or whether the app did (repeatedly). Even if the program did take down the OS (and I think that should NEVER happen, but it does), I would assign a lot of blame to the app, because to me it's common sense to check for that WHENEVER you have a divide operation.
That said, because it was NT, the system was probably written in VB which would explain everything;)
Much as I dislike NT, especially in critical environments, this problem had nothing to do with NT. It had everything to do with bad coding.
As we all know, information systems are only as smart as people make them. In the case of the USS Yorktown, an admin/operator entered data which caused a divide by zero condition in the application. Because the application did not have any exception handling built into it for a divide by zero condition, it died.
You can't blame the OS for this. The application should have had exception handling built into it in a couple of places. It probably should have checked any new entries before comitting them to ensure the new data would not introduce such a condition, and the app itself should have had appropriate error handling to prevent a panic/dump when a divide by zero condition was encountered.
If the app was coded by the same people on another platform, the end result would have been the same.
Sony manufactured the STR-G3 A/V receiver, and one of the selling points was the one button remote. The remote was in the shape of an egg, was battery powered, wireless, and worked in a similar fashion to the mouse in the article (minus the having to hold a button down to move the pointer). All video was routed through the receiver, which was connected to the TV. When you picked up the egg, an OSD appeared and you could muddle with volume, audio sources, etc. It sucked, and that was 1995.
To buy a crappy phone with a built-in monophonic hold music generator (something like Barry Manilow's "Copacabana"). When the telemarketers call, you ask them to "Hold Please" and put them on hold. They usually last thirty seconds or so before they realize you're not coming back, and with luck the horribly annoying song will stick in their head for the rest of the day.
I've used it at work, in my apt, at a few worksites and at friends places and found the range to be adequate. That said, the offices I've tried it in have been outfitted with good antennas, and my apt and friends place are less than 1,000 square feet. Occasionally it kicks down temporarily from 11Mb/s, but not often and not for very long (probably a cordless phone or microwave being used somewhere).
The main problem I've had with the location feature is changing the networks on the fly. I tend to never turn it off, just put it to sleep and change the settings when I change networks. Most of the places I use it in have statically-assigned addresses instead of DHCP, and maybe that's part of the problem. I have figured out how to get it to switch reliably, but it takes a couple extra steps. No biggie at all, it's an annoyance I can live with - a hell of a lot better than BSODs and rebooting when add software.:)
I suppose you didn't read my post in its entirety
on
Flirting With Mac OS X
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· Score: 1
I said that I use a two-button mouse whenever possible. On a plane, in a boardroom, or sitting on the couch/outside it can be impractical, if not impossible. I do use the mouse, and you're right, it works just fine with no additional software needed. I was just posting the stuff which irritiated me the most, the click-scheme is one (and always has been with Macs).
While I switched to OSX recently, I have been using Mac stuff for some time. I just said I'm used to right clicking, think it's intuitive, and prefer it to ctrl-click or click-and-hold. I like the one-click-and-I'm there, and both click-and-hold and ctrl-click interrupts the flow for me.
My preference is the right click, I just happen to like it more than the other two methods.
I purchased a Ti back in April to replace my Vaio and ThinkPad X21. I was tired of switching between Linux and Windoze on a regular basis, and wanted something that would allow me all the toys I wanted, the office apps work demanded of me, and a development platform that could go where I went. I also wanted integrated wireless - I _hate_ the antennas that stick out.
I've had a mixed bag of an experience. I'm very used to right clicking items for properties/context-sensitive menus, and the "click-and-hold" drives me insane. That few tenths of a second is just enough to interrupt the flow of using the trackpad, and I use a two button mouse whenever possible.
The click-and-hold also makes the dock less than useful for navigating around the apps if you have multiple windows/instances open and are looking for the familiar "taskbar" approach. I also find the jumping icons instead of a simple flash to grab my attention annoying. I have a couple other beefs about the interface, but nothing I can't deal with. Navigation between apps is icky, and that was my point.
I use the powerbook (funny how we don't call it a laptop) in a variety of places and have a serious beef with the "Location" feature for networking. When I switch to a known area, and switch the location, it seems if chance plays heavily into whether the net connections are used. It's very unreliable, but I seem to have found the majiic sequence necessary to get it to work most times.
