I doubt there is a "typical user". Everybody thinks they are a "typical user" but everybody is different. Apache runs on everything from old laptops to large data centers. It's naive for anyone to install Apache and to assume the defaults will be right for their environment. "If you assume, you can make an ass out of u and me."
So you expect to run Apache without configuring it to your environment? Defaults are defaults. If you don't have a default configuration, you need to change it.
"It suggests that big programs should launch instantly (or appear to), perhaps by..." Oh, I don't know... perhaps you could just splash something on the screen so the user would know that the program is starting and won't wonder WTF is happening after they tell the program to run.
In the last 25 years, Social Security has collected more in taxes than it has paid out. The Social Security Trust fund currently stands at $ 2.4 trillion in assets. Current actuarial projections are for it to continue to pay obligations until 2037. Minor adjustments (such as increasing the wage base) can make it viable much longer. Much different than a ponzi scheme.
I agree that a spreadsheet which has been well used and tested will have most of the obvious bugs worked out of it. However, it can't really be shown to be free of errors in the same way database procedural logic can be tested. It is also easier to do proper data input checking on a database to avoid "loose nut behind the keyboard" problems. You are right, though, that you have to test everything. It's just much easier to do properly with a database.
I guess it's time for me to repeat my rant about people using spreadsheets to do work which properly belongs in a database. It's really impossible to properly audit or verify a spreadsheet. They are so easy to corrupt with improper references and random data entry. Spreadsheets are only widespread because most office drones don't have a clue about proper data management. I shudder whenever I see someone using a spreadsheet to make important business decisions because I know there are errors in every non-trivial spreadsheet.
The main problem with "Office compatibility" has been Microsoft itself. I have found that OO.org and LibreOffice have much better compatibility of MS Office formats than MS Office itself. I often come across documents which open fine in LibreOffice but which have problems in one of the many MS Office versions. MS Office is such a mess of a "standard" that Microsoft can't even get it right for Office compatibility but LibreOffice often does a better job.
Thanks for this information. I had no idea that the BAS was a political organization. They seem to try to present themselves as a "scientific" organization. Oh well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised at this revelation. So, if the BAS is promoting nuclear power then I should probably take their estimate of $5,000 / Kw nuclear power plant construction cost as an understatement of the real cost. This makes my argument stronger. Wind and solar are even cheaper than nuclear. It seems that the people who have to finance nuclear power have figured this out already and that is why there is no great rush to build nuclear plants in the US in spite of generous government subsidies.
The "Bulletin" used the term "overnight cost" which I found interesting so I googled it. It refers to the cost of the project without adding in the cost of interest on the money borrowed during construction. It is as if the project was built "overnight". We know that nuclear plants have very long construction times (5-10 years) so the overnight cost drastically understates the cost of the project. Solar and wind, on the other hand have much shorter construction times (less than a year in most cases) so the overnight cost is close to the actual cost. As far as land costs go, land is cheap (especially in Nevada) and is a very small part of the cost of any power plant. Most solar is installed on existing roofs so no land cost there. Even large scale solar plants like those in the California and Nevada desert don't use much land and the land is a very small part of the cost of the plant.
Since you accused me of falling for the "propaganda", I don't have high hopes for a rational discussion but I'll give it a try. First, the "propaganda" I used was from the "Bulletin of Atomic Scientists" which appears to be a reliable scientific source. I have also used other widely published (Google it) estimates of the cost of wind and solar. You are right in stating that solar and wind don't provide continuous power but your estimate of 10-15% is too low. Also, it doesn't really matter that solar doesn't generate power at night since there is already too much power available at night. The electric companies can't even give it away at bargain basement rates. Solar power does, however, generate power during times of peak demand (and peak prices) so there is no need for storage. Your estimates of storage losses are also too high but storage is not necessary for solar power. I'm afraid that the market has spoken. Nuclear power is just too expensive.
