Wal-Mart is the king of mainstream, and that's why they can never monopolize everything. There will always be room for noisy dog raping cock slaying death music stores, which is a market totally safe from Wal-Mart domination.
It is interesting that Wal-Mart is not very pushy about their discount cards. They do have them, but they are not pushed for most of the stuff on the shelves. Instead, they are used for things like gasoline. This must mean Wal-Mart gets their data fix from other sources, like credit card and bank card cross-referencing. Or perhaps they just sell so much damned stuff that their aggregate statistics are all they need.
In the last few months, I've gotten $200-$300 worth of formula coupons, so to me it is worth them tracking what I buy at the grocery store.
It is actually worth a lot less than $200-$300. The original price without the coupon or discount card is most likely inflated. I have noticed a trend among my local grocery stores, where the discounted price is actually the normal retail price. For example, at one store, eggs are $0.99 a dozen, while at another store, the eggs are $1.99 a dozen. At the $1.99 store, they work their "bonus points" such that every other dozen eggs are free, bringing their "discount" down to a normal retail price. Now, I feel that if I don't buy something on sale, I am paying way too much.
Swapping on a separate drive is faster than swapping on the same drive. I've tested that. I also put the "temp" directories on the separate drive, as well as the data directories for my applications.
For Solaris 8 and 9, at least,/tmp is swap (and RAM, using virtual memory for storage). This makes doing file operations in/tmp very very fast, but the user always has to take into account the amount of virtual memory on the system.
Yes, swap is still important to many people, even those with 512MB of RAM or more. With a dozen xterms, Mozilla, OpenOffice, etc. open, starting something like a MCAD application makes swap very very useful (if the OS is efficient about it, that is). Using swap doesn't necessarily mean slow performance, if the OS does a one-time dump of unused pages to the disk allowing the one big app to take what it needs. Switching among several large apps, though, means a purchase order for more RAM is in order.
Re:The new GIMP is great
on
Gimp Hits 2.0
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· Score: 1
Getting the GIMP to compile correctly is a really hard though...
Compiling GIMP isn't bad at all...when compared to GnuCash.
Several times I found myself saying "okay, I get the point already, move ON."
This is a very self-centered statement. When I saw that show on PBS, my first thought was "This is great for a high-school physics class."
People who understand education know that some repitition is important. Watch Blues Clues or Teletubbies for good evidence of this. Even adult education shows have summary segments after each topic.
viper-mode works quite well. For a programmer, using vi for efficiency and emacs in vi mode for large files is an awesome combination of tools. One key command set, two complementary tools.
Yes, I did say it: vi and emacs are complementary. Oh, Slashdotters why do you cry out in pain?!?
After experiencing the quality of the documentation of systems like Solaris and OpenBSD, perhaps it is better to do most learning there and then apply it to Linux. Linux is the "Windows" of UNIX, where there are so many third parties involved and so many similar software packages available that learning can be very frustrating. The "Cathedral" approach of traditional UNIX can be much more coherent and satisfying for newbies and old farts alike.
I don't intend to sound like a troll, but I'm pretty convinced that a person can learn more in one week of using OpenBSD than in a month of using Linux. For example, even after years of using computers, I still fear Red Hat's install partitioning tools. Will my DOS partition get formatted as Ext3, place your bets now! Such uncertainty is not good for the learning mind.
...there would be no fees beyond having a supported OS.
And Microsoft get dollar signs in their eyes...
As much as things change everything stays the same.
Re:Look for the .NET Passport Sign In button
on
Passport to Nowhere
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· Score: 1
It's called "law".
Like people in other countries care. I don't know much about international law, but I'm sure there are plenty of places in the world that are more or less immune to Joe Average's yellow-pages lawyer.
But in reality, there isn't anyone who is secure enough, trustworthy enough, powerful enough and smart enough to pull off a system that would work and would be trusted.
Why you're in luck, I happen to be an omnicient omnipotent incarnation of God in human form who happens to program for a living...or is that just my ego...
It would be nice to use it for everything none critical.
What isn't critical? I'd say any website that accepts a credit card number along with accepting Passport logins is bad news. Many sites will keep credit card numbers around, so cracking a Passport database would be like finding a billion dollar vein of gold in your backyard.
Re:Problem that doesn't exist big time...
on
Passport to Nowhere
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· Score: 1
The problem is managing passwords for ALL web sites.