That all said, I'm pretty happy with the rest. The apps that make up OSX, such as the DVD player, iPhoto, and iTunes are well thought out, and I wish they were available for other platforms. Third party software has helped with things like PocketPC support, and apps I'm used to with other OS's.
I use Office X (thank you Microsoft, for not allowing me to upgrade cross-platform and fucking me for some more $, thank god for tax writeoffs) so I can use Entourage, Word, Excel, and PPoint as office apps, and I prefer the OSX versions to their windoze counterparts. This lets me fit into the environments of most of the companies I work with. StarOffice/OpenOffice is ok, but I prefer to use the Office Suite when I can.
Finally, I have mysql, apache, and a bunch of mods installed so I can do app development/screwing around without the need for another box or rebooting/using an emulator when I want to use. It's also really nice to have a console/term window on an environment designed for use by regular folk.
The hardware itself is mostly great - beautiful screen, three types of networking, firewire, usb, and the combo drive, and battery life kicks ass. The gripes I have are its size and weight (it's a little too big for my tastes, I was spoiled with the X21), the trackpad could have been designed a little better and including scrolling capabilities would have been nice, and a hd light would have been welcome as I sit and wait for stuff to launch, wondering if it's doing anything.
All in all, I'm happy with the switch to the Ti as my laptop. I don't think I'd use it to replace my desktop, as I still can't play CS and a bunch of other games on it, but for a all-in-one travelling companion it's very hard to beat. I'm happy I made the switch.
...and I'm not the only one. I was curious to see how good 18 was, especially after the video for 18 (I mean c'mon, Ron Jeremy in a cameo will get me to pony up almost every time). I listened to the whole CD three or four times, and it's become shelfware since then.
To me it sounded like a B-sides of Play, nothing new, nothing fresh. I've discussed it with a bunch of friends, and given the recommendation not to bother, or to borrow it if they're interested. No one has taken me up on the offer, and as far as I know no one has bought it.
Word of mouth can be a killer marketing tool either way. In "18"'s case I thought it was a waste of money, and told anyone who asked me what my opinion was. Perhaps I'm not alone.
I don't think Moby sucks, but I do think 18 does. Moby might wanna listen to his fans who are voicing an opinion by not buying it instead of blaming them for his woes.
if instead of mandating this kind of "protection", if someone would just tell the idiots in media to offer it as an opt in.
Wanna download media on-line from us? You gotta buy this dongle (similar to USB and parallel port software locks) and client software. If people don't want it, they don't have to buy it.
Instead, they blow all this money on trying to implement "protections" which will be useless by the time they get to market. The worst part that protecting the interests of these companies is almost all on the taxpayers dime. Let the industry work it out for itself.
*sigh* too bad it's a pipe dream. Sometimes I wish the companies would fail and then both sides will see what happens when compromises can't be reached.
For something to be a racial slur, it kinda needs to have malicious intent. The stereotype is more from days gone by than the present, and is used rather well to get the point across.
I tried using anti-canadian symbolism -substituting mounties, beavers, hockey players, decent beer, and french canadians - and it was less funny because the frame of reference wasn't there.
Did you cry and rage against the unfairness of it all when thirtysomething ended, too?
I'd like to know what that means. Storing in this case may just mean archiving, or at least long-term storage of the data. The story doesn't say they'll stop tracking the usage, only that they won't store it. Not being overly suspicious, it was just the verbage used seemed kind of broad to me.
Having been an addict of the first go-around, I was initially disappointed with the GameCube version. I found the control to be lacking, because I kept getting swatted around and missed pylons repeatedly - very annoying - I was coming in third and fourth in races. I was used to fluid motion and control, and zipping around the tracks in no time flat.
After a few plays, I realized I was getting pushed around because the physics were a lot better than it's predecessor. Water and weather effects have a substantial impact on gameplay, and the addition of the turbo (applied at the right time, of course) makes near-losses into close shaves.
I get a big kick out of it, and think it is, given the lack of press it's been given, a very underrated game well worth the $.