Interesting to see in the "Bulletin of Atomic Scientists" link from the summary that the "overnight" (without construction interest) cost of a nuclear plant has risen from $1,200 per KW to $5,000 per Kw in the past 10 years. This is more than the current costs for solar or wind power. This economic fact alone doesn't bode well for the nuclear industry.
"Hospitals increasingly are mining patients' health and financial records to market specialty services such as cancer, cardiac and orthopedic care to a targeted group of individuals, Kaiser Health News/USA Today reports. To develop the targeted mailings, hospitals use patient data, as well as detailed information on local residents that they purchase from consumer marketing firms."
I think we are on a very steep slippery slope and I would not be as complacent as you seem to be.
"Actually the world you see now is probably the most privacy conscious that has ever existed."
Losing your privacy raises your consciousness.
I am glad that "I have nothing to hide (TM)" but I worry when I hear things like the two Brits who were sent back home from the US after our ever vigilant and effective Border Patrol found that they had Tweeted something like "destroy america and dig up marilyn monroe" which is apparently some kind of slang for "party hard". In our Brave New World, everything you say and do is recorded and can be held against you by those without a sense of humor.
I think the only way to maintain my privacy is to completely withdraw from society (like Ted Kaczynski). I would need to get paid only in cash and to buy things only with cash in stores without a surveillance system and not have any bank accounts. I couldn't own any property or cars, boats, etc. I couldn't use the Internet (except possibly through some paranoid onion router arrangement but never enter any personal information anywhere). I don't know about you but this is just not feasible. I don't use Facebook but I am sure they are tracking me anyway. I know Google tracks me everywhere and probably knows more about me than anyone. I'm not sure what "pie" I want (other than to have a job, buy food, etc and relax in my spare time) but I don't think anyone can protect their privacy in this world. We could hope that government will try to protect us from abuse of our private information but since (at least in the US) the government is controlled by corporations, this is not likely.
I think that Facebook is invisible some of the time. I know that it tracks you when you leave Facebook and visit other sites and a lot of web sites use a Facebook commenting system which is not labeled Facebook but the information ends up with Facebook.
Geez... You ipHone fanbois are a real pain in the butt. I merely stated that you could tether with Android without going through any hoops. Since this whole discussion is about Android, I didn't say anything about iPhone. However, you weaselly insecure iphone fanbois have to make everything about iphone. So, I did some research since I don't have an iphone and found out that yes, indeed, apple did add tethering recently (about two years after Android added it) but that it is implemented so that it "phones home" to the carrier and you have to pay an outrageous extra fee to "activate" it. Apple has also ruthlessly stomped out app store applications which have added this functionality so the only way to get tethering it to pay through the nose. (However, fanbois are used to getting screwed so this is actually a "feature" of your pathetic iphone.) (BTW, when are you going to get 4G data?)
Wireless tether on Android is built into the OS. It takes about three taps to activate. No root required. No special apps required. Your local friendly telecoms carrier has no way of knowing you are tethering... it's all data. OTOH, tethering on the iPhone is tightly controlled by the OS and requires payment to the telecoms carrier before it will activate. There have been a few iPhone apps which have briefly unlocked tethering but these have been squashed by Apple. You might be able to get them if you jailbreak your iPhone or do some other magic but then you are in some quasi legal no mans land with your expensive toy and the man could come and take away your candy at any time.
Looks like I've got a Mac fanboy with their pants all twisted in a knot. This whole discussion is about Android phones. I replied to a message where the person did not understand that Android phones can tether without installing apps or rooting, etc. I explained that this functionality is built into the Android OS. I did not mean to ignore or cast aspersion on the sacred iPhone which I understand also has the ability to tether (I think since version 4.3). I apologize for not including the sacred iPhone in my original posting but I hope that this message will clarify the situation. (And I am sure you will correct me if I am wrong.)
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I doubt there is a "typical user". Everybody thinks they are a "typical user" but everybody is different. Apache runs on everything from old laptops to large data centers.
It's naive for anyone to install Apache and to assume the defaults will be right for their environment.
"If you assume, you can make an ass out of u and me."
So you expect to run Apache without configuring it to your environment?
