I wish I had mod points today - this is the best advice. I'm an IT Director with a staff of 13 and do have a pretty stressful job. A couple of years ago, I got married and my wife is probably one of the most supportive people I've ever met. I'm probably less stressed these days than I was a few years ago when I had LESS responsibility.
Peon is actually the word I think you were looking for... while the phrase "pee on" would probably accurately reflect the way that some workers are treated, it summons to mind some things that many of us would rather not think about.
At my previous job, I was responsible for the web services for a financial services company. We hosted our stuff at a data center in Herndon, VA. Some of Google's hardware happened to be in a wire cage that I walked by every day and it was pretty damn impressive. 42U racks, with either 42 or 84 (back to back, 42U high) servers in each one and about 6-8 racks per cage. I will admit that my "technical ego" was bruised a little since I wanted it for myself...:-)
Update to the related story: Microsoft will now, in fact, be required to pay the entire fine in the form of peanuts... Planters, specifically.
Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft, was quoted as saying that "[he] and high level EU officials are now in negotiations to determine exactly the kind of peanuts that [they] have to use." Adding, "Personally, I like the 'spicy peanuts', but being very close to the famed Italian phrase 'Thats a spicy meatball' may have trademark implications. Our lawyers are working on that."
Steve Ballmer, the President of the world's largest monopoly has indicated his preference for honey roasted peanuts since "spicy peanuts just wreck me."
Ok... it's Monday morning and i really don't want to be at work so I'm here commenting on someone's comment...
See - this would be funnier if you'd said something like "I got some nice swamp land in the Sahara" or "I got some nice desert land in Florida". In these two cases, the irony that it seemed like you were trying to get at is there. Your statement isn't ironic since Florida is up to its knees in swamp land. See the difference?
disclaimer: This post was meant to be funny... not insulting. (Gotta CYA a lot these days!)
If you contact one of the members of the GOCC, they can likely get any government entity into the project that is willing to work with open source. It's actually a really cool initiative and will hopefully drive consistent open source applications in government.
Novell doesn't need to create an open source directory since there are already plenty of directories that work well wtih Linux - including Novell's own eDirectory which is the successor to NDS. eDirectory is now OS-agnostic and doesn't even need NetWare to run. It's one of the reasons that GroupWise (also soon to be available natively under Linux) runs so well in Windows-only environments.
Now... if we're looking for a *free* directory from Novell under Linux, don't hold your breath. eDirectory is an excellent product (beats AD in almost all areas, in my opinion) for which Novell should be paid.
However, do take a look at Novell's site. At one point, they were offering something like 250,000 free eDirectory seats - the OS didn't matter.
If management has truly made up their mind on this issue, whining about it isn't probably the best option. If, after using Windows for some time, he thinks it's a step backwards (and he has REALLY given it a shot), he should write up a justification for switching back to Linux for management that includes the impact of the switch. If he screws around, whines all the time and then says "I want my Linux back", he's not going to have any credibility.
I think you're right in that he's saying that Windows offers a full meal in that Windows includes a number of services. This isn't to say that Linux doesn't offer a lot of services, though. It seems like he's saying that Linux is more flexible in what they're offering so you can get JUST a web server with no other software installed if you want. It's more difficult to break down the Windows services to get just what you want and only have to pay for what you want. It seems like his question is asking "Do we lower the price of the whole meal (ALL of the services) or go to an a la carte menu?"
I'm not arguing the merits of Linux vs. Windows here - just trying to get a handle on "free".
When you're talking about large enterprise installations, or installations where people want the backing or support of a company, Linux does cost money - ie: Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Yeah, you can download new packages and install updates, but it's easier to use RHN, etc.
I just finished the last book of this trilogy. I've read way too much fantasy in the past couple years and it's sometimes hard to find a new author that I really like. This series is BY FAR one of the best I have read. I was hooked from the first few pages of the first book.
It's not on the list, but I thought I'd pitch it!:-)
For the record, I really try to give users the benefits of the doubt when it comes to technology. But there comes a point when - you just throw your hands up. You know it - we've all been there.
We're an Exchange/Outlook shop (but in the past 2.5 years have only had ONE machine infected with anything). If you've used Outlook, you know that when you create a new meeting request or appointment, you can easily adjust the time on the calendar form or on the appointment form itself.
