No, they are NOT better. They have very serious shortcommings, like memory leaking like a hell (try Firefox on Mac), problem to launch them anyway (no way you can debug them or find how to fix, which library to replace, etc.), and they are very unstable.
I would suggest you to work about some few years with Apple computer everyday - with other OSes aviable - and I think you would change your mind. OS X has lot of good things, but.app thingy is double edged sword and sometimes it is sharper on negative side.
For Christ sakes, stop beating TiVo bush. I feel like someone didn't get play with their TiVos and now cries in corner, shoutin "they don't give a candy, wheeee!". Sorry, but it is such impression (Disclaimer: I am free software/GPl advocate, but I disagree with RMS and rest of crowd on GPLv3), and GPlv3 is imho somehow "childish" answer to serious problems - IPovitisation, DRM, and software patents.
There is another argument why TiVo example is bad one - I can see real sense why to use DRM to control integrity of TiVo system. Because if someone creates custom image, uploads and fuck ups their TiVo, is their fault. But I am sure they (t.i. users) don't think so and propably blame company all the time. So decision to use DRM is quite...logical, no matter how do you look at it.
Question also is - how much people which are crying loud about TiVo actually own one? Honestly? I know that I would buy Dreambox, who don't have DRM and everything is nice.
But ffmpeg can't be distributed legally in all countries. These codecs are for sale for those people who want be legit - usually companies - common crowd will still stick with gstreamer apps/plugins or mplayer/vlc/ffmpeg combo. I see this Fluendo step as very contributing to choice I can make on Linux system - I can say boss that these codecs can be easily installed in public terminal which aim to provide video serices for example. Just buy a license and vola, you are set.
And kudos to ffmpeg team. I use Totem with gstreamer bad/ugly/ffmpeg combo and I can say - hats off to you guys. Quality is very good.
I don't need player who "just works". I need nice grapgical interface (and no, no mplayer, no gxine/xine, no vlc can provide that, they are totally geekish apps. I am geek, but for videos, I need something more "normal"), I need nice integration with my enviroment, etc. etc.
Totem/Rhythmbox provides me that. Yeah, I know, anyone who would say that mplayer isn't for him must be stupid or luser, it is stock answer to my requirements. But it won't change a bit what I said.
Mplayer is legal nightmare and isn't even developed fully anymore. Yes, it is nice to do some crazy things like playing movie in framebuffer, but that's it.
Buyers could be Gstreamer/GNOME/KDE users who would want to be legit for some reason - companies, shops, public terminals, etc. So this offer provides rather elegant way to do this. For me, I will stick with gstreamer bad/ugly plugins.
If you have read Christian (Fluendo most visible VP) blog post, they plan to provide upgrades via distribution upgrade/installation system (apt-get, yum, etc.)
Not only that. Problem is that for most of people, sex is so big personal tabu, that they will deny ANYTHING what they do everyday just to be saved from embarasment. For most people, sex comes with very strong feelings - even when you are not in love - so...
Personally I think that laws about sex should be written by sexually healthy people, who doesn't have some strong pain about not having/not liking sex because of his wife/her husband or something. They will want to be pure and suffer away, and will drag society together with them, because they don't want to admit, that they can't get a good sex because of shame/age/tirness/other problems.
(Yeeh, what a crap sentence, but I hope you'll understand what I said)
If you will check out which makes such laws and such judgments, you will see people in their 50-ties, very conservative, maybe with one children, etc.
People with good sexual life would do a harder check on facts before labeling this boy a sex offender.
I can understand your sentiment against Bush and everything that he is done in Iraq, but truth is a little bit...complex. Or simple, it depends on the way you look at it.
First of all, I agree with your post's parent - people who fight in Iraq are NOT freedom fighters. Repeat after me, they are NOT. freedom. fighters. For me. And for lot of people, if they would compare what actually freedom fighter means. Freedom fighters blows up things or kill only related with direct colobrators/army. This time, blowing up simple people for nothing, just to ignite fear, is simple terrorism. Yes, some "freedom fighters" are have been used fear to make things their way, but what happens in Iraq is far too much.