Defaults are defaults. If you don't have a default configuration, you need to change it.
... and sharks!
"It suggests that big programs should launch instantly (or appear to), perhaps by..."
Oh, I don't know... perhaps you could just splash something on the screen so the user would know that the program is starting and won't wonder WTF is happening after they tell the program to run.
If you will read the "Field Guide" you will discover that it is all based on HTML5 which is a standard that all browsers should support.
In the last 25 years, Social Security has collected more in taxes than it has paid out. The Social Security Trust fund currently stands at $ 2.4 trillion in assets. Current actuarial projections are for it to continue to pay obligations until 2037. Minor adjustments (such as increasing the wage base) can make it viable much longer.
Much different than a ponzi scheme.
I agree that a spreadsheet which has been well used and tested will have most of the obvious bugs worked out of it. However, it can't really be shown to be free of errors in the same way database procedural logic can be tested. It is also easier to do proper data input checking on a database to avoid "loose nut behind the keyboard" problems. You are right, though, that you have to test everything. It's just much easier to do properly with a database.
If all you know how to use is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail.
I guess it's time for me to repeat my rant about people using spreadsheets to do work which properly belongs in a database.
It's really impossible to properly audit or verify a spreadsheet. They are so easy to corrupt with improper references and random data entry. Spreadsheets are only widespread because most office drones don't have a clue about proper data management. I shudder whenever I see someone using a spreadsheet to make important business decisions because I know there are errors in every non-trivial spreadsheet.
The main problem with "Office compatibility" has been Microsoft itself. I have found that OO.org and LibreOffice have much better compatibility of MS Office formats than MS Office itself. I often come across documents which open fine in LibreOffice but which have problems in one of the many MS Office versions.
MS Office is such a mess of a "standard" that Microsoft can't even get it right for Office compatibility but LibreOffice often does a better job.
Thanks for this information. I had no idea that the BAS was a political organization. They seem to try to present themselves as a "scientific" organization. Oh well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised at this revelation.
So, if the BAS is promoting nuclear power then I should probably take their estimate of $5,000 / Kw nuclear power plant construction cost as an understatement of the real cost. This makes my argument stronger. Wind and solar are even cheaper than nuclear. It seems that the people who have to finance nuclear power have figured this out already and that is why there is no great rush to build nuclear plants in the US in spite of generous government subsidies.
The "Bulletin" used the term "overnight cost" which I found interesting so I googled it. It refers to the cost of the project without adding in the cost of interest on the money borrowed during construction. It is as if the project was built "overnight".
We know that nuclear plants have very long construction times (5-10 years) so the overnight cost drastically understates the cost of the project. Solar and wind, on the other hand have much shorter construction times (less than a year in most cases) so the overnight cost is close to the actual cost.
As far as land costs go, land is cheap (especially in Nevada) and is a very small part of the cost of any power plant. Most solar is installed on existing roofs so no land cost there. Even large scale solar plants like those in the California and Nevada desert don't use much land and the land is a very small part of the cost of the plant.
Since you accused me of falling for the "propaganda", I don't have high hopes for a rational discussion but I'll give it a try.
First, the "propaganda" I used was from the "Bulletin of Atomic Scientists" which appears to be a reliable scientific source. I have also used other widely published (Google it) estimates of the cost of wind and solar. You are right in stating that solar and wind don't provide continuous power but your estimate of 10-15% is too low. Also, it doesn't really matter that solar doesn't generate power at night since there is already too much power available at night. The electric companies can't even give it away at bargain basement rates. Solar power does, however, generate power during times of peak demand (and peak prices) so there is no need for storage. Your estimates of storage losses are also too high but storage is not necessary for solar power.
I'm afraid that the market has spoken. Nuclear power is just too expensive.
Interesting to see in the "Bulletin of Atomic Scientists" link from the summary that the "overnight" (without construction interest) cost of a nuclear plant has risen from $1,200 per KW to $5,000 per Kw in the past 10 years. This is more than the current costs for solar or wind power. This economic fact alone doesn't bode well for the nuclear industry.
