What's so wrong with using the.NET platform? It's a wonderful design and it works well. If it turns out to be the future of corporate software development (and it might), it'd be unfortunate for the open source community to be left behind.
I don't quite understand what's so inherently wrong with using a framework that's designed to be compatible with the published standards of.NET.
Isn't that what Linux is, a free alternative designed to be compatible with someone else's IP?
It's safe to say that directX is solid. I personally know of 2 people that spend up to an hour every week playing DirectX based games under Windows! I know it sounds obscure, but some people do it successfully.
Your guess is wrong. I've been working as a software developer for 20 years as of next month, all of that on large multi-user systems. I've done development on many operating systems from VMS to Windows to Linux. I've done programming on most languages from COBOL to various assembly to C++ to Java. I did tech support mixed with that development for about 8 of those years.
Clearly neither of us will change each others minds. My opinion is that installation of hardware and software is, by and large, more difficult under Linux. This is an opinion born of experience, not ignorance.
It's very likely that I'm not as smart or experienced as you are. But for Linux to grow into what it can eventually be, it's going to have to cater to ignorant noobs such as myself, and even lower quality people.
Elsewhere on this discussion I had similar complaints, and people took exception in the same way that I'm going to take exception now.
With RedHat 9, you can do everything you just described with mouse clicks. Setup of Samba, web server, NFS, even DHCP is done easily with the GUI. You don't even have to get into the log files.
I'm using RedHat 9, so your missive is misdirected. It might not be the best distribution, but if you think these problems are in the past you are mistaken. Pretending that there's no problem does nothing to help.
Personal computers are for end users, after all. But you're right-- much of the administration of Linux machines is well beyond the grasp of end users today. It doesn't have to be that way, though. The personal computer revolution started 20 years ago and started to shatter the idea that you've got to be an uber administrator to make a computer do what you want.
It's more time consuming and difficult to administer Linux machines than it could be. Often things I want to do with my Linux boxes requires more time than I have to spend. More time than I would have to spend on Windows machine to do a comparable task.
The barrier to entry is much higher with Linux today than with Windows.
Mandrake may be a nirvana of having software and hardware just work and install itself. RedHat certainly isn't. But Windows definately is. And not just for basic office apps, but for just about anything. If you buy software off the shelf, it essentially will work. If you put a video card into your Windows machine and download the driver, it will work.
Linux needs to be the same way to compete. Maybe it already is, with Mandrake. I pray for the day that Linux becomes like that, and next time I'm out of work I'll do what I can to help.
The prebuilts of today from the major name brands, espcially IBM, HP, Compaq, are actually far less standard than off-the street components. The situation today is exactly reverse of what it was in the 90's. If you buy a computer from Best Buy, you should expect to have bizarre trashy components in there. If you want a quality machine, build it yourself. The big manufacturers are turning out utter garbage these days (like, for example, Conexant combinating modem-sound cards).
If all you're doing is posting to Slashdot, then yes, 30 minutes.
For non-trivial things, though, I have scads of problems just like the grandparent. He's right: the key difference between Windows and Linux is ease of hardware and software installation. Time and again I have problems with dependencies and searching down different versions of this or that library, or circular reference dependency problems such as MySQL needs Perl which needs MySQL-DBI which can't be installed without MySQL. Or trying to get a real video card working, and having XFree ask you 100 questions about your monitor frequencies, only to finally barf to text mode when it's show time.
Many things are wonderful and easy in Linux, but installing hardware and software is 50 times as difficult in Linux as it is in Windows.
The other 37% is people clicking through pop-ups, getting notifications that another version of Real is available, and trying to figure out how to un-install Real player.
Real is worse than Microsoft. I've hated Real from the first time I struggled to remove their mal-ware garbage from a machine. I've had many many re-occurances of that to reinforce the bad taste in my mouth.
I'm happy to see Real go down the tubes. Suing is just part of the noise they make as they die.
Hey those aren't vaporpositions, those are dev positions!
If they were hiring marketing people, ad artists, lawyers, and salespeople, that'd be different.
That is good reading. My favorite part is where teh SCO PR guy says, "I find that there is so much misinformation on Groklaw that is misconstrued and twisted that it's probably one step above a lot of the ranting and dribble that takes place on Slashdot.'. .."
Isn't is drivel, not dribble?
Here's how you 'stop' looking for work.
Let's say I'm a high power software developer, and get laid off. I apply for unemployment benefits, so now I'm included in the unemployment statistics. My unemployment benefits run out in say, 8 months, but I've stil not found a job. My unemployment benefits run out. Eventually I can't survive on $0/month any more, so I get a job at the local movie theatre.
