Re:Another take on the book
on
Systemantics
·
· Score: 0
Uh, I did say that "It was in general excellent". What more do I need to add?
Another take on the book
on
Systemantics
·
· Score: 2, Informative
Here is my take on the book. It is in general excellent and this is one of those books that should have become required reading, but possibly because it is too thought provoking, never became prominent. A great pity. It is as entertaining as Parkinson's works on his famous laws, and to me personally it has proven a good deal more valuable in practice. (Parkinson himself reviewed it and liked it!) It is a pity it is out of print. I hope that its follow-up (which I have not yet read) is as good.
Though jocularly written, this is really valuable, stimulating material. Its aphorisms may read like jokes, but they are all the more valuable for being quotable and easy to remember in context. Thinking back on all the godawful systems that I have seen, political, management, engineering and computer, there is not one that could not have been mitigated by intelligent anticipatory digestion of this book.
Unfortunately mentalities prominent among power-seekers, control freaks and grandiose designers, not to mention outright dishonesty among managers with conflicts of interest, cause considerable resistance to the ideas and attitudes that Gall promotes. If you are one such, I have nothing to say to you. If on the other hand you enjoy a bit of thoughtful and edifying entertainment, do your best to read this book.
Re:Quick review.
on
Systemantics
·
· Score: -1, Troll
It is true, you are obviously a very insightful person - this book is not intended for you. Nothing gets past you. I'll bet you already studied Orwell's Inversion in college too!
Re:VALinux and Slashdot support offshoring of jobs
on
Systemantics
·
· Score: -1, Offtopic
Um, how is this possibly OFFTOPIC??? Where else could I post this so people can know about this? This is an important issue and should be discussed by the community!
VaLinux is doing its best to keep offshoring viable. Check out their recent press releases:
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/quotes_news.asp?selected =LNUX&symbol=LNUX%60&textpath=20031208%5CACQBIZ200 312080845BIZWIRE%5FUSPR%5F%5F%5F%5F%5FBW5258%2Ehtm &cdtime=12%2F08%2F2003+8%3A45AM
and
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/quotes_news.asp?selected =LNUX&symbol=LNUX%60&textpath=20031208%5CACQBIZ200 312080845BIZWIRE%5FUSPR%5F%5F%5F%5F%5FBW5323%2Ehtm &cdtime=12%2F08%2F2003+8%3A45AM
VALinux (LNUX) is the parent company of slashdot.
Re:Quick review.
on
Systemantics
·
· Score: -1, Troll
Well the central theme of the treatise as the author states in the forward is that "The larger the system gets, the bigger it is."
That concept has driven the systems design field for decades.
VALinux and Slashdot support offshoring of jobs
on
Systemantics
·
· Score: -1, Offtopic
This story was rejected by Slashdot editors, but I think as a service to the community you all should know about this treachery:
VaLinux is doing its best to keep offshoring viable. Check out their recent press releases:
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/quotes_news.asp?select ed =LNUX&symbol=LNUX%60&textpath=20031208%5CACQBIZ200 312080845BIZWIRE%5FUSPR%5F%5F%5F%5F%5FBW5258%2Ehtm &cdtime=12%2F08%2F2003+8%3A45AM
and
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/quotes_news.asp?select ed =LNUX&symbol=LNUX%60&textpath=20031208%5CACQBIZ200 312080845BIZWIRE%5FUSPR%5F%5F%5F%5F%5FBW5323%2Ehtm &cdtime=12%2F08%2F2003+8%3A45AM
I still cringe at how much that 512k sidecar cost too. I remember the V20 chip (8088 replacement) that you could get. Anyone ever get one?
The "chiclet" keyboard was crappy, although it was infrared - which was a good idea. It actually was a pretty good computer, at about $800 for the base model.
Original Pentium
on
First Computers
·
· Score: 1, Insightful
My first was an original Pentium! Only had 16 megs of RAM and a 40 meg harddrive! Ah, the memories of cranking out assembler on that puppy to squeeze out the last bit of performance...
