User: yagu

not that uncommon

On: Microsoft's Treatment of Google Defectors

If you're leaving these days it's not uncommon to get escorted to the door... and it's not uncommon to be a perp walk, which sucks. It undermines the fabric of trust in the workforce generally and damages individual psyche specifically. Microsoft isn't unique in this regard, though the article does seem to indicate it is Google-specific.

If it is Google-specific it underscores Microsoft's pettiness, and maybe a little stupidity. They should enforce a consistent policy. Unless an employee has shown himself to be a bad seed, treat him (or her) with respect.

I experienced the perp walk (layoff) after 21 years with qwest. It has garnered nothing but ill will since. The net balance of this kind of treatment is surely negative. You can handle this kind of policy with dignity. Most don't.

While I doubt too many Google employees are leaving for the crumbling Monarchy that is Microsoft, I wouldn't be surprised if Google has similar policies and procedures.

nope, doesn't hurt RH

On: Is CentOS Hurting Red Hat?

I'm going to have to go with "doesn't hurt Red Hat" on many counts.

• There's no such thing as bad publicity.
• CentOS users are likely users who were looking for free anyway so the alternative would have been some other free distro.
• A natural migration path for free CentOS users would be to require more support and since their universe is Red Hat-centric, the "pay for" version they'd likely choose would be Red Hat.

I doubt too many sales are lost here.

And the article's example doesn't really prove the point. So a shop of Red Hat users balked at upgrades and associated fees, and decided to go CentOS because they were a seasoned Linux shop. If it weren't CentOS, it would have been something else. The veteran shops will run Linux for free because they don't need the support, period. And they will find the distro that lets them do that.

(And I'm not quite sure what the referenced Google graph is supposed to demonstrate. I suspect he's claiming the higher count and increase in hits for CentOS indicates more popularity, and lost revenues for Red Hat, but I see it as those needing to do their own support pretty much start with Google. Red Hat licensees will start with Red Hat support.)

matter of time

On: Cell Phone Jamming on the Rise

Probably just a matter of time before an emergency requires a quick call to 911 that gets blocked by this illegal tactic. And then nasty court battles... the "blockers" will deserve it. You don't silence rude cell phone people by cutting off the cell phone universe. You don't stop obnoxious car drivers by blockading the interstate.

There are better ways to deal with the issue. It requires a little courage on the part of those who are violated, but it's better than the alternative. Personally, I do think cell phones are way overused and a general nuisance, certainly the way they're used today. But I'm coming out with guns blazing the day I can't get emergency help for me or someone who needs it because some gutless wonder is using one of these devices and my cell phone is rendered more useless than it already is.

From the article, one of the makers of a jamming device offers up this weak rationalization:

"Our position is that the proprietor of an enclosed space should have the right to control disturbances within that space. That could be a fight in a bar, that could be somebody yelling at his kid on a cell phone, or whatever."

Back to my example of bad and dangerous drivers... yes, there's a "collective right" to "control" bad behavior, but you wouldn't blockade the interstates in the interest of "control". Similarly, to unilaterally disable all cell phones is ludicrous.

In pre-response to:

• Just take it outside! Answer: In an emergency one may not be thinking that clearly about just why their cell phone isn't working, losing precious time.
• Just take it outside! Answer: Outside may not be all that close... what if you're on the commuter train? Where's "outside" there?
• Just take it outside! Answer: What if "outside" is another zone where someone has deemed it appropriate to silence rude cell phones?

I do propose at some point the ubiquitous rude behavior on cell phones dictates some solution. I hope sooner rather than later. Jamming.... is not the solution.

just taking care to take care.

On: Anti-Terrorism and the Death of the Chemistry Set

You do know the government is just trying to take care of us, right? Heck, I got the warm fuzzy long ago when Claritin-D, technically an OTC drug would only be sold from behind TC, and then only if you present picture identification, and even then you could only purchase enough to take one a day for ten days! Of course, if it isn't in stock when you want to purchase, you're out of luck... but you're being taken care of. (If you didn't know, the government was/is protecting us from the proliferation of meth labs with this inane process... not that I've noticed much evidence meth labs have disappeared. I have been a lot more congested though.)