What I personally see - disclaimer: I am not expert in Iraq, but I read lot of information sources and think I can make good decisions what's going on there - it is that country is seperated by religion. Shiits, Sunnits, with a little mix of Kurds which everyone hate (I still don't fully get why). So why these different houses of Islam can't get along? Because one represents extreme Islam and another one - relatively peacful one - and each other sees like enemy of Islam and Allah which must be destroyed (something like catholics and protestants in France some three four centuries ago). Iran and Syria sees it as battle ground and new territory for extreme Islam. Like we that or not, Husein (yes, the same guy we were so hasting to hang) were only guy who was holding extreme fundamentalism in that region in check. Yes, his methods were truely barbaric, but I think he was right on target if wee look into contest of region (I don't morally aprove him, I just say - he did what he was ment to do, otherwise he would be swept away too).
So in fact US thought that they could remove Husein, create Iraq which is democratic (in region and culture where is almost no democratic traditions, look at the strugle of Turkey - and they are so close to Europe), respects religious and human rights (also those ones who calls destruction of secular goverment and way of thinking, yeah, right), and get away with it? Problem is that MAJORITY of world people haven't seen a shred of REAL democracy for centuries. They simply DON'T. BELIEVE. THAT. It will require tens of years to get some real IMPACT in this region. And let's take that in mind that there are higly motivated opposition.
My problems with Iraq war is not only the fact that it was started, but: 1. It was strategic and executive failure. I mean, if you decide to go to war, for Christ sakes, plan it best you can. For me, it was like Bush and co decided that they could easily walse into Iraq, hit out Husein, install puppet-semidemocratic-goverment and leave. Talk about not learning from the history. Hitler did the same mistake. US did the same mistake in Vjietnam. Russia did it in Chechnya; 2. Like it or not, you can't talk about educating nations about democracy when you have serious problems with this term in your own home. All that bullshit what is happened in last years in US (and in fact, also in the rest of the world) is crying for labeling it "failure of democracy". I still believe in democracy, but we must take a very critical look what is happening to us, because we fail to understand why people give away rights, don't believe in balanced goverment, etc. 3. Total mistrust from US goverment. I mean, how do you expect to win when you don't trust anyone who slightly disagree with you? Attitude from US goverment to other countries were arrogant at it's best. And for f#$%#^ what? Just to show that they have balls? Well, it doesn't help you win anyway.
In nutshell - I agree with those which says that situation in Iraq is very complex. Most of scenarios don't bring much hope for peaceful resolution in relatively close future. What I think must be done is that US admit total failure in MOTIVATION of doing this, because I think US must get that - you can't "export" democracy this way. You can't expect stable country while trusting a corrupt to core goverment. You can't trust to goverment who says that it totally follows you and your orders (It is 100% mark that they don't). In fact best friends are those who don't always agree with you, but they are there for you when critical hour for you strikes.
I probably won't even buy such device (I'm talking about iPhone) for some five years, but this looks really cool and very well thought out. This is slam dunk from Apple, again. Nice. Yeah, they are expensive as hell, but actually their products matter.
p.s. Apple TV was kinda surprisingly nice too. Didn't expect it.
It is sad that I have no mod points, because you should get my "insightful" mod.
You hit a nail on it's head. Most companies which practice such behavior are without any future plans, usually just 1-3 year struggle to make some quick money without big investment. Yes, there are big companies who can live such way because they are too big to feel something when ex-customers start to complain about them to others.
Errr. don't want to crash your house of cards, but what a hell all these organizations/projects/persons has ever to do with GPLv3? Tivo? Kernel will stay GPLv2, and I personally think that it is not black/white issue, so it won't punish Tivo and no, it won't give us nothing, and even more - it will halt any posibility to develop really useful DRM cases. XFree86/Xorg? License question was only last problem after everything went down into toilet. GIF? Software patents are evil, generally. GPLv3 won't help in this situation much. BitKeeper? Give me a rest.
GPLv3 is POLITICAL statement, which aim to strongarm users and developers in "right" way - as RMS and FSF see it. I agree with problems - patents *abuse*, DRM *abuse* - but I think this time they are making wrong choices about how to deal with these topics.
You hit a problem exactly where it stands. Problem is that there is different ways how to do a punishment. Usually, out of stress, lack of will or lack of time, or simply anger teachers come down to pupils like ton of a bricks. And there is a catch - if you are already spoiled little bastard, "ton of a bricks" won't do any good, you will just ignore it. In fact, it won't be good for NO ONE. And if you are just casual slack, then it is better to do a talk with friendly but serious attitude and punish him/her with working lot of hours for school.