Our new conference call scheduling system uses standard Outlook forms and sends email message out to participants. The other day, I got a call from an irate user telling me that her people had been telling her for weeks that 1/2 hour is simply too short for their calls. She was mad that we hadn't fixed this glaring problem yet. I calmly told her that she just needs to adjust the start and end times of the appointment...
I guess it woldn't frustrate me so much if we didn't get multiple similar calls eveyr single day from the same user!
Labor laws are tough. It all depends on where you live. In CA, where the labor laws VERY strongly favor the employee, you might have a chance. However, take a serious look at the job you were doing. Yeah - the "MIS professional" title sucks, but CAN be a problem in your case. Your best option: talk to a local lawyer well versed in your state's (and federal) employment laws.
I hate to be negative, but you're probably in for a fight that you'll lose. First, take a gander at your job description. If you have management responsibilities of any kind, forget overtime. If you work fairly autonomously and make your own judgement calls in a lot of situations, you can probably hang up the overtime case. If, on the other hand, your boss gave you a schedule of exactly what was to be done at the beginning of the week or you worked under very close supervision (not meaning you were micromanaged), you might get somewhere.
Consider also: is it worth it? If it's a couple of thousand dollars, is it worth the "I sued my former employer" chain that will hang around your beck for the rest of your career? On the other hand, if you're looking at tens of thousands of dollars, it might be worth it.
Unfortunately, this is a frightfully possible scenario.
I seriously believe that, within the next few years, the American economy - IT in particular - is going to begin to suffer tremendously because of patent and other IP laws in this country as well as unchecked litigation.
It's getting to the point where "lock out" is a very real possibility for ANYTHING new being introduced. When that happens, the rest of the world is going to seriously trounce us while we stifle under thousands of lawsuits over stupid patents and overbroad IP laws that serve only to protect corporation's bottom line. Not to mention the absolutely ridiculous judgements that are coming from these cases - for example, Eolas vs. MS at $521M.
And with cross licensing of patent portfolios, the rise of companies whose business plans read "buy patents and sue everything that moves" and armies of lawyers looking for a buck, we're seriously screwed. You can forget the little guy starting a new tech company with a potential new product. As soon as he hits someone's radar, he'll get squashed like a bug.
You know... it's only recently that I've taken up a "future of doom" attitude, but all of this stuff is really scary. We don't have rights anymore - corporations (and Ashcroft) have been steadily stripping the American people of their rights and freedoms, which is just sad. So much of what this country used to stand for has been forgotten in the name of the bottom line and "homeland security". Sure, we still have it good as far as freedom goes, but I really think that, in my lifetime (I'm 30), the U.S. will be relegated to second class citizen while the EU, China and India destroy us. And we're bringing it all on outselves with this short sighted crap.
SCO has been saying for quite a while that companies should indemnify their users if everything thinks that SCO doesn't really have a case. Novell did it, albeit with some catches, which I think are completely reasonable. While Novell has been lauded as of late as the good guy (which I still think they are), it's important to remember that they are still a business, just spent a whole lot of money buying Ximian and SuSE and need to make money to keep going. Yeah - Linux is "free" and all that, but when a company like Novell puts their support behind it, there IS going to be a cost.
I worked in K-12 for a few years as a network engineer and programmer (weird combo, but's served me well)
The particular district I worked for supported three school districts on a single Data General minicomputer. This meant three separate student databases. When we wrote new apps, we would install the app and then create a symbolic link to the student database for which we were installing it. In this way, a single new app could be easily rolled out to all three.
Once... (just once!), I rolled out the new app and linked to the wrong student database. Without remembering thatI had changed directories, I deleted the symbolic link to the student database... or so I thought until the phone started ringing. I had deleted the entire student database - not the link.
Fortunately, we had a good backup from the night before and this had taken place in the morning...
I understand what you're saying, but consider this: there are dozens of distros out there that are claiming to be the nest best Linux desktop. Sure, there are only a half a dozen true contenders for mind share. However, to someone who doesn't understand the Linux market, Lindows, Xandros, Red Hat, etc, etc, etc all look like companies offering different products. Yeah, they're different but built for the same purpose.
Consider also the development efforts going on. Each distro is customized to a certain extent meaning that there is a lot of duplicate effort going on.
