As a guy who has worked on Linux desktop software, I take offense at this comment. They do not "suck" and the not all those GUI's were designed by geeks, but professional designers.
No, you lose. You probably didn't even buy optical encoder stepper motors either. Did you at least get chips that support S-curve and velocity contouring motion profiles?
Yes! I am happy that Robert is working for them now. I have known Robert for several years now (through my work with the Ximian desktop) and he is very professional and dedicated to seeing the end-user Linux experience improved.
Oh good! I win again. Now we know that a figure of $312 million per year to maintain a mission critical scientific computer system (which apparently is using Perl for god sakes) is exaggerated.
Whether it is operating costs, or usage costs (this is not clear), the point is that the $10 per second figure is exaggerated. Period. No scientific system on the planet has $10 per second in operating costs OR usage costs? Period. Capeche?
And yes, I can quote you observation rates on the HST - but it is booked - and is hard to get bumped into the queue.
Er, right. Usage cost. Even when the system is not running? That is non-obvious to me.
Before insulting me further, please note that I am just pointing out that $10 per SECOND is an exaggeration, whether usage or cost. There is no scientific system on the planet that handles such transactions. I am very familiar with how much telescope time costs, being in the astro-science field myself.
Now if he worked for Visa - that I could understand. Their systems average $300,000 worth of transactions PER SECOND.
$10 a second. Do the math, assuming 24x7 uptime ("mission critical"). He didn't disagree with the $315 million figure I came up with either, did he? He just said that "big science, big money" and $315 million isn't a "lot of money".
You mean the Astrophysics Group at the Unviersity of Exeter spends $315 million a year on maintaining a computer system? Did you know I worked on the Pathfinder mission to mars and the ENTIRE project only cost $200 million? Does your Uni have a financial oversight board? I think they should be contacted ASAP.
It's not silly, it is "Informative". If I really give my opinions I get marked as "Flamebait" or "Troll". So I have stopped giving mine for the sake of my Karma.
Then go take a break on a site that reviews non-technical books. We come here for reviews of such titles as "The Bible of Google Linux Hacks", a form of useful literature that you apparently scorn.
This is news for NERDS, not news for bookworms!
Re:Funny you mention automakers...
on
Paranoia
·
· Score: 3, Informative
Thats true, I work for them (General Motors). They now don't allow us to bring our phone-enables cell phones into the plant at all! We have to leave them at the security office and pick them up after the workday is over.
Of course this sucks, since now I need to go get a non-camera phone. I think a lot of companies will follow suit.
A "thumbs up" review!
on
Paranoia
·
· Score: -1, Informative
As mainstream novels go, Joseph Finder's Paranoia is the cream of the crop. There hasn't been one of this caliber since the heyday of Michael Crichton. Finder, a former intelligence officer who has written and published extensively in the field, writes with a flair that sets him above his contemporaries. Like Crichton, he is smart, believable, and persuasive - and also writes a hell of a good suspense story. His crisp, fluid prose keeps the story moving along at breakneck speed: he oodles out loads of suspense that will keep those pages a-turnin'. This is, as some of the better current writers have shown, a winning formula: it keeps the mainstream reading public interested, while also dangling enough substantial meat to insure that more sophisticated readers perk up and pay attention also.
I hate to keep the Crichton comparison running, as it is never fair to an up-and-coming writer to be compared to an already-successful one, but Finder's novel also shares another characteristic that Crichton's work has always had in spades: it is timely. Corporate crime is at an all-time high in America, and this book tackles the issue. Finder explores the underhanded actions and questionable motives that drive much of the modern business world. How closely it parallels reality is debatable, but the reader's credulity is not stretched past the breaking point - and it is entertaining. Early critical raves that Finder has somehow "rewritten the rules for the contemporary thriller" are premature, but the book does feature several fresh aspects that are a breath of much-needed air for readers disgusted with the sorry state of the contemporary novel. Chief among these is Paranoia's unique protagonist. Far from a hero, perhaps even an anti-hero, Paranoia's Adam Cassidy is something the likes of which we patient readers have not seen in quite some time. Though the book is narrated in the first-person, here we have a story in which the protagonist's main concern is not, essentially, the book's main concern - a fact that the novel's denouement makes abundantly clear.
And there we get to the book's one real weakness: its ending, which is far too inconclusive. A sequel to the book is not really possible, given the aforementioned denouement; taking this into context, the actual ending of the book is far too sudden and abrupt. It casts something of a negative light onto what is otherwise a quite enjoyable, very readable, and mostly successful contemporary thriller.
In summary, all fans of contemporary thrillers should line up to buy this; fans of Crichton and the like in particular should apply. Finder is a rising star in contemporary writing, sure to become very successful and popular in ensuing years. Paranoia should help him.