My sister is social worker at school with 100% kids like mentioned here in article and comments, smokers, early mothers, drinkers, children who don't know how to write or even read at age 18, etc. And as far as I heard, punishment is out of way of leaving some good mark in them. Yes, you can temporary make them afraid, but nothing else. Calm and patience but don't let them shit on your head.
I totally agree with you here. And for information, there are already ISPs who treats users with OS X/Linux boxes with big distrust. Mostly support haven't heard about Linux and going in "bla bla bla, we don't support Linux" and only way to get some understanding between them and me is to calm them down and tell, that it is same IP/TCP anyway and so they can "forget" that it is foreign OS. Yes, you can easily blame support why they don't have heard about Linux, but knowing how hard is to find good and knowledgable support people, there is no reason to get in vendetta with them (it could be that in the other side there is another Windows-to-Linux convert coming). Just describe a problem them in terms of "Windows tech speech". Or switch providers:)
Also I see no basis of banning closed source drivers. However, what I think is needed is much bigger public information about why such drivers are bad (lot of them breaks, freezes boxes, have limited usability, etc. etc.) within reasonable POV, not emotional "binary blobs are unfree". Yes, they sure are bad, but EXPLAIN then to people in POLITE and UNDERSTANDABLE way WHY it is so.
I wouldn't worry so much about "prioritary codec stuff". It is seems that Ogg and FLAC is getting more and more popular and advanced everyday (there is secure private torrents with very rare music stuff (can't get into local shops, even in Amazon) which uses only and only FLAC, Ogg is supported in more and more DAPs, etc.). Even most manifacturers admit that prioritary stuff pushes their costs of manifacturing into skies, so they would prefer more and more open things for sure. We just need to show them support with open letters and PR campanges.
Seems like best argument for every feature Microsoft axes - "it isn't used anywhere!". But ohh boy, it IS used. Just ask any larger than medium business sysadmin or even more - some small business who have colosal mix of everything. Just don't tell them that because of new new shiny laptop they have to choose either to pirate Windows XP or just switch everything to IP?
Question is - why Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, even AIX can provide support for IPX and AppleTalk, and Microsoft new, ohh so super new OS can't?
There is too many more effective ways to silence any opposition like harassment, character smear champagne, bad PR, destroying of reputation, etc.
You would like to ask why this is works? Because most people are ignorant and what's even more important, frightened. Most people don't have time or strength to fight all that bullshit, because they expect to live their lives and government to be servant to it's people, not other way around. And if abuse of power happens, maybe someone shouts something, but that's all. Rest of us just cave in.
You know how it is when someone, to which POV you oppose with your arguments, calls you "enemy of the state".
Finally someone of our leaders said what was needed to say - we need to get serious market share, period. No buts, no whys. If you don't get it, you never will be serious about IT, seriously. Because IT don't need only stuff that works now, but which also have serious legacy and support. Don't like it? You bet it, no one likes it, but it is REAL LIFE. Not some dreaming about John Lennon vision of the world, yes, we can try to achieve that, but let's be honest here - we need wilder strategy and understanding about politics here. We need seek out how to get people to our side. For example, I can say honestly that if someone would tried to push me to use FLAC or Ogg instead of allowing to play mp3s on Linux desktop, then I would definitely said good luck and went to study Macs or something else. Only features open me world of "freedom" and "openess" what I value so much now.
We should LEARN and EDUCATE people, not try to PUSH them on our side. It will never work.
This time, ESR got this in the center.
Happy Christmas everyone, go out, meet your dear ones, be with your family.
No, they don't have. It is another Urban legend that GPLv3 will solve anything. To force Novell to fork, either you have to destroy spirit of GPL you are so in need to protect, or turn it into so vague language that lawyers of Novell will say you just to fuck off.
Sorry to say that, but we should seek another way to solve this, not plain and let's say, childish revenge.
Really, just curious. Or otherwise it feels just like another over-the-top generalization just for a sake "we don't like binary modules, period".