Its interesting that VALinux uses the term "offshoring" instead of the term "geographically dispersed" that they used to use when describing SourceForge. Now we know what their tools are REALLY for.
This includes VALinux (the parent company of slashdot). See their press releases regarding their support of offshoring here:
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/quotes_news.asp?select ed =LNUX&symbol=LNUX%60&textpath=20031208%5CACQBIZ200 312080845BIZWIRE%5FUSPR%5F%5F%5F%5F%5FBW5323%2Ehtm &cdtime=12%2F08%2F2003+8%3A45AM
and here:
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/quotes_news.asp?select ed =LNUX&symbol=LNUX%60&textpath=20031208%5CACQBIZ200 312080845BIZWIRE%5FUSPR%5F%5F%5F%5F%5FBW5258%2Ehtm &cdtime=12%2F08%2F2003+8%3A45AM
VALinux and IBM are very interested in keeping offshoring going. IBM has been offshoring their engineering for years, and they are teaming with VALinux to make this transition as smooth as possible with their new offshoring software focus.
Cheap labor and "free" software - it is a combo that CFO's love!
VaLinux is doing its best to keep offshoring viable. Check out their recent press releases:
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/quotes_news.asp?select ed =LNUX&symbol=LNUX%60&textpath=20031208%5CACQBIZ200 312080845BIZWIRE%5FUSPR%5F%5F%5F%5F%5FBW5258%2Ehtm &cdtime=12%2F08%2F2003+8%3A45AM
and
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/quotes_news.asp?select ed =LNUX&symbol=LNUX%60&textpath=20031208%5CACQBIZ200 312080845BIZWIRE%5FUSPR%5F%5F%5F%5F%5FBW5323%2Ehtm &cdtime=12%2F08%2F2003+8%3A45AM
Joel almost, but not quite touched on it when he mentioned source code availability as a core Unix value, and that is Peer Review. True, in the Unix world, one makes your source code available to give others the chance to further improve and customize the system, but by making it available, it means OTHER PROGRAMMERS WILL SEE HOW GOOD (or bad) YOU ARE. Because of this, most open source developers will want to put in the extra effort to do it right / clean it up / make it elegant/compatible (or at least the best of their ability).
Most open-source developers are happy to learn and grow by reading suggestions and examining patches submitting by their 'users' (obviously, the ones who submit patches are programmers as well).
In the Windows world, source code is a closely guarded secret. No one is going to see THAT source code, so who cares?
Mod me down if you wish, but I will be heard. This is important information for Slashdot readers - and the topic has been REJECTED for consideration by the slashdot staff.
What is the morality in this? How can VALinux pretend to be pro-programmer geek and produce software that has the SOLE PURPOSE of increasing the viability of offshore development???
Check out the latest press release from VALinux (slashdots parent corporation). VALinux doesn't care about us, the professional programmer. They are producing tools that are geared to take more of our jobs overseas. It is tools like this and open source which are DESTROYING the profession. What does Slashdot have to say for itself?
You must mean START voting for trade protectionism, stupid. Oh yeah, BTW, India doesn't allow people to move to their country to work. You must be born in India to be a citizen, STUPID.
Check out the latest press release from VALinux (slashdots parent corporation)
HERE
VALinux doesn't care about us, the professional programmer. They are producing tools that are geared to take more of our jobs overseas.
It is tools like this and open source which are DESTROYING the profession. What does Slashdot have to say for itself?
Of course I am talking about the latter. They are indirectly working for free for the mega-corporations (IBM, etc). That drags the value of all engineers down. But it keeps the executives happy I guess. If they save enough dollars every year by not having to pay for software, they can get enough of a bonus to buy that shiny new Mercedes they always wanted.
Of couse I am modded as a troll, since I didn't toe the party line that "free software" is good for us.
CEO's and CFO's love cheap. They have been looking for a while for ways now to pay their workers less and less and employ less people. Their utimate goal is to find a legal method to make suckers, I mean people, work for free.
Looks like they found it! I never thought in 2003 that engineers would be working for mega-corporations for free.
Slashdot Mirror
Uh, I did say that "It was in general excellent". What more do I need to add?