Not really. Seriously, in a home that generally has locked doors, the physical security of simply having a hand-written piece of paper in a drawer (the drawer can lock too) beats the real-life security of Passport hands down. If it ain't visible on a network (unless the computer forms X-Ray eyes that can see into the desk drawer), no computer cracker will ever get those passwords.
For work, it is a little more challenging, but even a non-networked PDA locked with a password that is never synchronized to a work computer is better than Passport. IMO, of course, but as far as I can tell, resetting my Palm will erase password-protected files, so the password is fairly robust.
The key to all this is, of course, that the passwords are simply not network-accessible.
It's amazing what the average computer user will put up with.
Actually, average computer users are very smart. See, they got so used to their older computer with a 300MHz Pentium II that they need all those trojans, spyware, and system tray icons to bring their new 2.8GHz Pentium 4 system to a performance level they are comfortable with. It's sort of like driving a hot sports car on the highway...not knowing what to do with all that raw power, people just long for the simplicity of their old Chevy sedan.
Web services are much easier to manage with a centralized authentication system (rather than dealing with many separate passwords/certificates per application).
While true in theory, I still agree that there really isn't a problem to solve, at least not with the amount of technology in Passport.
For example, having accounts on multiple sites isn't a big problem at all. As far as security goes, I set up username/password choices in tiers. Many non-essential sites get a standard username and password (a non-dictionary hard-to-guess password at that). E-mail gets an entirely different password for better compartmentalization. My home computer gets yet another password.
With three or four levels of compartmentalization, password management isn't something I lose sleep over. Also, I'd much rather each site have its own account information, so there's little chance that one site could figure out what other sites I visit.
I wonder if the average is more like four years. In four years, for example, things went from CGI and Perl to (insert list of 500 web programming languages, methodoligies, and paradigms none of which really work all that well together).
There are many FSBO services that include access to MLS for a not-unreasonable fee, say a few hundred dollars. If 2/3 the value of a Realtor is MLS, buying it through a FSBO service for 1/10 the cost is a pretty good deal.
Slashdot Mirror
Wal-Mart is the king of mainstream, and that's why they can never monopolize everything. There will always be room for noisy dog raping cock slaying death music stores, which is a market totally safe from Wal-Mart domination.
SVG + JavaScript + DOM + XHTML + CSS (in all their various incarnations) = a very nice sounding platform no one knows how to use.
It is interesting that Wal-Mart is not very pushy about their discount cards. They do have them, but they are not pushed for most of the stuff on the shelves. Instead, they are used for things like gasoline. This must mean Wal-Mart gets their data fix from other sources, like credit card and bank card cross-referencing. Or perhaps they just sell so much damned stuff that their aggregate statistics are all they need.
In the last few months, I've gotten $200-$300 worth of formula coupons, so to me it is worth them tracking what I buy at the grocery store.
It is actually worth a lot less than $200-$300. The original price without the coupon or discount card is most likely inflated. I have noticed a trend among my local grocery stores, where the discounted price is actually the normal retail price. For example, at one store, eggs are $0.99 a dozen, while at another store, the eggs are $1.99 a dozen. At the $1.99 store, they work their "bonus points" such that every other dozen eggs are free, bringing their "discount" down to a normal retail price. Now, I feel that if I don't buy something on sale, I am paying way too much.
Swapping on a separate drive is faster than swapping on the same drive. I've tested that. I also put the "temp" directories on the separate drive, as well as the data directories for my applications.
/tmp is swap (and RAM, using virtual memory for storage). This makes doing file operations in /tmp very very fast, but the user always has to take into account the amount of virtual memory on the system.
For Solaris 8 and 9, at least,
Yes, swap is still important to many people, even those with 512MB of RAM or more. With a dozen xterms, Mozilla, OpenOffice, etc. open, starting something like a MCAD application makes swap very very useful (if the OS is efficient about it, that is). Using swap doesn't necessarily mean slow performance, if the OS does a one-time dump of unused pages to the disk allowing the one big app to take what it needs. Switching among several large apps, though, means a purchase order for more RAM is in order.
Getting the GIMP to compile correctly is a really hard though...
Compiling GIMP isn't bad at all...when compared to GnuCash.
Time is what prevents everything from happening at once.
Yes, but I'd rather the consequences of a whole can of refried beans not be spread over the next twelve hours!
Several times I found myself saying "okay, I get the point already, move ON."
This is a very self-centered statement. When I saw that show on PBS, my first thought was "This is great for a high-school physics class."
