I remember a story I once heard of a joke the Athenoi used to tell. It went something like this:
When we have an issue, we discuss it at length with logic and rhetoric. We come to an informed decision. When the Spartans need to make a decision, it's usually decided by who can yell the loudest.
But, is anyone ready to take on the responsibilities ESR has? I think he's saying, "If you want my job then come take it."; if not then let me do it the best way I can.
I may not agree with everything he says or does but I find I agree more than not. We can debate his decisions without personally impuning him.
As for ESR, I've got a word or two for you. We need someone with your experience - just don't expect us to follow blindly - we are peers not subjects. Whether or not something is Open Source or not will be decided by logical and informed debate - not by one person.
If Solaris gives them the warm and fuzzies that's OK. Any UNIX is better than Windows. Solaris does scale to bigger hardware better than Linux for now but that may change in the future. Advocate Linux as the bulk of the workstations and support servers (mail, ftp, web, dns, file and print).
Linux would do the job admirably for sure but so will Solaris.
Here's an idea... see if you can run a Linux box with the same Oracle data on it and the same services as the Solaris box. If the Solaris box ever goes offline for whatever reason, the Linux box can step in and take up the slack. That would put a feather in your hat. I'm sure Oracle wouldn't mind - especially if it lead to another sale.:)
For LSB, why not just create a/compat directory with links to everything? That way, the different distributions could stay different yet remain compatible with the LSB. I know it wouldn't help much for libc5 vs glibc but... libc5 is discontinued! glibc6 is the way to go now so... is this still a REAL issue?
As for the article, I don't think RedHat has crossed the evil line yet. Anyway, it is in RedHat's best interests FINANCIALLY to remain in good standing with the community.
The rumors circulate already longer, but now there are concrete indications for the first time: Microsoft portiert(porting) its popular Office package on Linux. c't experienced from well informed source that in talking moon a separate department for the project had been formed. According to the information Microsoft set 37 developers on the Portierung(porting).
It is expected that Microsoft announces the Portierung(porting) still during the CeBIT and calls a date for the completion. The software giant is far in the hintertreffen(?) guessed/advised in the Linux Applikationsmarkt(applications market); Office products of other manufacturers are long available. Those Hamburg star division makes its star available Office for the non-commercial application even free of charge. Whether Microsoft can struggle through itself to a similar selling concept, remains being waiting still.
all rights revert to Apple. Perens is right that the software would not survive Apple's demise - or until the patents expire.
I applaud Apple in it's attempt to galvanize the Open Source community behind OS-X. OS-X is likely a very nice product and one that Apple has needed for years. HOWEVER, the new Apple license, in it's current incarnation, is nothing more than an invitation to developers to become unpaid Apple codeslaves. All work and code becomes the IP of Apple and would do nothing to enrich the world with reusable code.
I understand that the GPL is probably incompatible with Apple's IP and the BSD license may be too free but DO NOT call the OS-X code Free Software. You could call it Source Available but it would be truly a stretch to even call it Open Source.
depending upon the type of licenses chosen by the contributors. It would also be a big expenditure of time rewriting all those tools!:)
This "Free Linux" idea, purveyed by this Tom Slick guy, sounds like a commercial ploy to me. It may be one of those attacks on the freeness of Linux and any other GNUly appointed system. After all, Linux is already free!
The FSF or Free Software Foundation is basically THE FREE SOFTWARE FOUNDATION of Linux; take away the foundation and the building discorporates.
Stallman is interested in Linux remaining free (see FSF definition of free). The GPL is the protection afforded to free software against being coopted by non-free (proprietary) entities. Stallman is sometimes referred to as the prophet. Ok, so maybe he acts like one sometimes. He has a vision and wants to make sure it doesn't get lost in growing commercialization of Linux. You may not like what the so called prophet has to say but it's got to be said.
GNU/Linux as a name? I could care less. It doesn't matter much to me as long as it remains free - truly free.
What about: Brushed aluminum - not too expensive but very light and good looking. Impermeable.
Copper or alloy - very good looking if heavier than aluminum and more expensive. Excellent heat dissipation. Tarnishes to perfection. Impermeable.
Gold and silver inlay - expensive, lacks strength, heavy. Conducts electricity and heat well. Would look awesome. Impermeable.
