User: yagu

Sony, what a company!!

On: Another Sony Format Bites the Dust

Let's see, various unsuccessful SONY formats (YMMV):

• BETA MAX
• UMD
• Memory Stick (yeah it's still out there, but it's going to go away!)
• Mini-disc

Then consider the one resounding industry success for which SONY was co-inventor -- the Compact Disk! The Compact Disk has been one of the most astounding success stories, though is now probably nearing its sunset years.

Oh, and what has SONY done around Compact Disk? Yeah, started issuing corrupt CDs (that don't even qualify to have the CD logo) with malware installing rootkits on unwary consumers. Go figure.

Go figure, but sell SONY.

OMG! Business!

On: Microsoft to Acquire ProClarity

From the Slashdot Summary (OMG! Emphasis mine!):

This acquisition advances our (business intelligence) strategy and our ability to deliver performance management applications to customers,' Jeff Raikes, Microsoft business division president, said in a statement."

Man oh man, gotta love that business-speak!

All of a sudden the April 1 "OMG!" theme is sounding a whole lot more intelligent.

wow, more echoes from the past

On: Microsoft Providing Virtual Server Free

Unless I'm missing something here, this action on Microsoft's part is reminiscent of their "response" to Netscape when Microsoft finally recognized they had fallen way behind in an important market.

And, unless I'm missing something again, I think Microsoft still qualifies as a legally defined "monopoly", and this looks like leveraging their monopoly to unfairly skew market forces and competition.

And, unless I'm mistaken, this should be illegal.

(As an aside, interestingly enough, I was surprised to find Microsoft's virtual server technology STILL does not offer hypervisor services... to give some perspective as to how far behind that puts them in "getting it", I worked on virtualized VM boxes on IBM 360 mainframes in school back in the mid-70s! These systems were implemented with hypervisor. Wow!)

(Caveat: For those of you with home systems with XP Home Edition, this virtual server doesn't come free -- you'll need to flip for the $100 XP Professional upgrade.)

(Caveat II: I don't always completely trust stories from the Register as I find them a little over-the-top in their anti-Microsoft rhetoric. However I was able to verify the Microsoft Virtual Server IS available for free download.)

now let me get this straight

On: Bacteria Propel Themselves with Slime Jets

Now let me get this straight, bacteria are actually now propelling themselves with Microsoft?!?

weird perspective for a conflict... and wrong!

On: Sun's Open Source DRM

I'm kind of surprised Sun gets it wrong this time. DRM and its insult/harm to the consuming demographic has almost nothing to do with its technological underpinnings and mostly everything to do with customers' collective perception of the disdain by the industry.

It's already enough of a pain to use unencumbered technology. Thankfully (I guess) I'm part of the tech-savvy crowd, I've done all of (okay most...) my research and homework on HDTV, mp3's and ripping, copy protected CDs not to buy (a tip of the hat to Amazon for flagging copy protected CDs) but it's a constant gauntlet we run.

But have you helped and worked with people who are trying to get their home wired and set up and continued running? It's a nightmare, and I'm not even talking about DRM yet. Even if the first (two) generations of HD DVD roll out unencumbered, they're going to be a royal pain... but with DRM, commercial or open source, forget about it!

From the article:

Jacobs expects the fiercest resistance to come from backers of existing, closed-source DRM. "If you happen to be one of those handful of winners -- there are probably two winners at the moment -- you want to make sure there's a lot of FUD out there about how hard it is for the whole world to switch over to anything other than what they've already got. But in reality, everyone else is on the outside, looking with great envy at the potential for success that's been shown by this first generation of digital distribution solutions. And so all these other suppliers on the outside are looking at how they (can) get in."

This is a red herring -- Jacobs merely describes the battle for rolling out DRM. The strongest resistance will come from the user community and I don't even think it's likely to be fierce, it's likely to be passive. Mass consumers will look at the wall of technology, the rules, the configurations, the expense, and will quietly resist the new technology and DRM by simply staying with the already-good-enough media they have.

The article tries to compare this "fix" to the old saw about incompatibilities between browsers. This is NOT the same thing, this is about transparent and without paranoia product use and the "fix" fails the sniff test.

If the industry: RIAA, etc, don't figure this out in time an entire generation of new technology for entertainment runs the risk of dying on the Ethernet vine.

and a little dab to brighten the trees...