Surprised chemistry sets didn't go this route long ago, what with their potential to put together explosives approaching that of a couple firecrackers combined! Warm fuzzies.

I hate to rant about good intentions, but these don't even smell like good intentions any more. Terrorists couldn't care less about chemistry sets.

getting gouged by whom?

On: Getting Gouged by Geeks

I have to take a little umbrage at the inflammatory headline, though I suppose the choice of words generates traffic. These people were not being gouged by geeks. They were being gouged by assholes. These are the same assholes who'd sell you a re-built carbeurator to fix a low-transmission fluid problem (it's true, I stopped this guy from doing just that to a good friend).

Most "geeks" I've ever known or met often may suffer social ineptitude, but across the broad spectrum, geeks, IMO, seem the least likely to be the type to pull these ripoffs. Quite the contrary, my experience has been geeks, true geeks who really know technology are the ones far more likely to shrug and take no money for helping someone with technology. That's not to say they're not willing to make a living at it... just that they're not ripoff artists.

Also the story is long on anecdotal "sting" evidence, and short on statistically significant information to substantiate the claim. My advice, ask around, ask a friend you trust, not necessarily to do the work but to give a "yea" or "nay" on any recommendations. Also, if it's a company like "geeks.com", stay away... any company pedalling technicians en-masse on the cheap is suspect... the market doesn't sustain that kind of business model... fixing technology is hard, and not cheap.

Anyway, back to my thesis, this is ripoff by assholes, not geeks.

thinking about something new? think again

On: Thinking about Rails? Think Again

After twenty five years watching technology try to not suck, one note rings true from The Fine Article. The new girlfriend always seems better... at first. But over time you'll likely discover she too (as one might expect) has foibles, idiosyncrasies that annoy and sometimes downright frustrate.

• Thinking about ditching assembler for PL/I? Think again.
• Thinking about ditching C for Java? Think again.
• Thinking about ditching Windows for Linux? Think again.
• Thinking about ditching Cascade methodology for JAD? Think again.

If you've found a solution to a problem, consider carefully wrapping some other technology around it just because. Unfortunately my experience was that usually new technology/approaches typically were just because, usually driven by management (not always, and I'm not blaming them).

Had I known then what I know now I'd have fought harder for status quo on a lot of big projects.

from MIT, but not very smart

On: MIT Student Arrested For Wearing 'Tech Art' Shirt At Airport

Hmmmm, I think as an art project I'd like to create something that I definitively know is not a bomb but really could look like a bomb to the average person, and maybe even people whose job is security at the airports. As a matter of fact, I think I'll try this out for fun and go to the airport and see what their reactions are. Geez, this'll be fun.

This MIT genius almost became a SBC. I think security at airports is lousy, and it's mostly a joke, but this is hardly a prank I'd consider pulling, and while this "artist" is likely to get mileage out of the alleged overreactions of security, I have no admiration for what looks to be if not stupid, an incredibly mis-guided caper.

These are the idiots who goad people trying their best to do their jobs into making split-second decisions, but have magnitudes more time to create accusations about why the split-second decisions were wrong, or violated their civil rights, or something to make "bad people" look bad. Arrrrgggghhhh.

Notably about this student, she's 19, meaning she's certainly old enough to have understood the gravity of 9/11 being 13 at the time. She might think it's funny, she ought to apologize. </i> (from last post)

the bar is set so high.

On: Microsoft No Longer a 'Laughingstock' of Security?

I have to sometimes wonder how, when security is considered so important, how Microsoft has been allowed to take so long. It's also a bit funny to consider how high the bar is set that they get credit for achieving "no longer the laughingstock..." status.

It kind of reminds me of the cell phone industry and their "high" standard where they get away with advertising braggadocio like "the provider with the fewest dropped calls". It's funny, I grew up with a phone infrastructure where I never experienced a dropped call -- granted, a less complex (wired) achievement, but had "wired" phone service been invented today, I suspect the standard would have been "less dropped calls", too... because maximized profit dominates the industries' collective motivations, not quality products.