If there are any REAL such violations, there should be courts, and there should be judgments. But not some geek rantings about how world is unjust, and how it is some "strange violation of my copyright". No offence, I really understand all those concerns about binary modules, but vendetta on them won't give us any solution - it won't give us any advantage we would like to have if we would have a bigger marketshare.
p.s. I don't like binary modules by myself, and I would like to get rid of them as soon as possible, but my work computer is not usable in large resolutions using rather broken "nv" driver. At home I don't haven't given in and I don't have a bit of binary module. This already paid of after reporting miriad of bugs connected with "radeon" driver, finally it gives a perfect picture with open source driver.
Disclaimer: I have done lot of migrations from Windows to Linux, so I have experience to talk about. In short - Windows to Linux is doable, and it is not so nightmarish, as someone would like to paint it. However, it asks one thing from your IT departament - discipline, which is very rare thing to find among Windows sysadmins. So usually you should look for human factor when something is blocking your migration.
1. Windows apps, custom apps - WINE simulator is aimed to be fully blown simulator of Windows libraries, are still in active development, but progress is made everyday. WINE also have two commercial offsprings - Crossover Office by Code Weavers, really good product, and Cedega, not-so-good, but still solution for lot of Windows software, mostly games. Any of these settings you can achieve that your apps run flawlessly in emulation environment. No Windows license is needed, unless explicitly cited in EULA. I would go with Crossover Office, they are not cheap, but not very expensive either. As side note, for advanced users WINE is a bless, because you can make actually work a lot programms with little or even no configuring or hacking. Use lot of small tools with WINE with default configuration (as installed) and I am fine. Of course, EVERYTHING must be tested, so there would be any surprises down the road. Also if apps are coded in.NET enviroment then you should check out Mono goodies. All Novell/MS deal contraversy aside, Mono is really serious project. Also lot of apps can be ported via Python/GTK, which combo is very very easy to use and learn. For example, check out this project http://www.moeraki.com/pygtktutorial/pygtk2tutoria l/index.html.
2. As I already said, emulation layer requires no Windows installation nor license.
3. Retraining - if your users just need to do a job what they should do, simple retraining will do just fine. Windows are still Windows. Web browsers are still the same browsers as in Windows, and OpenOffice is very similar to Microsoft Office, yes, there are differences, but if pointed out in retraining and later manuals, it is usually no issue. All is needed is good manual for most visible changes, and helpful admins. And no, you don't have to learn them how to thinker with console.
4. Support by established company - there are several ways to get support from commercial entity. First of all, there is RedHat with RHE and it's contracts, Oracle with RHE support (less expensive but still lot of money), Novell with SLE and Novell Linux Desktop (prices are more SMB oriented), IBM (big iron and large and medium corporations) and then comes Cannonical with it's interesting version of support - they provide platform for various support groups - local, noncommercial, user-based, commercial, group-based, etc. They have their register of commercial supporters of your area. Of course you can't forget Debian, which has community support, which is proven itself in action. Ubuntu is built upon Debian. So more or less, covered distros are RedHat Enterprise, SUSE Enterprise, Ubuntu Dapper (stable, 3/5 y support version), and Debian. If I have to choose from this list, I would go with Ubuntu/Kubuntu Dapper with local commercial support. Why? It is very strong and good community support + lot of references and kb collections. There are no one BIG place, but there are several big places - Ubuntu WIKI, Ubuntu Forums with HOWTOS and manuals, and more. There are also very friendly support ticket system in Launchpad, also IRC channel #ubuntu at irc.freenode.net will provide your admins (or your commercial supporter) with necessary info.
Go with Novell/RedHat, if you need heavy-weight support behind our Linux desktop (They are serious companies with smartest of minds in Linux/Free software world on payroll), or Oracle/IBM, if you are big corporation and wanna do "right thing" for your shareholders.
5. OS upgrades SLES/NLD (Novell offer) and RHE (RedHat of
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No, they are NOT better. They have very serious shortcommings, like memory leaking like a hell (try Firefox on Mac), problem to launch them anyway (no way you can debug them or find how to fix, which library to replace, etc.), and they are very unstable.
.app thingy is double edged sword and sometimes it is sharper on negative side.
I would suggest you to work about some few years with Apple computer everyday - with other OSes aviable - and I think you would change your mind. OS X has lot of good things, but
For Christ sakes, stop beating TiVo bush. I feel like someone didn't get play with their TiVos and now cries in corner, shoutin "they don't give a candy, wheeee!". Sorry, but it is such impression (Disclaimer: I am free software/GPl advocate, but I disagree with RMS and rest of crowd on GPLv3), and GPlv3 is imho somehow "childish" answer to serious problems - IPovitisation, DRM, and software patents.
