a) minimal b) usually things nobody will ever use in their job unless they become teachers c) taught by teachers who have a lower grasp of the subject than some of their students d) computer courses are taken by people not interested in computers - but because they think it'll look good on their CV & they'll earn more money e) was seen for a very long time as a "technical subject" and therefore received less attention than core National curriculum subjects & other "academic" subjects f) there is a great technological divide betweeen the rich & poor here - the "digital divide"
There's more - but it boils down to this in a nutshell:-
There are plenty of "computer jobs" but maybe a thousand or so in the country competent enough to do them. Demand is > supply so they lower their standards.
However many people in the UK complained about it to their local councillors (local government representatives), MPs (national government representatives) or MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) I doubt anything would be done as in the UK & EU we don't have the laws on the statute books under which California reached its settlement with Microsoft.
I am sure (at least some) of the representatives here are aware that their constituents are victims of a convicted monopolist - they just don't see it as anything they can change or do anything about. Microsoft software isn't an issue that people feel strongly enough about here to threaten to vote for someone else.
Please bear in mind that in the UK computer personnel get appointed on the following scale:-
1) If their CV looks "impressive" eg qualifications count more than experience
2) If they can bluff their way through an interview
3) If they have no clue whatsoever to do the job they're appointed to
In answer to your questions:-
1) A lazy or clueless sysadmin 2) See above answer
3) See above answer 4) Ha ha ha - most companies here aren't even running firewalls - the reason the firewall doesn't block outbound traffic is because there isn't one.
Err, doesn't it seem a little unfair that most Microsoft "customers" won't get these vouchers? As I'm not a California resident - I won't have a voucher to donate to the FSF.
I try to limit the amount of paper used as far as possible. In this day and age - graphics tablets, decent graphics software I'm sure Disney have figured out that it's cheaper and more efficient to use a computer.
It also gives the animators more artistic freedoms as well as freedom from some of the drudgery of cell animation where every single frame has to be drawn by hand.
1) I would never vote for a politician who was that shallow or obsessed with technology.
2) There are plenty of things in life that aren't fast - that's why patience is a virtue.;)
3) Well maybe that's the true purpose of voting in the States but here in the UK you vote to choose a respresentative eg councillor, MP, MEP etc - or over an issue - joing the EU, devolution.
I don't have a congressman as I'm not an American citizen. I've never even been to America. So the chances of me writing to an American congressman in support of electronic voting are rather minimal.
Here in the UK each person entitled to vote has a number on the electoral register. This number is on their ballot paper - so it would be possible to find out which way they voted (in theory). I think this seems against the principle of a secret ballot - but it may be a device so that there can be checks in place against somebody voting twice - I'm not sure.
" Every single step of the tallying process should be under the direct scrutiny of multiple persons"
That's the way it is here - from what I remember of the count at a local election - there were counters, head counters and each political party had people officially nominated to check the counters were counting correctly. There were also police there (just in case disorder broke out I suppose - but they seemed extremely bored and uninterested).
They're hoping to try out e-voting and all postal votes in areas of the UK too. I think part of the reason behind this is a desire to increase voter participation by making it easier for people to vote. In fact the government introduced the European Parliamentary and Local Elections (Pilots) Bill last week. Here all elections are done the same way - I suppose if the government wants to change it they've got to bring in a new law. There are (currently) three ways to vote:-
on the day at a polling station postal vote by proxy (nominating somebody to vote for you)
What are the problems with the current system of a piece of paper and an X? How would this new system overcome them? Most importantly, what extra problems would this new system cause? These are all questions that should be answered before any public money is spent on changing the way people can vote.
Yes but an electronic system can be more easily interfered with than a paper one. How about a paper ballot but where the computer just counts the Xs? This should work out as more accurate than letting people count.
Yes but the flip side of that is that if users have hard to remember passwords eg tyGDgh6y - then they can often forget them (and be forever ringing up). Web servers should have procedures in place to at least slow down dictionary attacks anyway....
Slashdot Mirror
Here education (regarding computers) is:-
a) minimal
b) usually things nobody will ever use in their job unless they become teachers
c) taught by teachers who have a lower grasp of the subject than some of their students
d) computer courses are taken by people not interested in computers - but because they think it'll look good on their CV & they'll earn more money
e) was seen for a very long time as a "technical subject" and therefore received less attention than core National curriculum subjects & other "academic" subjects
f) there is a great technological divide betweeen the rich & poor here - the "digital divide"
There's more - but it boils down to this in a nutshell:-
There are plenty of "computer jobs" but maybe a thousand or so in the country competent enough to do them. Demand is > supply so they lower their standards.