(Case in point... if you'd ever owned the amazing Harmony() remote controls before they were bought by Logitech, they were wonderful devices -- rock solid, great feel to them... now, they're sexied up with cheap buttons, lousy feel, and questionable reliability. And get ready, Logitech just bought Slimline devices. Thought the Squeezebox was a great gadget? Better get the remaining quality ones before profit-think forges it into a cheap crappy imitation of it's former self.)

And, to save you all a little time.... mod(self, -1, offtopic);

ahem.... are you sure?

On: Retailer Refuses Hardware Repair Due To Linux

Are you absolutely sure Linux did not cause that crack to form? Think about it, the laptop was rated obviously Vista® capable... did you see anything on the case to indicate Linux capable?

I think the best thing to do would be to publish as broadly as you can the make and model of this laptop and its shortcomings, better to serve others to avoid this vendor.

now that I've told my office

On: Share a News Story With Coworkers, Pay a Fine

Now that I've distributed this article to my office peers, I suppose I'm now open to legal scrutiny. WTH?

Supposedly the antagonists in this story claim this is not a common thing for companies:

Asked if internal distribution of news articles was commonplace at many companies, SIIA's Bain disagreed. "Companies do not do this all the time," he said. "Some companies have compliance procedures in place to keep it from happening."

I suspect quite the opposite. Sure there are companies big enough and diligent enough with deep enough pockets to engage in OCD behaviors such as this one -- applying bizarre policy to bizarre and grey legal matters.

I can't help but wonder what these antagonists think... do they want as few people reading their material as possible?

And, talk about hostile controlling behaviors, also from the article:

Knowledge Networks, based in Menlo Park, California, has agreed to take steps to avoid further problems, including sending its staff to an SIIA copyright course, SIIA said.

In a statement distributed by SIIA, Knowledge Networks said it regretted the actions.

So, to appease SIIA, send staff to their copyright course (wonder if it's free... probably not), and let SIIA issue public releases stating offender's public remorse for it's transgression.

Sometime I'd just love to find an employee of one of these types (SIIA, RIAA, you name it), and follow him around for a couple of days and issue a complaint the first time I see him reading even a snippet of an article over someone's shoulder on the bus or train, or tapping his foot to even a motif from some else's music player.

What a crock!

how connected do we have to be?

On: Smartphone Shootout

I've posted around this topic before. While it might be an interesting technical and "can we do it" discussion, ultimately (IMO) the "smaller is better" and "everything in one device" approach seems doomed to fail.

I liken it to the early days of cell phones (albeit not tiny) where it was new, it was exciting, and vendors were rushing to flood the market, while consumers were rushing to get their new status gadget.

However, instead of making better and better phones, the trend is to cram more crap into the phones, to cram more threads into the cell compression streams (with increasingly horrible sound quality over the years), all to get the most out of the market before users realize it's just not that great an experience.

Even the revolutionary approach of the iPhone is rife with limitations. The battery life makes it almost prohibitive to venture off the "use it as a phone", i.e., if you want to use it for music and video, you'd better forget about a full day's worth of phone service -- the battery isn't going to let you do that.

Also, while the buttonless interface is cool, the screen is nice, it's still tiny compared to necessary space to really surf in a browser. Even with its cool expansion feature, it sucks.

Do people really need to be that connected? Probably not.

knock yourself out

On: It's Time for Social Networks to Open Up

I'm not sure what the complaint really is here. Market forces and web site design combined to create places like Facebook, people signed up, and it was successful? Alternative ideas are better, but haven't worked?

The article raises interesting points but I'm not sure there's any "there" there. If you build it, they will come. If they like it.

Don't discount some of the suggestions in the article will emerge, but market and social forces prevail. As long as these social networking metaphors are popular and users come and go of their own free will, life is good.

I'm not sure the sublime or transcendental solution Wired seeks exists, or should. The internet is a network, electronic. It's a powerful tool. (..., the internet is not something you just dump something on. It's not a truck. It's a series of tubes.(!)) I'm not sure life was meant to be played out on the internet, anyway.

(For the record, I'm no big fan of these web sites... I think they're more fad than substance, but I embrace others' freedom to participate.)

specifics?

On: Broadcasters Want Cash For Media Shared At Home

I read the referenced article, I fear listening to the 16 minute audio as I'm not entirely sure I have DRM clearance to do so, and do not want to be sued or accused of piracy.

