Interesting you mention workstation replacement...
This year at Linuxworld, that seemed to be the theme, although the argument wasn't because it was free - rather, not prone to virii. If you want to be free of MS software such as office, it's quite easy to do if you're willing to deal with redoing macros and such. OpenOffice can handle pretty much everything MS Office can, albeit a bit differently. If you need MS Office, there is always Codeweavers' Crossover Office. Nice product. I use it every day (primarily for Lotus Notes).
The support issue on the server side is moot, really (I think workstation support would initially be more trouble, actually). There are plenty of Unix admins out there quite willing to support Linux too (I was hired as a Unix/Linux admin).
Re:Not only cost, but what about security?
on
WiFi Free-For-All
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· Score: 1
POP/IMAP passwords are transmitted in the clear, and can be trivially sniffed. Your file server credentials can also be fairly easily sniffed out, allowing someone else to connect as you and start pulling down documents.
I believe the responsibility should rest on the business user's company. A company would be pretty ignorant at this point NOT to have some sort of VPN in place if they're giving laptops to their employees. Contrary to what you describe, they're not ugly. They do what they're supposed to do. IPSec is included in any decent VPN installation.
Once you've defined it, open up both Office and OpenOffice. Go through all the drop down menus of each program. With the exception of Web meetings (which can EASILY be handled externally), you'll be hard-presssed to find anything that OpenOffice can't do. You'll also find some things that OpenOffice does better: better datasource configuration, multiple dictionaries, better security, better XML filters come to mind. There are other things, but don't take my word for it. Check it out for yourself. It's easy and free (OpenOffice, of course).
In everything I've seen posted by you, I've yet to see what exactly you mean by "Enterprise", other than what we all suspect: "Microsoft".
That's not the problem, the problem is all the other people using MS Office. Even if your whole organization uses OpenOffice or StarOffice, you'll run into problems with people you do business with only using MS Office. Sometimes the documents won't look/work exactly right in anything but Office so you end up having to use it anyway, no matter how hard you try.
If I were still using OpenOffice 1.0 I would agree with you. But since I've upgraded to 1.1 I have not had any problems with layout. Macros, yes, but layout no. And I receive a lot of Word docs (I do translations as well as sys admin work). What probably matters more is the fact that I'm pretty upfront with my clients as to the software I use. I tell them that I don't use Word, but I can read/write in that format. I suspect that they trim their files a bit prior to sending them to me. In any case, with OpenOffice 1.1 I'm able to send them the same formatting that I received - everything preserved.
But, just try doing enterprise strength solutions such as Sharepoint-style document management, smart documents, and so on -- it just can't be done as quickly and easily as with MS Products. Err, I mean, M$ Products.
But the fact of the matter is that it can be done with non-MS products (easier, I might add). Whether you think Microsoft's solutions are easier and quicker are, well, subjective, just as much as any other option.
Three years is an awfully long time. At what point does one say "OK. Either I'm not doing something right or it's time to do something else" (not that you're doing anything wrong - it's something I would ask myself after three years though).
But I'm also one of those people that believes we're not put on this earth to do just one thing, either.
If you're single, unemployement would be a good time to learn something new. If you're married/with kids I would think it would be a necessity - even with years' worth of savings in the bank.
You will find in any country that accent is measured by what is broadcast on the popular media. Look at national newscasters. They tend to speak with a flat, monotone accent. If you listen a bit closer you can hear subtle differences (Peter Jennings' Canadian accent comes to mind).
Get out of the national media and you'll definietly hear more regional accents.
But by and large, not having an accent is measured against the national-level broadcast media.
*Disclaimer*
I know nothing about India other than what the media has fed me and from a few of my Indian co-workers.
The other day there was a program on TechTV about training schools (for telephone support) in India. While I don't doubt that the majority of Indians speak English quite well with an accent, the TechTV program REALLY gave the impression that the people going into these training schools didn't have a grasp of everyday Enlgish usage. It was obvious that the people shown in the program had studied English, but apart from two of the students, they all had a hard time expressing themselves in English.
So this brings me to my question:
Who do these schools primarily target in their ads?
Each of your other points are really subjective. Your use of words like "non-retarded", "not designed by a GIMP", "I waste my time looking for 'skins' that were designed by adults" and "having to dick around with font settings" confirms that.
Maybe if you'd stick to technical reasons (not to mention the appropriate environment - Gnome, not KDE - we'd be more inclined to take you seriously.
Actually, they do with a little help.
on
Dell's New Linux Blog
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· Score: 2, Insightful
If some distro could figure out a way to correctly include Codeweavers' Crossover Office, they'd probably make a killing (charging a modest price, of course). SUSE includes the libraries, but not the entire package (Why?, I don't know).
In any case, All the apps you mention run flawlessly in Crossover Office. The retail cost is about $65USD.
keep in mind that Microsoft doesn't have a stellar track record for information privacy.
