So, just because someone is funded by bad guys, they have to be bad? To me, that is a simplistic world view to say the least. Nicaragua were supported by Cuba and the USSR, but the Sandinista politics were less comunistic than the Swedish social democrats. Yes, they were abusing the human right to a certain point, together with every other Junta in the area. Finland have received huge amounts of support from the USSR and been one of the most conservative countries in Europe.
No one can say how Allende would have led the country in the long run. We do know for a fact were Pinochet took it though. There are more than 50 000 refugees from Chile in Sweden giving testimony of the methods of oppression used in the Country. Torture, Kidnappings, Murders, etc etc. How anyone can even start to defend such a brutal regime blows my mind. Once again, how many were tortured by Allende? Which laws did he pass to decrease peoples rights to free speach etc? How many were tortured?
After switching to an iBook about a year a go from a Solaris environment (Well, the workstation is still standing under my desktop but I allways log into it from the laptop), I must say that the lack of a "two button trackpad" is actually much less frustrating than using a original Apple mouse. The system with ctrl/alt-button for mimicking the middle and left mouse works prefectly considering that your hands are already there. It is almost like Apple see the trackpad as the principal method of using the GUI...:-)Bror
One issue concerning differences in security regimes between UNIX and Windows system that rarely seems to be discussed, is port scanning
When a Unix exploit emerges, the IT department at my University scripts a portscanner, identifies vulnerable machines and contacts their admins. If the machines are not patched within a certain time, they are disconnected from the network. I for example got an Email about my linux server being vulnerable for the openssh exploit even before I read about it on Slashdot. This way the University system is less prone to hacker attacks. My Windows 2000 box have never been patched and probably as secure as a sieve have never drawn attention from the IT department. I presume this is because a similar scanning procedure is significantly more difficult to launch. This way I suppose the Unix machines should de facto be much more secure than the Windows machines at the University.
One issue concerning differences in security regimes between UNIX and Windows system that rarely are discussed, is port scanning
When a Unix exploit emerges, the IT department at my University scripts a portscanner, identifies vulnerable machines and contacts their admins. If the machines are not patched within a certain time, they are disconnected from the network. I for example got an Email about my linux server being vulnerable for the openssh exploit even before I read about it on Slashdot. This way the University system is less prone to hacker attacks. My Windows 2000 box have never been patched and probably as secure as a sieve have never drawn attention from the IT department. I presume this is because a similar scanning procedure is significantly more difficult to launch. This way I suppose the Unix machines should de facto be much more secure than the Windows machines at the University.
Well, the Sun Blade 150 which much better than the Ultra 10 start at $1400. I don't think that you get a *High end* Dell for $300... I don't think that the P4 are running 5Ghz on 64bit yet either... Concernig the speed, I totally agree that hte P4 is much faster though. Problem is that when you are doing a lot of data mangling, speed isn't everything. We are working with big numerical models and many tasks benefit tremendously of a 64bit architecture. The system is also well tuned to work with large files and it is very to set up MPI clusters. The system also works with memory demanding processes very gracefully.
I use to compare a fast P4 with a porsche and a Sun workstation with a 18 wheeler. The P4 is very fast and really good in doing many things. I do prefer the workstation when I'm working with huge loads of data though.:)Bror
You might have been fooled when you bought it, cause it seems that you got a workstation rather than a desktop...;-)
Yes I know that the differences today are small, after the Intel processors getting faster and faster, but I do belive that there is some differences between my Ultra 10 and a high end Dell Pc. The Sun station is slower in speed but can do certain tasks better at the end of the day. Therefore I think that the different words for desktops and workstations still are valid.
