I have seen the trailers on the front of Monster's Inc for various Disney sequels, and I basically have to cancel them. No doubt there are millions of kids pestering their parents to buy this stuff. Most of which look like utter garbage.
There are costs and issues with outsourcing which are now being understood.
That's not to say that people aren't still finding areas where it works, but it's being applied in more appropriate ways.
We had an outsource company from India come in at a company I worked at. One problem was that you couldn't just go and see them easily. It's not like being in Slough and having a supplier in Oxford or Birmingham.
I heard something about there being a real big shortage of plumbers in the UK.
In this context, you are not going to fly a plumber over from Bangalore to fix a blocked drain. Those sort of localised jobs are safe.
The way to go with software is downwards, creating small solutions. Outsourcing around the world has benefits in huge projects, but there are overheads, which are too big for tiny projects.
I would say it's the opposite. I know a lot of people who switched to Google almost instantly. Also, I don't sit on my laurels. When I hear of a good new search engine, I take a look (and then seem to return to Google).
I've switched a lot of people from MSN by just showing them the alternatives.
I'm sure that in fields such as chemistry, drugs and what I might call "proper inventing" like James Dyson's dual-cyclone cleaner. That is, where someone isn't just applying an existing mechanism to shortcut efficiency, or something obvious, but applying some new found knowledge or technique from another area to it.
But having a stupid "1-click" patent is stupid. It's as stupid as someone creating a recipe for say chocolate ice cream, and someone else putting nuts in it and patenting "choc 'n' nut ice cream".
When I first heard of the 1-click patent, I'd already thought of it myself and independently of Amazon (and some time later). I imagine thousands of others did too.
The thing with something like patents on say specialised polymers or say advanced compression methods is that they can improve society. The inventors research, invent and improve, and the result can be that whole new industries and benefit society.
I see no benefit from either business or software patents.
For a lot of pieces of software, Windows versions are very important.
Some people may disagree, on the "well, if it's there on Linux, people won't switch".
There are, however, 2 good reasons for building Windows versions. Firstly, people will choose the OSS project instead of a Microsoft one. That's less money for MS to spend on developing lockin, paying lawyers etc.
Secondly, if people have Evolution (to go with Apache, PHP, MySQL, GIMP, Open Office and Mozilla), they can get used to it on Windows. Then, they can pull the plug and continue to use what they've got elsewhere.
I use Open Office and Thunderbird. I asked my reasonably PC literate, but non-techie wife for her opinions about OOo1.1 writer, and her view was "I get a bit lost on the menus" (for saving etc). That's it!
Within a few weeks, my wife would be totally au fait with it (of course, she or I could just move the menus around).
This migration thing is horseshit. People can follow an app just fine.
What is the protocol? Presumably, the server (eg OpenGroupware) could use a WebDAV interface, so it could look the same as a connected Exchange server. Migration from Exchange would then be a snip, no?
The FPTP system is a sham, and one that means that for many people, voting is irrelevant. If you are a Labour supporter in Henley, or a Tory Supporter in Bolsover, you may as well stay at home for all the good it will do.
I think Blair had less than 50% of the popular vote.
It also means that radicals and those interested in progressive politics never get a look in, and have to rely on either publicity stunts shifting public opinion, the EU parliament or the courts.
I would say quite a few, if it was proven massively unpopular, especially when the government is democratically elected.
If only you were right. The poll tax was unpopular in Scotland and still got implemented.
Also, Blunkett completely ignored the public feedback on ID cards, where something like 80% of respondents were opposed, complaining that that was because of an orchestrated campaign (like people are sheep or something).
Considering the recent Channel 4 documentary about Royal Mail, I wouldn't be at all surprised.
In fact, I can forsee illegal immigrants coming here to give people fake IDs. Mix up the DNA with the photo, and all of a sudden, some Nigerian/Afghan guy has been committing a load of crimes.
The problem with ID systems is that people assume it's going to be infallible because of the uniqueness of DNA and Iris, whilst ignoring the issues around them like verification.