On: Bob Ross And The Joy of Painting

There.

IBM, anymore trustworthy in this?

On: IBM Challenges Microsoft With an Ad Campaign

Sometimes I'm not sure what IBM is thinking. I don't "get" this campaign. IBM is spending $300M on a campaign to convince customers to switch from MS' propietary to their propietary message product? Wow!

From the Seattle PI article:

"People are confused, and that's why we are going into that campaign," Harreld, who also took control of marketing in January, said in an interview at IBM's Armonk, N.Y., headquarters. "We're really trying to get at this problem."

I'm not sure I see this as a clarifying move. I see it only as another product offering. I've used Lotus Notes and worked with it many times. It has lots of interesting features, but I found it obtuse and overloaded at least in the context of an e-mail/calendaring product... the business world probably doesn't need or care about yet another e-mail.

And, IBM is couching this under the comforting and (maybe) enticing siren of Linux and open systems? Wow! A paragraph from the Bloomberg article:

"A growing number of organizations are interested in moving away from closed, proprietary technology platforms in favor of an open computing model," said Michael Loria, Director of Worldwide Channels, IBM Software Group. "As one of the fastest growing operating systems in the world, Linux is emerging as a viable alternative to Microsoft Windows as an email and collaboration platform," he added.

I find this invitation disingenuous, dishonest, and ethically bankrupt at best. I'm a huge fan of Linux, and hope for its eventual place in the business world (which I would submit it already has... except we all still have to whisper about it), but I think IBM is miscalculating on this.

And even if they are dead on in their marketing campaign, I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable they piggyback so strongly on Linux. I know IBM has been a contributor to Linux -- has their backing been that strong?

I've worked with IBM throughout the years and my experience has been they are not too much different than Microsoft in their commitment to Unix platforms, i.e., it's a pill they'll swallow or pretend to swallow if it makes them look willing to play in the Open Source community.

IBM has diverted Unix technology before (anyone played with AIX before???), I fear they're using it today for personal (corporate) gain. I know corporation's responsibilities are to be as profitable as possible, but this smacks of lip service.

not a investment worth making, yet...

On: First HD-DVD Player Goes On Sale

Man, the first people who buy these babies are either crazy, stupid, or just like to spend their highly expendable capital.

For the consumser's cool $1000 he (or she) gets:

• a DVD player that may or may not play DVD's at their rated resolution.
• possible negilible improved quality picture on HD tv's (how many tv's out there are capable of 1080p yet? For that matter, is this unit capable?)
• a tepid pool of possible available selections
• a potentially incompatible format and a worthless future library of media (I know lots o' slashdotters will be too young to remember, but I'm not -- think Beta).
• an unknown quantity -- how onerous will be the DRM on this unit (scary considering this paragraph from the article:

  The player was originally due out late last year, but delays in completing a content protection specification meant Toshiba had to push the launch back a few months. The player goes on sale just over a month after a preliminary version of the specification, called the Advanced Access Content System (AACS), was completed.

  )
• total isolation in the support world -- good luck trying to troubleshoot these puppies... you're not going to get the help you need at Circuit City, Best Buy, et. al.

This new unit is not for the faint of heart, but I know the consumers are out there to break ground for the rest of us. God Bless them and their expendable income.

not this time

On: Will Internet Explorer 7 Have Any Impact?

I think by definition since IE7 comes from Microsoft IE7 must have an impact. But I think it will have less impact than Microsoft's original reaction to get back into the internet race.

"Last" time Microsoft managed two things at one time by bringing their browser to the internet: they managed to cut off the air supply (never liked that group anyway) to Netscape long enough to make Netscape irrelevant competition, and they actually created a less buggy browser (Netscape 4, anybody?). I hated them for it, but it was the perfect storm that killed Netscape and made IE king.

The net scape today is too different for Microsoft to pull this off again. Like before they're mostly playing catch up... seemingly lulled by their victory, virtually ALL other browsers surpassed IE in features, and even in reliability when you factor in the security issues.

And, ahh yes, the security issues -- features Microsoft included in IE combined with their Windows platform to enhance the web and browsing experience were also their undoing. While Microsoft always had and will have their cadre of softies following and coding to all of the Microsoft whistles and bells, I think this time many middle-roaders feel stung by the crap that was IE and are more inclined to steer clear of gee-whiz stuff and cater more to globally accepted standards.

