"Unfortunately when somebody sends my company an Excel file it's usually a customer who (more likely then not) is about to spend a lot of money. I can't see telling them "I'm sorry, please send your file in a different format, we don't support the most widely used Spreadsheet format here.""
Why not? If you're spending a lot of money, then minor things like file formats won't make any difference to a sale. If you've got a good quote and the ability to supply what they want, then who's going to break-off a sale because you say "any chance of sending that as CSV?", or as a screenshot.
Being offended because someone won't open your preferred spreadsheet format is far more petty and unprofessional than you'd expect from someone in charge of making large purchases, and there's a good chance that such worries are overstated.
in all fairness if the tables were turned and M$ had only 5% and linux had 90% of the users out there you can bet that lamers would still be making tired old jokes about how windows would have viruses too if only more people used it.
"Was it a UC prank or part of the hunt, when several UC students stole a Chicago Police Department cruiser (maybe stole is the wrong word), dismantled it, and reassembled it on the roof of the Museum of Science and Industry?"
Only hackers would do such a thing. So it can't have been UC.
Let's take a sample opinion from somebody who will help you with a Windows application:
"I hate these people. I want to kill every single last one of them until they die from it. You can obviously read or that sentance wouldn't start with "It says" now flex that big grey muscle under your skull and figure out what those words mean. I don't need to sit here on the phone with you for half an hour listening to you install our software and occasionally telling you to do what it says RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. Read, comprehend, DO. How do these people figure out how to breed? I stick it where? In her ear?"
"No! Anyone with an infected machine should stop visiting Microsoft's website and never use Windows in such a critical environment as the Marine and Coastguard Agency for God's sake!"
How do you know it's a critical environment? The mere fact that they're using windows and connected to the internet implies that it's just a load of desktops the same as anywhere else.
With all the people clamouring that they should be on a secret network, you'd think that coastguards didn't need to access news or weather reports or telephone directories or email or websites or anything else that's on the internet. So the map computer has a web connection? Now they can read the weather forecast on the internet without needing an additional computer. Who knows, maybe it's not organised enough to have special data-feeds from all over the place on a private network.
"Them: "Making half again as much as you, with software discounts, and more vacation, and shiny work environment, and better equipment, and better bosses, and..."
Oh you wouldn't believe the software discounts that those of us working on Free Software get...
"You had better release that as public domain, cause I intend to use that in my sales pitches!"
But if you modify it, you have to release the source code!
At work, we've just decided on a completely Flash website (it even has an intro page, eww!) which doesn't even work on most Windows computers, let alone real computers. Who knows how many people visit the site, rather than just leaving at the first page (nobody's keeping logs) -- and it's so bad that I'm not offering to maintain the site because it would be too embarassing to be associated with. But the boss loves it. Much more "professional" than that old website (which was identical, but in HTML)
"I don't really understand how making sure sites work in the browser that 90% of my customers use "takes money out of my pocket and gives it to Microsoft.""
Yep, the money's not really going to microsoft is it, so much as to your competitors. But, for anyone who gets the 90% argument from their boss:
"Designing for 90% of browsers is our policy? Here's a question. If I answered 10% of the sales calls with "hello [companyname], could you please fuck off", how would that affect our sales?"
"Now imagine if our website gave that same impression to 10% of customers"
"If you work on a for-profit site, make every reasonable attempt to resist your manager's urging to violate the standard in favor of IE. Do whatever you can get away with without being fired!"
More to the point:
"Hi, I'm from [companyname] and we're trying to find [large quantities of some electronic product]. I've just been to your website and it says my browser isn't supported. Is there something you can do? No, it's not possible to use Internet Explorer on my computer. Really? I should get a Windows computer? So should I put you down as unable to supply [product name] then?
11:21am, "MSNBC Looks At Patent Abusers' Victims" 12:15pm, "US Losing its Scientific Dominance"
Well duh! Let's spend a load of time doing science, I'm sure we won't have to spend millions on a legal defense when somebody sues us for using an obvious idea...
"This sounds a lot like pkware's strategy with DCL. They actually tried to tell me I should use it because its patented. I told them it's surprising that we'd even consider using it in spite of it being patented."
Thanks for saying it.
If I see another "proprietry" in a press-release or product catalog, I'm gonna puke...
Slashdot Mirror
"Unfortunately when somebody sends my company an Excel file it's usually a customer who (more likely then not) is about to spend a lot of money. I can't see telling them "I'm sorry, please send your file in a different format, we don't support the most widely used Spreadsheet format here.""
Why not? If you're spending a lot of money, then minor things like file formats won't make any difference to a sale. If you've got a good quote and the ability to supply what they want, then who's going to break-off a sale because you say "any chance of sending that as CSV?", or as a screenshot.
Being offended because someone won't open your preferred spreadsheet format is far more petty and unprofessional than you'd expect from someone in charge of making large purchases, and there's a good chance that such worries are overstated.
"Here's the URL to order the Windows Security Update CD for free!"
Yes, but what about next week's virus?
in all fairness if the tables were turned and M$ had only 5% and linux had 90% of the users out there you can bet that lamers would still be making tired old jokes about how windows would have viruses too if only more people used it.
"For those of you who had no idea what Godwin's Law was"
Err, this is Slashdot. Who were you expecting not to know about Godwin's law?