Once they have a database they can at least make the comparison between citizens and aliens
No, all it proves is that you are not on the system. You may have not registered, your file may be untracable, the system may have destroyed or corrupted it.
Let's say a policeman stops me and I can't find my ID. I could say that I must have lost it. Then they can't find me on the system - so, they lost it.
Re:Please.. Mr Blunket/Random authority.. Get a cl
on
Cry To Beat Iris Scanners
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· Score: 2, Interesting
Particularly as visitors here for less than 3 months will be exempt.
Also, people will rely on the DNA database as evidence, and not do the proper police/intelligence work. Fakers will escape the net. I always remember a maths teacher telling us to apply "sanity tests". Like roughly do the maths in your head and then check against the detailed calculations. The problem with systems over humans is that this is often not done (A bit like "why didn't Saddam fire those WMDs if he had them?")
So now, anyone who wants to screw this knows how to.
Remember, this is one of the few things ever in the UK where you are expected to co-operate, and in return you gain nothing (taxation and council tax are the others). Even in those, people buy in because they can see the reason.
Most things which you apply for (eg a driving license, passport) entitle the person to something.
If people can work out a way of defeating this, they will. Criminals will want a false/unregistered identify and libertarians will thwart it.
Nationwide Building Society ran a trial of an Iris ATM. Of course, in that case, people want their scans to be accurate.
So, your issue is not related to the actual functionality of Open Office, but to the conversion from MS Office to Open Office?
Maybe if Microsoft published the Office file format, there would be a chance that this could be done.
As for transition, we're all part of the world. You switch to Open Office and start asking people to send you OOo docs instead of MS Office. You might even get some converts.
I get quite emotional about stuff that isn't good content.
I was going to send some flowers to someone, and went looking for a florist in their town using Google. It took 3 pages before I found a local florist. The rest were mail order companies with hundreds of pages set up, presumably one for each town in the UK, and I imagine with link farms galore.
I won't deal with companies who use such strategies.
IMO Windows XP Home should have the firewall switched ON by default, and maybe Windows Update enabled by default.
People who use Win XP Home are very often inexperienced people, and not geeks. They need handholding in many ways.
Also, a bit more training of the "don't double click attachments that are.exes,.bats etc etc", "buy and pay for upgrades to Antivirus software" would be good.
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I have seen the trailers on the front of Monster's Inc for various Disney sequels, and I basically have to cancel them. No doubt there are millions of kids pestering their parents to buy this stuff. Most of which look like utter garbage.
That's not to say that people aren't still finding areas where it works, but it's being applied in more appropriate ways.
We had an outsource company from India come in at a company I worked at. One problem was that you couldn't just go and see them easily. It's not like being in Slough and having a supplier in Oxford or Birmingham.
In this context, you are not going to fly a plumber over from Bangalore to fix a blocked drain. Those sort of localised jobs are safe.
The way to go with software is downwards, creating small solutions. Outsourcing around the world has benefits in huge projects, but there are overheads, which are too big for tiny projects.
Selling ammunition?
That would be a military ship of a nation that the UK was at war with?
Quite honestly, exclusion zone or otherwise, I couldn't give a damn. It wasn't like it was a civilian ship or anything.
I've switched a lot of people from MSN by just showing them the alternatives.
I've seen a few SVG demos, and if adopted could do much of what Flash does.
But having a stupid "1-click" patent is stupid. It's as stupid as someone creating a recipe for say chocolate ice cream, and someone else putting nuts in it and patenting "choc 'n' nut ice cream".
When I first heard of the 1-click patent, I'd already thought of it myself and independently of Amazon (and some time later). I imagine thousands of others did too.
The thing with something like patents on say specialised polymers or say advanced compression methods is that they can improve society. The inventors research, invent and improve, and the result can be that whole new industries and benefit society.
I see no benefit from either business or software patents.
Well, firstly, the 3G calls utilising video in the UK are darned expensive. Nearly $1 per minute.