You are right in principle, I suppose the correct term would be "Vendors of high-end systems". I am a phd Student at a meteorology department. Our computer park start with Sun workstations and end with Linux clusters and a couple of mid-range Sun servers. Even if we normally buy systems with the same or a little bit higher specs than Dell stuff, we do it from vendors that also sell huge server parks. The fact that these companies start to sell Xserve have, of course, no implication on their sales of Sun Fire 15k systems, but still, how many do they sell each year? The vast majority of costumers, that want a Cobalt server or a couple of Sun Blade 100, suddenly have more options. I think this is a good channel to people that want UNIX but don't need a huge setup.
The whole idea with the article is that high-end *vendors* are starting to sell Apple, not that Xserve is a high-end server. Both IBM and Sun have entry-level servers in the segment where Apple are aiming. With this trend, costumers will find Apple products as an alternative in the channels they usually use to buy Sun or IBM low-end servers.
Most database-systems set up by scientific projects I've seen, have been using either Oracle or Microsoft systems. This is of course completely insane considering the need they have, and a total waste of money. Unfortunately many people read a little about databases on sites like/. and start to belive that they are setting up a large database.
After reading this thread, one can easily think that American express is running an averaged sized system with normal demands on security... The truth is that almost no school systems, museums, scientific projects etc. etc. ever need an enterprize solution. An example of the problem is an institut for Marin research in Colombia where they used Oracle. They paid $15.000 each year in licence fees to set up a database for their collections. They wanted to put it on the web and needed to pay $5.000 more. This is a simple task that Mysql, with all it's flaws, easily could manage, and without the need of an experinced Oracle techincian. There are Highschool Linux geeks in Colombia as well...
The overkill in usage of database systems around is probalby enrmous and a very good source of revenue for Oracle and Microsoft. Think about this when you are bashing the lack of advanced features in Mysql. Someone might actually belive you and buy an Oracle licence to run the member database for their local bridge club...
One have to remember that MySql is not a "true" open source project in this matter. If you want high level support, extra help or whatever, you can sign a contract with MySql AB. Their most extensive alternative includes visits of a developer at your premises to solve your problems. You can also have them run your system remotely. This is actually one argument pro MySql in the never-ending bashing game between MySql and PostGreSql...
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So, just because someone is funded by bad guys, they have to be bad? To me, that is a simplistic world view to say the least. Nicaragua were supported by Cuba and the USSR, but the Sandinista politics were less comunistic than the Swedish social democrats. Yes, they were abusing the human right to a certain point, together with every other Junta in the area. Finland have received huge amounts of support from the USSR and been one of the most conservative countries in Europe.
No one can say how Allende would have led the country in the long run. We do know for a fact were Pinochet took it though. There are more than 50 000 refugees from Chile in Sweden giving testimony of the methods of oppression used in the Country. Torture, Kidnappings, Murders, etc etc. How anyone can even start to defend such a brutal regime blows my mind. Once again, how many were tortured by Allende? Which laws did he pass to decrease peoples rights to free speach etc? How many were tortured?
After switching to an iBook about a year a go from a Solaris environment (Well, the workstation is still standing under my desktop but I allways log into it from the laptop), I must say that the lack of a "two button trackpad" is actually much less frustrating than using a original Apple mouse. The system with ctrl/alt-button for mimicking the middle and left mouse works prefectly considering that your hands are already there. It is almost like Apple see the trackpad as the principal method of using the GUI... :-)Bror
One issue concerning differences in security regimes between UNIX and Windows system that rarely seems to be discussed, is port scanning
When a Unix exploit emerges, the IT department at my University scripts a portscanner, identifies vulnerable machines and contacts their admins. If the machines are not patched within a certain time, they are disconnected from the network. I for example got an Email about my linux server being vulnerable for the openssh exploit even before I read about it on Slashdot. This way the University system is less prone to hacker attacks. My Windows 2000 box have never been patched and probably as secure as a sieve have never drawn attention from the IT department. I presume this is because a similar scanning procedure is significantly more difficult to launch. This way I suppose the Unix machines should de facto be much more secure than the Windows machines at the University.