On the PS2 side Tony Hawk 3 is ok single player, but if you mastered the first two, it's a weekend of play. The online play is cool, but dunno if it makes up for the $50 price tag, and I wish they had supported 802.11b usb adapters. Still, getting together with folks online (finally) with the PS2 is fun.
I just wish Wipeout was available. That's what I bought the stupid PS2 for last year. Anyone from Psygnosis reading and can give a hint or six as to when it is expected?
When they first announced these things way back when, I signed up as a pre-order client because they sounded cool and the pricepoint was right. They asked for $599 for when they would ship the pre-release for testing (RSN!), and the retail version would be $899.
They promised regular updates on where they were with the product (none ever came), and status queries were met with press releases. Harmon Kardon came into the mix at one point (I notice the pictures have the logo removed now - hmmm...) and further delayed development for re-branding and packaging.
Several months ago they said they were releasing the beta units as promised, you just had to reply that you were in. I replied, multiple times, and no one ever got back to me.
Yesterday I got an email saying "we're shipping! (oh, but for $900.00 more than we promised you'd get it for)". Late to market, no responses ever to queries other than one form letter, at least 5 "official" scheduling delays (they final figured out using months and yers was bad, and switched to "sometime RSN" about a years ago.
Ba ha ha, I'll pass, as I think it is doomed. At the $899.00 it seemed cool.
It's kinda interesting though - Compaq's unit went up $100 from release, and the ReQuest is only available in a $2500 flavour. I look at the other audio servers that are out there, and the pickings are really slim.
Anyone have a used RQ1-30 for sale?
Slashdot Mirror
I think it's safer to say it's gaining in popularity, and because of the cost savings involved is now starting to come to the attention of the executive management.
I've worked (and continue to work) with or for a number of large corporations, and OSS has always had a place there. The big difference is you're starting to see a few more core applications and/or platforms replaced because the commercial apps are generally overkill and cost an arm and a leg to support and maintain.
People have always used Perl to automate batch processing. There are a whole lot of smaller custom applications that use MySQL instead of (ack!) Access or MS SQL Server because it does the job. There are a number of shops I've seen that use Nagios for monitoring because it meets their needs. OSS is out there, has been there for a while, and is now moving out of the closet and into the light.
Now that it can have such a positive impact on the bottom line in tight times, corporate execs are starting to realize there are significant gains to be had. It'll never replace commercial software, but it can certainly play a very complementary role.
Tradeoffs exist, but the communities which typically support OSS can usually (I've found) provide better support coupled with faster workarounds and patches than going through a vendor. It's not perfect, but most of the time it works.
It's nice to see that people are finally taking the attitude that you CAN get fired for buying Big Blue. About time we get back to right tool for the right job. Here's hoping those same CIO's will see the benefits of giving back as well, and releasing useful mods/patches back into the community.
Agreed. Some of the certifications out there I have a tonne of respect for (like, say, doctor or even CCIE), but they're few and far between. Most of the certifications that people use/look for are low-end and used for screening criteria only so people can point a finger if shit happens. Any certification that mixes a practical examination with the theory (as almost all of the higher end stuff requires) is goodness, and I put a lot more value into those.
I've had many bad haircuts.
I've met lots of people who are MCSE's who are clueless.
All the certifications mean is that someone has demonstrated to someone else that they can regurgitate material that has been laid out for them. It doesn't mean they can apply the knowledge to real world situations.
I go to organizations that have a good reputation, I've had good experience with, or my friends/peers have had good experience with. If I have a bad experience with them, I move elsewhere.
I like the system. It works. Sometimes I get burned, but for the most part I'm happy because I use common sense.
That, and forgetting a semi-colon somewhere :)
I would love to know if it was the OS that failed, or the applications running on the OS. The data which caused the panic was stored in the database. It stands to reason that every time a restart of the application was attempted, the same error condition would occur because the bad data was the cause, the crash was the effect. The OS could have been fine, it was the application which provided the control systems for the ship, not the OS itself.
I've had a number of experiences with software where I have changed the config or used data that was supposed to work, but the app would segfault and dump when reading it (gotta love it when things fail at 3am and you don't know why). The OS never failed, the app I was looking to provide the services did. After determining there was a problem, it was then a matter of tracking what caused the problem, and correcting it.