Wooden exterior panels with metal shielding/grounding inside - good looking, light, relatively inexpensive. Flamable, poor heat dissipation, permeable (EMF radiant), surface not as durable as metal.
Moulded pyrex or plexiglas in assorted colors? See through and high tech looking. Fairly heavy, subject to fracture, heat dissipation substandard, can be expensive, permeable (EMF radiant).
Titanium - industrial strength look and well nigh indestructible. Fairly heavy, dissipates heat well, impermeable?
Carbon Fiber - cool look, light, extremely strong. Conducts electricity, permeable, heat dissipation dependant upon construction techniques.
I think a Carbon Fiber outer casing with sprayed EMF shielding, titanium frame, and copper heat dissipation system would be nearly ideal.
What I really want is: Multiple LEDs for Multiple HardDrives/Systems. Power LED, Temp, Fan Status, Processor Speed via BIOS, CPU/s load meters. (LCD's could be substituted for LED's) Minimum of 3 5.25" and 2 3.5" bays. 300W+ Power Supply. Removable motherboard mounting frame. Multiprocessor friendly layout. Intrusion Detection System. Advanced Cooling System ie: Heatsink external to case with thermostatically controlled cooling. Choice of colors: Black, Tan, Ivory, Purple, Brushed Aluminum etc...
And, I'm not talking about the TV Series either. I'm speaking of the original book version; it had epic scope with nearly believable storyline.
Some thought the original TV Series was a bad rip-off of the books! I thought Star Trek TNG was a poorly done product in comparison to the original TV Series. At least, the original TV Series TRIED to deliver the flavor of the book.
Now, it's just a bunch of special effects with second rate acting and predictable plots. Special Effects should enhance rather than be the storyline.:(
When you do a clone(), does the kernel not create a new Process ID with the same code and data as the origional process and only only changes the data when the processes begin to diverge? Also Known As: CopyOnWrite. I'm not a kernel hacker so I may be slightly off on my definition...
I'm under the impression that CopyOnWrite is why Linux's context switching is so fast and why the additional implementation of threads as a separate schedulable process type is unnecessary.
As for the SMP problem being memory bandwidth... I holeheartedly agree.:)
I've built myself a dual PII 333 Linux-2.2 Box w/64MB RAM, UW SCSI 9.1MB. At 66Mhz bus speed, it's sometimes hard to keep those PII's fed. I do, however, get excellent compilation times and consistently push both processors during intensive tasks - so it's worth it to me. The system is extremely snappy.
Now, all I have to do is get the PC100 memory to go 100Mhz bus.
I also use Blackdown Port of JDK1.1.7. Without the TYA JIT, things worked but were sluggish; with the TYA JIT, things got quite snappy. I'm able to run anything I want to including NetBeans2.0 Java IDE.
Some of my Java apps have been going for days with no problems.
We begin playing a game after installing it and rebooting and downloading the latest patch and installing it and rebooting again.
We get into the game and begin playing... everything is going fine - when all of a sudden. BANG! Blue screen or automatic reboot. Kule! I just love watching the BIOS information and hearing the beep. It makes my day.
We try to play the game again... all is well until. WHIMPER~ Windows freezes. Reboot!
In the game again. This time we play awhile then when we try to save where we are in case of a lockup - Windows locks up. FIZZLE. Damn!
I can't stand that freakin OS Windows and can't wait till more games are available on Linux. The world will be a better place.
Was I ranting? Who me? Naaaw - you've got to be kidding! I never do that. I do? Oh.
If I wan't to write a word processing document, Applixware is fine. I have StarOffice and Wordperfect8 too.
I can get by without Word - easily.
I do have one problem with Linux though... There is more software available than I have time to run - and it irkes the heck out of me!
Using Windows is like... pulling teeth with no anesthesia using rusty pliers.
I go over to my friend's house every once in a while - he's heavily into games and runs Windows98.
Here is the scenario:
I arrive to find him working on his computer adding this new widget or that. Usually, he's adding a new cooling device for his CELERON. Big fans and heatsinks, WaterFall, temperature gauges, Voodoo cards etc... This takes him about 30 minutes.
