Simply send a reply email to said idiot and ask that they re-send the document in another format (rtf, pdf, plain text). Lots of us have been doing that for a while now. As for the MA issue, its been pointed out before that they want the OpenDocument format supported, so that won't help MS at the moment. What it will do is provide MS with a bit of fuel to argue that PDF is an alternative "open" format and should also be a qualifying alternative. Many posters here have already cited reasons why it should be (doubt that they meant to), even mirroring arguments made in a recent Groklaw rebuttle to the Fox News editorial. Yes, MS will be able to charge lots of money for upgrades, but to a governement body inside the US, thats not as big a deal to the decision makers as us taxpayers would like it to be.
Not to be inflamitory, but catering to this attitude is why many US institutions are cranking out mediocre programmers with astonishing speed. Unless you're in a good, traditional CS program, too little time is spent on the theory of programming language and too much on teaching tools. In a practical sense, this is not a bad thing if your goal is to simply enter the workforce and crank out accounting programs in VB. It is deadly, however, if your goal is to advance your skills and participate in more complex and exciting projects.
Wish I had mod points. As a 30yo techie in the trenches, still in the early stages of the move upwards, I found your comments very helpful; thanks! Looks like its time to go back to school...
I cannot use the Apache code and re-brand it as "Joe's Web Server"
As a matter of fact, you could as long as you comply with the APL (more like BSD than GPL).
I agree with you that this is largely No Big Deal(TM) (especially to me since I run Gentoo...), but I just wanted to insert the obligatory reminder that the "Linux community" doesn't need to compete with anybody. Mandrake needs to compete. RedHat needs to compete. SuSE needs to compete. The community was fine before the so-called "big players" and will remain so even if for-profit companies tank. Corporate-sponsored development has been nice for Linux, sure, but there will always be folks who develop technologies for fun.
... is called
Xandros or
Lindows or even Knoppix. There are probably others. I say let the Debian developers make their distro how they want it and let those concerned with money-making worry about making it user-friendly for J. Random Luser.
What's even worse is Windrones who've had their feelings hurt so many times by Linux geeks getting all puffed up because *one* virus comes along every blue moon targeted at Linux boxen. This is hardly a "plague", unlike the seemingly constant attacks against *other* platforms.
Seriously, though, you've got to learn the hard way before you can really appreciate the nice things. Besides, would you want to face VS.Net on day one of Programming 101 at your local Jr. College? C'mon, it would take a newb a whole semester just to learn what all of those tools were trying to tell it in the first place.
Hey, lets give first graders calculators too. Who wants to face learning all of that math using only pencil and paper!? You'd have to remember what those number looked like and which operator thingy did what...
IMHO its starting out using these IDE's that are lowering the overall quality of programmers these days. The universities are turning out folks who know how to use an environment, not how to write code.
This is untrue. You set up root and user accounts like normal. This *is* one thing that newbies will still have to get used to (being prompted for root password when installing new software and the like).
.. on the side of Quanta. It includes syntax highlighting and references for "supporting" technologies (HTML,CSS,yada...) and doesn't have what you don't need. I also like the included documentation integrated into the environment.
Bravo!
I consider myself reasonably intellegent and a decent programmer to boot, but it sometimes takes me a few tries to get some of this Linux stuff working. I believe in the vision, so I will stick with it. On the other hand, this OS can bring someone like my wife to the brink of tears simply trying to print a document. Sure, the community is generally responsive to newbies, but most people moving to non-MS OS's are programmer/IT geeks who should be at least passing familiar with the jargon.
Now, we have a delusional attitude that Linux is going to be some kind of MS killer, but that's just wishful thinking until the needs of the AVERAGE home user are addressed. That user doesn't want to have to know ANYTHING about the hardware behind the beige box. That user wants to insert a CD and have it start for them. That user doesn't want to know about FTP/SSH/PHP/etc. That user will NEVER compile their own software. That user will probably never post to slashdot. That user doesn't want to know about printer commands (neither does this one, BTW). And, aside from sharing pictures of the kids, that user WANTS TO PLAY GAMES. Currently, MS meets that user's needs, and while Linux has come a LONG way in a short time, there is still far to go. My granny doesn't want to remember to unmount the floppy when she logs out.