"Was it a UC prank or part of the hunt, when several UC students stole a Chicago Police Department cruiser (maybe stole is the wrong word), dismantled it, and reassembled it on the roof of the Museum of Science and Industry?"
Only hackers would do such a thing. So it can't have been UC.
"There is probably a college student dumb enough to get the tattoo."
You don't necessarily need to have the tattoo done on a human... or on anything living.
Tattoo... hmmm... military display. but would it be permanent?
"The question remains though, should IRC be censored along with everything else"
Well if someone wants a censored IRC server, they can always run one themselves.
In fact, you can just create a new room in most places, and censor/cleanup that room yourself.
The question is, will anyone want to come and chat in your nice safe room or server?
Compare this with the friendly, happy attitude of those who help you though problems with proprietry products...
Let's take a sample opinion from somebody who will help you with a Windows application:
"No! Anyone with an infected machine should stop visiting Microsoft's website and never use Windows in such a critical environment as the Marine and Coastguard Agency for God's sake!"
How do you know it's a critical environment? The mere fact that they're using windows and connected to the internet implies that it's just a load of desktops the same as anywhere else.
With all the people clamouring that they should be on a secret network, you'd think that coastguards didn't need to access news or weather reports or telephone directories or email or websites or anything else that's on the internet. So the map computer has a web connection? Now they can read the weather forecast on the internet without needing an additional computer. Who knows, maybe it's not organised enough to have special data-feeds from all over the place on a private network.
"Them: "Making half again as much as you, with software discounts, and more vacation, and shiny work environment, and better equipment, and better bosses, and..."
Oh you wouldn't believe the software discounts that those of us working on Free Software get...
"I use an Aztec calendar, you insensitive clod"
Can you get proper aztec fonts to work in linux/KDE, or does it just display the date as 12.19.11.4.7?
"If Linux had as broad of a home user base I'm sure some published vulnerabilities and patches would result in much the same."
Did we mention the difference in severity between Windows and Linux exploits?
(i.e. the Linux ones don't usually lead to the meltdown of any network they're connected to)
"Then what will linux's attraction be?"
Freedom
"Those who give up freedom for security deserve neither."
Those who give up the ability to run general-purpose computers so they can watch movies deserve neither.
"But in the real world, how many people really try to code decent, standard-following web pages, and how many just code for IE6."
Well, assuming that most professional webdesigners use Macs, probably none of them...
"Allow me to assist you, as I suspect English isn't your first language."
hehe. bring on the insults, terrorist!
"And there are plenty of ridiculous examples of innocuous behavior being punished by schools."
Never ?!?
"You had better release that as public domain, cause I intend to use that in my sales pitches!"
But if you modify it, you have to release the source code!
At work, we've just decided on a completely Flash website (it even has an intro page, eww!) which doesn't even work on most Windows computers, let alone real computers. Who knows how many people visit the site, rather than just leaving at the first page (nobody's keeping logs) -- and it's so bad that I'm not offering to maintain the site because it would be too embarassing to be associated with. But the boss loves it. Much more "professional" than that old website (which was identical, but in HTML)
"I don't really understand how making sure sites work in the browser that 90% of my customers use "takes money out of my pocket and gives it to Microsoft.""
Yep, the money's not really going to microsoft is it, so much as to your competitors. But, for anyone who gets the 90% argument from their boss:
"Designing for 90% of browsers is our policy? Here's a question. If I answered 10% of the sales calls with "hello [companyname], could you please fuck off", how would that affect our sales?"
"Now imagine if our website gave that same impression to 10% of customers"
"If you work on a for-profit site, make every reasonable attempt to resist your manager's urging to violate the standard in favor of IE. Do whatever you can get away with without being fired!"
More to the point:
"Hi, I'm from [companyname] and we're trying to find [large quantities of some electronic product]. I've just been to your website and it says my browser isn't supported. Is there something you can do? No, it's not possible to use Internet Explorer on my computer. Really? I should get a Windows computer? So should I put you down as unable to supply [product name] then?
11:21am, "MSNBC Looks At Patent Abusers' Victims"
12:15pm, "US Losing its Scientific Dominance"
Well duh! Let's spend a load of time doing science, I'm sure we won't have to spend millions on a legal defense when somebody sues us for using an obvious idea...
"Scary. I'm thinking of going out to buy XP later in the week to upgrade it, but it's only a K6 266"
Put XP on that, and you'll be able to make a cup of coffee between clicking the start menu and seeing it appear.
If you want to upgrade it, WindowMaker is always a good choice when you need a fast GUI
"the most popular game libraries, Direct3D and OpenGL, are 3D libraries, I think."
[a] z = 0
[b] glVertex2f, not glVertex3f
[c] glScalef(x,y,1) not glScalef(x,y,z)
Can't help you on DirectX though... is the API of the devIL^Wevil empire
"This sounds a lot like pkware's strategy with DCL. They actually tried to tell me I should use it because its patented. I told them it's surprising that we'd even consider using it in spite of it being patented."
Thanks for saying it.
If I see another "proprietry" in a press-release or product catalog, I'm gonna puke...
"The patches were released on the 13th of April, there were four patches, of which, put togeather, they patch 20 different vunerabilities."
Windows. Only 20 remote holes in the default install since 13th April.