Next, comes loading the drivers and rebooting, downloading the latest drivers, loading them and rebooting again and again and again. Going into the BIOS to jimmy around with the settings. Half the time, the Windows OS is bluescreening and asking to be rebooted. This takes another hour and a half.
Then, he has to figure out what is wrong with his network because it ain't working now. More rebooting and loading of drivers and rebooting. Then, he loads a new game he's downloaded. Something goes wrong. The DLL's get corrupted half the time and he has to reinstall Windows from his image file. This takes another 2 hours.
By this time, I'm falling asleep so... he makes some coffee or expresso.
This has been a day in the life of a Windows Gamer. YMMV
With LINUX, I can download the source code (or binaries) to a zillion different programs. Compile and run with hardly ever a problem. I almost NEVER have to reboot - can't remember the last time I rebooted because of a crash. I can sit down and get to work doing what I want to do without having to FIX my computer on a daily basis. I can't put into words the increase in my piece of mind. I've been spoiled by Linux! I've been ruined! Woe is me... I have no patience for Windows anymore.
There are too many variables to make a clear cut answer. WINE code is completely independant of GNOME as all it requires for display is X. GNOME provides the same kind of DnD, Cut-N-Paste, Networked Object Model(with advanced messaging) for application interoperability as COM/DCOM with some obvious overhead required. So, the less you have running on your system, the faster WINE will run.
Hopefully, GNOME will make WINE obsolete then all the guys who do such a good job on WINE will be free to work on other projects - GNOME could benefit from such talent as it is the same kind of interface programming.
I haven't tried to upgrade my GNOME lately but I'm definately interested - especially if tremendous speed improvements have been made and configuration details have been ironed out. If WINE runs faster under the newest version of GNOME than previous versions, then count me in!
Because, most people don't want to have to learn anything... they just want to get their work done. With that said, I would like to add that most folk I know have to go through nine shades of holy h*ll to keep their Windows running. Think how easy it would be to have Linux preinstalled with no need for configuration. Maybe remote configuration by your service provider. Maybe autoconfiguration for a particular task etc..
Linux has so many possibilities and GNOME is one of them.:)
examining the userbase and finding out what is used by the majority of those users. You know... the (L)owest (C)ommon (D)enominator?
LSB v1.0 minimum specs could be 486DX2-66, 16MB RAM, 500MB HD, VGA 640x480, SB Compatible Sound, OSSFree or ALSA, libc5, X11R6 3.3.1, SVGALib, Linux 2.0.35, Mesa 3.0, TWM, linuxconf, RPM and File System Standard.
Almost every distro *I* know of provides these basic things. I include libc5 because it has the most widespread implementation (I can run libc5 binaries on my glibc system), X11R6 is a standard, SVGALib - standard, Linux 2.0.35 or better standard, Mesa 3.0 or better - standard, TWM at the very least, linuxconf is essentially a standard and distro agnostic, RPM can be used on any distro - I hear Debian's install stuff is good but more people use RPM. FSS is VERY important for compatability and crossplatform capability - isn't that what Linux is all about?
That's not to say that the distribution vendor couldn't ADD to the spec with newer versions and more choices; it would just mean that the ISV's would have a minimum system configuration that they could write to.
JUST DEFINE THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS. It's as easy as that. Give the ISV's additional incentive to provide us with additional sofware.
Slashdot Mirror
I remember a story I once heard of a joke the Athenoi used to tell. It went something like this:
When we have an issue, we discuss it at length with logic and rhetoric. We come to an informed decision.
When the Spartans need to make a decision, it's usually decided by who can yell the loudest.
because the pre-shipping version was evaluated by major press sources and when it balked, DR-DOS was the fallguy.
That is how it was reported and that is how the public percieved it; Windows doesn't like DR-DOS.
As far as I'm concerned, this exclusivity is concrete proof of anticompetitive behaviour: programmed instability.
But, is anyone ready to take on the responsibilities ESR has? I think he's saying, "If you want my job then come take it."; if not then let me do it the best way I can.
I may not agree with everything he says or does but I find I agree more than not. We can debate his decisions without personally impuning him.
As for ESR, I've got a word or two for you. We need someone with your experience - just don't expect us to follow blindly - we are peers not subjects. Whether or not something is Open Source or not will be decided by logical and informed debate - not by one person.