I don't get it. How is this news for nerds? Because the main character happens to be an "engineer"? I hope VALinux is at least getting a kickback for this...
The roadmap has implied for some time that 1.4 was the last unified (XPFE) Mozilla-based release. 1.5-1.6 was supposed to be the Firebird transition period, during which Mozilla-the-unified-browser was supplanted by Thunderbird and Firebird. Perhaps that was too ambitious, and they've changed their mind, but the roadmap still indicates otherwise.
What's the deal? It really looks like the new roadmap is "build in all the features people REALLY bitch about into XPFE Mozilla, then once Firebird/Thunderbird is more stable, we'll transition to those". I'm fine with that, but shouldn't they just come out and say it?
Pop-up blocking is great. I often get customers coming up to me and asking what they can do to reduce or stop those annoying pop-up's. Sometimes I'll have to stop and think for a few seconds to understand/remember what they're talking about since Mozilla has spoiled me.
The first thing I always do is recommend that they download Mozilla and give that a try while explaining to them that I haven't seen a pop-up in over a year.
Unfortunately, though, most folks (~ 95%) will just tell me that they like/are happy with Internet Explorer, despite its bugs and holes. After another attempt at explaining to them the benefits of switching, I'll just tell them about products such as pop-up stopper and popup defender. It's sad, really, as they have no idea what they're missing out on.
Also, what quantifies "internet use"? For this study, I'm assuming that means time spent in front of a web browser. Does ssh'ing into a linux box halfway across the world count? What if it's across the same city? What if it's under my desk?
Does checking email count? What if I download my email and read it offline? What if I print out my email and then read it? (no, I don't do this, but I know execs that do)
What if I'm at my computer, playing nethack, but I'm signed into Trillian?
Considering that the average American watches four hours of television per day [centredaily.com], I'm not sure the average person has much time left for socializing. Anything that reduces the amount of TV watched, including using the Internet, is likely to improve how social that person is.
Slashdot Mirror
This is obviously a hoax by this guy. No one has even seen the letter and their is no comment from Microsoft.
Cmon people, its the REGISTER.
It must be election time. Its time for "insightful" unbiased articles like this to start to appear.
As a guy who has worked on Linux desktop software, I take offense at this comment. They do not "suck" and the not all those GUI's were designed by geeks, but professional designers.
No, you lose. You probably didn't even buy optical encoder stepper motors either. Did you at least get chips that support S-curve and velocity contouring motion profiles?
I doubt it.
Yes! I am happy that Robert is working for them now. I have known Robert for several years now (through my work with the Ximian desktop) and he is very professional and dedicated to seeing the end-user Linux experience improved.
Oh good! I win again. Now we know that a figure of $312 million per year to maintain a mission critical scientific computer system (which apparently is using Perl for god sakes) is exaggerated.
Whether it is operating costs, or usage costs (this is not clear), the point is that the $10 per second figure is exaggerated. Period. No scientific system on the planet has $10 per second in operating costs OR usage costs? Period. Capeche?
And yes, I can quote you observation rates on the HST - but it is booked - and is hard to get bumped into the queue.
"costs $10 a second whether its running or not"
Er, right. Usage cost. Even when the system is not running? That is non-obvious to me.
Before insulting me further, please note that I am just pointing out that $10 per SECOND is an exaggeration, whether usage or cost. There is no scientific system on the planet that handles such transactions. I am very familiar with how much telescope time costs, being in the astro-science field myself.
Now if he worked for Visa - that I could understand. Their systems average $300,000 worth of transactions PER SECOND.
I would particularly like to congratulate Ximian on their accomplishments this year. Without their work, Linux would not be as usable!
$10 a second. Do the math, assuming 24x7 uptime ("mission critical"). He didn't disagree with the $315 million figure I came up with either, did he? He just said that "big science, big money" and $315 million isn't a "lot of money".
Nice SCO reference though, troll.
You mean the Astrophysics Group at the Unviersity of Exeter spends $315 million a year on maintaining a computer system? Did you know I worked on the Pathfinder mission to mars and the ENTIRE project only cost $200 million? Does your Uni have a financial oversight board? I think they should be contacted ASAP.
"I'm part of a group thats got 30 or 40,000 lines of mission critical Perl running hardware that costs $10 a second whether its running or not"
That is over $315 million dollars a year in costs. What system on the planet costs that much to run per year?
Thanks
It's not silly, it is "Informative". If I really give my opinions I get marked as "Flamebait" or "Troll". So I have stopped giving mine for the sake of my Karma.
Thanks
It wouldn't be any different. But since I keep getting modded as "Flamebait" for voicing my opinion, I will stop posting mine.
Great review for a great book! Almost as good as "The Firm" by Crichton!
So? I didn't say it was mine!
