I whole-heartedly suggest the use of Ked Password Manager. It has both a graphical and a command line interface. You can therefore keep the paradigm of using it from the network--just ssh in to your server, and run kedpm (instead of catting the password). The files are encrypted with blowfish to a single password. The database is compatible with Figaro's Password Manager. kedpm is in python and, properly packaged, will run on darn-near anything. Including a USB thumbdrive if you want to take your passwords with you.
They are also XML files, which can be understandable in plaintext.
This is the single biggest myth about XML,
I was referring, explicitly, to the OO.o format. I agree that MS and others have shown both that you can obfuscate XML with binary/encrypted/encoded enclosures & that patents can make even what can be decyphered unusable (and non-open).
the idea that its "understandable" in vi.
Unzip an OO.o file & look in content.xml.
XML documents can also have binary in them (for instance images)
OO.o stores these in an 'Pictures' directory. Filenames are obfuscated, but extensions arent & you can open them in an external program.
and of course if you don't have the schema to go with the document then you don't know the constraints on the structure and order of elements.
For OO.o, it is.
MS could use (and I think does) XML to describe their documents, if however they keep the schema secret, use binary imports or just create massively complex multi-namespace documents then it will still be as closed as ever.
I agree & yes, they do this (though not in doc, which is their primary format).
There are others with bad implementations of XML, so that even though they don't obfuscate or patent-encumber them, interoperability is painful.
I think xPDF is available for Windows for free. It opens in about one second on Linux.
Kind of. You can use pdftops, pdftotext, pdfimages, pdfinfo, and pdffonts. The GUI that you use in linux is motif-based. You can run it under cygwin. Last time I checked, though, cygwin's X11 performance left a lot to be desired.
And a lot of people will probably produce PDFs in just this way.
2) MS Office docs can be viewed and printed using the free Microsoft Viewer software.
"Free" meaning gratis & available only on windows & only from the same company that makes the writer. Open formats are important for data (re)use.
And OpenOffice can read Microsoft Office docs, can't it?
Fairly well, but only through reverse engineering. It doesn't read/write the same way MS Office, as the format & the way MS Word reads/writes them isn't documented.
3) Probably the simplest solution is to Save As... RTF.
There is a "human readable" description of the RTF format. But there is still a lot that isn't documented. There are both hidden features and quirks. It is NOT open.
Looks open to me. See Foxit, xpdf, ghostscript, KOffice, and others for examples of 3rd party applications which can read them. MANY more can write to it too.
I think the concept itself it good, but Adobe's implementation (which is by far the most widespread) is slow as molassess, up hill, IN THE WINTER.
MS Word, which they were using, is often painfully slow too.
As other readers noted, 7 isn't that bad & 5 & pre-5 version on windows weren't that bad (acroread on Linux was garbage until 7). If you don't like the application, you do have choices. No reason to complain about the format
However, less-astute readers should remember that the OO.o formats are well-documented & any other program can easily write an implementation to spec.
They are also XML files, which can be understandable in plaintext. This means many people don't even have to bother looking at the spec to extract useful information.
So why the gobblygook? Look at that "PK" at the beginning of the string. That indicates that it is zipped. Rename the.sxw extension to.zip & throw it into whatever unzipper you wish to.
I agree that it is trollish to say "fix it yourself." It is wasted breath.
But so is demanding such changes from developers who are scratching their own itches, often for freee.
People who want a feature that isn't currently in another product have many options: politely request that the developer work on adding the feature (normally through bugzilla or feature requests in some online CMS, like sourceforge), do it themselves, pay someone else to do it for them, offer up a bounty (how about the comparable license cost you'd be paying for Photoshop?), use some other software (such as Photoshop), or bitch and moan in a public forum, such as slashdot. Out of all of those options, the last is the LEAST effective method.
People who use it should expect dumb replies, such as "you have the source--fix it yourself." In short, it is often flamebait to make such posts & those who do make such posts can be just as bad as the people who then flame them.
Yes--books and periodicals are important. They are expensive to accumulate--in terms of financial cost & in terms of space usage. They also (for the most part) have a high signal-to-noise-ratio. I have been in libraries that have neglected either books or periodicals or both & this is both sad and frustrating.
However, ANYTHING which can generally inform or entertain the public belongs in a library are good. When I research, I want to have access to large quantities of relevant information & I want it to be EASY TO USE. Two decades ago, people argued against photocopiers in libraries, but they were as valuable then (and could be justified as easily) as document scanners, computerized card catalogs/checkout, etc. are today.
I do think tape/CD/video/DVD/etc. archives are as important and useful as the "dusty old" books, but I think the availability of digital storage should mean that libraries can have MORE content & allow for easier knowledge-transfer.
Finally, I personally welcome wireless access--it means less amount of library floor-space has to be tied up by library computers (which, like it or not, do see a lot of use). It also makes it easier for me to take my notes with me when I leave the library.
Electronic ink makes e-books not suck. They are high-contrast screens which can be read under bright daylight and use a minimum amount of power (many only use power when "turning pages" (refreshing the display). Read more about the LOC's use of E-ink.