I can hardly wait to see what IE7 brings in enhanced functionality, but I can hardly believe there's anything they can do to convince the world they're for real this time. (Though, I never cease to marvel at Lucy's ability to convince Charlie Brown to kick the football one more time.)

So, yes there'll be impact, but I don't see IE7 as the bombshell that was IE classic (or am I just whistling past the CSS yard?).

so, he has his kids brainwashed

On: Ballmer Babies Banned From iPods and Google

From the article (emphasis mine):

Do you have an iPod?

No, I do not. Nor do my children. My children--in many dimensions they're as poorly behaved as many other children, but at least on this dimension I've got my kids brainwashed: You don't use Google, and you don't use an iPod.

Well now I get a sense of where the inability to know the market comes from. Get a clue Ballmer -- to best compete with your competition you get to know them intimately.

Your strongest plan to defeat you competition is to know them as if you were them!

The only other plausible way to unseat a king is to have so much money and power and control of other resources that you can bludgeon him, beat him mercilessly until all of his resources are gone and you can take the ... Hmmmm. Never mind.

Re:or, the results of...

On: Want to Experience Zero G? Stay in Bed

Second - try firefox with the adblock plugin - it's pretty easy to eliminate flash ads if you put just a TINY bit of effort into it instead of bitching about it on slashdot

But, I don't mind ads... and sometimtes, I don't even mind flash ads... Sometimes they're actually trying to sell me something I want.

But, "a TINY bit of effort" each time someone comes up with the next annoying way to trespass (and they have and they will) adds up to a LOT of effort over time -- toss it into the same bucket with all the support I have to do to keep other people's computers well behaved because of this kind of crap, and I'm spending lots and lots of time... So,

Every once in a while, I vent, sometimes even publicly on forums where hopefully lots of people read it.

or, the results of...

On: Want to Experience Zero G? Stay in Bed

Not to nitpick here, but isn't experiencing Zero Gs quite a different beast than experiencing the effects of Zero Gs (based on the article's somewhat misleading title)?

I'm pretty sure one of the effects of experiencing true Zero Gs does not include bed sores!

And, is anyone else sick of the un-"stoppable" macromedia flash ads that suck up cpu and battery life? I see one now on /. from Neumont University... and it's using 50% of my 1.6GHz cpu, and I can't turn it off.... Fuck Neumont! Fuck Flash ads!

chicken or egg

On: Sandals and Ponytails Behind Slow Linux Adoption

Eventually I think linux and OSS will take hold. I agree with the articles thesis: uptake of OSS (and, for the record, ANYTHING) is affected (negatively in this case) by sandals and ponytails.

In my long career pathetically ended after 21 years by an unfortunate "right-sizing" (let's get rid of the 20% MOST expensive employees in IT, but make sure to get rid of some of the kids too so we don't get sued...), I conducted an ongoing rant/argument/rage/discussion with my best friend at work about the impact of dress. Bob (not her real name) insisted not only are others impacted by your appearance and demeanor, but your very own work and feelings about yourself change based on your dress.

Being a long-haired sandaled techie I disagreed. It took Bob about fifteen years to win me over. I get it now, maybe a bit too late, but it does matter.

For doubters, read Robert Malloy's book. I love and hate this book. It's hard to dispute empirical research... you dress for your audience or risk losing them.

Still I like to wear my rose-colored glasses and think good conquers evil eventually, and still hold hope someday linux along with OSS gains the purchase it needs to be a viable and dominant market force unto itself (it already passes the viable test...).

As an aside: this does take an interesting turn when you consider that the "dress code" for "good tech" is oxymoronic, i.e., while it is true business leaders and decision makers like/prefer business dress and decorum from people they meet and strike deals with, at the same time it's a time-honored tradition that the most savvy and high-octane techies wear cutoffs, sandals, t-shirts (that probably say "fuck you" in some obfuscated way), and piercings. Go figure. (From my own personal experience, I would add, I found little correlation with the raggedy techie look and competence and would even submit many less competent techies cultivated the look as an offset to their less-than-great skills.)

