At a company I worked for, the project request document template resembled a contract. Included on it was a statement acknowledging in advance that any change to the stated requirements would result in a mandatory delay AND cost increase. This quashed any kvetching about delays (because now they're not really late), and encouraged people to do two things: 1. Only insert changes that were actually absolutely necessary, 2. Save "nice to have" features for subsequent iterations.
Even the discovery of fingerprints on a smoking gun at a crime scene does not eliminate someone's right to remain silent; so I have no idea what that "different judge" was thinking. He certainly wasn't thinking of due process.
Dude... 20 years of "experience" on servers == no desktop experience.
My day job is building Windows apps. But on MY computers (a laptop and a netbook) I prefer to run Ubuntu. On the laptop I use Cairo-Dock. It feels a LOT like a Mac. The Netbook has a much smaller screen, so for that I use Unity. Either one of them is better than Windows on the respective device.
Lest somebody actually believe you... Here's what Cairo-Dock is like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDCNHuARp2Y And here's a vid of an Australian mum trying Ubuntu for the first time. She's using the default Unity desktop, and she finds it "logical": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgGbZfR6Vec
Now, Xubuntu, which you tried, would make sense if you were running it on some pretty old hardware with the knowledge that it is pretty stripped-down, Even then, it's just a standard application menu and a traditional windowed environment, not terribly different from Windows XP. It stretches credulity that you found this difficult to use: http://xubuntu.org/screenshots/
Now, I'm not calling you a troll, and I'm not questioning your intelligence, but maybe computers just aren't your thing. Might I suggest a good book?
The best part about projects like this are the fallout technologies. Imagine that they solve the on-board battery problem... a battery with the requisite light weight, power, and long life may not be possible, but TRYING to make one may actually give us a decent cell phone or laptop battery.
Why waste time with getting warrants for wiretaps when they can just let loose a few fly drones in the suspect's window?
Which is why I think I'll start immediate work on electrified window screens that can scramble robot flies' circuitry. Then I'll sell them to the CIA for protection against their own tech.
Every problem is an opportunity. Stay thirsty, my friend.
This thing is glacial, whereas the original card readers read these things as fast as you could push them through. While physical contacts wear out, the best solution is simply some optical LEDs and photoreceptors, and a timer.
Those are good answers to the question "why not a laptop?" but it still doesn't answer whether the Kindle is worth the money. It isn't.
For around a hundred bucks I got a Palm T|X. It's better than the Kindle for most purposes, and I have an extra $400 for books. Benefits of the Palm.... - it easily fits in a pocket. - it can be read in pitch-black darkness (the Kindle can't), and the battery easily lasts long enough to read an entire book. Longer if I turn off the wi-fi and Bluetooth when I'm not using it. - it easily fits in a pocket. - supports multiple formats, including plain text, doc, eReader, pdf... - it easily fits in a pocket. - it also allows me to take notes, use a calculator, track my appointments, read email, search Google, play games, and listen to music. I can carry SDRAM cards. - it easily fits in a pocket.
A Kindle is big, clunky, and underpowered by comparison. The Palm has a smaller screen, as you can expect (did I mention it fits easily in a pocket?). The iPhone is likewise better than the Kindle for the same reason. We're not comparing these devices to books, so your statements here are puzzling. You can search on a laptop, or PDA as well. You're going to carry a phone anyway... why not make it an iPhone or Palm Pre that gives you the connectivity, convenience and the capability you want without having to lug an expensive and frankly redundant bit of limited electronics like the Kindle?
As for the eBooks, they can be gotten in all the same places. I personally make my own books in eReader's PDB format from public domain works on Project Gutenberg. Some authors are releasing their works under Creative Commons licenses. They cost me nothing and I can give them away (never mind the lending). And there is that $400 I saved... it amounts to 40 books in the Amazon store or more than that elsewhere.
Ditto. The trick to using Disk Doctor is using LOTS of DISTILLED water as a lubricant (no tap water!), and being exceptionally careful to maintain a constant speed when turning the handle. Conceptually the device is the same as the toothpaste technique above, but it does a job of polishing the tracks evenly superior to anything you can do by hand.
When done, the disk will look like you've just destroyed it, but it should be readable. IMMEDIATELY rip all the tracks and burn yourself a replacement disk. Better yet, rip all the tracks and put them on an MP3 player. CDs are passe for playing, but they're economical for distributing music unencumbered by DRM.
There's no reason to think of management as anything but people. If nothing else you've got that in common. So you begin with the knowledge that we're all adult people, and your managers aren't your parents, and they're not the police, and you're not a criminal. You're not asking for a handout. You're a craftsman who takes pride in his work and simply doesn't want to see it thrown away. Only with that realization can you have the confidence to pull this off.