One issue concerning differences in security regimes between UNIX and Windows system that rarely are discussed, is port scanning
When a Unix exploit emerges, the IT department at my University scripts a portscanner, identifies vulnerable machines and contacts their admins. If the machines are not patched within a certain time, they are disconnected from the network. I for example got an Email about my linux server being vulnerable for the openssh exploit even before I read about it on Slashdot. This way the University system is less prone to hacker attacks. My Windows 2000 box have never been patched and probably as secure as a sieve have never drawn attention from the IT department. I presume this is because a similar scanning procedure is significantly more difficult to launch. This way I suppose the Unix machines should de facto be much more secure than the Windows machines at the University.
Well, the Sun Blade 150 which much better than the Ultra 10 start at $1400. I don't think that you get a *High end* Dell for $300... I don't think that the P4 are running 5Ghz on 64bit yet either...
:)Bror
Concernig the speed, I totally agree that hte P4 is much faster though. Problem is that when you are doing a lot of data mangling, speed isn't everything. We are working with big numerical models and many tasks benefit tremendously of a 64bit architecture. The system is also well tuned to work with large files and it is very to set up MPI clusters. The system also works with memory demanding processes very gracefully.
I use to compare a fast P4 with a porsche and a Sun workstation with a 18 wheeler. The P4 is very fast and really good in doing many things. I do prefer the workstation when I'm working with huge loads of data though.
You might have been fooled when you bought it, cause it seems that you got a workstation rather than a desktop...
Yes I know that the differences today are small, after the Intel processors getting faster and faster, but I do belive that there is some differences between my Ultra 10 and a high end Dell Pc. The Sun station is slower in speed but can do certain tasks better at the end of the day. Therefore I think that the different words for desktops and workstations still are valid.
You are right in principle, I suppose the correct term would be "Vendors of high-end systems". I am a phd Student at a meteorology department. Our computer park start with Sun workstations and end with Linux clusters and a couple of mid-range Sun servers. Even if we normally buy systems with the same or a little bit higher specs than Dell stuff, we do it from vendors that also sell huge server parks. The fact that these companies start to sell Xserve have, of course, no implication on their sales of Sun Fire 15k systems, but still, how many do they sell each year? The vast majority of costumers, that want a Cobalt server or a couple of Sun Blade 100, suddenly have more options. I think this is a good channel to people that want UNIX but don't need a huge setup.
The whole idea with the article is that high-end *vendors* are starting to sell Apple, not that Xserve is a high-end server. Both IBM and Sun have entry-level servers in the segment where Apple are aiming. With this trend, costumers will find Apple products as an alternative in the channels they usually use to buy Sun or IBM low-end servers.
Most database-systems set up by scientific projects I've seen, have been using either Oracle or Microsoft systems. This is of course completely insane considering the need they have, and a total waste of money. Unfortunately many people read a little about databases on sites like /. and start to belive that they are setting up a large database.
After reading this thread, one can easily think that American express is running an averaged sized system with normal demands on security... The truth is that almost no school systems, museums, scientific projects etc. etc. ever need an enterprize solution. An example of the problem is an institut for Marin research in Colombia where they used Oracle. They paid $15.000 each year in licence fees to set up a database for their collections. They wanted to put it on the web and needed to pay $5.000 more. This is a simple task that Mysql, with all it's flaws, easily could manage, and without the need of an experinced Oracle techincian. There are Highschool Linux geeks in Colombia as well...
The overkill in usage of database systems around is probalby enrmous and a very good source of revenue for Oracle and Microsoft. Think about this when you are bashing the lack of advanced features in Mysql. Someone might actually belive you and buy an Oracle licence to run the member database for their local bridge club...
One have to remember that MySql is not a "true" open source project in this matter. If you want high level support, extra help or whatever, you can sign a contract with MySql AB. Their most extensive alternative includes visits of a developer at your premises to solve your problems. You can also have them run your system remotely. This is actually one argument pro MySql in the never-ending bashing game between MySql and PostGreSql...