And, now I'm off to install the new Firefox /. extension (God Bless OSS)

eerily familiar

On: Microsoft Joins OpenDocument Alliance

I don't know if Microsoft's motivation is sabotage by joining ODF, but from the article, an eerily familiar description:

"There sits Microsoft, waiting, like a spider," wrote Jones (Pamela), in a posting on her site. "I am imagining ODF plodding along, with Microsoft asking questions, fine-combing through the comments, 'did you mean this or that?', getting bogged down in minutia until, lo and behold, either Microsoft's XML makes it as an ISO standard first, or they arrive neck and neck."

(BTW, isn't there a Donovan song about Pamela Jones?)

Ahem, back to the topic... I worked on a group from our company and Microsoft on an e-commerce soon-to-be-standard (related to xml), and Microsoft's attitude, performance, and etiquette was embarrassing, annoying, and unprofessional. Aside from the unsurprising Microsoft employees' strong-arming the agenda, it was clear they had no affinity or appetite for any of our ideas. It was also equally clear that their intent was the final result would be their way or the highway.

Also, having worked briefly at Microsoft, the description resonates with the "triage" meetings at Microsoft -- at the time, the hot topic was IBM's MCA bus architecture, and ideas to make sure it would not be important in the emerging PC technology.

Superficially, it may be a good thing having Microsoft join ODF, but I wouldn't let them bring in or take out any pencils, paper, or recording devices of any kind of the meetings. Just my hunch, I don't trust them.

well, if that's what you do to gum thieves

On: Germany Accepts Strict Piracy Law

From the Fine Article:

GERMANS risk two years in prison if they illegally download films and music for private use under a new law agreed yesterday.

Also from the Fine Article:

Günther Krings, the Christian Democrat legal affairs spokesman, said: There should be no legal distinction between stealing chewing gum from a shop and performing an illegal download

So, you can get two years in prison in Germany for stealing chewing gum from a shop? Cool.

This is all rehashing rehashes, but it bears repetition lest we find ourselves slowly and finally boiled in this slowly heating water. It's more heavy-handed power and money grabbing by those who have the money and power (entertainment droids and politicians). I only hope one of the first "caught" with their hands in the downloading cookiejar is some son or daughter of one of the anointed government members. Also from the article (emphasis mine):

The German music industry also claims to be suffering from piracy. The recording industry suffered a fall in turnover in 2005 for the seventh year in a row to 1.7 billion (1.2 billion). Sales have fallen almost 45 per cent since 1998. The German branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry estimates that the equivalent of 439 million music CDs were copied illegally in Germany last year.

First of all, what supports their estimates? Secondly, I've still yet to see causal studies whereby there are directly related losses because of illegal downloads. I have seen some convincing studies showing strong correlation between downloading and sales.

still some work to do.

On: AjaxWrite to "Compete" with MS Word

Well, this guy may think he's replaced WORD(tm) but I was unable to:

• find the clippy help guy
• find the shifting winding twisty changing menus (think chevrons)
• get ajaxWrite to inexplicably put me in different viewing modes from which I could not find an escape
• randomly start numbering stuff because I indented

Until they get at least some of these features write, I'm forking over my $499.

Oh wait, did I just say that out loud?

All seriousness aside, one feature this really doesn't have (at least I couldn't find it) I absolutely must have is spell check. I'm kind of surprised, cuz it seems everyone is introducing some form of spell check instantiated in their latest ajax offerings (including other web word processors... e.g.,

• Writely (not currently taking new registrations, but soon!)
• Zohowriter

)

too kind a description

On: Continuous Partial Attention

Continuous Partial Attention is way too kind. It begs forgiveness at the promise of continuous, then betrays with partial.

Anyone who's majored in Mathematics (I did) must spend one semester carefully defining, understanding, and proving continuity. What's described by today's "etiquette" clearly and egregiously violates the notion of continuous, rendering the euphemism "Continous Partial Attention" nothing more than an oxymoron.

And, it's pretty easy to tell when the person on the other end is giving CPA... in person, vague and inconsistent eye contact while constantly glancing at some screen (be it PDA or computer). Remotely (phone) it's even more annoying.

I've taken my own path to self-correct.

• I leave my computer in computer places (office, den, back room) rather than sit mesmerized in front of a laptop screen in the kitchen, avoiding the partial-contact with friends and family.
• I also turn off my cell phone ANYWHERE where it intrudes and is unnecessary (actually I mostly don't even carry one).
• I don't fire up my PDA at kids' concerts and recitals to carry on text message and e-mail conversations.

