Sorry to burst your bubble there but every state/federally funded department goes through an audit annually. Part of such as department is a verification using a sampling (probably in such a big org, 1 or 2%) of the cases where all the paperwork and math are verified for completeness and accuracy. Such calulations are accessible (the vendor may not share how they do it, but the result is based on state policy.)
If the Software fails the audit, it will be reported back to the agency.
Now if you want to appeal for what you think is an erroneous calulation, first contact the governing agency and request the formula they use in your situation (usually based on many factors, family size, income, state poverty level, etc, etc.), now run the math on paper and if there is a descrepency then you could bring it up to the head agency, if you can prove it's wrong (even better if you can show WHY it's wrong), it will give you a better standing than just saying that you are just paying way too much.
Starter Edition allows only three applications to be run concurrently. According to Microsoft, this limitation 'helps [users] stay organized and reduces confusion.'"
Then my Commodore 64 beats Windows XP by a mile. Whoo hoo! the OS wars are OVER!
"I never let my schooling get in the way of my education." Mark Twain
I don't hold any papers but I certainly have a lot of code running to back up my abilities. As many said, books and the internet usually provide better education at the pace of many programmers.
The old Minis were built like tanks, modern computers aren't always as robust. Beyond emulating the CPU itself you will also have to emulate all the related software specific peripherals ("select next tape reel image now.")
Also how would you emulate those special peripherals that you may use with your old iron system?
On the other hand, it would be a lot of work, and it may buy a company a few years but probably it will lead to a re-write of the system. The good part about that is you then get the emulation team to properly document the data formats, etc. so the upgrade/conversion team can convert over all the old data.
Book-Disk Combos
on
Moving To Linux
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I agree, the book-disk combos can be really good, shop around though if you are beyond novice stage some of the books only cover the basics like selecting printers or simple applications.
Being more of a long toothed techie, I went for the thick "Red Hat Linux 8 Bible" last year. It's nice to have a book that describes something that you also have immediate access to (the linucx and all apps are included in envelopes on the inside covers), and which wonderfully goes into sufficient detail on many of the underlying/administrative features of Linux to get you a leg up to get in groove enough to avoid serious flame responses whan asking questions on the various Linux newsgroups.
In leiu of a Windows or MacOS level of ease of install & configuration features these books help fill in those gaps nicely.
After installing Slate Mag 1.0 on thier portal the new owners discover it only accepts users running on IE v6+, it's loaded with a bunch of spyware and seems to keep linking thier readers over to MSN... hmmm.
It's all about the bottom line and usually not about what works better or more efficiently.
Schools are compelled go to the MS/x86 route because:
a) Microsoft practially gives away OS/Office licenses to schools. Apple may discount their but it isn't much of a comparison.
b) PC hardware is cheap, and with Windows 98/200 you can still run on relatively old/inexpensive hardware. Later Macs and OSX are increasing in prices and system requirements.
c) Schools find it difficult to find suitible support staff to maintain tens to hundreds of non-windows boxes (in the classroom and in administration). Even less at the salaries they offer to those non-classified positions.
d) a lot of vendors know where the big bux are at and that is selling to the majority of Windows systems instead a minority of other OSs. Even though there are proportionally more Mac apps for education they are also usually slightly higer in price than the PC versions (less sales, more cost).
e) schools are nowadays reactive (looking for a quick fix) and less proactive (looking to the long-term solution) in just about everything. Even though better systems/OSs may be out there the short term cost (mostly in training/support) is considered too much.
f) even with all the above that spurns their purchase I know many aren't at all happy about thew situation either. For many administrators it's just the only possible route (in their mind). There's not much they see that can be done about the security and or viruses, etc., so then they react to defective systems/security they probably will lock down the kids access instead of the solving the computer problem with the machines.
My suggestion, make Linux/OS X easier to learn, accessible, affordable and and have the necessary software available for schools to transition and then the administrators will be able to look at the merits of open source and security benefits.