I'm not saying this is necessarily BAD, but what I WOULD like to see are some commonalities at some point. OpenOffice is a good start - now, ditch KOffice and apply those resources to making OO even better. That kind of thing.
Desktop choice is getting better, but a typical user doesn't care about KDE vs. Gnome - they just want their computer to work so they can do their jobs. Take the best of both KDE and Gnome and create a great desktop environment (a la Red Hat to a certain extent).
There is such a thing as too much choice - I think that is part of what has the potential to hinder Linux uptake.
We're a 50 person non-profit. We do training only when required.>br> Training for XP hasn't been needed at all. People upgraded from Windows 98 have just been able to run with it.
We, unfortunately, had an app that required Exchange for a while and a migration from Novell/GroupWise was made about 3 years before I got there. That app is on it's way out the door though. I'll tell you this, I think replacing the Exchange/Outlook combo will be extraordinarily difficult - not from a technical aspect, per se, although, even with its flaws, Exchange is a good app. With Outlook, it's easy for my users to do pretty much whatever they need.
Re:Just finished upgrading... to XP
on
Windows 98 Phased Out
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
Actually, I am the IT Director and responsible for this stuff.
I've been rolling XP onto desks with no training for my users and having NO trouble. We did a pilot before we went organization-wide and all of our apps worked with no problems and the users had no trouble.
My goal is this: provide my users with stable, usable tools to do their job in a cost efficient manner. After doing the analysis, XP was the better choice -- FOR NOW. I did NOT sign a long term license nor am I just going Microsoft to go Microsoft.
In fact, I just replaced SQL Server 7 on Windows NT with a PostgreSQL server running Linux.
It was a drop in the bucket compared to the cost to retrain my users, retool my apps (some of which we would need to mess with WINE or CrossOver office and hence, buy licenses anyway), and to deal with the hassle from my users. With the new systems, I can just put them on the user's desk and they're instantly productive. Sure, if we were a tech company with technical users, I might do something different, but at my organization, the computer is a means to an end.
Slashdot Mirror
I wish I had mod points today - this is the best advice. I'm an IT Director with a staff of 13 and do have a pretty stressful job. A couple of years ago, I got married and my wife is probably one of the most supportive people I've ever met. I'm probably less stressed these days than I was a few years ago when I had LESS responsibility.
Peon is actually the word I think you were looking for... while the phrase "pee on" would probably accurately reflect the way that some workers are treated, it summons to mind some things that many of us would rather not think about.
At my previous job, I was responsible for the web services for a financial services company. We hosted our stuff at a data center in Herndon, VA. Some of Google's hardware happened to be in a wire cage that I walked by every day and it was pretty damn impressive. 42U racks, with either 42 or 84 (back to back, 42U high) servers in each one and about 6-8 racks per cage. I will admit that my "technical ego" was bruised a little since I wanted it for myself... :-)
Update to the related story: Microsoft will now, in fact, be required to pay the entire fine in the form of peanuts... Planters, specifically.
Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft, was quoted as saying that "[he] and high level EU officials are now in negotiations to determine exactly the kind of peanuts that [they] have to use." Adding, "Personally, I like the 'spicy peanuts', but being very close to the famed Italian phrase 'Thats a spicy meatball' may have trademark implications. Our lawyers are working on that."
Steve Ballmer, the President of the world's largest monopoly has indicated his preference for honey roasted peanuts since "spicy peanuts just wreck me."
More to come on this breaking story.
Ok... it's Monday morning and i really don't want to be at work so I'm here commenting on someone's comment...
See - this would be funnier if you'd said something like "I got some nice swamp land in the Sahara" or "I got some nice desert land in Florida". In these two cases, the irony that it seemed like you were trying to get at is there. Your statement isn't ironic since Florida is up to its knees in swamp land. See the difference?
disclaimer: This post was meant to be funny... not insulting. (Gotta CYA a lot these days!)
If you contact one of the members of the GOCC, they can likely get any government entity into the project that is willing to work with open source. It's actually a really cool initiative and will hopefully drive consistent open source applications in government.
Novell doesn't need to create an open source directory since there are already plenty of directories that work well wtih Linux - including Novell's own eDirectory which is the successor to NDS. eDirectory is now OS-agnostic and doesn't even need NetWare to run. It's one of the reasons that GroupWise (also soon to be available natively under Linux) runs so well in Windows-only environments.