That said, I'd be interested in more specifics on this. Does this mean potentially my Squeezebox from which I listen to my music stored on the mp3 server may no longer be a legal "share". Does that potentially mean mp3's on my samba share are no longer fair game on my XP box via WinAmp?

About a year or two ago I'd have accused people making these claims (that they're trying to do this) as ludicrously insane and paranoid. Today, I'm not so sure. I guess the most heartening thing to consider is these guys eventually cross that threshold where the consumer resentment goes from smoulder to explosion, and maybe the backlash settles it once and for all.

But then again, maybe not. I know people who pay more for bottled water price-per-gallon than gasoline... and they complain about the price of gasoline.

can this be the only solution?

On: Microsoft's HD Photo to Become JPEG Standard?

I can't for my life figure out how Microsoft or why Microsoft introduces evil into this format and standard, other than Microsoft's track record. Unfortunately, that is sufficient... I'd vote no on any of their proposals.

The future and potential for photography is huge. There are:

• all the new buyers in the pipeline and hence,
• all the vendors of digital format pictures
• conversion to some archival and historical preserve all existing paper documents
• mapping and navigation software (e.g., Windows Live Earth).
• web graphics in ever higher definition

Microsoft makes their promise to make this free. Somehow, that just rings a tad hollow. Must we continue to be the Charlie Brown to Microsoft's Lucy?

we've solved this problem

On: Office Printers May Pose Health Risks

We worked out an agreement with all the smokers on the floor. We've installed our printer outside the front entrance about 20 feet away from the door. That's where all of the smokers go to take a break... they're saving money on cigarettes, and the office air is clean. Of course, it's a bit of a hassle waiting for the smokers to bring in our printouts.

interesting angle

On: BusinessWeek Advocates Microsoft Piracy

The headline suggests Business Week could be advocating piracy of Microsoft software. This could suggest some bizarre alignment of the stars such that Business Week is Microsoft-averse, but it's clear the opposite is true.

Basically Business Week lays the groundwork as a recommendation to Microsoft to extend and maintain their monopoly, hardly an adversarial position.

I wonder that Microsoft needs this prodding. I suspect they wink and nod as much as they have to to maintain their reach into all markets however they need to do just that. This while screaming publicly about how ripped off they are in countries like China.

From the article, signs point to the very fact Microsoft alreay knows the strategy:

Bill Gates has hinted that Microsoft may be open to this way of thinking--and willing to give China's PC users a break.

Microsoft is eating their cake and having it too (the correct form, btw).

after seven pages

On: Dearly Departed — Companies and Products That Didn't Make It

I gave up trying to read what promised (I'd thought) to be an interesting article. Guess I fell for the hook. Guess I haven't been to the CIO web site for a while. Guess I didn't remember the signal to noise ration for their pages (about 10dB). Guess I'll not finish their article. Guess which web site I'm never going back to.

The meat of their article is spread across at least 19 pages, each page of which contains probably less than 100 words text. WTH? Each page of which contains 2K lines, and about 100K of text (this obviously doesn't incorporate the image load and javascript execution tax you pay for each newly loaded page). I gave up even trying to finish the article after seven pages of waiting on a semi-slow connection.

Guess I'll wait for the readers' reviews.

Each day the internet gets a little less interesting, a little less fun. I fully anticipate the day web pages are 100% ads, nothing else (we're close!).

muggles still use e-mail, mail, phones, etc.

On: Kids Say Email is Dead

This only says what youth does, not what they'll use as adults. I'm guessing for more durable and more effective communications the youth of today will opt for something more substantial than "c u 2nit".

Youth today do what they do because it's there, not because it's going to replace traditional communications.

When "we" were young, we passed notes on pieces of paper. The girls passed messages by lip-reading (never understood how they were so good at that). I never saw any articles predicting "note passing", and lip-reading becoming the protocol de jour. If we'd had text messaging, we'd have done it too.

Consider from the article:

"I only use e-mail for my business and to get sponsors," Martina Butler

That seems to contradict the main thesis of the article. Basically, for important things like business and/or sponsors Martina uses e-mail? The e-mail is not dead, or as the article claims like, soooo dead.

Text messaging, social web sites serve a purpose, not replace one. (This is akin the predictions recently "laptops to replace desktops".)