I have been an Mac fan for over a decade and with the new stock of Apple products I think Apple's new digital lifestyle (ala DRM) direction is losing ground in Education. Linux has more educational potential (due to it's openness and accessibility) in my opinion now.
There was an old toy I had when I was a kid (70s), it held a stack of yellow plastic disks (about 3" diamter) in a drop load cylindar. You pull back a rubber band lever which dropped the bottom disk into a disk sized rectangular barrel under the cylindar, releasing the lever snaps it back - the disk pushing part of the lever mechanism was curved in a way so as it went back it spun the disc as it forced the disk out the barrel. Could probably de done with CDs with a bit more percision design work.
Another cool feature was at the top of the ammo cylindar was a rectangular funnel so you could theoretically catch disks shot at you and they would be back ready to be shot back.
I looked for a picture but I couldn't find one on-line, though I am sure I've seen smaller versions in the cheap-toy section of places like Target or Wal-Mart.
Indention, syntax coloring, loop/conditional indicator lines (not to forget ability to collapse loops/conditionals for readability). Playing with KWrite with some PHP sure makes me look at my other code editors with a heavy sigh. Of course all those GUI featurees as copy paste, etc. too.
Just try to get your contracted company to *give* you the source code of the program they developed with your money. As a small non-profit we see alot of our fellow agencies spend umpteen thousand dollars in deveopment costs for thier agency's programs only to have thier contractor turn to the other agencies in the field to sell it again to them as well.
The next problem is that if a cash strapped agency (and 100% of non-profits usually are) does get the source code, that non-profit itself will turn around and try to license the use of that code to others as a new revenue source for themselves.
The most difficult part in such a field is there really isn't enough tehnicaly knowledgeable staff to advocate for it much less support it (many agencies have a 10 to 15% administrative budget - at best - i.e. 10% of contract/grant monies to administrate a social service, which includes staff, etc.). Though with the dot com bust, I think the tech skills in the non-profit arena are rising.
Now I see why they think printed ballots would be so expensive, they probably are told that the voting machines each would have to be hooked to a computer with a printer. Why don't these guys
*just fix the software*?
Oh wait, I's a closed source system, so it's not a software problem (can't see it, so no problem!)...:-/
In the early 80s
DOS boxes were too expensive, played lousy games and were for business (yuck)
In 1987 (now working)
We went with a Mac at work, because Dos/Windows boxes were way harder to use than the Macintosh (our primary app at the time was the newsletter for our non-profit agency).
In the 90s
There were no compelling apps for Windows that the Mac didin't already have just as good - if not better (in databases or anything else). also the Mac was still beating the PC in DTP. Though over the decade alot of the vast selection of various competing Macware has dried up or been bought up (by MS).
Now
I see Windows as the slum of the OS world where your computer gets jacked every day. Also the $$ and Licensing models of MS (and others) are getting near draconian. Add to that the Apple community is starting to follow MS's lead by getting OSX out the door way before the product is solid, its lost much of its simplicity, pricing is rising, and the array of competing apps for the Mac are not longer as abundant.
To me, this makes Linux a very viable option now, in the past year I have seen alot of improvement on the Linux desktop the tools are freely available, and it's now well worth the effort of getting over the steep learning curve. Also with Linux I'm seeing nothing but flexible on what is being offered, developed, or possible.
Abnyone see this an an opportunity to re-create the poster so folks can put it on thier wall and it will make more sense? Sure looks like cool nerdware to me.
Thought about Job's decision's - I think he saw the potential to turn someting utilitarian (but cool looking) into marketing, by putting fab colors and having a known artist's signature - he made the poster a techno-artwork that the elite would show off instead of geared for hard-working nerds who just wanted to write bug-free code.
Look that is the guy's mom, not some geek in thier larval state looking toward developing OS cores, she want something fun to work with on the computer.