I can hypothesise all I want, but I can't find anywhere that says definitively whether the OS actually crashed, or whether the app did (repeatedly). Even if the program did take down the OS (and I think that should NEVER happen, but it does), I would assign a lot of blame to the app, because to me it's common sense to check for that WHENEVER you have a divide operation.
That said, because it was NT, the system was probably written in VB which would explain everything ;)
Much as I dislike NT, especially in critical environments, this problem had nothing to do with NT. It had everything to do with bad coding.
As we all know, information systems are only as smart as people make them. In the case of the USS Yorktown, an admin/operator entered data which caused a divide by zero condition in the application. Because the application did not have any exception handling built into it for a divide by zero condition, it died.
You can't blame the OS for this. The application should have had exception handling built into it in a couple of places. It probably should have checked any new entries before comitting them to ensure the new data would not introduce such a condition, and the app itself should have had appropriate error handling to prevent a panic/dump when a divide by zero condition was encountered.
If the app was coded by the same people on another platform, the end result would have been the same.
Sony manufactured the STR-G3 A/V receiver, and one of the selling points was the one button remote. The remote was in the shape of an egg, was battery powered, wireless, and worked in a similar fashion to the mouse in the article (minus the having to hold a button down to move the pointer). All video was routed through the receiver, which was connected to the TV. When you picked up the egg, an OSD appeared and you could muddle with volume, audio sources, etc. It sucked, and that was 1995.
To buy a crappy phone with a built-in monophonic hold music generator (something like Barry Manilow's "Copacabana"). When the telemarketers call, you ask them to "Hold Please" and put them on hold. They usually last thirty seconds or so before they realize you're not coming back, and with luck the horribly annoying song will stick in their head for the rest of the day.
The main problem I've had with the location feature is changing the networks on the fly. I tend to never turn it off, just put it to sleep and change the settings when I change networks. Most of the places I use it in have statically-assigned addresses instead of DHCP, and maybe that's part of the problem. I have figured out how to get it to switch reliably, but it takes a couple extra steps. No biggie at all, it's an annoyance I can live with - a hell of a lot better than BSODs and rebooting when add software. :)
I said that I use a two-button mouse whenever possible. On a plane, in a boardroom, or sitting on the couch/outside it can be impractical, if not impossible. I do use the mouse, and you're right, it works just fine with no additional software needed. I was just posting the stuff which irritiated me the most, the click-scheme is one (and always has been with Macs).
My preference is the right click, I just happen to like it more than the other two methods.
I've had a mixed bag of an experience. I'm very used to right clicking items for properties/context-sensitive menus, and the "click-and-hold" drives me insane. That few tenths of a second is just enough to interrupt the flow of using the trackpad, and I use a two button mouse whenever possible.
The click-and-hold also makes the dock less than useful for navigating around the apps if you have multiple windows/instances open and are looking for the familiar "taskbar" approach. I also find the jumping icons instead of a simple flash to grab my attention annoying. I have a couple other beefs about the interface, but nothing I can't deal with. Navigation between apps is icky, and that was my point.
I use the powerbook (funny how we don't call it a laptop) in a variety of places and have a serious beef with the "Location" feature for networking. When I switch to a known area, and switch the location, it seems if chance plays heavily into whether the net connections are used. It's very unreliable, but I seem to have found the majiic sequence necessary to get it to work most times.
That all said, I'm pretty happy with the rest. The apps that make up OSX, such as the DVD player, iPhoto, and iTunes are well thought out, and I wish they were available for other platforms. Third party software has helped with things like PocketPC support, and apps I'm used to with other OS's.
I use Office X (thank you Microsoft, for not allowing me to upgrade cross-platform and fucking me for some more $, thank god for tax writeoffs) so I can use Entourage, Word, Excel, and PPoint as office apps, and I prefer the OSX versions to their windoze counterparts. This lets me fit into the environments of most of the companies I work with. StarOffice/OpenOffice is ok, but I prefer to use the Office Suite when I can.
Finally, I have mysql, apache, and a bunch of mods installed so I can do app development/screwing around without the need for another box or rebooting/using an emulator when I want to use. It's also really nice to have a console/term window on an environment designed for use by regular folk.
