Great review and great book. Just wanted to also point out that http://www.elinux.org/ (a site I edit) is a fantastic wiki for information regarding embedded linux and it's only getting better. We recently merged content from elinux.org (the original) and the CELF Public Wiki. Also, the wiki will be relaunched officially at OLS.
According to Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), which bills itself as a "center of gravity" for Linux development, Free BSD is on a separate path compared to Linux.
Then why aren't they called the Linux Development Labs?
In other news, the hourly rate for experienced C programmers just doubled.
FWIW, out on the bleeding edge of technology, everything older then a year is dead or dying. But back in the real world, in the other side of the chasm, we're still coding in Cobol, C and Fortran, maintaining the odd snippets of Assembly code and wondering what this odd, two button thing is attached to our terminals.
Is it just me, or does anyone else picture ESR dressed up as Yosemite Sam, jumping up and down in his backyard firing his pistols into the air after receiving one of these leaked memos?
In my opinion, Marcel provides an intelligent, readable, and most importantly FUN introduction to Linux. A first line of support for many Linux newbie's is their local LUG mailing list where more often than not (but not always) they're berated by the local alphageeks for asking a question that's been answered 100 times previously on the list or in scads of documentation. Unfortunately, newbies just want things to work, they don't want to know how it works. These types of responses usually result in their retreat back to the safety of Windows.
Whether we like it or not, the latter situation is only going to increase, as more and more users migrate to Linux. Marcel's book stands as an excellent resource for anyone newbie's who don't mind doing a little reading. And for those who don't, Marcel offers both a mailing list and an IRC channel (#wftl on server: www.marcelgagne.com) for painless, alphageek free help.
Today I posted a portion of this report (the Laptop) section to the Apple forums as I am one of the many with a dead iBook. Specifically, the iBook (dual USB) display forum. I posted it this afternoon and was just informed by their forumbot that it was removed:
Your post titled "Ars Technica calls iBook flaw Ugly" has been removed from Apple Discussions. Posts including (but not limited to) any of the following are not appropriate:
Discussions of Apple policies and procedures (including pricing and repair policies)
Speculations/rumors about future Apple decisions
Questions/rumors about unreleased products
Posts in the technical forums that are not directly related to a technical support issue
Polls, petitions, auctions, or advertisements
Posts that are only complaints
Posts which contain or imply abusive or obscene language
Posts which are abusive to other Discussions users
etc. etc.
That's what I get for Thinking Differently.
I wonder what Jobs would do if he were in my shoes?
This story is particularly timely given the the Canadian Linux Users Exchange is planning a National Windows Refund Day in the near future.
Cheers
Bill
How is this type of offer any different from Bill Gates doing the same for a school, government or non-profit? This is no different then MS donating millions to the University of Waterloo in order to make C# the default language taught in E&CE courses. A deal that was on hold last time I looked.
When Lawrence Lessig answered your questions he said "Those who get it (e.g., you) are pathetically apolitical. You're proud of your apathy. You're disgusted with people who try to persuade politicians. So am I. But while you do nothing, the future of creativity and innovation is sold in DC - typically to the highest, and most disgusting bidder."
I agree with Lessig and I challenge the Open Source Community leaders to rally the troops; yell from mountain tops. Where are the figureheads of Open Source when we really need them? Sleeping under their desks again, I presume.
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Great review and great book. Just wanted to also point out that http://www.elinux.org/ (a site I edit) is a fantastic wiki for information regarding embedded linux and it's only getting better. We recently merged content from elinux.org (the original) and the CELF Public Wiki. Also, the wiki will be relaunched officially at OLS.
I haven't read this book, however, the concept sounds very similar to Marcel Gagne's book Move to Linux: Kiss the Blue Screen of Death Goodbye. I wonder if Mr. Grant read this book before he "decided to write up a set of instructions on his own"?
According to Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), which bills itself as a "center of gravity" for Linux development, Free BSD is on a separate path compared to Linux. Then why aren't they called the Linux Development Labs?
In other news, the hourly rate for experienced C programmers just doubled. FWIW, out on the bleeding edge of technology, everything older then a year is dead or dying. But back in the real world, in the other side of the chasm, we're still coding in Cobol, C and Fortran, maintaining the odd snippets of Assembly code and wondering what this odd, two button thing is attached to our terminals.
Is it just me, or does anyone else picture ESR dressed up as Yosemite Sam, jumping up and down in his backyard firing his pistols into the air after receiving one of these leaked memos?
In my opinion, Marcel provides an intelligent, readable, and most importantly FUN introduction to Linux. A first line of support for many Linux newbie's is their local LUG mailing list where more often than not (but not always) they're berated by the local alphageeks for asking a question that's been answered 100 times previously on the list or in scads of documentation. Unfortunately, newbies just want things to work, they don't want to know how it works. These types of responses usually result in their retreat back to the safety of Windows. Whether we like it or not, the latter situation is only going to increase, as more and more users migrate to Linux. Marcel's book stands as an excellent resource for anyone newbie's who don't mind doing a little reading. And for those who don't, Marcel offers both a mailing list and an IRC channel (#wftl on server: www.marcelgagne.com) for painless, alphageek free help.
Your post titled "Ars Technica calls iBook flaw Ugly" has been removed from Apple Discussions. Posts including (but not limited to) any of the following are not appropriate:
- Discussions of Apple policies and procedures (including pricing and repair policies)
- Speculations/rumors about future Apple decisions
- Questions/rumors about unreleased products
- Posts in the technical forums that are not directly related to a technical support issue
- Polls, petitions, auctions, or advertisements
- Posts that are only complaints
- Posts which contain or imply abusive or obscene language
- Posts which are abusive to other Discussions users
etc. etc. That's what I get for Thinking Differently. I wonder what Jobs would do if he were in my shoes?This story is particularly timely given the the Canadian Linux Users Exchange is planning a National Windows Refund Day in the near future. Cheers Bill
How is this type of offer any different from Bill Gates doing the same for a school, government or non-profit? This is no different then MS donating millions to the University of Waterloo in order to make C# the default language taught in E&CE courses. A deal that was on hold last time I looked.
Why can't billionaires compete to see who can feed the most starving children, build the most affordable housing or cure the most diseases?
When Lawrence Lessig answered your questions he said "Those who get it (e.g., you) are pathetically apolitical. You're proud of your apathy. You're disgusted with people who try to persuade politicians. So am I. But while you do nothing, the future of creativity and innovation is sold in DC - typically to the highest, and most disgusting bidder." I agree with Lessig and I challenge the Open Source Community leaders to rally the troops; yell from mountain tops. Where are the figureheads of Open Source when we really need them? Sleeping under their desks again, I presume.