If you present a reasonable and non-threatening case, and if you're sincere, I don't think you've got anything to worry about. I know that for some people the prospect of life outside the cubicle can be daunting. But as I said, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
It's not a contract, it's a transfer of copyright, which is a VERY different thing (as SCO learned to their ruin). The transfer would be valid if it were written on the back of an envelope. There is no requirement for consideration... a copyright can be transferred as a gift, or bequeathed in a will for that matter.
Yeah, I agree with you. I rather expected such a clause and was mildly surprised not to find it when I received the letter. However, you have to keep in mind that I'd already said my intention was to open-source the code and I had a history of delivering on promises. They kept a copy of the original code and would not have had to come back to me for it. Add to this the fact that they really were abandoning the code and thus probably didn't fully appreciate its value. This adds up to low perception of risk on their part, and they didn't include the clause.
So I guess I should amend my earlier comment: the best that can happen is that you get MORE than you ask for.
IMHO, the simpler the agreement the better. Every additional word adds the possibility of loopholes, which is probably why the FSF's suggested copyright waiver is so tiny. IANAL.
Sure, why not? That's exactly what I did. So they typed this up on company letterhead:
"This letter is confirmation that [Company] transfers to you all copyrights and license rights for the Lotus Notes screens and databases you developed for us in 2002. You are free to use or sell the product at your discretion without fees or royalties to [Company]. In other words, you now own the software. We do ask that you destroy our client-specific data." It is signed by the CEO.
See? No fancy legalese necessary... plain English works just fine.
Your reply sounds like you would expect ridicule for such a move, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. The best thing that can happen is you get the code. The worst is that they say no. It takes a heap of cowardice to turn down copyrights for fear of one two-letter word, IMHO.
In my case the sales pitch was simple: "You're not going to use it. But I've invested a lot of effort in this and would like to see that not go to waste. Give me the code and I'll continue to improve it and fix bugs. And in the event that the new system doesn't work out for you, I'll license the improved code back to you royalty-free in exchange for the copyrights you transfer to me now. This mitigates the risks of your conversion. It's the best insurance policy you can have, and it costs you exactly nothing."
The story as it appears at Wired quotes Chris Cutter, an Apple spokesman as saying, "[This] just continues to add to the ubiquity of QuickTime."
Maybe, maybe not. IMHO, it will become ubiquitous when users of platforms other than Windows and Mac are able to actually able to display this nifty content.
After all, what good is a server that streams content that your users can't see? Answer: no damned good at all.
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At a company I worked for, the project request document template resembled a contract. Included on it was a statement acknowledging in advance that any change to the stated requirements would result in a mandatory delay AND cost increase. This quashed any kvetching about delays (because now they're not really late), and encouraged people to do two things: 1. Only insert changes that were actually absolutely necessary, 2. Save "nice to have" features for subsequent iterations.
There's nothing new under the sun.
Even the discovery of fingerprints on a smoking gun at a crime scene does not eliminate someone's right to remain silent; so I have no idea what that "different judge" was thinking. He certainly wasn't thinking of due process.
Dude... 20 years of "experience" on servers == no desktop experience.
My day job is building Windows apps. But on MY computers (a laptop and a netbook) I prefer to run Ubuntu. On the laptop I use Cairo-Dock. It feels a LOT like a Mac. The Netbook has a much smaller screen, so for that I use Unity. Either one of them is better than Windows on the respective device.
Lest somebody actually believe you...
Here's what Cairo-Dock is like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDCNHuARp2Y
And here's a vid of an Australian mum trying Ubuntu for the first time. She's using the default Unity desktop, and she finds it "logical": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgGbZfR6Vec
Now, Xubuntu, which you tried, would make sense if you were running it on some pretty old hardware with the knowledge that it is pretty stripped-down, Even then, it's just a standard application menu and a traditional windowed environment, not terribly different from Windows XP. It stretches credulity that you found this difficult to use: http://xubuntu.org/screenshots/
Now, I'm not calling you a troll, and I'm not questioning your intelligence, but maybe computers just aren't your thing. Might I suggest a good book?
The best part about projects like this are the fallout technologies. Imagine that they solve the on-board battery problem... a battery with the requisite light weight, power, and long life may not be possible, but TRYING to make one may actually give us a decent cell phone or laptop battery.
Why waste time with getting warrants for wiretaps when they can just let loose a few fly drones in the suspect's window?
Which is why I think I'll start immediate work on electrified window screens that can scramble robot flies' circuitry. Then I'll sell them to the CIA for protection against their own tech.
Every problem is an opportunity. Stay thirsty, my friend.
Compare names and sizes, then CRC. Let the thing run.
This says a lot more about your biases than PJ's.
This thing is glacial, whereas the original card readers read these things as fast as you could push them through. While physical contacts wear out, the best solution is simply some optical LEDs and photoreceptors, and a timer.
Those are good answers to the question "why not a laptop?" but it still doesn't answer whether the Kindle is worth the money. It isn't.
For around a hundred bucks I got a Palm T|X. It's better than the Kindle for most purposes, and I have an extra $400 for books. Benefits of the Palm....