Hence the big brother comment remark.
Re:dream jobs and being subjective ..
on
Dream Jobs of 2004
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· Score: 1
I have worked (and continue to work) in some form of systems administration since the early 80s. After college - and before the sys admin work started - I took a couple years off and moved to Mexico. There I taught English (something I wasn't trained in, but learned through the very same MX University where I taught - I guess being a native speaker was more important to them at the time).
Anyway...
I was steadily employed until 2001 when the dot com bubble burst. Then I was unemployed for about 6 months. During that time, an old employer, who didn't have a job for me per se, needed something translated and remembered that I spoke two languages. So I took him up on it and contracted out the portions I couldn't do (French and German). Don't ask me how, but translation work just kind of mushroomed from there. I was doing translation work pretty much full-time during the last four months of unemployment. Then I got a call from a direct employer for sys admin work, interviewed and got the job (I am still at that company). In my spare time, mostly on weekends, I still do translations. It's something I really enjoy doing and will probably never stop doing.
My point, I guess, is that I accidentally discovered something that I liked that I probably would not have, had I not been unemployed. I think it's also made me realize that careers aren't set in stone, regardless of what you study. And if you find something you like later on in life you can always go back and study that too (I also went back to school and took translation and liguistics classes).
I've also come to the realization that people aren't made to do just one thing in life.
Since I'm asking KDE questions...
on
Review: KDE 3.2
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· Score: 1
One of the things I like about gnome is the panel-drawer, where you can then launch other apps that you've defined, instead of from an icon on the desktop of from the main menu. Is there something similar in KDE? I've looked (admittedly not all that deep) and haven't found anything like it.
Does konqueror correctly report lrg files now?
on
Review: KDE 3.2
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· Score: 1
I'm in the process of downloading a file >2 G. It's amusing to see the file diaglog box at 100% complete (it's not - it's only downloaded a bit over 2 G) reporting the filesize as 16,777,216,0 TB.
But they did mention that any harm done to the machine would be under the context of the logged in user. Unless you're surfing as root (very stupid) I doubt much would happen.
I have two domain names. One is registered with NetSol, the other with register.com. When I originally set up the NetSol domain, I lived in another place nad had another email address. Since that time I've had a hell of a time getting the contact information changed to the right address. I've faxed (more than once) letterhead with the required info and followed up with phone calls. Nothing has changed. And there's not much I can do about it. So I guess I'd be a felon, seeing as you cannot reach me with the address listed in the registry. Register.com has not given me any problems, since I can make any changes through their webpage. Supposedly I can do that with NetSol too, but without the old email address I can't.
A much better idea would be to hold the REGISTRIES accountable for what they enter, instead of the domain name holder.
The agricultural period lasted about 100 years, the manufacturing period lasted about 40 years, and the IT period about 20 years.
Everything you mention above is still alive and well in the US. Perhaps not in the form you're thinking, but definitely alive and well. And guess what? Agriculture, manufacturing and IT have all overlapped in certain parts of the business process. Being an admin for a biotech company, I can tell you first hand that all three are pervasive in this industry.
but when the PS2 came out, I bought it. After getting a few good PS2 games, I started looking at the older PS1 games as well. Bought a couple of those and enjoy them every bit as much as the PS2 games. So, backwards compatability, per se, wasn't an issue, it is nice having the choice of basically two libraries to choose from.
I said "doing business with" not "buying from". There's differece. You don't honestly believe he comes up with all these stupid products on his own, do you?
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This year at Linuxworld, that seemed to be the theme, although the argument wasn't because it was free - rather, not prone to virii. If you want to be free of MS software such as office, it's quite easy to do if you're willing to deal with redoing macros and such. OpenOffice can handle pretty much everything MS Office can, albeit a bit differently. If you need MS Office, there is always Codeweavers' Crossover Office. Nice product. I use it every day (primarily for Lotus Notes).
The support issue on the server side is moot, really (I think workstation support would initially be more trouble, actually). There are plenty of Unix admins out there quite willing to support Linux too (I was hired as a Unix/Linux admin).
I believe the responsibility should rest on the business user's company. A company would be pretty ignorant at this point NOT to have some sort of VPN in place if they're giving laptops to their employees. Contrary to what you describe, they're not ugly. They do what they're supposed to do. IPSec is included in any decent VPN installation.
In everything I've seen posted by you, I've yet to see what exactly you mean by "Enterprise", other than what we all suspect: "Microsoft".
If I were still using OpenOffice 1.0 I would agree with you. But since I've upgraded to 1.1 I have not had any problems with layout. Macros, yes, but layout no. And I receive a lot of Word docs (I do translations as well as sys admin work). What probably matters more is the fact that I'm pretty upfront with my clients as to the software I use. I tell them that I don't use Word, but I can read/write in that format. I suspect that they trim their files a bit prior to sending them to me. In any case, with OpenOffice 1.1 I'm able to send them the same formatting that I received - everything preserved.