There is another argument why TiVo example is bad one - I can see real sense why to use DRM to control integrity of TiVo system. Because if someone creates custom image, uploads and fuck ups their TiVo, is their fault. But I am sure they (t.i. users) don't think so and propably blame company all the time. So decision to use DRM is quite...logical, no matter how do you look at it.
Question also is - how much people which are crying loud about TiVo actually own one? Honestly? I know that I would buy Dreambox, who don't have DRM and everything is nice.
I have idea - most of ffmpeg codecs ar covered with nasty (mpeg2, mpeg4) patents and therefore making them not so legal.
And calling me "retarded" is a nice touch, thank you.
No, I don't use xine backend. I use gstreamer backend. Which is installed by default. Yawn.
Why does everyone says "in some countries"? Germany, US, Canada, Australia is "some country" now? :)
Honestly, FFMPEG is illegal in MAJORITY of IT world. Why it is so hard to say that? It is patent minefield.
They are covered by patents are therefore is a subject of USAGE restrictions.
And no, vlc and xine is no use for simple user. Computer geek - maybe.
Maybe basic interface is quite ok, but I have very big problems with VLC Settings interface. Totem at least have few settings clearly spelled out.
But I can agree abut VLC on Mac and Windows - there it is several steps ahead of other players.
But ffmpeg can't be distributed legally in all countries. These codecs are for sale for those people who want be legit - usually companies - common crowd will still stick with gstreamer apps/plugins or mplayer/vlc/ffmpeg combo. I see this Fluendo step as very contributing to choice I can make on Linux system - I can say boss that these codecs can be easily installed in public terminal which aim to provide video serices for example. Just buy a license and vola, you are set.
And kudos to ffmpeg team. I use Totem with gstreamer bad/ugly/ffmpeg combo and I can say - hats off to you guys. Quality is very good.
I don't need player who "just works". I need nice grapgical interface (and no, no mplayer, no gxine/xine, no vlc can provide that, they are totally geekish apps. I am geek, but for videos, I need something more "normal"), I need nice integration with my enviroment, etc. etc.
Totem/Rhythmbox provides me that. Yeah, I know, anyone who would say that mplayer isn't for him must be stupid or luser, it is stock answer to my requirements. But it won't change a bit what I said.
Mplayer is legal nightmare and isn't even developed fully anymore. Yes, it is nice to do some crazy things like playing movie in framebuffer, but that's it.
Buyers could be Gstreamer/GNOME/KDE users who would want to be legit for some reason - companies, shops, public terminals, etc. So this offer provides rather elegant way to do this. For me, I will stick with gstreamer bad/ugly plugins.
If you have read Christian (Fluendo most visible VP) blog post, they plan to provide upgrades via distribution upgrade/installation system (apt-get, yum, etc.)
Not only that. Problem is that for most of people, sex is so big personal tabu, that they will deny ANYTHING what they do everyday just to be saved from embarasment. For most people, sex comes with very strong feelings - even when you are not in love - so...
Personally I think that laws about sex should be written by sexually healthy people, who doesn't have some strong pain about not having/not liking sex because of his wife/her husband or something. They will want to be pure and suffer away, and will drag society together with them, because they don't want to admit, that they can't get a good sex because of shame/age/tirness/other problems.
(Yeeh, what a crap sentence, but I hope you'll understand what I said)
If you will check out which makes such laws and such judgments,
you will see people in their 50-ties, very conservative, maybe with one children, etc.
People with good sexual life would do a harder check on facts before labeling this boy a sex offender.
Interesting, what was their evidence? If they judged you by actions you *might* do it in future, then well, US rocks. What could I say.
I can understand your sentiment against Bush and everything that he is done in Iraq, but truth is a little bit...complex. Or simple, it depends on the way you look at it.
First of all, I agree with your post's parent - people who fight in Iraq are NOT freedom fighters. Repeat after me, they are NOT. freedom. fighters. For me. And for lot of people, if they would compare what actually freedom fighter means. Freedom fighters blows up things or kill only related with direct colobrators/army. This time, blowing up simple people for nothing, just to ignite fear, is simple terrorism. Yes, some "freedom fighters" are have been used fear to make things their way, but what happens in Iraq is far too much.