People who understand education know that some repitition is important. Watch Blues Clues or Teletubbies for good evidence of this. Even adult education shows have summary segments after each topic.
If KDE and Gnome have common-blight pity sex, what will their offspring look like?
viper-mode works quite well. For a programmer, using vi for efficiency and emacs in vi mode for large files is an awesome combination of tools. One key command set, two complementary tools.
Yes, I did say it: vi and emacs are complementary. Oh, Slashdotters why do you cry out in pain?!?
After experiencing the quality of the documentation of systems like Solaris and OpenBSD, perhaps it is better to do most learning there and then apply it to Linux. Linux is the "Windows" of UNIX, where there are so many third parties involved and so many similar software packages available that learning can be very frustrating. The "Cathedral" approach of traditional UNIX can be much more coherent and satisfying for newbies and old farts alike.
I don't intend to sound like a troll, but I'm pretty convinced that a person can learn more in one week of using OpenBSD than in a month of using Linux. For example, even after years of using computers, I still fear Red Hat's install partitioning tools. Will my DOS partition get formatted as Ext3, place your bets now! Such uncertainty is not good for the learning mind.
Nuts and gum are a much better combination! KDE and Gnome suck!
I'm sure it would catch on like wildfire if they just lowered the fees to more manageble levels.
What is a managable level? For small businesses doing low-volume stuff, "free" might be okay.
And Microsoft get dollar signs in their eyes...
As much as things change everything stays the same.
It's called "law".
Like people in other countries care. I don't know much about international law, but I'm sure there are plenty of places in the world that are more or less immune to Joe Average's yellow-pages lawyer.
But in reality, there isn't anyone who is secure enough, trustworthy enough, powerful enough and smart enough to pull off a system that would work and would be trusted.
Why you're in luck, I happen to be an omnicient omnipotent incarnation of God in human form who happens to program for a living...or is that just my ego...
It would be nice to use it for everything none critical.
What isn't critical? I'd say any website that accepts a credit card number along with accepting Passport logins is bad news. Many sites will keep credit card numbers around, so cracking a Passport database would be like finding a billion dollar vein of gold in your backyard.
The problem is managing passwords for ALL web sites.
Not really. Seriously, in a home that generally has locked doors, the physical security of simply having a hand-written piece of paper in a drawer (the drawer can lock too) beats the real-life security of Passport hands down. If it ain't visible on a network (unless the computer forms X-Ray eyes that can see into the desk drawer), no computer cracker will ever get those passwords.
For work, it is a little more challenging, but even a non-networked PDA locked with a password that is never synchronized to a work computer is better than Passport. IMO, of course, but as far as I can tell, resetting my Palm will erase password-protected files, so the password is fairly robust.
The key to all this is, of course, that the passwords are simply not network-accessible.
It's amazing what the average computer user will put up with.
Actually, average computer users are very smart. See, they got so used to their older computer with a 300MHz Pentium II that they need all those trojans, spyware, and system tray icons to bring their new 2.8GHz Pentium 4 system to a performance level they are comfortable with. It's sort of like driving a hot sports car on the highway...not knowing what to do with all that raw power, people just long for the simplicity of their old Chevy sedan.
Web services are much easier to manage with a centralized authentication system (rather than dealing with many separate passwords/certificates per application).
While true in theory, I still agree that there really isn't a problem to solve, at least not with the amount of technology in Passport.
For example, having accounts on multiple sites isn't a big problem at all. As far as security goes, I set up username/password choices in tiers. Many non-essential sites get a standard username and password (a non-dictionary hard-to-guess password at that). E-mail gets an entirely different password for better compartmentalization. My home computer gets yet another password.
With three or four levels of compartmentalization, password management isn't something I lose sleep over. Also, I'd much rather each site have its own account information, so there's little chance that one site could figure out what other sites I visit.
Now it may take 40 years for this to happen...
I wonder if the average is more like four years. In four years, for example, things went from CGI and Perl to (insert list of 500 web programming languages, methodoligies, and paradigms none of which really work all that well together).
The problem with women in IT is the ones with non-proprietary interfaces get used so much that they lose their attractiveness.
There are many FSBO services that include access to MLS for a not-unreasonable fee, say a few hundred dollars. If 2/3 the value of a Realtor is MLS, buying it through a FSBO service for 1/10 the cost is a pretty good deal.
One teacher in school was asked when she started chain smoking, and her reply was "when I took this job."