But the fact of the matter is that it can be done with non-MS products (easier, I might add). Whether you think Microsoft's solutions are easier and quicker are, well, subjective, just as much as any other option.
You really should take a cross-country trip sometime. You'd be quite surprised at the differences you'd hear.
Mozilla
Three years is an awfully long time. At what point does one say "OK. Either I'm not doing something right or it's time to do something else" (not that you're doing anything wrong - it's something I would ask myself after three years though).
But I'm also one of those people that believes we're not put on this earth to do just one thing, either.
If you're single, unemployement would be a good time to learn something new. If you're married/with kids I would think it would be a necessity - even with years' worth of savings in the bank.
Get out of the national media and you'll definietly hear more regional accents.
But by and large, not having an accent is measured against the national-level broadcast media.
I know nothing about India other than what the media has fed me and from a few of my Indian co-workers.
The other day there was a program on TechTV about training schools (for telephone support) in India. While I don't doubt that the majority of Indians speak English quite well with an accent, the TechTV program REALLY gave the impression that the people going into these training schools didn't have a grasp of everyday Enlgish usage. It was obvious that the people shown in the program had studied English, but apart from two of the students, they all had a hard time expressing themselves in English.
So this brings me to my question:
Who do these schools primarily target in their ads?
Each of your other points are really subjective. Your use of words like "non-retarded", "not designed by a GIMP", "I waste my time looking for 'skins' that were designed by adults" and "having to dick around with font settings" confirms that.
Maybe if you'd stick to technical reasons (not to mention the appropriate environment - Gnome, not KDE - we'd be more inclined to take you seriously.
In any case, All the apps you mention run flawlessly in Crossover Office. The retail cost is about $65USD.
Thank God for xterms and the kill command :-)
keep in mind that Microsoft doesn't have a stellar track record for information privacy.
Hence the big brother comment remark.
Anyway...
I was steadily employed until 2001 when the dot com bubble burst. Then I was unemployed for about 6 months. During that time, an old employer, who didn't have a job for me per se, needed something translated and remembered that I spoke two languages. So I took him up on it and contracted out the portions I couldn't do (French and German). Don't ask me how, but translation work just kind of mushroomed from there. I was doing translation work pretty much full-time during the last four months of unemployment. Then I got a call from a direct employer for sys admin work, interviewed and got the job (I am still at that company). In my spare time, mostly on weekends, I still do translations. It's something I really enjoy doing and will probably never stop doing.
My point, I guess, is that I accidentally discovered something that I liked that I probably would not have, had I not been unemployed. I think it's also made me realize that careers aren't set in stone, regardless of what you study. And if you find something you like later on in life you can always go back and study that too (I also went back to school and took translation and liguistics classes).
I've also come to the realization that people aren't made to do just one thing in life.
One of the things I like about gnome is the panel-drawer, where you can then launch other apps that you've defined, instead of from an icon on the desktop of from the main menu. Is there something similar in KDE? I've looked (admittedly not all that deep) and haven't found anything like it.
I'm in the process of downloading a file >2 G. It's amusing to see the file diaglog box at 100% complete (it's not - it's only downloaded a bit over 2 G) reporting the filesize as 16,777,216,0 TB.
But they did mention that any harm done to the machine would be under the context of the logged in user. Unless you're surfing as root (very stupid) I doubt much would happen.
Then we might be more willing to listen to you.
Apparently SCO scared RedHat too :-)
I have two domain names. One is registered with NetSol, the other with register.com. When I originally set up the NetSol domain, I lived in another place nad had another email address. Since that time I've had a hell of a time getting the contact information changed to the right address. I've faxed (more than once) letterhead with the required info and followed up with phone calls. Nothing has changed. And there's not much I can do about it. So I guess I'd be a felon, seeing as you cannot reach me with the address listed in the registry. Register.com has not given me any problems, since I can make any changes through their webpage. Supposedly I can do that with NetSol too, but without the old email address I can't. A much better idea would be to hold the REGISTRIES accountable for what they enter, instead of the domain name holder.
There's a catch-phrase that would get you in my circular file real quick.
Everything you mention above is still alive and well in the US. Perhaps not in the form you're thinking, but definitely alive and well. And guess what? Agriculture, manufacturing and IT have all overlapped in certain parts of the business process. Being an admin for a biotech company, I can tell you first hand that all three are pervasive in this industry.
but when the PS2 came out, I bought it. After getting a few good PS2 games, I started looking at the older PS1 games as well. Bought a couple of those and enjoy them every bit as much as the PS2 games. So, backwards compatability, per se, wasn't an issue, it is nice having the choice of basically two libraries to choose from.
I said "doing business with" not "buying from". There's differece. You don't honestly believe he comes up with all these stupid products on his own, do you?