What I personally see - disclaimer: I am not expert in Iraq, but I read lot of information sources and think I can make good decisions what's going on there - it is that country is seperated by religion. Shiits, Sunnits, with a little mix of Kurds which everyone hate (I still don't fully get why). So why these different houses of Islam can't get along? Because one represents extreme Islam and another one - relatively peacful one - and each other sees like enemy of Islam and Allah which must be destroyed (something like catholics and protestants in France some three four centuries ago). Iran and Syria sees it as battle ground and new territory for extreme Islam. Like we that or not, Husein (yes, the same guy we were so hasting to hang) were only guy who was holding extreme fundamentalism in that region in check. Yes, his methods were truely barbaric, but I think he was right on target if wee look into contest of region (I don't morally aprove him, I just say - he did what he was ment to do, otherwise he would be swept away too).
So in fact US thought that they could remove Husein, create Iraq which is democratic (in region and culture where is almost no democratic traditions, look at the strugle of Turkey - and they are so close to Europe), respects religious and human rights (also those ones who calls destruction of secular goverment and way of thinking, yeah, right), and get away with it? Problem is that MAJORITY of world people haven't seen a shred of REAL democracy for centuries. They simply DON'T. BELIEVE. THAT. It will require tens of years to get some real IMPACT in this region. And let's take that in mind that there are higly motivated opposition.
My problems with Iraq war is not only the fact that it was started, but:
1. It was strategic and executive failure. I mean, if you decide to go to war, for Christ sakes, plan it best you can. For me, it was like Bush and co decided that they could easily walse into Iraq, hit out Husein, install puppet-semidemocratic-goverment and leave. Talk about not learning from the history. Hitler did the same mistake. US did the same mistake in Vjietnam. Russia did it in Chechnya;
2. Like it or not, you can't talk about educating nations about democracy when you have serious problems with this term in your own home. All that bullshit what is happened in last years in US (and in fact, also in the rest of the world) is crying for labeling it "failure of democracy". I still believe in democracy, but we must take a very critical look what is happening to us, because we fail to understand why people give away rights, don't believe in balanced goverment, etc.
3. Total mistrust from US goverment. I mean, how do you expect to win when you don't trust anyone who slightly disagree with you? Attitude from US goverment to other countries were arrogant at it's best. And for f#$%#^ what? Just to show that they have balls? Well, it doesn't help you win anyway.
In nutshell - I agree with those which says that situation in Iraq is very complex. Most of scenarios don't bring much hope for peaceful resolution in relatively close future. What I think must be done is that US admit total failure in MOTIVATION of doing this, because I think US must get that - you can't "export" democracy this way. You can't expect stable country while trusting a corrupt to core goverment. You can't trust to goverment who says that it totally follows you and your orders (It is 100% mark that they don't). In fact best friends are those who don't always agree with you, but they are there for you when critical hour for you strikes.
I probably won't even buy such device (I'm talking about iPhone) for some five years, but this looks really cool and very well thought out. This is slam dunk from Apple, again. Nice. Yeah, they are expensive as hell, but actually their products matter.
p.s. Apple TV was kinda surprisingly nice too. Didn't expect it.
It is sad that I have no mod points, because you should get my "insightful" mod. You hit a nail on it's head. Most companies which practice such behavior are without any future plans, usually just 1-3 year struggle to make some quick money without big investment. Yes, there are big companies who can live such way because they are too big to feel something when ex-customers start to complain about them to others.
Errr. don't want to crash your house of cards, but what a hell all these organizations/projects/persons has ever to do with GPLv3? Tivo? Kernel will stay GPLv2, and I personally think that it is not black/white issue, so it won't punish Tivo and no, it won't give us nothing, and even more - it will halt any posibility to develop really useful DRM cases. XFree86/Xorg? License question was only last problem after everything went down into toilet. GIF? Software patents are evil, generally. GPLv3 won't help in this situation much. BitKeeper? Give me a rest.
GPLv3 is POLITICAL statement, which aim to strongarm users and developers in "right" way - as RMS and FSF see it. I agree with problems - patents *abuse*, DRM *abuse* - but I think this time they are making wrong choices about how to deal with these topics.