If Solaris gives them the warm and fuzzies that's OK. Any UNIX is better than Windows. Solaris does scale to bigger hardware better than Linux for now but that may change in the future. Advocate Linux as the bulk of the workstations and support servers (mail, ftp, web, dns, file and print).
:)
Linux would do the job admirably for sure but so will Solaris.
Here's an idea... see if you can run a Linux box with the same Oracle data on it and the same services as the Solaris box. If the Solaris box ever goes offline for whatever reason, the Linux box can step in and take up the slack. That would put a feather in your hat. I'm sure Oracle wouldn't mind - especially if it lead to another sale.
For LSB, why not just create a /compat directory with links to everything? That way, the different distributions could stay different yet remain compatible with the LSB. I know it wouldn't help much for libc5 vs glibc but... libc5 is discontinued! glibc6 is the way to go now so... is this still a REAL issue?
As for the article, I don't think RedHat has crossed the evil line yet. Anyway, it is in RedHat's best interests FINANCIALLY to remain in good standing with the community.
Ms Office for Linux expects(expected)
The rumors circulate already longer, but now there are concrete indications for the first time: Microsoft portiert(porting) its popular Office package on Linux. c't experienced from well informed source that in talking moon a separate department for the project had been formed. According to the information Microsoft set 37 developers on the Portierung(porting).
It is expected that Microsoft announces the Portierung(porting) still during the CeBIT and calls a date for the completion. The software giant is far in the hintertreffen(?) guessed/advised in the Linux Applikationsmarkt(applications market); Office products of other manufacturers are long available. Those Hamburg star division makes its star available Office for the non-commercial application even free of charge. Whether Microsoft can struggle through itself to a similar selling concept, remains being waiting still.
all rights revert to Apple. Perens is right that the software would not survive Apple's demise - or until the patents expire.
I applaud Apple in it's attempt to galvanize the Open Source community behind OS-X. OS-X is likely a very nice product and one that Apple has needed for years. HOWEVER, the new Apple license, in it's current incarnation, is nothing more than an invitation to developers to become unpaid Apple codeslaves. All work and code becomes the IP of Apple and would do nothing to enrich the world with reusable code.
I understand that the GPL is probably incompatible with Apple's IP and the BSD license may be too free but DO NOT call the OS-X code Free Software. You could call it Source Available but it would be truly a stretch to even call it Open Source.
I have no problem with MOV - as a matter of fact, I kinda prefer it.
If it don't work with xanim... I don't watch it.
.
depending upon the type of licenses chosen by the contributors. It would also be a big expenditure of time rewriting all those tools! :)
This "Free Linux" idea, purveyed by this Tom Slick guy, sounds like a commercial ploy to me. It may be one of those attacks on the freeness of Linux and any other GNUly appointed system. After all, Linux is already free!
The FSF or Free Software Foundation is basically THE FREE SOFTWARE FOUNDATION of Linux; take away the foundation and the building discorporates.
Stallman is interested in Linux remaining free (see FSF definition of free). The GPL is the protection afforded to free software against being coopted by non-free (proprietary) entities. Stallman is sometimes referred to as the prophet. Ok, so maybe he acts like one sometimes. He has a vision and wants to make sure it doesn't get lost in growing commercialization of Linux. You may not like what the so called prophet has to say but it's got to be said.
GNU/Linux as a name? I could care less. It doesn't matter much to me as long as it remains free - truly free.
What about:
Brushed aluminum - not too expensive but very light and good looking. Impermeable.
Copper or alloy - very good looking if heavier than aluminum and more expensive. Excellent heat dissipation. Tarnishes to perfection. Impermeable.
Gold and silver inlay - expensive, lacks strength, heavy. Conducts electricity and heat well. Would look awesome. Impermeable.
Wooden exterior panels with metal shielding/grounding inside - good looking, light, relatively inexpensive. Flamable, poor heat dissipation, permeable (EMF radiant), surface not as durable as metal.
Moulded pyrex or plexiglas in assorted colors? See through and high tech looking. Fairly heavy, subject to fracture, heat dissipation substandard, can be expensive, permeable (EMF radiant).
Titanium - industrial strength look and well nigh indestructible. Fairly heavy, dissipates heat well, impermeable?