Here is my take on the book. It is in general excellent and this is one of those books that should have become required reading, but possibly because it is too thought provoking, never became prominent. A great pity. It is as entertaining as Parkinson's works on his famous laws, and to me personally it has proven a good deal more valuable in practice. (Parkinson himself reviewed it and liked it!) It is a pity it is out of print. I hope that its follow-up (which I have not yet read) is as good. Though jocularly written, this is really valuable, stimulating material. Its aphorisms may read like jokes, but they are all the more valuable for being quotable and easy to remember in context. Thinking back on all the godawful systems that I have seen, political, management, engineering and computer, there is not one that could not have been mitigated by intelligent anticipatory digestion of this book. Unfortunately mentalities prominent among power-seekers, control freaks and grandiose designers, not to mention outright dishonesty among managers with conflicts of interest, cause considerable resistance to the ideas and attitudes that Gall promotes. If you are one such, I have nothing to say to you. If on the other hand you enjoy a bit of thoughtful and edifying entertainment, do your best to read this book.
It is true, you are obviously a very insightful person - this book is not intended for you. Nothing gets past you. I'll bet you already studied Orwell's Inversion in college too!
Um, how is this possibly OFFTOPIC??? Where else could I post this so people can know about this? This is an important issue and should be discussed by the community! VaLinux is doing its best to keep offshoring viable. Check out their recent press releases: http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/quotes_news.asp?selected =LNUX&symbol=LNUX%60&textpath=20031208%5CACQBIZ200 312080845BIZWIRE%5FUSPR%5F%5F%5F%5F%5FBW5258%2Ehtm &cdtime=12%2F08%2F2003+8%3A45AM
and
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/quotes_news.asp?selected =LNUX&symbol=LNUX%60&textpath=20031208%5CACQBIZ200 312080845BIZWIRE%5FUSPR%5F%5F%5F%5F%5FBW5323%2Ehtm &cdtime=12%2F08%2F2003+8%3A45AM
VALinux (LNUX) is the parent company of slashdot.
Well the central theme of the treatise as the author states in the forward is that "The larger the system gets, the bigger it is." That concept has driven the systems design field for decades.
This story was rejected by Slashdot editors, but I think as a service to the community you all should know about this treachery:
t ed =LNUX&symbol=LNUX%60&textpath=20031208%5CACQBIZ200 312080845BIZWIRE%5FUSPR%5F%5F%5F%5F%5FBW5258%2Ehtm &cdtime=12%2F08%2F2003+8%3A45AM
t ed =LNUX&symbol=LNUX%60&textpath=20031208%5CACQBIZ200 312080845BIZWIRE%5FUSPR%5F%5F%5F%5F%5FBW5323%2Ehtm &cdtime=12%2F08%2F2003+8%3A45AM
VaLinux is doing its best to keep offshoring viable. Check out their recent press releases:
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/quotes_news.asp?selec
and
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/quotes_news.asp?selec
VALinux (LNUX) is the parent company of slashdot.
My ideal is a person that can spell every word correctly in a sentence.
I still cringe at how much that 512k sidecar cost too. I remember the V20 chip (8088 replacement) that you could get. Anyone ever get one?
The "chiclet" keyboard was crappy, although it was infrared - which was a good idea. It actually was a pretty good computer, at about $800 for the base model.
My first was an original Pentium! Only had 16 megs of RAM and a 40 meg harddrive! Ah, the memories of cranking out assembler on that puppy to squeeze out the last bit of performance...
Had SVGA though.
Its interesting that VALinux uses the term "offshoring" instead of the term "geographically dispersed" that they used to use when describing SourceForge. Now we know what their tools are REALLY for.