I just came across this "health news" item:
"Hospitals increasingly are mining patients' health and financial records to market specialty services such as cancer, cardiac and orthopedic care to a targeted group of individuals, Kaiser Health News/USA Today reports.
To develop the targeted mailings, hospitals use patient data, as well as detailed information on local residents that they purchase from consumer marketing firms."
I think we are on a very steep slippery slope and I would not be as complacent as you seem to be.
"Actually the world you see now is probably the most privacy conscious that has ever existed."
Losing your privacy raises your consciousness.
I am glad that "I have nothing to hide (TM)" but I worry when I hear things like the two Brits who were sent back home from the US after our ever vigilant and effective Border Patrol found that they had Tweeted something like "destroy america and dig up marilyn monroe" which is apparently some kind of slang for "party hard". In our Brave New World, everything you say and do is recorded and can be held against you by those without a sense of humor.
OMG!! We have to worry about "commies" again!!!
Please, how can I subscribe to your newsletter?
I think the only way to maintain my privacy is to completely withdraw from society (like Ted Kaczynski). I would need to get paid only in cash and to buy things only with cash in stores without a surveillance system and not have any bank accounts. I couldn't own any property or cars, boats, etc. I couldn't use the Internet (except possibly through some paranoid onion router arrangement but never enter any personal information anywhere).
I don't know about you but this is just not feasible. I don't use Facebook but I am sure they are tracking me anyway. I know Google tracks me everywhere and probably knows more about me than anyone.
I'm not sure what "pie" I want (other than to have a job, buy food, etc and relax in my spare time) but I don't think anyone can protect their privacy in this world. We could hope that government will try to protect us from abuse of our private information but since (at least in the US) the government is controlled by corporations, this is not likely.
I think that Facebook is invisible some of the time. I know that it tracks you when you leave Facebook and visit other sites and a lot of web sites use a Facebook commenting system which is not labeled Facebook but the information ends up with Facebook.
So you take the view of Sun's Scott McNeally:
"You have zero privacy anyway," Scott McNealy told a group of reporters and analysts ...
"Get over it."
Do I have to worry about my Linux and Mac computers?
The article isn't clear (as usual) .
Geez...
You ipHone fanbois are a real pain in the butt.
I merely stated that you could tether with Android without going through any hoops. Since this whole discussion is about Android, I didn't say anything about iPhone. However, you weaselly insecure iphone fanbois have to make everything about iphone.
So, I did some research since I don't have an iphone and found out that yes, indeed, apple did add tethering recently (about two years after Android added it) but that it is implemented so that it "phones home" to the carrier and you have to pay an outrageous extra fee to "activate" it. Apple has also ruthlessly stomped out app store applications which have added this functionality so the only way to get tethering it to pay through the nose. (However, fanbois are used to getting screwed so this is actually a "feature" of your pathetic iphone.) (BTW, when are you going to get 4G data?)
Wireless tether on Android is built into the OS. It takes about three taps to activate. No root required. No special apps required. Your local friendly telecoms carrier has no way of knowing you are tethering... it's all data.
OTOH, tethering on the iPhone is tightly controlled by the OS and requires payment to the telecoms carrier before it will activate. There have been a few iPhone apps which have briefly unlocked tethering but these have been squashed by Apple. You might be able to get them if you jailbreak your iPhone or do some other magic but then you are in some quasi legal no mans land with your expensive toy and the man could come and take away your candy at any time.
Looks like I've got a Mac fanboy with their pants all twisted in a knot.
This whole discussion is about Android phones. I replied to a message where the person did not understand that Android phones can tether without installing apps or rooting, etc. I explained that this functionality is built into the Android OS.
I did not mean to ignore or cast aspersion on the sacred iPhone which I understand also has the ability to tether (I think since version 4.3). I apologize for not including the sacred iPhone in my original posting but I hope that this message will clarify the situation. (And I am sure you will correct me if I am wrong.)
I was responding to a poster who did not know that.