Now... if we're looking for a *free* directory from Novell under Linux, don't hold your breath. eDirectory is an excellent product (beats AD in almost all areas, in my opinion) for which Novell should be paid.
However, do take a look at Novell's site. At one point, they were offering something like 250,000 free eDirectory seats - the OS didn't matter.
Don't buy Bud if you don't like their practices. It's a simple, capitalist solution to the perceived problem.
Me - as long as they don't know that it's Scott Q. Slashdot buying the stuff, I really don't care what they gather.
If management has truly made up their mind on this issue, whining about it isn't probably the best option. If, after using Windows for some time, he thinks it's a step backwards (and he has REALLY given it a shot), he should write up a justification for switching back to Linux for management that includes the impact of the switch. If he screws around, whines all the time and then says "I want my Linux back", he's not going to have any credibility.
I think you're right in that he's saying that Windows offers a full meal in that Windows includes a number of services. This isn't to say that Linux doesn't offer a lot of services, though. It seems like he's saying that Linux is more flexible in what they're offering so you can get JUST a web server with no other software installed if you want. It's more difficult to break down the Windows services to get just what you want and only have to pay for what you want. It seems like his question is asking "Do we lower the price of the whole meal (ALL of the services) or go to an a la carte menu?"
I'm not arguing the merits of Linux vs. Windows here - just trying to get a handle on "free".
When you're talking about large enterprise installations, or installations where people want the backing or support of a company, Linux does cost money - ie: Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Yeah, you can download new packages and install updates, but it's easier to use RHN, etc.
I just finished the last book of this trilogy. I've read way too much fantasy in the past couple years and it's sometimes hard to find a new author that I really like. This series is BY FAR one of the best I have read. I was hooked from the first few pages of the first book.
:-)
It's not on the list, but I thought I'd pitch it!
For the record, I really try to give users the benefits of the doubt when it comes to technology. But there comes a point when - you just throw your hands up. You know it - we've all been there.
We're an Exchange/Outlook shop (but in the past 2.5 years have only had ONE machine infected with anything). If you've used Outlook, you know that when you create a new meeting request or appointment, you can easily adjust the time on the calendar form or on the appointment form itself.
Our new conference call scheduling system uses standard Outlook forms and sends email message out to participants. The other day, I got a call from an irate user telling me that her people had been telling her for weeks that 1/2 hour is simply too short for their calls. She was mad that we hadn't fixed this glaring problem yet. I calmly told her that she just needs to adjust the start and end times of the appointment...
I guess it woldn't frustrate me so much if we didn't get multiple similar calls eveyr single day from the same user!
Labor laws are tough. It all depends on where you live. In CA, where the labor laws VERY strongly favor the employee, you might have a chance. However, take a serious look at the job you were doing. Yeah - the "MIS professional" title sucks, but CAN be a problem in your case. Your best option: talk to a local lawyer well versed in your state's (and federal) employment laws.
I hate to be negative, but you're probably in for a fight that you'll lose. First, take a gander at your job description. If you have management responsibilities of any kind, forget overtime. If you work fairly autonomously and make your own judgement calls in a lot of situations, you can probably hang up the overtime case. If, on the other hand, your boss gave you a schedule of exactly what was to be done at the beginning of the week or you worked under very close supervision (not meaning you were micromanaged), you might get somewhere.
Consider also: is it worth it? If it's a couple of thousand dollars, is it worth the "I sued my former employer" chain that will hang around your beck for the rest of your career? On the other hand, if you're looking at tens of thousands of dollars, it might be worth it.
Unfortunately, this is a frightfully possible scenario.
I seriously believe that, within the next few years, the American economy - IT in particular - is going to begin to suffer tremendously because of patent and other IP laws in this country as well as unchecked litigation.
It's getting to the point where "lock out" is a very real possibility for ANYTHING new being introduced. When that happens, the rest of the world is going to seriously trounce us while we stifle under thousands of lawsuits over stupid patents and overbroad IP laws that serve only to protect corporation's bottom line. Not to mention the absolutely ridiculous judgements that are coming from these cases - for example, Eolas vs. MS at $521M.