BASIC is very easy to learn and for most of the hobiest homebody types it's a great laguage to fiddle around with the sytax is easily understood and there is not much constraint on structure (may be bad for you, for those who aren't bitheads it's great), so what if they write up a kludge, that 48 line measurement converter will never end up on sourceforge.
Now you are saying that what if they do write something cool, that doesn't stop cousin Sam from re-coding it into Java. For all it's [ercived faults BASIC can do just about anything any other language can, it won't be pretty, it won't be fast but for some just proving they could do it is just enough.
Chipmunk BASIC is my reccomendation, runs on most OSs and is very similar to the old Microsoft Level I/II BASIC. Most old BASIC game and programming books would work perfect with it, in fact given it's the older generation you should consider that they probaly don't have the patience for man pages, they will want some learning materials portable enough to read in the easy chair while Days of Our Lives is on
It's like Software Etc. a few years back.
on
TechTV.com RIP
·
· Score: 1
Software Etc in the 90s had a generally good selection of software, lots of different categories (a whole shelf of word processing/spreadsheet programs, etc.) then it was bought out and merges with a bunch of other video game stores and turned into just another games store (along with the other names like Babbages, etc), you are truly lucky if they even stock just MS Office besides the tons of games now.
I think Tech/TV G4 is going in the same direction, you will be lucky if you see a review for something that isn't a videogame, MS, Adobe, Nvidia of another big bux company.
I don't think the big advertisers really like screensavers or call for help all that much, too much of helping people by fixing stuff they already bought instead of plugging their new prodcts.
Yep I'm going to Tech-TV too, until something better comes along, then I'll be watching that.
One of the picture show the three case colors - one in command gold, one on sciences blue and the third in operations red. Yep, the red shirt box is out there! Though some may be more interested in the Spock/McCoy blue or the Kirk Gold. I think it would have been more noticible if they did some black trim on the, or put the command/sciences insignias on the casings.
tThese and many of other modern "real" languages are very BASICish the syntax is generally the same. The main difference is the change in program structure over the years and more advanced features.
When you have to write a complete game from scratch in three hours on a vintage 'stock' micro (i.e. Apple IIe, Commodore 64, Atari 800, etc.) BASIC is the best way to go... and last year I won.:-)...I don't have a copy of that one currently.
And the Tech guys at the school district will be replacing them as fast as you can say "non-standard CD disk-size insertion." IIRC Pokemon has something on card disk available. I would have assumed the try loads are more reliable....
Maybe they plan to lock-up the CD slot when jr. takes the ibook home...
Heared it for years from people with their "trusty" Commodore 64s, Kaypro's, Apple IIs, Atari STs, etc. Also you can attribute that to printers, Modems, network routers, etc.
But once a company tries to leverage it's market by playing on the established loyalty (i.e. coaxing Commodore 64 users to all gewt Amigas or long time mac OS Mac users to all switch to OS X) they may hurt their reputation even worse, as a loyal customer scorned they are in a good position to voice their opinions.
Slashdot Mirror
If the Software fails the audit, it will be reported back to the agency.
Now if you want to appeal for what you think is an erroneous calulation, first contact the governing agency and request the formula they use in your situation (usually based on many factors, family size, income, state poverty level, etc, etc.), now run the math on paper and if there is a descrepency then you could bring it up to the head agency, if you can prove it's wrong (even better if you can show WHY it's wrong), it will give you a better standing than just saying that you are just paying way too much.
Then my Commodore 64 beats Windows XP by a mile. Whoo hoo! the OS wars are OVER!
Mark Twain
I don't hold any papers but I certainly have a lot of code running to back up my abilities. As many said, books and the internet usually provide better education at the pace of many programmers.
Also how would you emulate those special peripherals that you may use with your old iron system?
On the other hand, it would be a lot of work, and it may buy a company a few years but probably it will lead to a re-write of the system. The good part about that is you then get the emulation team to properly document the data formats, etc. so the upgrade/conversion team can convert over all the old data.
