I love the statement from microsoft that it agrees that xml is a great idea but that the think the current standards are low and that they do not want to be forced into using them.
I know nobody here needs to be told this, but that is bullshit.
If the xml based standards are too low, M$ with its gazillions of cash reserves could come up with a superior xml office document format, release it under a completely open format, and then use their monopoly, um market share to force it into use.
I am one of those people who whine about having to find where things go and how things are configured in alternative software systems.
I have found it to be easy to set up and customize firefox and opera.
It takes the most minimal of efforts, so if these investigators are complaining about that level of learning being an impediment then they need to think about another line of work because they may lack the patience and curiosity to be investigators.
When I was listening to a radio talk show on the way to work the other morning the DJ asked one of the callers what he did for a living.
It turned out he was a network administrator. The DJ asked him if there was anything people could do about viruses, worms, spyware and crashes. The caller replied. "No, get a mac".
I see a lot of articles on slashdot about total cost of ownership (TCO) for Microsoft windows vs GNU/Linux.
I think a real TCO debate would ( or might someday ) would involve Microsoft windows vs a mac with OSX.
Macs are famous for "just working" and you can make shell scripts for a mac box instead of having to buy utilities. Lower cost of ownership right there.
Maybe Apple doesn't have the ease of use for which they are famous for networking hardware/software yet and maybe mac boxes aren't competitively priced for the server market, but I think Apple could achieve that.
I think there are network administrators who would take a cut in pay to have a mac server network that was as easy to use and as easy to take care of as a mac desktop.
Even if a mac server was more expensive to start with the TCO would be smaller with less futzing being required over time.
If that every happened, these TCO debates would be about the TCO for the mac vs everyone else.
BTW, I am a Linux use, though if I wasn't a Linux fan I would go mac...so that is my bias. What do others think?
To everyone else reading please don't pay any head to this poster. I have no idea why he wrote what he did.
What I had to say about sleep apenea was told to me by a pulmonologist I visited and a neurologist who runs a sleep clinic. Both of these doctors have been specializing in sleep disorders for decades.
I also quoted a link to a book written by Harvard psychologist who has studied sleep issues and developed his own program ( prove effective )over 10 years.
If you read that book, or about any other book on sleep disorders you will read that caffeine makes a very real contribution to a very real and widespread chronic sleep problem.
I don't think the poster I am replying to mentioned that he is a medical professional of any kind.
Check it out for yourself.
If you put some work into searching goggle I am sure you will find all of my points backed by reputable sources. Most of the information I posted in boiler plate stuff in the field.
Perspective - the true price of coffee
on
Coffee A Health Drink?
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
I am getting to the end of rather frightening bout of insomnia. It never happened to me before in my life and seems to be on its way out, but I was up for almost 2 weeks straight without getting more then 2 hours of a sleep a night.
In the process of getting over it I learned that a massive number of people suffer ( silently ) in North America and the UK from chronic insomnia. I don't mean an occasional night without sleep that is slept off the next day, but chronic troubles getting and staying asleep.
A large number of reasons are lifestyle related.
Caffeine use, being over-weight, bad sleep habits,
and the way many of us live our lives.
As the article for this thread shows a lot of Americans like to drink a lot of coffee.
Americans also take in a significant amount of "hidden" caffeine through iced tea beverages, chocolates, cocoa, soft drinks ( 2 sodas == 1 cup of coffee ) and other drinks. Often Americans will consume these significant caffeine sources at later times in the day when they would not dare to have coffee or hot tea.
Coffee, on a regular basis, over years is also very hard on the human stomach and contributes to an early decline in digestive power which leads to a tougher time getting the nutrients a human body needs.
It is also a very environmentally destructive crop, severely depleting the soil where it is grown. A friend told me that South American farmers call it the "Vampire Crop".
If you want a concentrated source of antioxidants without caffeine try taking a tablespoon of organic ( to avoid getting pesticide residues ) citrus zest ( finely grated peel - the part of the peel with the color ) a week:
Fresh aromatic herbs area also a good source of concentrated antioxidants and cancer fighters. Use basil. It is cheap in season. It is basically a weed, is easily grown in a garden or in a pot in an apartment.
Eating cruciferous vegetables like the broccoli in Chinese food ( yay! ) will give you plenty of antioxidants. Other cruciferous vegetables that help are cabbage, collards, kale, mustard greens etc.