Carbon Fiber - cool look, light, extremely strong. Conducts electricity, permeable, heat dissipation dependant upon construction techniques.
I think a Carbon Fiber outer casing with sprayed EMF shielding, titanium frame, and copper heat dissipation system would be nearly ideal.
The Ideal Case
What I really want is:
:|
Multiple LEDs for Multiple HardDrives/Systems.
Power LED, Temp, Fan Status, Processor Speed via BIOS, CPU/s load meters. (LCD's could be substituted for LED's)
Minimum of 3 5.25" and 2 3.5" bays.
300W+ Power Supply.
Removable motherboard mounting frame.
Multiprocessor friendly layout.
Intrusion Detection System.
Advanced Cooling System ie: Heatsink external to case with thermostatically controlled cooling.
Choice of colors: Black, Tan, Ivory, Purple, Brushed Aluminum etc...
All for under $200USD.
They are gonna make a bundle. I know I'm going to get me a copy!
Will they allow someone to do a mirror of the screenshots?
And, I'm not talking about the TV Series either. I'm speaking of the original book version; it had epic scope with nearly believable storyline.
:(
Some thought the original TV Series was a bad rip-off of the books! I thought Star Trek TNG was a poorly done product in comparison to the original TV Series. At least, the original TV Series TRIED to deliver the flavor of the book.
Now, it's just a bunch of special effects with second rate acting and predictable plots. Special Effects should enhance rather than be the storyline.
When you do a clone(), does the kernel not create a new Process ID with the same code and data as the origional process and only only changes the data when the processes begin to diverge? Also Known As: CopyOnWrite. I'm not a kernel hacker so I may be slightly off on my definition...
:)
I'm under the impression that CopyOnWrite is why Linux's context switching is so fast and why the additional implementation of threads as a separate schedulable process type is unnecessary.
As for the SMP problem being memory bandwidth... I holeheartedly agree.
I've built myself a dual PII 333 Linux-2.2 Box w/64MB RAM, UW SCSI 9.1MB. At 66Mhz bus speed, it's sometimes hard to keep those PII's fed. I do, however, get excellent compilation times and consistently push both processors during intensive tasks - so it's worth it to me. The system is extremely snappy.
Now, all I have to do is get the PC100 memory to go 100Mhz bus.
666.43 BogoMips and pushing the envelope.
I think that Blade Runner IS one of the best and most beautiful movies ever made - but I would be hard pressed to choose between it and 2001.
:= ('H' + 1) + ('A' + 1) + ('L' + 1);
Symphony: dah... Dah... DAh... DAH DAH....
Timpani: DUM dum DUM dum DUM dum DUM......
(My imperfect attempt at Thus Spake Zarathustra)
Dave: Open the pod bay doors HAL.
HAL: I'm sorry Dave - but I can't do that.
IBM
When the OEM's get a taste of a low to no cost OS, there may be no stopping them.
:)
When the user's get a taste of what Linux is and can be, they may prefer Linux to Windows - especially with it being preloaded and all.
I do agree that this may play into the hands of Microsoft in the DOJ trial though...
I also use Blackdown Port of JDK1.1.7. Without the TYA JIT, things worked but were sluggish; with the TYA JIT, things got quite snappy. I'm able to run anything I want to including NetBeans2.0 Java IDE.
Some of my Java apps have been going for days with no problems.
Better to have TYA than not. I like it!
Continuing the story after the coffee episode...
We begin playing a game after installing it and rebooting and downloading the latest patch and installing it and rebooting again.
We get into the game and begin playing... everything is going fine - when all of a sudden. BANG! Blue screen or automatic reboot. Kule! I just love watching the BIOS information and hearing the beep. It makes my day.
We try to play the game again... all is well until. WHIMPER~ Windows freezes. Reboot!
In the game again. This time we play awhile then when we try to save where we are in case of a lockup - Windows locks up. FIZZLE. Damn!
I can't stand that freakin OS Windows and can't wait till more games are available on Linux. The world will be a better place.
Was I ranting? Who me? Naaaw - you've got to be kidding! I never do that. I do? Oh.
If I wan't to write a word processing document, Applixware is fine. I have StarOffice and Wordperfect8 too.
I can get by without Word - easily.
I do have one problem with Linux though... There is more software available than I have time to run - and it irkes the heck out of me!