The hardware itself is mostly great - beautiful screen, three types of networking, firewire, usb, and the combo drive, and battery life kicks ass. The gripes I have are its size and weight (it's a little too big for my tastes, I was spoiled with the X21), the trackpad could have been designed a little better and including scrolling capabilities would have been nice, and a hd light would have been welcome as I sit and wait for stuff to launch, wondering if it's doing anything.
All in all, I'm happy with the switch to the Ti as my laptop. I don't think I'd use it to replace my desktop, as I still can't play CS and a bunch of other games on it, but for a all-in-one travelling companion it's very hard to beat. I'm happy I made the switch.
nt
To me it sounded like a B-sides of Play, nothing new, nothing fresh. I've discussed it with a bunch of friends, and given the recommendation not to bother, or to borrow it if they're interested. No one has taken me up on the offer, and as far as I know no one has bought it.
Word of mouth can be a killer marketing tool either way. In "18"'s case I thought it was a waste of money, and told anyone who asked me what my opinion was. Perhaps I'm not alone.
I don't think Moby sucks, but I do think 18 does. Moby might wanna listen to his fans who are voicing an opinion by not buying it instead of blaming them for his woes.
--
Wanna download media on-line from us? You gotta buy this dongle (similar to USB and parallel port software locks) and client software. If people don't want it, they don't have to buy it.
Instead, they blow all this money on trying to implement "protections" which will be useless by the time they get to market. The worst part that protecting the interests of these companies is almost all on the taxpayers dime. Let the industry work it out for itself.
*sigh* too bad it's a pipe dream. Sometimes I wish the companies would fail and then both sides will see what happens when compromises can't be reached.
For something to be a racial slur, it kinda needs to have malicious intent. The stereotype is more from days gone by than the present, and is used rather well to get the point across. I tried using anti-canadian symbolism -substituting mounties, beavers, hockey players, decent beer, and french canadians - and it was less funny because the frame of reference wasn't there. Did you cry and rage against the unfairness of it all when thirtysomething ended, too?
I'd like to know what that means. Storing in this case may just mean archiving, or at least long-term storage of the data. The story doesn't say they'll stop tracking the usage, only that they won't store it. Not being overly suspicious, it was just the verbage used seemed kind of broad to me.
After a few plays, I realized I was getting pushed around because the physics were a lot better than it's predecessor. Water and weather effects have a substantial impact on gameplay, and the addition of the turbo (applied at the right time, of course) makes near-losses into close shaves.
I get a big kick out of it, and think it is, given the lack of press it's been given, a very underrated game well worth the $.
On the PS2 side Tony Hawk 3 is ok single player, but if you mastered the first two, it's a weekend of play. The online play is cool, but dunno if it makes up for the $50 price tag, and I wish they had supported 802.11b usb adapters. Still, getting together with folks online (finally) with the PS2 is fun.
I just wish Wipeout was available. That's what I bought the stupid PS2 for last year. Anyone from Psygnosis reading and can give a hint or six as to when it is expected?
When they first announced these things way back when, I signed up as a pre-order client because they sounded cool and the pricepoint was right. They asked for $599 for when they would ship the pre-release for testing (RSN!), and the retail version would be $899. They promised regular updates on where they were with the product (none ever came), and status queries were met with press releases. Harmon Kardon came into the mix at one point (I notice the pictures have the logo removed now - hmmm...) and further delayed development for re-branding and packaging. Several months ago they said they were releasing the beta units as promised, you just had to reply that you were in. I replied, multiple times, and no one ever got back to me. Yesterday I got an email saying "we're shipping! (oh, but for $900.00 more than we promised you'd get it for)". Late to market, no responses ever to queries other than one form letter, at least 5 "official" scheduling delays (they final figured out using months and yers was bad, and switched to "sometime RSN" about a years ago. Ba ha ha, I'll pass, as I think it is doomed. At the $899.00 it seemed cool. It's kinda interesting though - Compaq's unit went up $100 from release, and the ReQuest is only available in a $2500 flavour. I look at the other audio servers that are out there, and the pickings are really slim. Anyone have a used RQ1-30 for sale?