Being more of a long toothed techie, I went for the thick "Red Hat Linux 8 Bible" last year. It's nice to have a book that describes something that you also have immediate access to (the linucx and all apps are included in envelopes on the inside covers), and which wonderfully goes into sufficient detail on many of the underlying/administrative features of Linux to get you a leg up to get in groove enough to avoid serious flame responses whan asking questions on the various Linux newsgroups.
In leiu of a Windows or MacOS level of ease of install & configuration features these books help fill in those gaps nicely.
I really Do!
I Wish they would sell it;
instead of it doing what I want it to do,
It only does what I tell it!
Adapted from an old computer rhyme.
After installing Slate Mag 1.0 on thier portal the new owners discover it only accepts users running on IE v6+, it's loaded with a bunch of spyware and seems to keep linking thier readers over to MSN... hmmm.
Robo-librarian grinds away and comes back with something like .. English Birds
Schools are compelled go to the MS/x86 route because:
a) Microsoft practially gives away OS/Office licenses to schools. Apple may discount their but it isn't much of a comparison.
b) PC hardware is cheap, and with Windows 98/200 you can still run on relatively old/inexpensive hardware. Later Macs and OSX are increasing in prices and system requirements.
c) Schools find it difficult to find suitible support staff to maintain tens to hundreds of non-windows boxes (in the classroom and in administration). Even less at the salaries they offer to those non-classified positions.
d) a lot of vendors know where the big bux are at and that is selling to the majority of Windows systems instead a minority of other OSs. Even though there are proportionally more Mac apps for education they are also usually slightly higer in price than the PC versions (less sales, more cost).
e) schools are nowadays reactive (looking for a quick fix) and less proactive (looking to the long-term solution) in just about everything. Even though better systems/OSs may be out there the short term cost (mostly in training/support) is considered too much.
f) even with all the above that spurns their purchase I know many aren't at all happy about thew situation either. For many administrators it's just the only possible route (in their mind). There's not much they see that can be done about the security and or viruses, etc., so then they react to defective systems/security they probably will lock down the kids access instead of the solving the computer problem with the machines.
My suggestion, make Linux/OS X easier to learn, accessible, affordable and and have the necessary software available for schools to transition and then the administrators will be able to look at the merits of open source and security benefits.
I have been an Mac fan for over a decade and with the new stock of Apple products I think Apple's new digital lifestyle (ala DRM) direction is losing ground in Education. Linux has more educational potential (due to it's openness and accessibility) in my opinion now.
Another cool feature was at the top of the ammo cylindar was a rectangular funnel so you could theoretically catch disks shot at you and they would be back ready to be shot back.
I looked for a picture but I couldn't find one on-line, though I am sure I've seen smaller versions in the cheap-toy section of places like Target or Wal-Mart.
Indention, syntax coloring, loop/conditional indicator lines (not to forget ability to collapse loops/conditionals for readability). Playing with KWrite with some PHP sure makes me look at my other code editors with a heavy sigh. Of course all those GUI featurees as copy paste, etc. too.
The next problem is that if a cash strapped agency (and 100% of non-profits usually are) does get the source code, that non-profit itself will turn around and try to license the use of that code to others as a new revenue source for themselves.
The most difficult part in such a field is there really isn't enough tehnicaly knowledgeable staff to advocate for it much less support it (many agencies have a 10 to 15% administrative budget - at best - i.e. 10% of contract/grant monies to administrate a social service, which includes staff, etc.). Though with the dot com bust, I think the tech skills in the non-profit arena are rising.
Oh wait, I's a closed source system, so it's not a software problem (can't see it, so no problem!)... :-/
DOS boxes were too expensive, played lousy games and were for business (yuck)
In 1987 (now working)
We went with a Mac at work, because Dos/Windows boxes were way harder to use than the Macintosh (our primary app at the time was the newsletter for our non-profit agency).