Of the last ten social events I've attended (movies, parties, recitals, concerts) every single time I saw, heard, and was distracted by someone using some PDA, or other gadget... and not one of those times did it seem appropriate or necessary (not saying there weren't necessary times, but I'm guessing there weren't).

I've yet to meet anyone important enough they must be connected and engaged every waking moment. The world worked well before all of this, it would be a better place if we turned down the volume on the gadgetry (not that Verizon, SONY, Apple, et. al., will ever allow that to happen on their watch (literally)).

It doesn't help that we somehow come up with a positive sounding euphemism for it.

yeah, but can a baby...

On: Babies Can Learn Words as Early as 10 Months

From the Slashdot: .A two-year-old can quickly link an object.... Yeah, but at what age can a baby levarage development patterns? No baby is going to be much use until he (she) knows the difference between a Singleton and a Factory.

so, solid state technology

On: 32 GB Flash Storage Drive Announced

So, solid state technology can now provide us with a storage device large enough to hold Office.

my experience

On: What's Next in Telecommunications?

Disclaimer: I was laid off after 21 years from this company... go figure

Well, if my observations offer any insight (they probably don't)... the company from which I was laid off was hot and heavy in one of their most important endeavors at the time: converting their public facing web presence to C#/.Net technology. I certainly had many other suggestions for important work to be done.

So, let that be one indicator of how prepared the telcos may or may not be for the shifting winds in the telecommunications industry.

I'd consider alpha if I knew new features.

On: Mozilla Firefox 2.0 Alpha Peeking Out (Or Not)

Okay, seemingly little to no information about what comprises the new Firefox. For those who also might be curious, I have found these features described in a Firefox 2 Roadmap, but don't know if and how many of these made it to the new release.

Anyone else have any links to release notes?, what's new in FF 2?

ly?

On: New Large Rocky Planet Found

Wow! First time I've ever seen light years abbreviated (or formed to an acronym) as ly! Here's one of my favorites: WTF?

from personal anecdotal experience

On: What Would You Demand From Your IT Department?

Your company may have IT problems if any of the following has happened recently:

• your company has right-sized the work force (could cause loss of corporate memory since right-sizing is usually code for age discrimination
• decided to become a [insert technology here] shop by executive fiat with no input from IT staff (could de-moralize IT staff, they're not going to care much if their input isn't being counted)
• changed the review process (more de-moralization -- they're (reviews) usually not changed in a positive way)
• eliminated bonuses
• implemented mandatory overtime (I've experienced this many times -- it's the best way to instill attitude in an IT organization)
• gotten a new CEO soon to loot your company and run (I experienced this... once I experienced a half million loss in options and 401K it was hard to like what my company had become when the CEO walked away with $500M)
• frozen pension benefits (ditto)
• cut back on medical coverages (ditto)
• implemented a required "certification" process for IT staff (gag)

There are many more -- these are just a few I've experienced that exclaimed "improved [insert your favorite trait/characteristic here]" and had mostly the opposite and unexpected (to decision makers) results.

(btw, your "500" count is listed after the mention of your company, it's not clear if you're talking about a company of 500 employees or a company for which it's IT segment comprises 500 employees...)

still an amazing OS

On: What is UNIX, Anyway?

I've been working with Unix/Solaris/SunOS/Linux/AIX/AUX/BSD/ATT Unix, et. al. now for over twenty years. I mostly love the environment, I'm self-taught, and never have stopped discovering new and cool (and sometimes amazing) things about how Unix works.

I've pretty much always always been able to sit down and immediately be productive in a Unix environment. Things are stored and arranged in a surprisingly consistent way (not always in the same places, but one of a few organizations (/etc vs. /usr/etc)), and for those hard to find arrangements you need only know "find".

Considering how many different Unixes there are it's actually impressive how compatible and consistent they are across the Unix universe. It's only my opinion, but I find adapting and adjusting to the Unixes far easier than the various versions of Windows.

ooops, sorry

On: Symantec Rethinks Firefox vs IE Vulnerabilities

It seems almost disingenuous to "rethink" this so late. Of course it's more than a little irritating, it directly impacts the perceptions and usage levels of the competing browsers. It's kind of like yelling "fire" in a crowded theater, waiting until the resultant stampede kills many in the theater and then saying, "I'm rethinking this, and it looks as if there is no fire."