And YET, even though there seems to be an unstated goal to have Linux as pervasive as MS Windows, many still treat the entire thing as some exclusive "Turbo Geeks Only" club. Take the time to hold a hand. If you run X, make sure your desktop looks as cool as it can, 'cause granny is a sucker for a pretty desktop too. Suck 'em in with the "trival" stuff, then show them why its a superior product. Perhaps these LUGS should start some type of mentoring program that provides personal one on one support to new users.
I whole-hartedly applaude Mr. Boyd's statements and would add that once problems are acknowledged, take the time to address them.
Ok, that "IDE's are for wussies" crap is thin. For something as trivial as ASP, give me the tool that will get it done the fastest (Dreamweaver in my case, but whatever gets you through the week...) so that I can get on with the fun stuff. Though, I would use vi before I use Interdev (again...).
What I've found, as many of you have, is that sometimes, though it may dissappoint us, the requirements of our jobs specify that we must develop for win32 using Bill's toys. Ok, great. You pay the bills, you pick the dev environment. When you get home at the end of the day, do what you like with what you like. I use linux/BSD because I don't like Windows anymore, but if the boss man says use Windows; its his/her dime.
Ultamately, this fusion business is vapor anyway. Is there really a big desire to run MS Office on Linux when there is free software that does the job as well or better? The "core" apps mentioned in the article all have open equivalents, many of which process the same file formats. What about a simple duel boot? Its been said before in these very pages that Linux appeals to a certain type of user while Windows appeals to others. Some, like myself, will eventually see the light and move on from "My First OS", but until then, I think it is best to keep the two separate.
Slashdot Mirror
Simply send a reply email to said idiot and ask that they re-send the document in another format (rtf, pdf, plain text). Lots of us have been doing that for a while now. As for the MA issue, its been pointed out before that they want the OpenDocument format supported, so that won't help MS at the moment. What it will do is provide MS with a bit of fuel to argue that PDF is an alternative "open" format and should also be a qualifying alternative. Many posters here have already cited reasons why it should be (doubt that they meant to), even mirroring arguments made in a recent Groklaw rebuttle to the Fox News editorial. Yes, MS will be able to charge lots of money for upgrades, but to a governement body inside the US, thats not as big a deal to the decision makers as us taxpayers would like it to be.
Yes, and there hasn't been an orange blight yet that has affected Florida apple crops...
Not to be inflamitory, but catering to this attitude is why many US institutions are cranking out mediocre programmers with astonishing speed. Unless you're in a good, traditional CS program, too little time is spent on the theory of programming language and too much on teaching tools. In a practical sense, this is not a bad thing if your goal is to simply enter the workforce and crank out accounting programs in VB. It is deadly, however, if your goal is to advance your skills and participate in more complex and exciting projects.
Um, JNI, troll.
Wish I had mod points. As a 30yo techie in the trenches, still in the early stages of the move upwards, I found your comments very helpful; thanks! Looks like its time to go back to school...
Don't code much Java(TM), do you?
I cannot use the Apache code and re-brand it as "Joe's Web Server"
As a matter of fact, you could as long as you comply with the APL (more like BSD than GPL).
I agree with you that this is largely No Big Deal(TM) (especially to me since I run Gentoo...), but I just wanted to insert the obligatory reminder that the "Linux community" doesn't need to compete with anybody. Mandrake needs to compete. RedHat needs to compete. SuSE needs to compete. The community was fine before the so-called "big players" and will remain so even if for-profit companies tank. Corporate-sponsored development has been nice for Linux, sure, but there will always be folks who develop technologies for fun.
Well, I got it.
Why don't I ever have mod points when funny crap like this post shows up!? Made my morning...
Now since you are getting rid of that filthy pc you used to post your (increadably expensive) solution, can I have it?
It'd be great to have a single reference application coded in a million different ways so it's easy to compare them and see what's easiest.
Hello world?