And with cross licensing of patent portfolios, the rise of companies whose business plans read "buy patents and sue everything that moves" and armies of lawyers looking for a buck, we're seriously screwed. You can forget the little guy starting a new tech company with a potential new product. As soon as he hits someone's radar, he'll get squashed like a bug.
You know... it's only recently that I've taken up a "future of doom" attitude, but all of this stuff is really scary. We don't have rights anymore - corporations (and Ashcroft) have been steadily stripping the American people of their rights and freedoms, which is just sad. So much of what this country used to stand for has been forgotten in the name of the bottom line and "homeland security". Sure, we still have it good as far as freedom goes, but I really think that, in my lifetime (I'm 30), the U.S. will be relegated to second class citizen while the EU, China and India destroy us. And we're bringing it all on outselves with this short sighted crap.
Sorry... soapbox.
SCO has been saying for quite a while that companies should indemnify their users if everything thinks that SCO doesn't really have a case. Novell did it, albeit with some catches, which I think are completely reasonable. While Novell has been lauded as of late as the good guy (which I still think they are), it's important to remember that they are still a business, just spent a whole lot of money buying Ximian and SuSE and need to make money to keep going. Yeah - Linux is "free" and all that, but when a company like Novell puts their support behind it, there IS going to be a cost.
I worked in K-12 for a few years as a network engineer and programmer (weird combo, but's served me well)
The particular district I worked for supported three school districts on a single Data General minicomputer. This meant three separate student databases. When we wrote new apps, we would install the app and then create a symbolic link to the student database for which we were installing it. In this way, a single new app could be easily rolled out to all three.
Once... (just once!), I rolled out the new app and linked to the wrong student database. Without remembering thatI had changed directories, I deleted the symbolic link to the student database... or so I thought until the phone started ringing. I had deleted the entire student database - not the link.
Fortunately, we had a good backup from the night before and this had taken place in the morning...
I understand what you're saying, but consider this: there are dozens of distros out there that are claiming to be the nest best Linux desktop. Sure, there are only a half a dozen true contenders for mind share. However, to someone who doesn't understand the Linux market, Lindows, Xandros, Red Hat, etc, etc, etc all look like companies offering different products. Yeah, they're different but built for the same purpose.
Consider also the development efforts going on. Each distro is customized to a certain extent meaning that there is a lot of duplicate effort going on.
I'm not saying this is necessarily BAD, but what I WOULD like to see are some commonalities at some point. OpenOffice is a good start - now, ditch KOffice and apply those resources to making OO even better. That kind of thing.
Desktop choice is getting better, but a typical user doesn't care about KDE vs. Gnome - they just want their computer to work so they can do their jobs. Take the best of both KDE and Gnome and create a great desktop environment (a la Red Hat to a certain extent).
There is such a thing as too much choice - I think that is part of what has the potential to hinder Linux uptake.
We're a 50 person non-profit. We do training only when required.>br>
Training for XP hasn't been needed at all. People upgraded from Windows 98 have just been able to run with it.
Ok - I have to admit that this is funny. :-)
I actually (and surprisingly!) did ok this time. The maturity level of the average Slashdot reader must be rising :-)
We, unfortunately, had an app that required Exchange for a while and a migration from Novell/GroupWise was made about 3 years before I got there. That app is on it's way out the door though. I'll tell you this, I think replacing the Exchange/Outlook combo will be extraordinarily difficult - not from a technical aspect, per se, although, even with its flaws, Exchange is a good app. With Outlook, it's easy for my users to do pretty much whatever they need.
Actually, I am the IT Director and responsible for this stuff.
I've been rolling XP onto desks with no training for my users and having NO trouble. We did a pilot before we went organization-wide and all of our apps worked with no problems and the users had no trouble.
My goal is this: provide my users with stable, usable tools to do their job in a cost efficient manner. After doing the analysis, XP was the better choice -- FOR NOW. I did NOT sign a long term license nor am I just going Microsoft to go Microsoft.
In fact, I just replaced SQL Server 7 on Windows NT with a PostgreSQL server running Linux.
It was a drop in the bucket compared to the cost to retrain my users, retool my apps (some of which we would need to mess with WINE or CrossOver office and hence, buy licenses anyway), and to deal with the hassle from my users. With the new systems, I can just put them on the user's desk and they're instantly productive. Sure, if we were a tech company with technical users, I might do something different, but at my organization, the computer is a means to an end.