I agree with you to a point. It would be no good to be just a windows clone. However, I think that Quickbooks (which is discussed in the article) is a "killer conversion" app. Many many small businesses run Quickbooks as their mission-critical system. They could get along fine with Mozilla, Staroffice instead of IE or MS office. But the accounting software is the last thing they are going to screw with.
I think this is especially useful when it comes time to expand. When an office suddenly needs two PCs, the logical step is a network. Maybe even a server. That's where sticker shock for a Win2k network kicks in, and where the free (beer) side of Linux can be a huge blessing. Without Quickbooks, moving away from Windows will be painful (espcially since the last time I checked, you can't export your data from Quickbooks).
How does any of these messages cost any more than any other usenet message? They are all that long. Are you seriously suggesting each usenet message costs hundreds or thousands of dollars?
Did you calculate the cost of your post on slashdot? I didn't think so.
If there is anything that the Enron/Worldcom/corporate scandals of the week and ludicrous xxAA-backed legislation has taught us, it is that greedy people will try and get away with as much as possible until they get caught. HP didn't suddenly get a conscience, they just found the point of diminishing returns for this particular type of legal attack. The fundamental attitude of "how can we exploit the law to our own benefit" without any regard to it's intent or long-term consequences remains the same.
One can only hope that vigorous outcry from vigilant people can convince corporations that they don't always have to do what their lawyer says. Lawyers don't have consciences. At least, they don't have independent ones. A lawyer believes whatever he is paid to believe. And so they are incapable of looking at any situation from a non-opportunistic/exploitative point of view. Only when their paymasters say, wait a minute, this policy doesn't work, I'm not going to just send that cease-and-desist or SLAPP or call the FBI or whatever, do these corporations do something in the public interest.
Thanks for the link. Seems he played by the rules. So I guess I'm not all that impressed by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale rules themselves. Maybe they know best, but I think someone who follows a true great circle deserves recognition.
True, but he was following the ocean because he that was the only way to sail. Fossett didn't have that restriction - his balloon sails over land just as well as sea. Now I will admit that he was at the mercy of the air currents, but I guess I'm not willing to say just because the air currents took him on a short route that it qualifies.
Actually, this can be seen as a big plus for Linux. Think about it -- studios use Linux not because it's cheaper, but because it's better regardless of price. It is a TCO battle, but TCO should include the productivity of the user, which, in this case, outweighs most other considerations.
This is the kind of thing that can help pull Linux out of any (mistaken) bargain-bin credibility problems.
Maybe some of the thousands of artists raped by the RIAA over the years decided to act on the spirit of this new bill and assert their rights to attack an organization dedicated to stealing their intellectual property.
I am really tired of hearing all these IT people whine about "I don't get no respect." How about giving respect to others first? We're quick to laugh at/demean users and lusers and AOLusers and anyone else who we feel like (ala Nick Burns), but then demand respect.
As a DBA, I don't depend upon thanks or respect or whatever. If I'm doing my job right, no one notices. As it should be. In other jobs, a lot of people work for little recognition and little money. So I'm not complaining. If you're into IT for the glory, you're going to be disappointed.
For them, nothing is easy to use, since coding is full of new concepts that they don't understand yet.
I think you are drawing a too black-and-white distinction here. The fact is, someone learning understands things to varying degrees. Using a tool like delphi that 1) has excellent integrated debugging, 2) has excellent integrated, context-sensitive documentation, and 3) has excellent intellisense shortens that learning curve by taking what they know and making it easy for them to access the documentation and declarations, and extend their current knowledge. If they were completely in the dark, neither command-line nor RAD would be much of a help. But that's not the reality for most people (at least not for very long).
Take Delphi. I want to use an object. I type the object's name, dot. Up pops a box with all of the properties and methods, in order of inheritance, with their parameter declarations. I can instantly see what options I have, which give me a great deal of insight into what this object does. If I need more, I press F1, and the help takes me to the object or property that I am on. Functions work the same. Type [function]( and up pops the declaration, so you can see exactly what you need to send this. Hit F1, and...you get the point.
I find myself relying on Delphi's intellisense features to help me code because it reduces typos and is a lot faster. And that's just one feature. A good RAD environment is extremely useful for both newbies and veterans.
This is less about difficulty than it is a matter of efficiency and expense. It costs more time, effort, and mental overhead (for most people, there are always exceptions) to work with multiple windows and command-line tools than with an integrated environment. I would argue that a great many, if not most, people would find that the benefits of a well-designed RAD tool are worth the costs ($ and time to learn how to use it properly).
Since when is having multiple xterms "not easy to use"?
How about for people who are still learning how to code? Oh, I forgot, real 1337 linux hackers never went through that phase, they came out of the womb with their knowledge.
All other things being equal, an integrated RAD environment will very often shorten time to code and debug a project. It is definitely easier to use a RAD tool like Delphi than just a text editor and command-line tools. For some people, it may not be that much different. For others, that may be the difference between getting into programming and not.
Oh, I forgot again, you don't want those people in your precious Linux world.