You hit a problem exactly where it stands. Problem is that there is different ways how to do a punishment. Usually, out of stress, lack of will or lack of time, or simply anger teachers come down to pupils like ton of a bricks. And there is a catch - if you are already spoiled little bastard, "ton of a bricks" won't do any good, you will just ignore it. In fact, it won't be good for NO ONE. And if you are just casual slack, then it is better to do a talk with friendly but serious attitude and punish him/her with working lot of hours for school.
My sister is social worker at school with 100% kids like mentioned here in article and comments, smokers, early mothers, drinkers, children who don't know how to write or even read at age 18, etc. And as far as I heard, punishment is out of way of leaving some good mark in them. Yes, you can temporary make them afraid, but nothing else. Calm and patience but don't let them shit on your head.
I totally agree with you here. And for information, there are already ISPs who treats users with OS X/Linux boxes with big distrust. Mostly support haven't heard about Linux and going in "bla bla bla, we don't support Linux" and only way to get some understanding between them and me is to calm them down and tell, that it is same IP/TCP anyway and so they can "forget" that it is foreign OS. Yes, you can easily blame support why they don't have heard about Linux, but knowing how hard is to find good and knowledgable support people, there is no reason to get in vendetta with them (it could be that in the other side there is another Windows-to-Linux convert coming). Just describe a problem them in terms of "Windows tech speech". Or switch providers :)
Also I see no basis of banning closed source drivers. However, what I think is needed is much bigger public information about why such drivers are bad (lot of them breaks, freezes boxes, have limited usability, etc. etc.) within reasonable POV, not emotional "binary blobs are unfree". Yes, they sure are bad, but EXPLAIN then to people in POLITE and UNDERSTANDABLE way WHY it is so.
I wouldn't worry so much about "prioritary codec stuff". It is seems that Ogg and FLAC is getting more and more popular and advanced everyday (there is secure private torrents with very rare music stuff (can't get into local shops, even in Amazon) which uses only and only FLAC, Ogg is supported in more and more DAPs, etc.). Even most manifacturers admit that prioritary stuff pushes their costs of manifacturing into skies, so they would prefer more and more open things for sure. We just need to show them support with open letters and PR campanges.
Don't rule with rules. Rule with information.
Seems like best argument for every feature Microsoft axes - "it isn't used anywhere!". But ohh boy, it IS used. Just ask any larger than medium business sysadmin or even more - some small business who have colosal mix of everything. Just don't tell them that because of new new shiny laptop they have to choose either to pirate Windows XP or just switch everything to IP?
Question is - why Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, even AIX can provide support for IPX and AppleTalk, and Microsoft new, ohh so super new OS can't?
There is too many more effective ways to silence any opposition like harassment, character smear champagne, bad PR, destroying of reputation, etc.
You would like to ask why this is works? Because most people are ignorant and what's even more important, frightened. Most people don't have time or strength to fight all that bullshit, because they expect to live their lives and government to be servant to it's people, not other way around. And if abuse of power happens, maybe someone shouts something, but that's all. Rest of us just cave in.
You know how it is when someone, to which POV you oppose with your arguments, calls you "enemy of the state".
Finally someone of our leaders said what was needed to say - we need to get serious market share, period. No buts, no whys. If you don't get it, you never will be serious about IT, seriously. Because IT don't need only stuff that works now, but which also have serious legacy and support. Don't like it? You bet it, no one likes it, but it is REAL LIFE. Not some dreaming about John Lennon vision of the world, yes, we can try to achieve that, but let's be honest here - we need wilder strategy and understanding about politics here. We need seek out how to get people to our side. For example, I can say honestly that if someone would tried to push me to use FLAC or Ogg instead of allowing to play mp3s on Linux desktop, then I would definitely said good luck and went to study Macs or something else. Only features open me world of "freedom" and "openess" what I value so much now.
We should LEARN and EDUCATE people, not try to PUSH them on our side. It will never work.
This time, ESR got this in the center.
Happy Christmas everyone, go out, meet your dear ones, be with your family.
Peter.
We can be sued out of market.
Enough said. And seeing what actually happens in US IT court rooms, I fully agree this time with ESR.
No, they don't have. It is another Urban legend that GPLv3 will solve anything. To force Novell to fork, either you have to destroy spirit of GPL you are so in need to protect, or turn it into so vague language that lawyers of Novell will say you just to fuck off.
Sorry to say that, but we should seek another way to solve this, not plain and let's say, childish revenge.
It is so, even when you say it isn't.