Critical thought, thorough discussion, deep understanding -- none are much served by the text messaging medium. (e-mail doesn't do much for them either.)

They "only use e-mail to 'talk to adults'". They'll use e-mail and more traditional forms of communication when they become adults. It doesn't mean they'll stop using the text messaging and other forms, it just means they'll need the more traditional forms.

i cld b wrng. i hope im not.

okay, goodbye desktop.

On: The Desktop -- Time to Start Saying Goodbye?

I guess we can bury the desktop along with the mainframes which have "disappeared".

Ain't going to happen. Laptops have charged into the fray because they've finally become price and performance competitive. They're not desktops, and they're not the same things.

Ten years ago I owned 2 desktops, and 1 laptop. Today I own 4 laptops and 3 desktops. They're all heavily used, but for home use doing heavy duty, big screen, heads down coding and computer work, it's always going to be the desktop that makes the most sense.

The percentages may change as laptops finally "emerge", but desktops, IMO, will stay.

bad budgeting

On: Software Speeds Response To Road Accidents

If this is really true, big cities are spending over $1B a year for traffic problems, they should stop buying them and spend that money elsewhere.

it's going to come up

On: Dot-Com Work Culture Making a Comeback?

It's going to come up, so let me save you all some time:

From The English to American Dictionary

chuffed adj. Someone who describes themselves as being chuffed is generally happy with life. You can also get away with saying you are unchuffed or dischuffed if something gets your back up. Make sure you only use this word in the correct tense and familiarise yourself with the meaning of the word

where to start?

On: Music Industry Attacks Free Prince CD

So an artist decides to share his music and give it away. Where to start with the ensuing anguish by the industry?

• warning artist Formerly known as Prince he may become the artist formerly available in record stores? Is that a threat? (BTW, I believe he is once again the artist known as Prince... it'd be nice for the industry to keep better tabs on their talent).
• disrespectful to record stores? Hwah? How? Because they don't get to sell the CDs Prince decided to give away? I recently gave a camera to a friend... should the local camera shop be angry? I dinged their sales!
• the industry is threatening to "retaliate". Fork 'em. Let 'em. I'd be interested in how that plays out.

If the RIAA and music industry could be anthropomorphized, they'd be that crazy uncle anybody would keep up in the attic.

ask if you can call them back

On: Shutting Down Annoying Recruiters?

Ask if you can call them back... get their number.

Post on /.

All interested slashdotters should then call this company asking about possible job and recruiting opportunities.

a momentary blip of anticipation

On: AT&T To Offer TV Over Phone Lines

Wow, video (on demand and more) via the phone lines. I actually had a "moment" of anticipation, thinking I could maybe finally dump the miserable (Comcast) quality and service of our cable company. Then, the quote: "'This offering is on par with those of its cable rivals. "...

Sigh.

new ad campaign ineffective, misses point

On: Zune Team Getting Amnesty for iPod Use

I saw the new ad by Microsoft (on American Idol, at least they're finally picking a demographic):

Still, Microsoft is ramping up its marketing efforts around Zune in the hopes it can drum up interest in the device. The company released a pink Zune earlier this month that is outselling Zunes in white and brown, according to the company, and also launched a new print advertising campaign to promote the pink Zune called "Sync Pink." Microsoft also introduced a new TV commercial that highlights the features of Zune that differentiate it from the iPod, such as wireless sharing and the FM radio tuner.

I asked my wife to view the ad (tivo), as I suspected the "uploading one song" (tune?, track?, can't remember) on one Zune screen, and the "downloading one song" on the screen of a Zune behind the first did not convey the "sharing" notion. Sure enough, when asked, she said "of course" she understood -- it was demonstrating how a Zune could upload and download music from the computer wirelessly (something I don't even think it really is capable of).

I explained what it really demonstrated, and she thought that was kind of cool, but I told her she'd have to

• encounter a fellow Zuner within fifty feet of her (unlikely)
• could only play the shared tune 3 times OR
• within 3 days, whichever came first
• live with drm encumbered music

All of which she says (said) "ewwwwww!" to, and not in a good way. Zune is hardly a product that lights a fire under any consumers' desires.