This includes VALinux (the parent company of slashdot). See their press releases regarding their support of offshoring here:
t ed =LNUX&symbol=LNUX%60&textpath=20031208%5CACQBIZ200 312080845BIZWIRE%5FUSPR%5F%5F%5F%5F%5FBW5323%2Ehtm &cdtime=12%2F08%2F2003+8%3A45AM
t ed =LNUX&symbol=LNUX%60&textpath=20031208%5CACQBIZ200 312080845BIZWIRE%5FUSPR%5F%5F%5F%5F%5FBW5258%2Ehtm &cdtime=12%2F08%2F2003+8%3A45AM
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/quotes_news.asp?selec
and here:
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/quotes_news.asp?selec
VALinux and IBM are very interested in keeping offshoring going. IBM has been offshoring their engineering for years, and they are teaming with VALinux to make this transition as smooth as possible with their new offshoring software focus.
Cheap labor and "free" software - it is a combo that CFO's love!
VaLinux is doing its best to keep offshoring viable. Check out their recent press releases:
t ed =LNUX&symbol=LNUX%60&textpath=20031208%5CACQBIZ200 312080845BIZWIRE%5FUSPR%5F%5F%5F%5F%5FBW5258%2Ehtm &cdtime=12%2F08%2F2003+8%3A45AM
t ed =LNUX&symbol=LNUX%60&textpath=20031208%5CACQBIZ200 312080845BIZWIRE%5FUSPR%5F%5F%5F%5F%5FBW5323%2Ehtm &cdtime=12%2F08%2F2003+8%3A45AM
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/quotes_news.asp?selec
and
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/quotes_news.asp?selec
VALinux (LNUX) is the parent company of slashdot.
Well, there ya go. Since it SEEMS that your system is more responsive then it must be that Morton is incorrect.
Joel almost, but not quite touched on it when he mentioned source code availability as a core Unix value, and that is Peer Review.
True, in the Unix world, one makes your source code available to give others the chance to further improve and customize the system, but by making it available, it means OTHER PROGRAMMERS WILL SEE HOW GOOD (or bad) YOU ARE. Because of this, most open source developers will want to put in the extra effort to do it right / clean it up / make it elegant/compatible (or at least the best of their ability).
Most open-source developers are happy to learn and grow by reading suggestions and examining patches submitting by their 'users' (obviously, the ones who submit patches are programmers as well).
In the Windows world, source code is a closely guarded secret. No one is going to see THAT source code, so who cares?
Mod me down if you wish, but I will be heard. This is important information for Slashdot readers - and the topic has been REJECTED for consideration by the slashdot staff.
What is the morality in this? How can VALinux pretend to be pro-programmer geek and produce software that has the SOLE PURPOSE of increasing the viability of offshore development???
Check out the latest press release from VALinux (slashdots parent corporation). VALinux doesn't care about us, the professional programmer. They are producing tools that are geared to take more of our jobs overseas. It is tools like this and open source which are DESTROYING the profession. What does Slashdot have to say for itself?
You must mean START voting for trade protectionism, stupid. Oh yeah, BTW, India doesn't allow people to move to their country to work. You must be born in India to be a citizen, STUPID.
Check out the latest press release from VALinux (slashdots parent corporation) HERE VALinux doesn't care about us, the professional programmer. They are producing tools that are geared to take more of our jobs overseas. It is tools like this and open source which are DESTROYING the profession. What does Slashdot have to say for itself?
Companies don't get money when you buy stock. SCO only makes money off of the initial sale of the stock.
Linus represents a corporation (a business). He should be professional.
Of course I am talking about the latter. They are indirectly working for free for the mega-corporations (IBM, etc). That drags the value of all engineers down. But it keeps the executives happy I guess. If they save enough dollars every year by not having to pay for software, they can get enough of a bonus to buy that shiny new Mercedes they always wanted.
Of couse I am modded as a troll, since I didn't toe the party line that "free software" is good for us.
Exactly, its called "managing expectations". Just make it clear how you choose to use your phone. Christ, its not such a big deal.
Although I do agree with him that people tend to let their cell phones rule their lives.
CEO's and CFO's love cheap. They have been looking for a while for ways now to pay their workers less and less and employ less people. Their utimate goal is to find a legal method to make suckers, I mean people, work for free.
Looks like they found it! I never thought in 2003 that engineers would be working for mega-corporations for free.
"So which do I use most often? My 1.44 megabyte floppy drive"
For what? I haven't seen a floppy disk in about 2 years.