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User: SpaceRook

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  1. Re:Rock on! on PostgreSQL 7.4 Released · · Score: 1

    I just started getting into open source database development as a hobby. While my work mate recommended postgreSQL, I decided to go with mySQL.

    Call me a lemming, but the huge amount of combined Linux-Apache-PHP-mySQL (LAMP)documentation is what convinced me to go with mySQL. Once I become more comfortable with this setup, I'll give postgreSQL a try. But for a newbie, mySQL seems friendlier at the moment, if only because of the wide amount of help available.

  2. Re:It's about time on First Look at Debian's Next Generation Installer · · Score: 1

    I'd recommend Mandrake 9.1 (or the recent 9.2).

    My old system had 2 hard drives: 40GB WinXP and 6GB Red Hat 8.0. I booted through grub.

    I decided to switch to Mandrake. Well, after buying a 120GB HD ($70 at Best Buy after rebates!), I tore out my old 6GB drive, threw the 120GB in, and simple booted off of Mandrake's CD. The whole install (including putting in the new HD) probably took about 30 minutes. It was very painless and I was shocked at how easy it was. Mandrake is very smart about it's bootloader and letting you have multiple OS's on one system (I don't remember Red Hat being as easy).

  3. Re:Internet Tax: Maybe it's a good idea on Ban on Internet Access Tax Dies in Senate · · Score: 1

    And is using an old-skool card catalog really that hard????

    When you're trying to access the catalogue over the internet it is.

  4. Internet Tax: Maybe it's a good idea on Ban on Internet Access Tax Dies in Senate · · Score: 2, Insightful

    [devil's advocate]
    An internet tax could be a good idea. There are many technical areas the money could go to:

    1) Improve the government's online services. For example, make it so we can perform more DMV actions on the web instead of waiting 5 hours in line.

    2) Improve the technical capability of libraries. Get some better/quicker search engines for browsing the catalogues.

    3) Fund grants to colleges doing useful research (anti-spam R&D, security, etc...)

    4) Fund the anti-electronic fraud teams in the DOJ.
    [/devil's advocate]

  5. Re:Ever get that on SunnComm Says Pointing to Shift Key 'Possible Felony' · · Score: 1

    My initial reaction was, "Finally!" This may be the case that makes the public realize how scary the DMCA is. This case is simple to understand and I expect it to enter the public consciousness. I can see the exasperated headlines now: "Company Sues Users For Hitting 'Shift' Key"

  6. Telemarketing: It was never a problem for me on Oops, Dave Barry Does It Again · · Score: 2, Informative

    When I moved down to Northern VA and first got my phone, I was getting tons of telemarketing calls. But then I did something simple. The second I realized a call was a telemarketer, I said: "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested. Please take my number off your list." Click. That's it. I went from getting an average of 2 calls a day down to zero. Really. I hardly ever got called after I started doing that.

  7. Re:Stop identity theft? on Snail Mail As E-Mail · · Score: 1

    For extra points, mix it with vegetable scraps and put it into your compost bin. Or reduce it to paper pulp by mixing with water, and boiling it for a few minutes :-).

    What I usually do is throw the confetti away in several different waste baskets. If you're really paranoid, you can bring half of it to work and throw it away there, too.

  8. Re:Oh yes they can be struck by accident! on The Guy Responsible For Ctrl-Alt-Del · · Score: 1

    Also, how many of us simply try to hit all three keys in one nano-second instead of patiently holding down CTRL, then ALT, and then DELETE? I accidentally delete a desktop icon at least once a week.

  9. We'll be ok.... on Meteorite Strikes Indian Village · · Score: 1
  10. Re:Will people please stop making excuses for Bush on States Push for Net Sales Taxes · · Score: 1

    Also your comment about money being 'locked' away. You have 0 concept of how this works, dont you? Money is not 'locked away'. Its LOANED out. Where do you think loans for companies, ipos, research, buildings, etc. Its not put into little stacks and stuck in some deposit box. Oh and the 'poor' are just pissing their money away squandering it on food and shelter. People that squander money were NEVER taught how to spend money. If anything giving the money to the goverment is a sure way to remove money from the economy. They make money and they remove money. ITS THEIR JOB.

    Look, the gap between the rich and poor is increasing. The CEO's make a much many more times the payrate than the workers than they did in the 70's (I think in the 70's it was about 10 times, now it's about 40 times). Trickle down economics don't work.

    It's the government's job to remove money? What do you think they do with the money, put it in a pile and burn it? That money goes to defense contactors and constructions crews and research grants and a million other things that improve this country.

    As for the progressive income tax, the rich pay more because they GET MORE OUT OF THE SYSTEM. Their property is protected by the government. The courts settle their disputes. They live in a country that has a stable currency.

    I totally agree that a lot of poor (and middle class) people don't know how to manage their finances. If it were up to me, that would be a basic course in school. The level of consumer debt in this country is frightening.

