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User: kervin

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  1. Account Manger on Do Non-Technical Managers Add Value? · · Score: 1

    You're confusing a Non-Technical [Project] Manager with an Account Manager. Account Mangers are the ones that manage the client's expectations, and generally "correct" for engineers having little more charisma than the machines they work with.

  2. Not true on Why Don't Open Source Databases Use GPUs? · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...because I/O is the limiting factor of database performance, not compute power?

    Just a few projects into Database Performance Optimization would convince you that's not a true statement. IO/Memory/CPU are in fact largely interchangeable resources on a database. And depending on your schema you can just as easily run out of any of these resources equally.

    For instance, I'm currently tuning a SQL Server database that's CPU heavy based on our load projection targets. We could tweak/increase query caching that would cause more resultsets to stay in memory. This would mean that less complex queries would be run, drastically reducing I/O and some CPU resource usage. But then drastically increasing memory usage. This is just a simple example of course to illustrate the point.

    Databases run out of CPU resources all the time. And a CPU advancement would be very well received.

    My guess as to why this hasn't been done is that it would require end-users to start buying/renting/leasing GPU enabled hardware for their Database infrastructure. This would be a huge change from how we do things today and this sector moves very slowly.

    Also we have many fairly old but more important Database advancements which have been around for years and are still almost unusable. If you ever tried to horizontally scale most popular Open-source databases you may know what I'm talking about. Multi-master, or just scaling technology in general, is required by about every growing "IT-dependent" company at some point. But that technology ( though available ) is still "in the dark ages" as far as I'm concerned based on reliability and performance measurements.

  3. Standardize Javascript bytecode already on Asm.js Gets Faster · · Score: 1

    I'd wish they'd stopping slowly and painfully going through the intermediate steps and standardize the Javascript Bytecode representation. Then javascript wouldn't be any slower than native code. Even faster in some situations ( due to runtime optimizations, if the Java folks are to be believed ).

    Why on earth are we still only transferring Javascript as text? It doesn't really help security. Is obfuscated Javascript any easier to read than decompiled bytecode?

  4. Programming IS hard and boring on Excite Kids To Code By Focusing Less On Coding · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I love to code and have been ever since I owned my first computer, but the kids are right. Programming is hard and boring compared to a lot of things they could be doing. So may we can try to help them understand why this hard and boring task is still worth their time. Instead of try to put lipstick on that particular pig.

  5. Re:OR System76 on Dell's New Sputnik 3 Mates Touchscreen With Ubuntu · · Score: 1

    I agree. I didn't see the point of an ultrathin for a workstation so I got a System76 "Gazelle", Ubuntu 13.x, 15 inch, i7 Haswell, 16GB Ram, 500GB dual SSD that cost me $1.6K shipped.

  6. Give us the option to pay for Ubuntu development on Mark Shuttleworth Apologizes for Trademark Action Against Fix Ubuntu · · Score: 4, Interesting

    As a Ubuntu user I don't understand why Canonical will sell my data to third-parties but not give me the option to pay for the software.

    I've already paid $250 for VMWare Workstation and $100 for Windows 8 OEM as a guest OS. I'd happily pay $100 to Canonical for Ubuntu if they would even give me the option in return for not selling my search data.

  7. If that's the only link you found... on Jeffrey Zients Appointed To Fix Healthcare.gov · · Score: 1

    Then things are much better than I thought. You can't have 2 successful people who when to prestigious schools not have connections all over the place. I mean "classmates"? That's it?

  8. Re: ...the ONLY bidder on How To FIx Healthcare.gov: Go Open-Source! · · Score: 5, Informative

    There were 4 bidders according to Reuters.

    Where did you get your information?

  9. Highest estimate is $300M on How To FIx Healthcare.gov: Go Open-Source! · · Score: 3, Informative

    Reuters puts money spent so far at $200M, and project at $300M. Source: As Obamacare tech woes mounted, contractor payments soared

    You can make your point without resorting to embellishments you know.

  10. False. No proof there was only 1 bidder on How To FIx Healthcare.gov: Go Open-Source! · · Score: 2
  11. Typical National, 1.0 launch in early few weeks on How To FIx Healthcare.gov: Go Open-Source! · · Score: 4, Informative

    I understand the political grandstanders on both sides using this in their latest talking points but I really expected a bit more from Slashdot. Crashing Websites, Grumbling Users: Obamacare's Debut Is a Typical Tech Launch is the most balanced and informed article I've seen written on this topic.

    Basically the webs has been out for little 2-3 weeks now. It's a National rollout. And it's all on 1.0 code. Of course there will be issues. Network design is done using estimates, but scaling is done using metrics. Load-testing with a 100K concurrent user target will not help you when 200K users show up at your door.

    This is all business as usual at the start of the sign-up period. Where users can also call in their applications and also fill them out in person. I'd be surprised if they couldn't mail in their applications as well.