Using Windows is like... pulling teeth with no anesthesia using rusty pliers.
I go over to my friend's house every once in a while - he's heavily into games and runs Windows98.
Here is the scenario:
I arrive to find him working on his computer adding this new widget or that. Usually, he's adding a new cooling device for his CELERON. Big fans and heatsinks, WaterFall, temperature gauges, Voodoo cards etc... This takes him about 30 minutes.
Next, comes loading the drivers and rebooting, downloading the latest drivers, loading them and rebooting again and again and again. Going into the BIOS to jimmy around with the settings. Half the time, the Windows OS is bluescreening and asking to be rebooted. This takes another hour and a half.
Then, he has to figure out what is wrong with his network because it ain't working now. More rebooting and loading of drivers and rebooting.
Then, he loads a new game he's downloaded. Something goes wrong. The DLL's get corrupted half the time and he has to reinstall Windows from his image file. This takes another 2 hours.
By this time, I'm falling asleep so... he makes some coffee or expresso.
This has been a day in the life of a Windows Gamer. YMMV
With LINUX, I can download the source code (or binaries) to a zillion different programs. Compile and run with hardly ever a problem. I almost NEVER have to reboot - can't remember the last time I rebooted because of a crash. I can sit down and get to work doing what I want to do without having to FIX my computer on a daily basis. I can't put into words the increase in my piece of mind. I've been spoiled by Linux! I've been ruined! Woe is me... I have no patience for Windows anymore.
There are too many variables to make a clear cut answer. WINE code is completely independant of GNOME as all it requires for display is X. GNOME provides the same kind of DnD, Cut-N-Paste, Networked Object Model(with advanced messaging) for application interoperability as COM/DCOM with some obvious overhead required. So, the less you have running on your system, the faster WINE will run.
Hopefully, GNOME will make WINE obsolete then all the guys who do such a good job on WINE will be free to work on other projects - GNOME could benefit from such talent as it is the same kind of interface programming.
I haven't tried to upgrade my GNOME lately but I'm definately interested - especially if tremendous speed improvements have been made and configuration details have been ironed out. If WINE runs faster under the newest version of GNOME than previous versions, then count me in!
Because, most people don't want to have to learn anything... they just want to get their work done. With that said, I would like to add that most folk I know have to go through nine shades of holy h*ll to keep their Windows running. Think how easy it would be to have Linux preinstalled with no need for configuration. Maybe remote configuration by your service provider. Maybe autoconfiguration for a particular task etc..
:)
Linux has so many possibilities and GNOME is one of them.
I say this because... I've yet to see anything substantial come from J. Berst except rumors, naysaying and retractions.
:(
HOWEVER, I have seen much positive coverage of the Linux phenomenon from ZDNet. They are really beginning to understand Linux.
Give credit where credit is due says I! Needless to say, J. Berst has a bad credit report these days.
examining the userbase and finding out what is used by the majority of those users. You know... the (L)owest (C)ommon (D)enominator?
:)
LSB v1.0 minimum specs could be 486DX2-66, 16MB RAM, 500MB HD, VGA 640x480, SB Compatible Sound, OSSFree or ALSA, libc5, X11R6 3.3.1, SVGALib, Linux 2.0.35, Mesa 3.0, TWM, linuxconf, RPM and File System Standard.
Almost every distro *I* know of provides these basic things. I include libc5 because it has the most widespread implementation (I can run libc5 binaries on my glibc system), X11R6 is a standard, SVGALib - standard, Linux 2.0.35 or better standard, Mesa 3.0 or better - standard, TWM at the very least, linuxconf is essentially a standard and distro agnostic, RPM can be used on any distro - I hear Debian's install stuff is good but more people use RPM. FSS is VERY important for compatability and crossplatform capability - isn't that what Linux is all about?
That's not to say that the distribution vendor couldn't ADD to the spec with newer versions and more choices; it would just mean that the ISV's would have a minimum system configuration that they could write to.
JUST DEFINE THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS. It's as easy as that. Give the ISV's additional incentive to provide us with additional sofware.
Thank you for your time.
Looks like Silicon Valley is again the place to be right now if you are a support person and are well versed in UNIX/LINUX.
Time to buy stock? The race is on.