In the 90s
There were no compelling apps for Windows that the Mac didin't already have just as good - if not better (in databases or anything else). also the Mac was still beating the PC in DTP. Though over the decade alot of the vast selection of various competing Macware has dried up or been bought up (by MS).
Now
I see Windows as the slum of the OS world where your computer gets jacked every day. Also the $$ and Licensing models of MS (and others) are getting near draconian. Add to that the Apple community is starting to follow MS's lead by getting OSX out the door way before the product is solid, its lost much of its simplicity, pricing is rising, and the array of competing apps for the Mac are not longer as abundant.
To me, this makes Linux a very viable option now, in the past year I have seen alot of improvement on the Linux desktop the tools are freely available, and it's now well worth the effort of getting over the steep learning curve. Also with Linux I'm seeing nothing but flexible on what is being offered, developed, or possible.
Thought about Job's decision's - I think he saw the potential to turn someting utilitarian (but cool looking) into marketing, by putting fab colors and having a known artist's signature - he made the poster a techno-artwork that the elite would show off instead of geared for hard-working nerds who just wanted to write bug-free code.
Look that is the guy's mom, not some geek in thier larval state looking toward developing OS cores, she want something fun to work with on the computer. BASIC is very easy to learn and for most of the hobiest homebody types it's a great laguage to fiddle around with the sytax is easily understood and there is not much constraint on structure (may be bad for you, for those who aren't bitheads it's great), so what if they write up a kludge, that 48 line measurement converter will never end up on sourceforge.
Now you are saying that what if they do write something cool, that doesn't stop cousin Sam from re-coding it into Java. For all it's [ercived faults BASIC can do just about anything any other language can, it won't be pretty, it won't be fast but for some just proving they could do it is just enough.
Chipmunk BASIC is my reccomendation, runs on most OSs and is very similar to the old Microsoft Level I/II BASIC. Most old BASIC game and programming books would work perfect with it, in fact given it's the older generation you should consider that they probaly don't have the patience for man pages, they will want some learning materials portable enough to read in the easy chair while Days of Our Lives is on
I think Tech/TV G4 is going in the same direction, you will be lucky if you see a review for something that isn't a videogame, MS, Adobe, Nvidia of another big bux company.
I don't think the big advertisers really like screensavers or call for help all that much, too much of helping people by fixing stuff they already bought instead of plugging their new prodcts.
Yep I'm going to Tech-TV too, until something better comes along, then I'll be watching that.
One of the picture show the three case colors - one in command gold, one on sciences blue and the third in operations red. Yep, the red shirt box is out there! Though some may be more interested in the Spock/McCoy blue or the Kirk Gold. I think it would have been more noticible if they did some black trim on the, or put the command/sciences insignias on the casings.
That was before the PC, where the "big three" were Commodore, Apple and Radio Shack or Atari.
tThese and many of other modern "real" languages are very BASICish the syntax is generally the same. The main difference is the change in program structure over the years and more advanced features.
I was beat out to a tiny version of Pimp Sim (both games for Commodore, use a C64 emulator) written by my competitor Jeri Ellsworth, (on the right) who is way better at hardware than programming....
When you have to write a complete game from scratch in three hours on a vintage 'stock' micro (i.e. Apple IIe, Commodore 64, Atari 800, etc.) BASIC is the best way to go... and last year I won. :-) ...I don't have a copy of that one currently.
On many devices (VCRs, clock-radios) that have only one button time setting, tap for increment by one, hold for tens or larger increments.
Maybe they plan to lock-up the CD slot when jr. takes the ibook home...
But once a company tries to leverage it's market by playing on the established loyalty (i.e. coaxing Commodore 64 users to all gewt Amigas or long time mac OS Mac users to all switch to OS X) they may hurt their reputation even worse, as a loyal customer scorned they are in a good position to voice their opinions.
That's when you outsource all your software packages to India and have them return to you just the contents.