If you had a wi-fi phone, you'd have the sort of bandwidth to equal that. Also, it could double as your PC wifi card.
Wi-fi is a competitor technology, and for fast data, may be "good enough" for many people.
Some people may disagree, on the "well, if it's there on Linux, people won't switch".
There are, however, 2 good reasons for building Windows versions. Firstly, people will choose the OSS project instead of a Microsoft one. That's less money for MS to spend on developing lockin, paying lawyers etc.
Secondly, if people have Evolution (to go with Apache, PHP, MySQL, GIMP, Open Office and Mozilla), they can get used to it on Windows. Then, they can pull the plug and continue to use what they've got elsewhere.
Within a few weeks, my wife would be totally au fait with it (of course, she or I could just move the menus around).
This migration thing is horseshit. People can follow an app just fine.
What is the protocol? Presumably, the server (eg OpenGroupware) could use a WebDAV interface, so it could look the same as a connected Exchange server. Migration from Exchange would then be a snip, no?
He invented a machine for decoding encrypted messages, known as a "bomb".
IIRC the machine helped people run through permutations more quickly.
I think Blair had less than 50% of the popular vote.
It also means that radicals and those interested in progressive politics never get a look in, and have to rely on either publicity stunts shifting public opinion, the EU parliament or the courts.
If only you were right. The poll tax was unpopular in Scotland and still got implemented.
Also, Blunkett completely ignored the public feedback on ID cards, where something like 80% of respondents were opposed, complaining that that was because of an orchestrated campaign (like people are sheep or something).
Considering the recent Channel 4 documentary about Royal Mail, I wouldn't be at all surprised.
In fact, I can forsee illegal immigrants coming here to give people fake IDs. Mix up the DNA with the photo, and all of a sudden, some Nigerian/Afghan guy has been committing a load of crimes.
The problem with ID systems is that people assume it's going to be infallible because of the uniqueness of DNA and Iris, whilst ignoring the issues around them like verification.
No, all it proves is that you are not on the system. You may have not registered, your file may be untracable, the system may have destroyed or corrupted it.
Let's say a policeman stops me and I can't find my ID. I could say that I must have lost it. Then they can't find me on the system - so, they lost it.
Also, people will rely on the DNA database as evidence, and not do the proper police/intelligence work. Fakers will escape the net. I always remember a maths teacher telling us to apply "sanity tests". Like roughly do the maths in your head and then check against the detailed calculations. The problem with systems over humans is that this is often not done (A bit like "why didn't Saddam fire those WMDs if he had them?")
Remember, this is one of the few things ever in the UK where you are expected to co-operate, and in return you gain nothing (taxation and council tax are the others). Even in those, people buy in because they can see the reason.
Most things which you apply for (eg a driving license, passport) entitle the person to something.
If people can work out a way of defeating this, they will. Criminals will want a false/unregistered identify and libertarians will thwart it.
Nationwide Building Society ran a trial of an Iris ATM. Of course, in that case, people want their scans to be accurate.
How many government trials with political backing don't get implemented?
If it goes bad, Blunkett will just say that there were issues to iron out. I can't imagine for 1 minute that he'll cancel it.
Maybe if Microsoft published the Office file format, there would be a chance that this could be done.
As for transition, we're all part of the world. You switch to Open Office and start asking people to send you OOo docs instead of MS Office. You might even get some converts.
I was going to send some flowers to someone, and went looking for a florist in their town using Google. It took 3 pages before I found a local florist. The rest were mail order companies with hundreds of pages set up, presumably one for each town in the UK, and I imagine with link farms galore.
I won't deal with companies who use such strategies.
IMO Windows XP Home should have the firewall switched ON by default, and maybe Windows Update enabled by default.
People who use Win XP Home are very often inexperienced people, and not geeks. They need handholding in many ways.
Also, a bit more training of the "don't double click attachments that are .exes,.bats etc etc", "buy and pay for upgrades to Antivirus software" would be good.