  12. I do. on Redesigned Seats Let Airlines Squeeze In More Passengers · · Score: 1

    I'm 6'7'' so I never buy a ticket unless I can get an emergency aisle seat ( which have a lot more leg room ) or an affordable business class seat.

    I know people a lot shorter but who do the same. So the admittedly small market is out there.

  13. You can buy a computer with Ubuntu preinstalled on Battlefield Director: Linux Only Needs One 'Killer' Game To Explode · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm typing this from a Ubuntu computer delivered to me just 2 days ago from http://system76.com.

    Is it fair to blame Ubuntu for all the issues that come with building a computer from scratch?

    But with that said, I agree the current Linux distros aren't ready for the average computer user. It's not Linux that's the problem. It's the fact that distros just don't put in ( or have for that matter ) the resources necessary to "polish" the OS.

    We know Linux can do this because we use Android phones, and they work just fine for most users.

    And personally I believe until distros put philosophy aside and concentrate on bringing in enough resources to fund continued development, Linux will remain inadequate for the average home computer user.

  14. I'm melting! I'm melting! on Building Melts Car · · Score: 5, Funny

    What a world... what a world...

  15. Prefork is the worse MPM for performance on Apache Web Server Share Falls Below 50 Percent For First Time Since 2009 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Prefork plus increased file descriptors? You're kidding right? While you can get Apache to match NGinx, it's definitely nowhere that simple. As optimized as Unix fork() is, processes are going to use more resources than threads in this scenario every time. Prefork is the worse MPM you can use when you need performance. Even the Apache manual spells this out.

    You'd have *begin* with worker or event MPM, use Apache 2.4 at least, and finely tune for your Application and specific load.

    The benefit of NGinx is that you get a highly optimized web server right out of the box. You don't have to mess with the configs and you're almost there.

    Technically the Apache team can do the same if they get rid of Prefork and a whole bunch of decades old legacy configuration options. Remove code processing modules from the webserver application space, i.e. get rid of mod_php for php_fpm, etc. All this can be configured now and you'll get that speed and stability, but it's just not done out of the box.

    With NGinx it is. The only way to do things is the 'fast' or optimized way.

  16. Strangely... on Obama Administration Overrules iPhone Trade Ban · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The same was not done for Samsung when their products were banned over flimsier design patents

  17. Not everyone.. on Whistleblowing IT Director Fired By FL State Attorney · · Score: 1

    Not everyone that betrays a position of trust is a whistle-blower.

  18. Proof of wrongdoing? on Data Leak Spurs Huge Offshore Tax Evasion Investigation · · Score: 1, Interesting

    This entire article is alarmist, and I even wonder if that information can be used in a court of law. As the IRS points out, here is nothing wrong in owning an offshore corporation or accounts. As long as you report it properly.

    International Business Corporations are ridiculously common. You don't have to be rich, many people with average income have those. It just depends on how you spend your money and the business you're in.

  19. Re:Not numbered. More declining. on The Days of Cheap, Subsidized Phones May Be Numbered · · Score: 1

    Not true. You pay less if you go Verizon or AT&T Prepaid. You also pay less if you go to a Verizon or AT&T MVNO. Same network, different brand and much lower price.

  20. Optical Zoom on What's Next For Smartphone Innovation · · Score: 1

    With Smartphones used so much for photography now, it's sad that we don't have at least 1-2x optical zoom on most phones.

    Medical sensors are definitely more important. But I believe optical zoom would be used more overall.

    And yes, it would be innovative because it's apparently a very difficult problem to solve on a massive scale and within a marketable pricepoint.

  21. Re:Anyone else? on Dr. Robert Bakker Answers Your Questions About Science and Religion · · Score: 1

    The response was fine. But maybe he could have simplified it a bit, maybe with sockpuppets

  22. science versus religion on Dr. Robert Bakker Answers Your Questions About Science and Religion · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think the Dr made some very convincing arguments. But from your counter-arguments I suspect there's no way of convincing you religion is not at odds with science. The Dr. correctly recalls that the church had many scientists in its ranks. Priests, monks, bothers, etc. Those where very intelligent people who contributed to science.

    It's not about the few examples he brought up. But the idea that many in the churches ranks saw no conflict between science and religion.

  23. Is this EME or NaCl? on Netflix Using HTML5 Video For ARM Chromebook · · Score: 1

    The article ( and Slashdot ) somehow links the Netflix app to Encrypted Media Extensions but I don't see where this is confirmed.

    It is also likely that Netflix used Native Client. NaCl may also explain why it's only available for certain platforms.

  24. WPF on Oracle Open Sourcing JavaFX, Including iOS and Android Ports · · Score: 2

    Look up http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xaml and it's use in WPF.

  25. At whose expense? on Does US Owe the World an Education At Its Expense? · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Just a cursory fact check should inform the "editors" of this article that international students are cash cows in many universities and actually keep many colleges open.

    Ironically the burden is directly the other way around. International students help fund the programs that local residents benefit from.