However many people in the UK complained about it to their local councillors (local government representatives), MPs (national government representatives) or MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) I doubt anything would be done as in the UK & EU we don't have the laws on the statute books under which California reached its settlement with Microsoft.
I am sure (at least some) of the representatives here are aware that their constituents are victims of a convicted monopolist - they just don't see it as anything they can change or do anything about. Microsoft software isn't an issue that people feel strongly enough about here to threaten to vote for someone else.
Please bear in mind that in the UK computer personnel get appointed on the following scale:-
1) If their CV looks "impressive" eg qualifications count more than experience
2) If they can bluff their way through an interview
3) If they have no clue whatsoever to do the job they're appointed to
In answer to your questions:-
1) A lazy or clueless sysadmin
2) See above answer
3) See above answer
4) Ha ha ha - most companies here aren't even running firewalls - the reason the firewall doesn't block outbound traffic is because there isn't one.
Err, doesn't it seem a little unfair that most Microsoft "customers" won't get these vouchers? As I'm not a California resident - I won't have a voucher to donate to the FSF.
Would anyone mind actually pointing out applications that would need such speed?
I try to limit the amount of paper used as far as possible. In this day and age - graphics tablets, decent graphics software I'm sure Disney have figured out that it's cheaper and more efficient to use a computer.
It also gives the animators more artistic freedoms as well as freedom from some of the drudgery of cell animation where every single frame has to be drawn by hand.
"IBM has Notes, so it doesn't need GroupWise."
Yes - but if you buy up the competition you can then raise prices as there's less competition in the marketplace.
It sounds like the kind of article an anti-Linux Microsoft employee would write - lol. Lets just hope nobody takes it seriously....
That was very well put and more comprehensive than the other replies I've seen on this story so far.
1) I would never vote for a politician who was that shallow or obsessed with technology.
;)
2) There are plenty of things in life that aren't fast - that's why patience is a virtue.
3) Well maybe that's the true purpose of voting in the States but here in the UK you vote to choose a respresentative eg councillor, MP, MEP etc - or over an issue - joing the EU, devolution.
I don't have a congressman as I'm not an American citizen. I've never even been to America. So the chances of me writing to an American congressman in support of electronic voting are rather minimal.
"Casting votes should be anonymous"
Here in the UK each person entitled to vote has a number on the electoral register. This number is on their ballot paper - so it would be possible to find out which way they voted (in theory). I think this seems against the principle of a secret ballot - but it may be a device so that there can be checks in place against somebody voting twice - I'm not sure.
" Every single step of the tallying process should be under the direct scrutiny of multiple persons"
That's the way it is here - from what I remember of the count at a local election - there were counters, head counters and each political party had people officially nominated to check the counters were counting correctly. There were also police there (just in case disorder broke out I suppose - but they seemed extremely bored and uninterested).
They're hoping to try out e-voting and all postal votes in areas of the UK too. I think part of the reason behind this is a desire to increase voter participation by making it easier for people to vote. In fact the government introduced the European Parliamentary and Local Elections (Pilots) Bill last week. Here all elections are done the same way - I suppose if the government wants to change it they've got to bring in a new law. There are (currently) three ways to vote:-
on the day at a polling station
postal vote
by proxy (nominating somebody to vote for you)
What are the problems with the current system of a piece of paper and an X? How would this new system overcome them? Most importantly, what extra problems would this new system cause? These are all questions that should be answered before any public money is spent on changing the way people can vote.
"Researchers at Saint Louis University have engineered a strain of mouse-pox virus which kills 100% of animals it infects.."
"The engineered virus is not contagious and does not affect humans"
Humans are animals therefore a strain of mouse-pox virus which killed 100% of animals it infects would affect humans.
On a side-note - if it's not contagious - what's the point of it?
What does the phrase Small Form Factor mean - or is it a proper noun?
It was the State of California that brought the lawsuit - so they get the proceeds.
"Next time try reading the article" - you do realise this is /. right?
They then tried abroad.............
What does pigdog mean?
It's the Australian site (.com.au) which may not be able to withstand the bandwidth required. I'm sure that zdnet would though.
Yes but an electronic system can be more easily interfered with than a paper one. How about a paper ballot but where the computer just counts the Xs? This should work out as more accurate than letting people count.
Ahhh now we know what David Blaine is up to with his box.
"As surveilence technology becomes more prevelant"
;)
I survey you committing a spelling mistake.
More like wishful thinking.
Yes but the flip side of that is that if users have hard to remember passwords eg tyGDgh6y - then they can often forget them (and be forever ringing up). Web servers should have procedures in place to at least slow down dictionary attacks anyway....