This is the exact (software) counterpart to the "skilled mechanic VS mech. eng.":
As many of you know, a real good mechanic can create a whole new vehicle from parts. This is an engineering task: evaluate loads, material strength, power output, etc.
However, not all mechanics are skilled enough to do this. They are certainly not trained to do it. So, you can't distinguish which mechanic will make a good "engineer" and which won't. This is the point of licencing: you know the guy is trained to do the job right off the bat.
As an aside: the term "engineer" is only diluted in the US. In Canada, it is a strictly controlled term, so you don't get "sanitation engineers" (which is a joke. It should be sanitation technician IMHO) Something done by an engineer must be backed by the engineer himself, even if it is sold by a third party. This way, the bridge(or car, or electronic...) design you bought from FuckedCompany and that failed catastrophically can still be answered for by somebody.
P.S.: you can still do the engineering yourself, and get it approved by a licenced eng. Cheaper than having it done by him, and you get thorough proofreading too!(esp. because he is accountable for the design, having approved it)
Talk about buzzword galore!
"OCSystem Enhanced Radeon 9700 Pro Level III SE"
Wasn't "OCSystem Enhanced Radeon 9700 Pro" enough? Why add "level III SE"? is there a "Level II" avaliable? I assume the "level I" is the off-the-shelf radeon 9700 pro. And SE? Why not DX or LX or SSEi or Vtec or VVTi?;-)
Man, the video card market is beginning to look like the car market: over-marketed. Soon, you will be able to order cards colored from a selected palette, or get bucket seats as a "Deluxe" option! There will be "the video card for the discriminating buyer", the "all-terrain video card for the outdoorsman in you", and other punch lines direct from this place!
The price of a T1 connection is NOT ENTIRELY related to bandwidth usage! People don't seem to know what comes with a T1, so I'll repeat:
1) 24/7 service ON SITE - costs a WHOLE LOT to provide. Ever tried to have that for a residential service?
2) EXTRA SHORT waiting time when calling support: man I liked it when the tech (a real one, not an unqualified human-bot reading a script) answered before the third ring!
3) 24/7 monitoring of your connection BY THE PROVIDER. You are sleeping, the line goes down, they are the ones who see it and take actions before you can know it.
4) Free router, dedicated line installation, etc, etc
Bandwidth is not that expensive, especially nights and weekends(when most of the residential users are online).
IANATE (I Am Not A Telco Employee), but I have used their commercial services, so I know what a business line really is.
I could name 4 things: 1) 24/7 service ON SITE - costs a WHOLE LOT to provide. Ever tried to have that for a residential service? 2) EXTRA SHORT waiting time when calling service: man I liked that when the tech guy(a real one, not an undergrad student) answered before the third ring! 3) Constant monitoring of your connection BY THE PROVIDER. You are sleeping, the line goes down, they are the ones who see it and take actions before you can know it. 4) Free router, fiber optic line installation, etc, etc (ouch to the pocket)
Is that worth 900$ extra? When your business IS networking, it is. When you are a residential user, you don't get that, so you are not paying for it.
(Cheap != usage caps), so (residential line != commercial service) even if the line speed is the same.
You have to note that the Videotron Internet service costs about 40$ CANADIAN, which equates to about 16 GBP. This means you get 1/3 the service for 1/4 the price.
Do the math, you are better off. For 85$ CAN (about 35 GBP), you can get 1.5 Mbps (bits, not bytes) service, unlimited upload AND download from a national provider and keep a healthy 50$ in your pocket after taxes. I completely understand the ire of those british people. Of course, shopping around is a good idea because some people want to rip you off and cap you to death.
I am not affiliated with either of the abovementioned companies, I have just used their services in the past or the present.
There are many ways to respond to requests like this one.
1) whine: not really a good solution, but a Slashdot favorite;-) 2) ask why: much better, and the avenue which you took 3) refuse to comply: and live with the consequences. Of course, if they really want YOU, there is always the possibility of negociating your way out of doing it. 4) "forget" to fill it: they may never notice! (You know: "oh, sorry boss. I just didn't have time to do that. I'll just stop working on [insert important stuff with tight schedule here] and do it right away" or simply "Sorry, I forgot. I'll fill it this afternoon") 5) Check the privacy laws which apply. In my part of sunny Canada, even making such a request is ILLEGAL, which makes it a breeze to refuse.