Symantec claims that it SecurityFocus will still be "independent". It's possible, but unlikely. The true test will be how often a vulnerability shows up before Symantec releases a fix.
I am a Yahoo.com mail user and am concerned that some of the words in my e-mails are being arbitrarily replaced. This could distort the meaning of my e-mails or worse, make them unintelligible. Am I being paranoid or is this something I need to take precautions against?
Slashdot Mirror
I knew it wasn't true though.
<sigh>
I think this is especially useful when it comes time to expand. When an office suddenly needs two PCs, the logical step is a network. Maybe even a server. That's where sticker shock for a Win2k network kicks in, and where the free (beer) side of Linux can be a huge blessing. Without Quickbooks, moving away from Windows will be painful (espcially since the last time I checked, you can't export your data from Quickbooks).
Sorry, I meant they are not all that long.
Did you calculate the cost of your post on slashdot? I didn't think so.
One can only hope that vigorous outcry from vigilant people can convince corporations that they don't always have to do what their lawyer says. Lawyers don't have consciences. At least, they don't have independent ones. A lawyer believes whatever he is paid to believe. And so they are incapable of looking at any situation from a non-opportunistic/exploitative point of view. Only when their paymasters say, wait a minute, this policy doesn't work, I'm not going to just send that cease-and-desist or SLAPP or call the FBI or whatever, do these corporations do something in the public interest.
Thanks for the link. Seems he played by the rules. So I guess I'm not all that impressed by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale rules themselves. Maybe they know best, but I think someone who follows a true great circle deserves recognition.
True, but he was following the ocean because he that was the only way to sail. Fossett didn't have that restriction - his balloon sails over land just as well as sea. Now I will admit that he was at the mercy of the air currents, but I guess I'm not willing to say just because the air currents took him on a short route that it qualifies.
Sorry, I meant almost 500 years ago.
Personally, I don't think this should qualify as circumnavigating the globe. Magellan's route almost 1500 years ago is a heck of a lot more impressive.
This is the kind of thing that can help pull Linux out of any (mistaken) bargain-bin credibility problems.
Please note, I pay like 7 bucks a month for this hosting, so be gentle...
Ahhh forget it, I know you won't.
Maybe some of the thousands of artists raped by the RIAA over the years decided to act on the spirit of this new bill and assert their rights to attack an organization dedicated to stealing their intellectual property.
As a DBA, I don't depend upon thanks or respect or whatever. If I'm doing my job right, no one notices. As it should be. In other jobs, a lot of people work for little recognition and little money. So I'm not complaining. If you're into IT for the glory, you're going to be disappointed.
I think you are drawing a too black-and-white distinction here. The fact is, someone learning understands things to varying degrees. Using a tool like delphi that 1) has excellent integrated debugging, 2) has excellent integrated, context-sensitive documentation, and 3) has excellent intellisense shortens that learning curve by taking what they know and making it easy for them to access the documentation and declarations, and extend their current knowledge. If they were completely in the dark, neither command-line nor RAD would be much of a help. But that's not the reality for most people (at least not for very long).
Take Delphi. I want to use an object. I type the object's name, dot. Up pops a box with all of the properties and methods, in order of inheritance, with their parameter declarations. I can instantly see what options I have, which give me a great deal of insight into what this object does. If I need more, I press F1, and the help takes me to the object or property that I am on. Functions work the same. Type [function]( and up pops the declaration, so you can see exactly what you need to send this. Hit F1, and...you get the point.
I find myself relying on Delphi's intellisense features to help me code because it reduces typos and is a lot faster. And that's just one feature. A good RAD environment is extremely useful for both newbies and veterans.
This is less about difficulty than it is a matter of efficiency and expense. It costs more time, effort, and mental overhead (for most people, there are always exceptions) to work with multiple windows and command-line tools than with an integrated environment. I would argue that a great many, if not most, people would find that the benefits of a well-designed RAD tool are worth the costs ($ and time to learn how to use it properly).
How about for people who are still learning how to code? Oh, I forgot, real 1337 linux hackers never went through that phase, they came out of the womb with their knowledge.
All other things being equal, an integrated RAD environment will very often shorten time to code and debug a project. It is definitely easier to use a RAD tool like Delphi than just a text editor and command-line tools. For some people, it may not be that much different. For others, that may be the difference between getting into programming and not.
Oh, I forgot again, you don't want those people in your precious Linux world.
Symantec claims that it SecurityFocus will still be "independent". It's possible, but unlikely. The true test will be how often a vulnerability shows up before Symantec releases a fix.
Sure, who cares about plot or character development? We've got a server farm!
Who submitted this? George Lucas?
I am a Yahoo.com mail user and am concerned that some of the words in my e-mails are being arbitrarily replaced. This could distort the meaning of my e-mails or worse, make them unintelligible. Am I being paranoid or is this something I need to take precautions against?
Wanting To Be Heard Right, Reading, PA
Dear Wanting,
Malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich malkovich.
DearSlashdot