- it easily fits in a pocket.
- it can be read in pitch-black darkness (the Kindle can't), and the battery easily lasts long enough to read an entire book. Longer if I turn off the wi-fi and Bluetooth when I'm not using it.
- it easily fits in a pocket.
- supports multiple formats, including plain text, doc, eReader, pdf...
- it easily fits in a pocket.
- it also allows me to take notes, use a calculator, track my appointments, read email, search Google, play games, and listen to music. I can carry SDRAM cards.
- it easily fits in a pocket.
A Kindle is big, clunky, and underpowered by comparison. The Palm has a smaller screen, as you can expect (did I mention it fits easily in a pocket?). The iPhone is likewise better than the Kindle for the same reason. We're not comparing these devices to books, so your statements here are puzzling. You can search on a laptop, or PDA as well. You're going to carry a phone anyway... why not make it an iPhone or Palm Pre that gives you the connectivity, convenience and the capability you want without having to lug an expensive and frankly redundant bit of limited electronics like the Kindle?
As for the eBooks, they can be gotten in all the same places. I personally make my own books in eReader's PDB format from public domain works on Project Gutenberg. Some authors are releasing their works under Creative Commons licenses. They cost me nothing and I can give them away (never mind the lending). And there is that $400 I saved... it amounts to 40 books in the Amazon store or more than that elsewhere.
Ditto. The trick to using Disk Doctor is using LOTS of DISTILLED water as a lubricant (no tap water!), and being exceptionally careful to maintain a constant speed when turning the handle. Conceptually the device is the same as the toothpaste technique above, but it does a job of polishing the tracks evenly superior to anything you can do by hand.
When done, the disk will look like you've just destroyed it, but it should be readable. IMMEDIATELY rip all the tracks and burn yourself a replacement disk. Better yet, rip all the tracks and put them on an MP3 player. CDs are passe for playing, but they're economical for distributing music unencumbered by DRM.
Proof: http://preview.tinyurl.com/2qcdr7
There's no reason to think of management as anything but people. If nothing else you've got that in common. So you begin with the knowledge that we're all adult people, and your managers aren't your parents, and they're not the police, and you're not a criminal. You're not asking for a handout. You're a craftsman who takes pride in his work and simply doesn't want to see it thrown away. Only with that realization can you have the confidence to pull this off.
If you present a reasonable and non-threatening case, and if you're sincere, I don't think you've got anything to worry about. I know that for some people the prospect of life outside the cubicle can be daunting. But as I said, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
It's not a contract, it's a transfer of copyright, which is a VERY different thing (as SCO learned to their ruin). The transfer would be valid if it were written on the back of an envelope. There is no requirement for consideration... a copyright can be transferred as a gift, or bequeathed in a will for that matter.
http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap2.html#204
But if it makes you feel better to treat it as a contract, you can use this form:
http://www.copylaw.com/forms/copyassn.html
Yeah, I agree with you. I rather expected such a clause and was mildly surprised not to find it when I received the letter. However, you have to keep in mind that I'd already said my intention was to open-source the code and I had a history of delivering on promises. They kept a copy of the original code and would not have had to come back to me for it. Add to this the fact that they really were abandoning the code and thus probably didn't fully appreciate its value. This adds up to low perception of risk on their part, and they didn't include the clause.
So I guess I should amend my earlier comment: the best that can happen is that you get MORE than you ask for.
IMHO, the simpler the agreement the better. Every additional word adds the possibility of loopholes, which is probably why the FSF's suggested copyright waiver is so tiny. IANAL.
Sure, why not? That's exactly what I did. So they typed this up on company letterhead:
"This letter is confirmation that [Company] transfers to you all copyrights and license rights for the Lotus Notes screens and databases you developed for us in 2002. You are free to use or sell the product at your discretion without fees or royalties to [Company]. In other words, you now own the software. We do ask that you destroy our client-specific data." It is signed by the CEO.
See? No fancy legalese necessary... plain English works just fine.
Your reply sounds like you would expect ridicule for such a move, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. The best thing that can happen is you get the code. The worst is that they say no. It takes a heap of cowardice to turn down copyrights for fear of one two-letter word, IMHO.
In my case the sales pitch was simple: "You're not going to use it. But I've invested a lot of effort in this and would like to see that not go to waste. Give me the code and I'll continue to improve it and fix bugs. And in the event that the new system doesn't work out for you, I'll license the improved code back to you royalty-free in exchange for the copyrights you transfer to me now. This mitigates the risks of your conversion. It's the best insurance policy you can have, and it costs you exactly nothing."
The story as it appears at Wired quotes Chris Cutter, an Apple spokesman as saying, "[This] just continues to add to the ubiquity of QuickTime."
Maybe, maybe not. IMHO, it will become ubiquitous when users of platforms other than Windows and Mac are able to actually able to display this nifty content.
After all, what good is a server that streams content that your users can't see? Answer: no damned good at all.