IANAL, but I can advise you to get a boss which respects you enough to leave your credit alone.
Well, at least Windows Media Player and Winamp could fall victim to that kind of attack(theoretically): both make possible the execution of code embedded in the files. It was done to allow the delivery of ads and "related content". Ever wondered why WMP tries to connect to the 'net when you start a local file?
Be scared. Be very scared. <maniacal laugh>hehehehahahahahahaha</maniacal laugh>
Slashdot Mirror
This is the exact (software) counterpart to the "skilled mechanic VS mech. eng.":
As many of you know, a real good mechanic can create a whole new vehicle from parts. This is an engineering task: evaluate loads, material strength, power output, etc.
However, not all mechanics are skilled enough to do this. They are certainly not trained to do it. So, you can't distinguish which mechanic will make a good "engineer" and which won't. This is the point of licencing: you know the guy is trained to do the job right off the bat.
As an aside: the term "engineer" is only diluted in the US. In Canada, it is a strictly controlled term, so you don't get "sanitation engineers" (which is a joke. It should be sanitation technician IMHO) Something done by an engineer must be backed by the engineer himself, even if it is sold by a third party. This way, the bridge(or car, or electronic...) design you bought from FuckedCompany and that failed catastrophically can still be answered for by somebody.
P.S.: you can still do the engineering yourself, and get it approved by a licenced eng. Cheaper than having it done by him, and you get thorough proofreading too!(esp. because he is accountable for the design, having approved it)
I tought so.
Wasn't "OCSystem Enhanced Radeon 9700 Pro" enough? Why add "level III SE"? is there a "Level II" avaliable? I assume the "level I" is the off-the-shelf radeon 9700 pro. And SE? Why not DX or LX or SSEi or Vtec or VVTi? ;-)
Man, the video card market is beginning to look like the car market: over-marketed. Soon, you will be able to order cards colored from a selected palette, or get bucket seats as a "Deluxe" option! There will be "the video card for the discriminating buyer", the "all-terrain video card for the outdoorsman in you", and other punch lines direct from this place!
IANATE (I Am Not A Telco Employee), but I have used their commercial services, so I know what a business line really is.
I could name 4 things:
1) 24/7 service ON SITE - costs a WHOLE LOT to provide. Ever tried to have that for a residential service?
2) EXTRA SHORT waiting time when calling service: man I liked that when the tech guy(a real one, not an undergrad student) answered before the third ring!
3) Constant monitoring of your connection BY THE PROVIDER. You are sleeping, the line goes down, they are the ones who see it and take actions before you can know it.
4) Free router, fiber optic line installation, etc, etc (ouch to the pocket)
Is that worth 900$ extra? When your business IS networking, it is. When you are a residential user, you don't get that, so you are not paying for it.
(Cheap != usage caps), so (residential line != commercial service) even if the line speed is the same.
Do the math, you are better off. For 85$ CAN (about 35 GBP), you can get 1.5 Mbps (bits, not bytes) service, unlimited upload AND download from a national provider and keep a healthy 50$ in your pocket after taxes. I completely understand the ire of those british people. Of course, shopping around is a good idea because some people want to rip you off and cap you to death.
I am not affiliated with either of the abovementioned companies, I have just used their services in the past or the present.There are many ways to respond to requests like this one.
;-)
1) whine: not really a good solution, but a Slashdot favorite
2) ask why: much better, and the avenue which you took
3) refuse to comply: and live with the consequences. Of course, if they really want YOU, there is always the possibility of negociating your way out of doing it.
4) "forget" to fill it: they may never notice! (You know: "oh, sorry boss. I just didn't have time to do that. I'll just stop working on [insert important stuff with tight schedule here] and do it right away" or simply "Sorry, I forgot. I'll fill it this afternoon")
5) Check the privacy laws which apply. In my part of sunny Canada, even making such a request is ILLEGAL, which makes it a breeze to refuse.
IANAL, but I can advise you to get a boss which respects you enough to leave your credit alone.
Well, at least Windows Media Player and Winamp could fall victim to that kind of attack(theoretically): both make possible the execution of code embedded in the files. It was done to allow the delivery of ads and "related content". Ever wondered why WMP tries to connect to the 'net when you start a local file?
Be scared. Be very scared.
<maniacal laugh>hehehehahahahahahaha</maniacal laugh>