Maybe you can point out which ones?
Really, just curious. Or otherwise it feels just like another over-the-top generalization just for a sake "we don't like binary modules, period".
If there are any REAL such violations, there should be courts, and there should be judgments. But not some geek rantings about how world is unjust, and how it is some "strange violation of my copyright". No offence, I really understand all those concerns about binary modules, but vendetta on them won't give us any solution - it won't give us any advantage we would like to have if we would have a bigger marketshare.
p.s. I don't like binary modules by myself, and I would like to get rid of them as soon as possible, but my work computer is not usable in large resolutions using rather broken "nv" driver. At home I don't haven't given in and I don't have a bit of binary module. This already paid of after reporting miriad of bugs connected with "radeon" driver, finally it gives a perfect picture with open source driver.
Geek in fear is the same thing as any human in fear - full of ill logic and emotional overreaction.
Yes, fear let us to survive - but also can be reason of our fall.
Novell is NOT evil. Repeat after me. World is not black and white.
How hard is get it to bunch of geeks, so called "community"?
Disclaimer: I have done lot of migrations from Windows to Linux, so I have experience to talk about. In short - Windows to Linux is doable, and it is not so nightmarish, as someone would like to paint it. However, it asks one thing from your IT departament - discipline, which is very rare thing to find among Windows sysadmins. So usually you should look for human factor when something is blocking your migration.
.NET enviroment then you should check out Mono goodies. All Novell/MS deal contraversy aside, Mono is really serious project. Also lot of apps can be ported via Python/GTK, which combo is very very easy to use and learn. For example, check out this project http://www.moeraki.com/pygtktutorial/pygtk2tutoria l/index.html.
1. Windows apps, custom apps - WINE simulator is aimed to be fully blown simulator of Windows libraries, are still in active development, but progress is made everyday. WINE also have two commercial offsprings - Crossover Office by Code Weavers, really good product, and Cedega, not-so-good, but still solution for lot of Windows software, mostly games. Any of these settings you can achieve that your apps run flawlessly in emulation environment. No Windows license is needed, unless explicitly cited in EULA. I would go with Crossover Office, they are not cheap, but not very expensive either. As side note, for advanced users WINE is a bless, because you can make actually work a lot programms with little or even no configuring or hacking. Use lot of small tools with WINE with default configuration (as installed) and I am fine. Of course, EVERYTHING must be tested, so there would be any surprises down the road. Also if apps are coded in
2. As I already said, emulation layer requires no Windows installation nor license.
3. Retraining - if your users just need to do a job what they should do, simple retraining will do just fine. Windows are still Windows. Web browsers are still the same browsers as in Windows, and OpenOffice is very similar to Microsoft Office, yes, there are differences, but if pointed out in retraining and later manuals, it is usually no issue. All is needed is good manual for most visible changes, and helpful admins. And no, you don't have to learn them how to thinker with console.
4. Support by established company - there are several ways to get support from commercial entity. First of all, there is RedHat with RHE and it's contracts, Oracle with RHE support (less expensive but still lot of money), Novell with SLE and Novell Linux Desktop (prices are more SMB oriented), IBM (big iron and large and medium corporations) and then comes Cannonical with it's interesting version of support - they provide platform for various support groups - local, noncommercial, user-based, commercial, group-based, etc. They have their register of commercial supporters of your area. Of course you can't forget Debian, which has community support, which is proven itself in action. Ubuntu is built upon Debian. So more or less, covered distros are RedHat Enterprise, SUSE Enterprise, Ubuntu Dapper (stable, 3/5 y support version), and Debian. If I have to choose from this list, I would go with Ubuntu/Kubuntu Dapper with local commercial support. Why? It is very strong and good community support + lot of references and kb collections. There are no one BIG place, but there are several big places - Ubuntu WIKI, Ubuntu Forums with HOWTOS and manuals, and more. There are also very friendly support ticket system in Launchpad, also IRC channel #ubuntu at irc.freenode.net will provide your admins (or your commercial supporter) with necessary info.
Go with Novell/RedHat, if you need heavy-weight support behind our Linux desktop (They are serious companies with smartest of minds in Linux/Free software world on payroll), or Oracle/IBM, if you are big corporation and wanna do "right thing" for your shareholders.
5. OS upgrades
SLES/NLD (Novell offer) and RHE (RedHat of