    I should not have said tax cuts were "negligible." What I meant was that they are far from the best way of "stimulating" the economy. And if you're not spending money in the best way, you're wasting money.

  11. Bedwetting SMART liberals on Massachusetts Adopts Open Standards Strategy · · Score: 1

    At least we spend money on things that matter.

  12. Re:equations on Massachusetts Adopts Open Standards Strategy · · Score: 1

    For a bunch of bed-wetting liberals, we sure elect a helluva lot of Republican governors.

  13. Re:Will people please stop making excuses for Bush on States Push for Net Sales Taxes · · Score: 3, Insightful

    anyway, the size of the money taken out of the budget for the next year was 10s of billions and well under 50 billion. that is Chump Change when you look at the total losses taken during the recession and stagnation periods. it made more sence to cut taxes, because more economic stimulation happend from that than would have if it filtered through to special programs, of which it would have made little impact.

    The long term economic stimulation from tax cuts is negligible, if it even occurs at all. Notice the latest spin from the Bush team: the tax cuts helped shallow the recession.

    The Bush tax cuts went to the rich. Unlike a lot of poor people, the rich don't piss away every extra dollar they make. They lock their dollars away in banks or stocks or real estate.

    Look, Bush probably doesn't even know why he's cutting taxes. Go read about Grover Norquist and see the real reasons taxes are going down. The extreme right wingers are trying to starve the federal goverment as a way to cut "social" spending programs. Y'know, all that good stuff from the New Deal and other social reforms of the last 50 years.

  14. 50 Million Americans Can't Be Wrong? on House Votes to Launch Do-Not-Call List · · Score: 1

    Let's see...there are about 280 million people in America (my country, FYI). 69% of them believe Iraq had some role in 9/11. 0.69*280,000,000 = 193.2 million.

    Do I need to go any further in explaining the relative "worth" of popular opinion in this country?

  15. Wow on California Tries Spam Ban · · Score: 0, Troll

    First the privacy for the car blackboxes, now this spam bill. Amazing how nice these politicians are when their ass is in the fire. Maybe we should have more recalls....

  16. Work Method on Word Processors: One Writer's Retreat · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Once, while "writing" a software manual, I commented that I'd spent far more time formatting than actually writing. That comment went unanswered. I had a sure sense I needed to make an adjustment to new priorities.

    I'd recommend writing the raw text first and then formatting later. I've written several lengthy user manuals. The first thing I write is a table of contents. This can be done in a program as simple as NotePad (although I like EditPlus).

    Then, fill out each section. Write the content. Trying to format on the fly with something like MSWord is a major pain in the ass (don't even get me STARTED on what a nightmare subdocuments can be). Plus, you end up wasting a lot of time.

  17. Re:It's Likely True on Where is the Any Key? · · Score: 1

    There was the time (many, many years ago) I sent a 3.5" floppy to someone with both a 3.5" and 5.25" drive. She calls me up and asks which one to put it in, claiming the big one looks ike it can hold both sizes.

    My mom broke our 5.25" drive when she inserted a CD-ROM into it.

  18. Re:Do they slice a cow's eye open? on Disney Completes Dali Animation · · Score: 1
  19. Do they slice a cow's eye open? on Disney Completes Dali Animation · · Score: 4, Funny

    That would be cool.

  20. Re:Put warning at TOP of search results. on Google Removes Links in Response to DMCA Complaint · · Score: 1

    My point is that it is a BIG DEAL when Google filters out search results based on the DMCA. It shouyld be made very obvious that you are not getting a complete listing of search results.

  21. Put warning at TOP of search results. on Google Removes Links in Response to DMCA Complaint · · Score: 1, Interesting

    The warning is hidden at the bottom of the page (how often do we scroll down that far for results when searching through Google?). I think the warning should be the first thing on the page, with highlighted text.

  22. 18? Ouch. on Blaster Writer Caught · · Score: 1

    He ain't a minor anymore. Welcome to the big leagues, buddy. Kiss jeuvey hall goodbye.

  23. MS Blaster on Microsoft Code at Fault for Half of all Windows Crashes · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think in the last day, the number of crashes due to Microsoft code has risen to 75%.

  24. Removal Tool Crashes... on Win32 Blaster Worm is on the Rise · · Score: 1

    I did a search for MSBlast on my computer and deleted two files: the EXE and the PR (or something). Now, when I run the removal tool, it crashes on me. Does anyone know how to avoid this problem? (Short og getting reinfected :)

  25. Re:Good on RPC DCOM Worm On The Loose · · Score: 1

    I had the same exact experience. I'd log in, and the WinXP would restart after 3 or 4 minutes. It would give me a 60-second countdown. Fortuneately, this was enough time to download the patch and install it. I'll scan my computer tommorow to see what damage was done. There doesn't APPEAR to be anything at the moment....