If you have regular trouble sleeping either with falling asleep, staying asleep, spontaneously getting up early, or not feeling rested see either a neurologist or a pulmonologist to rule out physical causes. Sleep apena is the number one physical cause and is mostly due to the weight problem Oceania is experiencing. People accumulate so much excess weight that some of it ends up in the throat region with the result of tissue sagging downwards while they sleep temporarily blocking their flow of air. The flow is unblocked with the brain forcing a brief awakening, often many times a night, often without the person knowing. Being overweight is not the only cause of sleep apena, but it accounts for the vast majority of cases.
The methods used to treat sleep apena are not pleasant. Avoid surgery. It has been found to only be 25% effective. However, losing weight can be very effective from individual to individual.
Like I wrote earlier most of sleeplessness is lifestyle related.
In other areas of our lives bad habits and stress are keeping many, many people awake.
Only use sleep medications in the short term.
Many are addictive and many ( not all ) only provide benefits for several weeks, this is true even for many of the prescription drugs.
Cognitive therapy has proven to be more effective than drugs in managing insomnia over the long term. It is cheap, shows results quickly and can be often be done on one's own after a little help.
One of the best books about improving sleep, getting rid of insomnia and getting off of medication for sleep was written by a Harvard psychologist who developed and studied his program over the course 10 years.
Well, I took a quick look at the imdb link. DC Fontana seems to be one of the writers/story editors behind classic Star Trek as well as a whole ton of big sci-fi movies and series.
Cool thread, thanks for starting it.
I learned something.
Vista Launch Good for Desktop Linux?
Windows
Linux
Posted by Zonk on Saturday August 27, @07:54AM
from the could-be dept.
Sensible Clod writes "XYZ Computing has an article hypothesizing that the arrival of Windows Vista may be a big opportunity for Linux to make headway on the desktop. Massive feature cutbacks for Vista as well as huge hardware requirements are cited as major factors. From the article: 'As the time gets closer and closer to the public debut of Vista the operating system seems to be constantly losing the luster which was associated with Longhorn...Whether it's the lack of a new file system or the Monad scripting shell, the absence of innovation in this operating system is giving it a black eye'.
Most desktop users don't even know what a file system or a shell is. They don't care.
When desktop linux is as easy to use for the desktop user as microsoft Windows then desktop linux will gain ground
Progress has been made, but many people still don't understand or accept that basic point.
Many tasks have gotten as easy to do on the linux desktop as they are in windows. However, desktop linux has always been behind on making the cutting edge hot tasks ( or at least the ones off of the beaten path ) easy to do.
For example, do you want to copy some of your old VHS tapes to a DVD. Windows users can go to the store and buy a number of easy software options and get going in an afternoon.
A linux user will probably need to read a collection of cryptic, out of date articles, download/compile some odd components, futz forever with the settings, go to a forum for help with adjust some oddity etc etc.
Someday, this PITA task in desktop linux will be easy, but the point this and similar tasks are easy right now on windows ( and the mac ).
As long as linux is behind in making off the beaten path tasks easy desktop linux will always be behind proprietary systems.
Most "desktop users" just want the job done, they don't want a hassle.
The majority of cases of diabetes these days has nothing to do with age. In fact there is an epidemic of type 2 diabetes ( formerly know as "adult onset diabetes ) among children called "diabesity".
As the name implies people are eating themselves into it.
A large number of fertility issues have also been linked to pollutants in our environment.
I work for a major (fortune 100) financial corporation we are de-outsourcing our development back to the US, due to the sheer incompetence of the Indian and Chinese developers we outsourced to.
We are not alone in this. The problem is not so much that they are Indian or chines (although that does bring a whole host of issues of racism/reverse racism etc), but it is impossible to manage them remotely without spending so much effort on it that you might as well bring them over on an H1-B.
Combine that with the fact that it is impossible for a US corporation to enforce intellectual property rights in China and to a lesser degree India, and its hardly surprising that US corporations are favoring English speaking developers once again.
I have felt my share of resentment and fear about outsourcing. It is irrational as it is the big American corps that are responsible, not the middle class ( or less poor ) Indians and Chinese who sending jobs overseas.
The last couple of years I have met and worked with a lot of Indians. I got to know them as people and could not resent them anymore. Aside from being programmers like me and having an interest in eastern culture I saw that they were a lot like me, human beings struggling to get by.
I feel bad that there are not enough decent jobs for everyone.
For the record, the Indians I have met have been above average smart and competent.
If it has proven difficult to manage outsourced workers then it must be the case that telephones, emails, and conference calls are no substitute for actually being there.
I did like reading your post. When I saw the title for this thread I thought "Oh no, how about some good news for a change?".
It is nice every now and then to read that not everything in the American IT job sector is going into the toilet.