It is very much in the early adopter stage. It is hard for a regular US consumer to get a device. I think I might have my SO pick me up a used Sony Librie when she's in Japan. Very cool stuff.
Yes, different archivers have different encryption. I've seen Blowfish, DES, 3DES, AES encrypted zip files (in addition to the OLD pk-zip "encryption.")
For that particular case:
That's since been fixed; WinZip can decrypt PKZip AES-encrypted files, and a PKWare program called the PKZip Reader can decrypt WinZip-created encrypted files.
I do use a wiki & I also think whatever works for you is whatever is best. So I'd be the last one to say you're wrong. However, I will be more than willing to point out why text has usually worked better for me.
(As I mentioned on that 43 folders page) vim's folding support and markers do let you keep things organized well enough. I still find the search tools for plaintext files are still faster and more useful than wiki searches (not only do you have the highlighting and ability to jump to the next results (as firefox can give you), but you can do something to all matching lines or replace all occurrences with something else, etc. etc.
The browser dependence of wikis (and the javascript & GUI-hungry elements of the default TiddlyWiki install) leave a sour taste in my mouth. It is a lot quicker for me to edit a text file than wait for my browser to load.
TW does have some good things going for it--low threshold to share your wiki with others in a way that won't intimidate them, being the only one I can think of which vim doesn't share. The incremental seach, tagging, regexp support, though shared by vim, aren't in most other wikis.
Do you use the default, a variant, or TW with any plugins?
43 folders just ran an article about making one big text file, which followed up on an O'Reilly post on the same topic. Bottom line is that one thing all productive geeks share is that they stay organized by just adding stuff to a plain text file. It is a good life hack, which is intrinsically cross-platform & easy to use & small.
I have gone off-and-on from using index cards as a PDA, from before it was called a Hipster & then after just to be trendy.
It is fantastic--less distracting than an electronic PDA, no batteries to worry about, readable in BRIGHT daylight, faster data entry, and easier sharing.
But, I find the cards get too banged up. There was some guy who wrapped his in sale cloth & that is a pretty good idea....but then you also lose the shuffability of the system & might as well get a notebook. There are also so-called "pocket briefcases" to store cards, but it makes access slower.
I also think printing (and CUTTING) special sheets for this is a giant waste of time. And it isn't always easy to find cheap gridded 3x5" (which I prefer)
I now use Rhodia pads & they're great. Some protection for the pages on the covers. None of the expensive trendiness of the moleskines & they actually have better paper that is also easier to tear out cleanly. I don't have the pleasant ability of only having the cards I want & being able to shuffle them, but otherwise the notebooks are great.
As suggested, Linux is past-due a nod. He hasn't been a finalist, as far as I know. neiterh have Tim O'Reilly, Eric S Raymond, and Bruce Perens.
A many-time finalist, never winner who deserves it: Andrew Tridgell for samba & getting linux out of bitkeeper. I also have a soft spot for Donald Knuth, who was once a finalist.
Podcasts are good, but (mostly) non-fiction & current. Audible or iTunes or other sources for downloading audio work well, as do ripping CDs to your player.
Slashdot Mirror
I whole-heartedly suggest the use of Ked Password Manager. It has both a graphical and a command line interface. You can therefore keep the paradigm of using it from the network--just ssh in to your server, and run kedpm (instead of catting the password). The files are encrypted with blowfish to a single password. The database is compatible with Figaro's Password Manager. kedpm is in python and, properly packaged, will run on darn-near anything. Including a USB thumbdrive if you want to take your passwords with you.
I spend money on software all the time.
There are others with bad implementations of XML, so that even though they don't obfuscate or patent-encumber them, interoperability is painful.
But OO.o XML is fine.
Looks open to me. See Foxit, xpdf, ghostscript, KOffice, and others for examples of 3rd party applications which can read them. MANY more can write to it too.
As other readers noted, 7 isn't that bad & 5 & pre-5 version on windows weren't that bad (acroread on Linux was garbage until 7). If you don't like the application, you do have choices. No reason to complain about the format
I still use xpdf (open source) on my desktop.
You can also carry Foxit (free, as in beer, for win32) on a USB flash drive so you don't have to put up with the slowness on other people's machines.
This is amusing.
.sxw extension to .zip & throw it into whatever unzipper you wish to.
However, less-astute readers should remember that the OO.o formats are well-documented & any other program can easily write an implementation to spec.
They are also XML files, which can be understandable in plaintext. This means many people don't even have to bother looking at the spec to extract useful information.
So why the gobblygook? Look at that "PK" at the beginning of the string. That indicates that it is zipped. Rename the
I agree that it is trollish to say "fix it yourself." It is wasted breath.
But so is demanding such changes from developers who are scratching their own itches, often for freee.
People who want a feature that isn't currently in another product have many options: politely request that the developer work on adding the feature (normally through bugzilla or feature requests in some online CMS, like sourceforge), do it themselves, pay someone else to do it for them, offer up a bounty (how about the comparable license cost you'd be paying for Photoshop?), use some other software (such as Photoshop), or bitch and moan in a public forum, such as slashdot. Out of all of those options, the last is the LEAST effective method.
