The best assumption you can make is that you should be this:
1) Learn everything you can
2) Make no assumptions
3) Stick with a standard
4) Offer alternatives
For 1, people will make weird requests ("You want the frobnitz gonkulator feature?") because they saw a four-colored glossy on it, so it is obviously a good thing. You want to know it at least on the surface so, if necessary, you can give an intelligent answer as to why the frobnitz gonkulator drop-in is a Bad Idea.
One common mistake I see people making fairly frequently is the assumption that everyone who views the site will be using Internet Explorer. Like I sez in 2, assume nothing - it's a universally bad idea to make assumptions. Remember what "assume" stands for, kids? It's why you have a few sites to this day that only come up if you identify yourself as MSIE.
As for standards and alternatives, it comes back around to one thing - what can most people use, and is an alternative feasible? Can you do a text-only page for textmode browsers/blind browsers/low-bandwidth/etc? Is that 2 MB flash animation really that necessary?
Back to assumptions. Don't assume anything on your finances. Like another user said, offer hosting as well.
The interview is with a man who, admirable though he may be, graced the world with an operating system that self-destructs at the drop of a hat, has more holes than a swiss cheese in its security, and spends months denying a patch is necessary when the latest bug/hole/whatever is exposed - and people pay for this because it's more reliable. Meanwhile, anything derived from or related to he Unixes in some way shape or form finds itself being patched regularly, sometimes within hours of a hole being found - and many times, you don't really have to pay for it because the volunteers who maintain this stuff are happy to provide this service.
And that's the best that Bill Gates' company can do? These are people with a multi-million dollar budget who have enough left over to fend off lawsuits from the government and they're doing their best? Give me a break! I don't want to pay to be treated like an imbecile.
Like you said, it's more or less a contradiction. But, the article says this:
The SCO Group said today it had never planned to sue any Linux companies, had no concrete plans to sue anyone and also no current plans to take a commercial Linux customer to court.
Kinda leaves us users out in the lurch, methinks. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Having said that there's not much you can do in a previous post, it occurs to me that one can use GnuPG to sign their messages or encrypt as necessary. Do this persistently and hope to God your correspondents have it or PGP or a clone thereof install.
If you get Joe Jobbed, there isn't much you really can do about the problem except weather it out and set up an autoresponder for those bozos that send you flames (and thusly are what keep spam going, you insensitive clods!).
If you find that the jobber is indeed an American, though, if I recall correctly, you can sue for damages. Of course, you generally have to find the scumbag first.
Anyone can have a case in California by paying not more than $200 at their friendly neighborhood superior court house and filing appropriate paperwork. Doesn't mean they have a valid case, though.
And besides, SCO hasn't actually submitted any concrete evidence to this day.
Why don't we just get ourselves some initiative here? Send them snail letters.
No, not like mine. I'm talking like postcards. Just think, each of us sends one per day, and it says something ridiculous like "all your base are belong to us" or something.
Why not email? Because email can be deleted. The snail mail will tie up their mailroom.
Let's see, you're suing IBM for billions on the grounds of what boils down to violation of somebody else's copyright, and you have the nards to go and complain that IBM is beating the shit out of you with a clue-by-four? You knew the job was dangerous when you took it, so take your lumps like the fucking wannabe-billionaire man you are, pal!
Slashdot Mirror
That's insensitive clod, you insensitive clod!
1) Learn everything you can
2) Make no assumptions
3) Stick with a standard
4) Offer alternatives
For 1, people will make weird requests ("You want the frobnitz gonkulator feature?") because they saw a four-colored glossy on it, so it is obviously a good thing. You want to know it at least on the surface so, if necessary, you can give an intelligent answer as to why the frobnitz gonkulator drop-in is a Bad Idea.
One common mistake I see people making fairly frequently is the assumption that everyone who views the site will be using Internet Explorer. Like I sez in 2, assume nothing - it's a universally bad idea to make assumptions. Remember what "assume" stands for, kids? It's why you have a few sites to this day that only come up if you identify yourself as MSIE.
As for standards and alternatives, it comes back around to one thing - what can most people use, and is an alternative feasible? Can you do a text-only page for textmode browsers/blind browsers/low-bandwidth/etc? Is that 2 MB flash animation really that necessary?
Back to assumptions. Don't assume anything on your finances. Like another user said, offer hosting as well.
It's an idea spawned by Maytag bleu cheese.
This link takes you to such a project on Freshmeat. Yeah, it's beta, but my experience has it that if it's beta, there are very few problems.
And that's the best that Bill Gates' company can do? These are people with a multi-million dollar budget who have enough left over to fend off lawsuits from the government and they're doing their best? Give me a break! I don't want to pay to be treated like an imbecile.
Yes, the quote is decontexted, but it just sounds so silly. "We feel very bad."
No. On those grounds one can copyright email addresses, phone numbers, snail mail addresses, directory trees....
Does AOHell block these guys?
Considering you said ATM, my first thought was Automated Teller Machines - which run on an OS/2 package.
The SCO Group said today it had never planned to sue any Linux companies, had no concrete plans to sue anyone and also no current plans to take a commercial Linux customer to court.
Kinda leaves us users out in the lurch, methinks. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
How is it that people seem to think that the resources available stagnate?
Film at eleven.
Never underestimate the bandwidth of three CDRoms sent via snail mail.
Having said that there's not much you can do in a previous post, it occurs to me that one can use GnuPG to sign their messages or encrypt as necessary. Do this persistently and hope to God your correspondents have it or PGP or a clone thereof install.
Never mind the release date! When are we going to see the next SCO article?
Considering these guys as reputable press is like calling donuts health food.
If you find that the jobber is indeed an American, though, if I recall correctly, you can sue for damages. Of course, you generally have to find the scumbag first.
And seven days. You forgot the seven days, sir.
Ken and Dennis wrote the code that SCO owns before they owned it? Wait, I thought they were IBM employees like ESR!
Easily Scientologists. Mormons aren't so litigious and are *nothing* like LRH's minions.
So if they basically buy out SCO, what happens to the UNIX source? Granted, I'd like to see it released openly by Big Blue....
Anyone can have a case in California by paying not more than $200 at their friendly neighborhood superior court house and filing appropriate paperwork. Doesn't mean they have a valid case, though.
And besides, SCO hasn't actually submitted any concrete evidence to this day.
So, what of it?
No, not like mine. I'm talking like postcards. Just think, each of us sends one per day, and it says something ridiculous like "all your base are belong to us" or something. Why not email? Because email can be deleted. The snail mail will tie up their mailroom.
Let's see, you're suing IBM for billions on the grounds of what boils down to violation of somebody else's copyright, and you have the nards to go and complain that IBM is beating the shit out of you with a clue-by-four? You knew the job was dangerous when you took it, so take your lumps like the fucking wannabe-billionaire man you are, pal!
So what's the difference?