No, you don't have to read a lot of legalize, just the first few lines to see that google will be gathering some of your information in exchange for the use of their software.
Many current specifies of native American animals are facing extinction.
This is happening because these animal live on range and other lands increasingly being used for cattle production.
Studies have show where there land is taken out of cattle production ( grazing or no longer being used to grow grain for cattle -> the number 1 use of range land ) that native plants and fauna recover in that area.
The trouble is Americans are eating more meat and making more Americans than they used to.
Much grazing/range land is owned by the American people which the federal government leases to cattle farmers ( the big corporations, not the little guys ) for a fraction of the going rate.
So, you the tax payer are paying to subsidize a private industry's profits that are destroying your environment.
If you want to save the environment and native fauna cut down on your meat consumption. You don't have to quit, just eat less.
It is just a matter of time before Americans ( I am an American ) take this power source for granted and decide they need something like an SUV sized urine powered device.
Soon after that we will not have enough domestically produced urine and we will attack some country with a lot of piss but not a lot of users, telling the world we are bringing freedom to them.
People who stand up to say maybe we should only use enough things as our own piss can supply will be called hippies, communists and told to mind their own business.
It is a sign of this warped administration that librarians who don't catch people viewing porn are being fired while innocent people are being killed in a war that had falsified justifications.
I use gnu/linux exclusively at home and if I had my choice I would use it exclusively at work.
In addition to Google many organizations say the use linux because of licensing issues and/or cost.
There are always discussions about how/when linux will have matured as an operating system.
I say it will be the day when organizations that are not necessarily OSS enthusiasts say the use linux because it is the most reliable and easy to use operating system.
Apple has proved that nix can be absolutely easy to use.
The Free/SecureBSD people have proved that the nix back end can be made easier to deal with, more secure, and more solid.
Russia is holding its own with its shattered economy. China does not have all of the money in the world either. Neither country has a deep hostility towards the US and would not deploy space weapons unless the US did it first.
The reason it is talked about at all is that rich contractors in the US want to build it so they can make a lot of money off of the government.
I got the impression that google's images just went and scooped up whatever images it finds on various web sites.
If that power company didn't want a picture of their reactor on the web then why did they put one on their web site?
Assuming it was a mistake and they took it down, why is it news that they are asking google to remove that image? Google seems to be decent enough about that sort of thing.
Well, you are right. A web site does not interface with the hardware. Neither do browser based applications.
However, in the paranoid minds at microsoft there is the scenario where web browser based applications get more sophisticated. As they do users spend more time in the browser then in the OS, making it easier for them to pick up and go to another OS, as long as the browser that they are used to is there.
I think it is silly as most non-IT enthusiasts like windows, don't even know of "other browsers", and I can't see anyone bothering to make an office suite that runs in a browser.
Slashdot Mirror
I love the statement from microsoft that it agrees that xml is a great idea but that the think the current standards are low and that they do not want to be forced into using them.
I know nobody here needs to be told this, but that is bullshit.
If the xml based standards are too low, M$ with its gazillions of cash reserves could come up with a superior xml office document format, release it under a completely open format, and then use their monopoly, um market share to force it into use.
I am one of those people who whine about having to find where things go and how things are configured in alternative software systems.
I have found it to be easy to set up and customize firefox and opera.
It takes the most minimal of efforts, so if these investigators are complaining about that level of learning being an impediment then they need to think about another line of work because they may lack the patience and curiosity to be investigators.
When I was listening to a radio talk show on the way to work the other morning the DJ asked one of the callers what he did for a living.
It turned out he was a network administrator. The DJ asked him if there was anything people could do about viruses, worms, spyware and crashes. The caller replied. "No, get a mac".
I see a lot of articles on slashdot about total cost of ownership (TCO) for Microsoft windows vs GNU/Linux.
I think a real TCO debate would ( or might someday ) would involve Microsoft windows vs a mac with OSX.
Macs are famous for "just working" and you can make shell scripts for a mac box instead of having to buy utilities. Lower cost of ownership right there.
Maybe Apple doesn't have the ease of use for which they are famous for networking hardware/software yet and maybe mac boxes aren't competitively priced for the server market, but I think Apple could achieve that.
I think there are network administrators who would take a cut in pay to have a mac server network that was as easy to use and as easy to take care of as a mac desktop.
Even if a mac server was more expensive to start with the TCO would be smaller with less futzing being required over time.
If that every happened, these TCO debates would be about the TCO for the mac vs everyone else.
BTW, I am a Linux use, though if I wasn't a Linux fan I would go mac...so that is my bias. What do others think?
It seems like every time microsoft announces "a ___ killer", "__" doesn't get killed.