People who use it should expect dumb replies, such as "you have the source--fix it yourself." In short, it is often flamebait to make such posts & those who do make such posts can be just as bad as the people who then flame them.
She knows how to get sex whenever she wants it.
Yes--books and periodicals are important. They are expensive to accumulate--in terms of financial cost & in terms of space usage. They also (for the most part) have a high signal-to-noise-ratio. I have been in libraries that have neglected either books or periodicals or both & this is both sad and frustrating.
However, ANYTHING which can generally inform or entertain the public belongs in a library are good. When I research, I want to have access to large quantities of relevant information & I want it to be EASY TO USE. Two decades ago, people argued against photocopiers in libraries, but they were as valuable then (and could be justified as easily) as document scanners, computerized card catalogs/checkout, etc. are today.
I do think tape/CD/video/DVD/etc. archives are as important and useful as the "dusty old" books, but I think the availability of digital storage should mean that libraries can have MORE content & allow for easier knowledge-transfer.
Finally, I personally welcome wireless access--it means less amount of library floor-space has to be tied up by library computers (which, like it or not, do see a lot of use). It also makes it easier for me to take my notes with me when I leave the library.
Thanks for the link to FreeOFTE. Looks handy.
As for single-file encryption, there are A LOT of cross-platform apps which will do this (not the least of which is gnupg).
unzip will supposedly support it in 6.1 & zip in 3.1.
Electronic ink makes e-books not suck. They are high-contrast screens which can be read under bright daylight and use a minimum amount of power (many only use power when "turning pages" (refreshing the display). Read more about the LOC's use of E-ink.
It is very much in the early adopter stage. It is hard for a regular US consumer to get a device. I think I might have my SO pick me up a used Sony Librie when she's in Japan. Very cool stuff.
For that particular case:(which was in the article).
I do use a wiki & I also think whatever works for you is whatever is best. So I'd be the last one to say you're wrong. However, I will be more than willing to point out why text has usually worked better for me.
(As I mentioned on that 43 folders page) vim's folding support and markers do let you keep things organized well enough. I still find the search tools for plaintext files are still faster and more useful than wiki searches (not only do you have the highlighting and ability to jump to the next results (as firefox can give you), but you can do something to all matching lines or replace all occurrences with something else, etc. etc.
The browser dependence of wikis (and the javascript & GUI-hungry elements of the default TiddlyWiki install) leave a sour taste in my mouth. It is a lot quicker for me to edit a text file than wait for my browser to load.
TW does have some good things going for it--low threshold to share your wiki with others in a way that won't intimidate them, being the only one I can think of which vim doesn't share. The incremental seach, tagging, regexp support, though shared by vim, aren't in most other wikis.
Do you use the default, a variant, or TW with any plugins?
But I just blew my last mod point.
43 folders just ran an article about making one big text file, which followed up on an O'Reilly post on the same topic. Bottom line is that one thing all productive geeks share is that they stay organized by just adding stuff to a plain text file. It is a good life hack, which is intrinsically cross-platform & easy to use & small.
I have gone off-and-on from using index cards as a PDA, from before it was called a Hipster & then after just to be trendy.
It is fantastic--less distracting than an electronic PDA, no batteries to worry about, readable in BRIGHT daylight, faster data entry, and easier sharing.
But, I find the cards get too banged up. There was some guy who wrapped his in sale cloth & that is a pretty good idea....but then you also lose the shuffability of the system & might as well get a notebook. There are also so-called "pocket briefcases" to store cards, but it makes access slower.
I also think printing (and CUTTING) special sheets for this is a giant waste of time. And it isn't always easy to find cheap gridded 3x5" (which I prefer)
I now use Rhodia pads & they're great. Some protection for the pages on the covers. None of the expensive trendiness of the moleskines & they actually have better paper that is also easier to tear out cleanly. I don't have the pleasant ability of only having the cards I want & being able to shuffle them, but otherwise the notebooks are great.
The OSCON Aggregator has had a bunch of good blog posts before, during, and after the conference.
creator David Hansson was recently recognized for his work, but rails has arguably had the most rapid adoption (in terms of both cool uses and number of end users) of any new open source project.
Bram Moolenaar for vim and Bram Cohen for BitTorrent.
Prior Years' Software Award?
Does it predated 1998?
When did Knuth win it? Because he was a nominee, but I don't see him in that list.
As suggested, Linux is past-due a nod. He hasn't been a finalist, as far as I know. neiterh have Tim O'Reilly, Eric S Raymond, and Bruce Perens.
A many-time finalist, never winner who deserves it: Andrew Tridgell for samba & getting linux out of bitkeeper. I also have a soft spot for Donald Knuth, who was once a finalist.
Yup. I suggested them in one of the threads.
Futuretech is another good one which I didn't mention.
This year's Technical Audiobooks: Where are the good ones? and Sources of Intelligent Audio for Commute? both had a lot of good suggestions.
Podcasts are good, but (mostly) non-fiction & current. Audible or iTunes or other sources for downloading audio work well, as do ripping CDs to your player.