... is called Xandros or Lindows or even Knoppix. There are probably others. I say let the Debian developers make their distro how they want it and let those concerned with money-making worry about making it user-friendly for J. Random Luser.
What's even worse is Windrones who've had their feelings hurt so many times by Linux geeks getting all puffed up because *one* virus comes along every blue moon targeted at Linux boxen. This is hardly a "plague", unlike the seemingly constant attacks against *other* platforms.
Seriously, though, you've got to learn the hard way before you can really appreciate the nice things. Besides, would you want to face VS.Net on day one of Programming 101 at your local Jr. College? C'mon, it would take a newb a whole semester just to learn what all of those tools were trying to tell it in the first place.
Hey, lets give first graders calculators too. Who wants to face learning all of that math using only pencil and paper!? You'd have to remember what those number looked like and which operator thingy did what...
IMHO its starting out using these IDE's that are lowering the overall quality of programmers these days. The universities are turning out folks who know how to use an environment, not how to write code.
Oh, I forgot again, you don't want those people in your precious Linux world.
No, its mostly just you we don't want.
This is untrue. You set up root and user accounts like normal. This *is* one thing that newbies will still have to get used to (being prompted for root password when installing new software and the like).
.. on the side of Quanta. It includes syntax highlighting and references for "supporting" technologies (HTML,CSS,yada...) and doesn't have what you don't need. I also like the included documentation integrated into the environment.
Bravo!
I consider myself reasonably intellegent and a decent programmer to boot, but it sometimes takes me a few tries to get some of this Linux stuff working. I believe in the vision, so I will stick with it. On the other hand, this OS can bring someone like my wife to the brink of tears simply trying to print a document. Sure, the community is generally responsive to newbies, but most people moving to non-MS OS's are programmer/IT geeks who should be at least passing familiar with the jargon.
Now, we have a delusional attitude that Linux is going to be some kind of MS killer, but that's just wishful thinking until the needs of the AVERAGE home user are addressed. That user doesn't want to have to know ANYTHING about the hardware behind the beige box. That user wants to insert a CD and have it start for them. That user doesn't want to know about FTP/SSH/PHP/etc. That user will NEVER compile their own software. That user will probably never post to slashdot. That user doesn't want to know about printer commands (neither does this one, BTW). And, aside from sharing pictures of the kids, that user WANTS TO PLAY GAMES. Currently, MS meets that user's needs, and while Linux has come a LONG way in a short time, there is still far to go. My granny doesn't want to remember to unmount the floppy when she logs out.
And YET, even though there seems to be an unstated goal to have Linux as pervasive as MS Windows, many still treat the entire thing as some exclusive "Turbo Geeks Only" club. Take the time to hold a hand. If you run X, make sure your desktop looks as cool as it can, 'cause granny is a sucker for a pretty desktop too. Suck 'em in with the "trival" stuff, then show them why its a superior product. Perhaps these LUGS should start some type of mentoring program that provides personal one on one support to new users.
I whole-hartedly applaude Mr. Boyd's statements and would add that once problems are acknowledged, take the time to address them.
Ok, that "IDE's are for wussies" crap is thin. For something as trivial as ASP, give me the tool that will get it done the fastest (Dreamweaver in my case, but whatever gets you through the week...) so that I can get on with the fun stuff. Though, I would use vi before I use Interdev (again...). What I've found, as many of you have, is that sometimes, though it may dissappoint us, the requirements of our jobs specify that we must develop for win32 using Bill's toys. Ok, great. You pay the bills, you pick the dev environment. When you get home at the end of the day, do what you like with what you like. I use linux/BSD because I don't like Windows anymore, but if the boss man says use Windows; its his/her dime. Ultamately, this fusion business is vapor anyway. Is there really a big desire to run MS Office on Linux when there is free software that does the job as well or better? The "core" apps mentioned in the article all have open equivalents, many of which process the same file formats. What about a simple duel boot? Its been said before in these very pages that Linux appeals to a certain type of user while Windows appeals to others. Some, like myself, will eventually see the light and move on from "My First OS", but until then, I think it is best to keep the two separate.