I mean no offense, but I was not joking.
To everyone else reading please don't pay any head to this poster. I have no idea why he wrote what he did.
What I had to say about sleep apenea was told to me by a pulmonologist I visited and a neurologist who runs a sleep clinic. Both of these doctors have been specializing in sleep disorders for decades.
I also quoted a link to a book written by Harvard psychologist who has studied sleep issues and developed his own program ( prove effective )over 10 years.
If you read that book, or about any other book on sleep disorders you will read that caffeine makes a very real contribution to a very real and widespread chronic sleep problem.
I don't think the poster I am replying to mentioned that he is a medical professional of any kind.
Check it out for yourself.
If you put some work into searching goggle I am sure you will find all of my points backed by reputable sources. Most of the information I posted in boiler plate stuff in the field.
In the process of getting over it I learned that a massive number of people suffer ( silently ) in North America and the UK from chronic insomnia. I don't mean an occasional night without sleep that is slept off the next day, but chronic troubles getting and staying asleep.
A large number of reasons are lifestyle related. Caffeine use, being over-weight, bad sleep habits, and the way many of us live our lives.
As the article for this thread shows a lot of Americans like to drink a lot of coffee.
Americans also take in a significant amount of "hidden" caffeine through iced tea beverages, chocolates, cocoa, soft drinks ( 2 sodas == 1 cup of coffee ) and other drinks. Often Americans will consume these significant caffeine sources at later times in the day when they would not dare to have coffee or hot tea.
Coffee, on a regular basis, over years is also very hard on the human stomach and contributes to an early decline in digestive power which leads to a tougher time getting the nutrients a human body needs.
It is also a very environmentally destructive crop, severely depleting the soil where it is grown. A friend told me that South American farmers call it the "Vampire Crop".
If you want a concentrated source of antioxidants without caffeine try taking a tablespoon of organic ( to avoid getting pesticide residues ) citrus zest ( finely grated peel - the part of the peel with the color ) a week:
http://www.prevention.com/article/0,5778,s1-3-71-1 08-5616-1,00.html?
Fresh aromatic herbs area also a good source of concentrated antioxidants and cancer fighters. Use basil. It is cheap in season. It is basically a weed, is easily grown in a garden or in a pot in an apartment.
Eating cruciferous vegetables like the broccoli in Chinese food ( yay! ) will give you plenty of antioxidants. Other cruciferous vegetables that help are cabbage, collards, kale, mustard greens etc.
If you have regular trouble sleeping either with falling asleep, staying asleep, spontaneously getting up early, or not feeling rested see either a neurologist or a pulmonologist to rule out physical causes. Sleep apena is the number one physical cause and is mostly due to the weight problem Oceania is experiencing. People accumulate so much excess weight that some of it ends up in the throat region with the result of tissue sagging downwards while they sleep temporarily blocking their flow of air. The flow is unblocked with the brain forcing a brief awakening, often many times a night, often without the person knowing. Being overweight is not the only cause of sleep apena, but it accounts for the vast majority of cases.
The methods used to treat sleep apena are not pleasant. Avoid surgery. It has been found to only be 25% effective. However, losing weight can be very effective from individual to individual.
Like I wrote earlier most of sleeplessness is lifestyle related.
In other areas of our lives bad habits and stress are keeping many, many people awake.
Only use sleep medications in the short term.
Many are addictive and many ( not all ) only provide benefits for several weeks, this is true even for many of the prescription drugs.
Cognitive therapy has proven to be more effective than drugs in managing insomnia over the long term. It is cheap, shows results quickly and can be often be done on one's own after a little help.
One of the best books about improving sleep, getting rid of insomnia and getting off of medication for sleep was written by a Harvard psychologist who developed and studied his program over the course 10 years.
It combines the most effective( and prove
Well, I took a quick look at the imdb link. DC Fontana seems to be one of the writers/story editors behind classic Star Trek as well as a whole ton of big sci-fi movies and series. Cool thread, thanks for starting it. I learned something.
When desktop linux is as easy to use for the desktop user as microsoft Windows then desktop linux will gain ground
Progress has been made, but many people still don't understand or accept that basic point.
Many tasks have gotten as easy to do on the linux desktop as they are in windows. However, desktop linux has always been behind on making the cutting edge hot tasks ( or at least the ones off of the beaten path ) easy to do.
For example, do you want to copy some of your old VHS tapes to a DVD. Windows users can go to the store and buy a number of easy software options and get going in an afternoon.