Then go take a break on a site that reviews non-technical books. We come here for reviews of such titles as "The Bible of Google Linux Hacks", a form of useful literature that you apparently scorn.
This is news for NERDS, not news for bookworms!
Thats true, I work for them (General Motors). They now don't allow us to bring our phone-enables cell phones into the plant at all! We have to leave them at the security office and pick them up after the workday is over.
Of course this sucks, since now I need to go get a non-camera phone. I think a lot of companies will follow suit.
As mainstream novels go, Joseph Finder's Paranoia is the cream of the crop. There hasn't been one of this caliber since the heyday of Michael Crichton. Finder, a former intelligence officer who has written and published extensively in the field, writes with a flair that sets him above his contemporaries. Like Crichton, he is smart, believable, and persuasive - and also writes a hell of a good suspense story. His crisp, fluid prose keeps the story moving along at breakneck speed: he oodles out loads of suspense that will keep those pages a-turnin'. This is, as some of the better current writers have shown, a winning formula: it keeps the mainstream reading public interested, while also dangling enough substantial meat to insure that more sophisticated readers perk up and pay attention also.
I hate to keep the Crichton comparison running, as it is never fair to an up-and-coming writer to be compared to an already-successful one, but Finder's novel also shares another characteristic that Crichton's work has always had in spades: it is timely. Corporate crime is at an all-time high in America, and this book tackles the issue. Finder explores the underhanded actions and questionable motives that drive much of the modern business world. How closely it parallels reality is debatable, but the reader's credulity is not stretched past the breaking point - and it is entertaining. Early critical raves that Finder has somehow "rewritten the rules for the contemporary thriller" are premature, but the book does feature several fresh aspects that are a breath of much-needed air for readers disgusted with the sorry state of the contemporary novel. Chief among these is Paranoia's unique protagonist. Far from a hero, perhaps even an anti-hero, Paranoia's Adam Cassidy is something the likes of which we patient readers have not seen in quite some time. Though the book is narrated in the first-person, here we have a story in which the protagonist's main concern is not, essentially, the book's main concern - a fact that the novel's denouement makes abundantly clear.
And there we get to the book's one real weakness: its ending, which is far too inconclusive. A sequel to the book is not really possible, given the aforementioned denouement; taking this into context, the actual ending of the book is far too sudden and abrupt. It casts something of a negative light onto what is otherwise a quite enjoyable, very readable, and mostly successful contemporary thriller.
In summary, all fans of contemporary thrillers should line up to buy this; fans of Crichton and the like in particular should apply. Finder is a rising star in contemporary writing, sure to become very successful and popular in ensuing years. Paranoia should help him.
I don't get it. How is this news for nerds? Because the main character happens to be an "engineer"? I hope VALinux is at least getting a kickback for this...
No! You copied me, troll! Now send me $699.
The roadmap has implied for some time that 1.4 was the last unified (XPFE) Mozilla-based release. 1.5-1.6 was supposed to be the Firebird transition period, during which Mozilla-the-unified-browser was supplanted by Thunderbird and Firebird. Perhaps that was too ambitious, and they've changed their mind, but the roadmap still indicates otherwise.
What's the deal? It really looks like the new roadmap is "build in all the features people REALLY bitch about into XPFE Mozilla, then once Firebird/Thunderbird is more stable, we'll transition to those". I'm fine with that, but shouldn't they just come out and say it?
Pop-up blocking is great.
I often get customers coming up to me and asking what they can do to reduce or stop those annoying pop-up's. Sometimes I'll have to stop and think for a few seconds to understand/remember what they're talking about since Mozilla has spoiled me.
The first thing I always do is recommend that they download Mozilla and give that a try while explaining to them that I haven't seen a pop-up in over a year.
Unfortunately, though, most folks (~ 95%) will just tell me that they like/are happy with Internet Explorer, despite its bugs and holes. After another attempt at explaining to them the benefits of switching, I'll just tell them about products such as pop-up stopper and popup defender. It's sad, really, as they have no idea what they're missing out on.
Also, what quantifies "internet use"? For this study, I'm assuming that means time spent in front of a web browser. Does ssh'ing into a linux box halfway across the world count? What if it's across the same city? What if it's under my desk? Does checking email count? What if I download my email and read it offline? What if I print out my email and then read it? (no, I don't do this, but I know execs that do) What if I'm at my computer, playing nethack, but I'm signed into Trillian?
Considering that the average American watches four hours of television per day [centredaily.com], I'm not sure the average person has much time left for socializing. Anything that reduces the amount of TV watched, including using the Internet, is likely to improve how social that person is.
Good idea. Now with the GPL you can not only not make any money, you can spend all yours on lawyers.
I wonder why it is OK for lawyers to charge for their work and not OK for programmers to do so.