A linux user will probably need to read a collection of cryptic, out of date articles, download/compile some odd components, futz forever with the settings, go to a forum for help with adjust some oddity etc etc.
Someday, this PITA task in desktop linux will be easy, but the point this and similar tasks are easy right now on windows ( and the mac ).
As long as linux is behind in making off the beaten path tasks easy desktop linux will always be behind proprietary systems.
Most "desktop users" just want the job done, they don't want a hassle.
If you want golden oldies on the cheap check out your used CD store or your library.
To help Dick Clark from dieing a premature death?
The majority of cases of diabetes these days has nothing to do with age. In fact there is an epidemic of type 2 diabetes ( formerly know as "adult onset diabetes ) among children called "diabesity".
As the name implies people are eating themselves into it.
A large number of fertility issues have also been linked to pollutants in our environment.
I have had IT ignorant IT managers before.
I've only found it to be a problem when they have not respected my expertise in making making IT decisions.
From my experience...not even using slashdot or the responses to this thread as an example...I would say the reverse is probably true.
LOL! I wish I could have modded that up as funny!
Yes, they are upfront about it.
No, google desktop is not very private.
Yes, many don't care.
Yes, some people do.
No, you don't have to read a lot of legalize, just the first few lines to see that google will be gathering some of your information in exchange for the use of their software.
Well, speaking for myself, I am an IT professional who still uses dial-up.
I have not, and will not get a higher speed connection until I can do so for under $30 a month.
Many current specifies of native American animals are facing extinction.
This is happening because these animal live on range and other lands increasingly being used for cattle production.
Studies have show where there land is taken out of cattle production ( grazing or no longer being used to grow grain for cattle -> the number 1 use of range land ) that native plants and fauna recover in that area.
The trouble is Americans are eating more meat and making more Americans than they used to.
Much grazing/range land is owned by the American people which the federal government leases to cattle farmers ( the big corporations, not the little guys ) for a fraction of the going rate.
So, you the tax payer are paying to subsidize a private industry's profits that are destroying your environment.
If you want to save the environment and native fauna cut down on your meat consumption. You don't have to quit, just eat less.
It is just a matter of time before Americans ( I am an American ) take this power source for granted and decide they need something like an SUV sized urine powered device. Soon after that we will not have enough domestically produced urine and we will attack some country with a lot of piss but not a lot of users, telling the world we are bringing freedom to them. People who stand up to say maybe we should only use enough things as our own piss can supply will be called hippies, communists and told to mind their own business.
It is a sign of this warped administration that librarians who don't catch people viewing porn are being fired while innocent people are being killed in a war that had falsified justifications.
I use gnu/linux exclusively at home and if I had my choice I would use it exclusively at work.
In addition to Google many organizations say the use linux because of licensing issues and/or cost.
There are always discussions about how/when linux will have matured as an operating system.
I say it will be the day when organizations that are not necessarily OSS enthusiasts say the use linux because it is the most reliable and easy to use operating system.
Apple has proved that nix can be absolutely easy to use.
The Free/SecureBSD people have proved that the nix back end can be made easier to deal with, more secure, and more solid.
No.
Russia is holding its own with its shattered economy. China does not have all of the money in the world either. Neither country has a deep hostility towards the US and would not deploy space weapons unless the US did it first.
The reason it is talked about at all is that rich contractors in the US want to build it so they can make a lot of money off of the government.
I got the impression that google's images just went and scooped up whatever images it finds on various web sites.
If that power company didn't want a picture of their reactor on the web then why did they put one on their web site?
Assuming it was a mistake and they took it down, why is it news that they are asking google to remove that image? Google seems to be decent enough about that sort of thing.
Well, you are right. A web site does not interface with the hardware. Neither do browser based applications. However, in the paranoid minds at microsoft there is the scenario where web browser based applications get more sophisticated. As they do users spend more time in the browser then in the OS, making it easier for them to pick up and go to another OS, as long as the browser that they are used to is there. I think it is silly as most non-IT enthusiasts like windows, don't even know of "other browsers", and I can't see anyone bothering to make an office suite that runs in a browser.
Well, no matter how good browser based applications get those browsers are still going to have to run on an operating system, on a computer somewhere.
We have also seen how hard it is to ordinary people who are not IT enthusiasts to switch operating systems, especially away from windows.
I don't think AJAX is a threat to microsoft windows.
However, the real question is if microsoft sees it as a threat.
They did years ago when Netscape made similar claims and with far less justification and they took harsh action.
IE still doesn't support all of CSS or W3C standards. Microsoft's cooperation with IE will be needed for AJAX to work as well.
I hope they cooperate because it opens up new possibilities for everyone.