I'm no longer counted as unemployed.
SAP has the largest market share, but it's really not a player in every segment of the market. SAP doesn't play very much in the small to medium sized business market very much. A company like, say, newegg.com might consider Oracle or Peoplesoft, but probably wouldn't go to SAP.
I didn't realize BEA was a player in the applications market. I thought they sold tools and infrastructure, not ERP applications. (Newegg might use BEA to run their web server, but wouldn't go to BEA for, say, warehouse and order management software.)
Regarding why the DoJ didn't have a problem with PeopleSoft buying JD Edwards, perhaps its because that merger was arguably beneficial to the customers. PeopleSoft is weakest in areas like hard core distribution and direct sales (like what newegg does), and that's where JD Edwards really shines. JD Edwards, on the other hand, is weaker in some areas where PeopleSoft is stronger, such as with their technology infrastructure (PeopleSoft is all web based) and their HR package.
Another aspect of this is that maybe the DoJ could see this was perhaps Justice was legitimately conviced that this deal was bad for competition.
More information available here, and here (Is Oracle the New Neighborhood Bully).
If Oracle intended this whole deal as FUD to encourage people not to buy PeopleSoft, they couldn't have done a better job.
One of the main things people look for when they buy ERP software is longevity in the software package, and knowledge that the software will flourish in the future. This deal casts a tremendous doubt on PeopleSoft in that regard. So just the talk of this alone helps Oracle tremendously in their competition with PeopleSoft.
Slashdot Mirror
You should ebay your account!
I don't quite understand what's so inherently wrong with using a framework that's designed to be compatible with the published standards of .NET.
Isn't that what Linux is, a free alternative designed to be compatible with someone else's IP?
It's safe to say that directX is solid. I personally know of 2 people that spend up to an hour every week playing DirectX based games under Windows! I know it sounds obscure, but some people do it successfully.
Clearly neither of us will change each others minds. My opinion is that installation of hardware and software is, by and large, more difficult under Linux. This is an opinion born of experience, not ignorance.
It's very likely that I'm not as smart or experienced as you are. But for Linux to grow into what it can eventually be, it's going to have to cater to ignorant noobs such as myself, and even lower quality people.
Elsewhere on this discussion I had similar complaints, and people took exception in the same way that I'm going to take exception now. With RedHat 9, you can do everything you just described with mouse clicks. Setup of Samba, web server, NFS, even DHCP is done easily with the GUI. You don't even have to get into the log files.
I'm using RedHat 9, so your missive is misdirected. It might not be the best distribution, but if you think these problems are in the past you are mistaken. Pretending that there's no problem does nothing to help.
It's more time consuming and difficult to administer Linux machines than it could be. Often things I want to do with my Linux boxes requires more time than I have to spend. More time than I would have to spend on Windows machine to do a comparable task.
The barrier to entry is much higher with Linux today than with Windows.
Mandrake may be a nirvana of having software and hardware just work and install itself. RedHat certainly isn't. But Windows definately is. And not just for basic office apps, but for just about anything. If you buy software off the shelf, it essentially will work. If you put a video card into your Windows machine and download the driver, it will work.
Linux needs to be the same way to compete. Maybe it already is, with Mandrake. I pray for the day that Linux becomes like that, and next time I'm out of work I'll do what I can to help.
The prebuilts of today from the major name brands, espcially IBM, HP, Compaq, are actually far less standard than off-the street components. The situation today is exactly reverse of what it was in the 90's. If you buy a computer from Best Buy, you should expect to have bizarre trashy components in there. If you want a quality machine, build it yourself. The big manufacturers are turning out utter garbage these days (like, for example, Conexant combinating modem-sound cards).
For non-trivial things, though, I have scads of problems just like the grandparent. He's right: the key difference between Windows and Linux is ease of hardware and software installation. Time and again I have problems with dependencies and searching down different versions of this or that library, or circular reference dependency problems such as MySQL needs Perl which needs MySQL-DBI which can't be installed without MySQL. Or trying to get a real video card working, and having XFree ask you 100 questions about your monitor frequencies, only to finally barf to text mode when it's show time.
Many things are wonderful and easy in Linux, but installing hardware and software is 50 times as difficult in Linux as it is in Windows.
The other 37% is people clicking through pop-ups, getting notifications that another version of Real is available, and trying to figure out how to un-install Real player.
Real is worse than Microsoft. I've hated Real from the first time I struggled to remove their mal-ware garbage from a machine. I've had many many re-occurances of that to reinforce the bad taste in my mouth. I'm happy to see Real go down the tubes. Suing is just part of the noise they make as they die.
Fascist policy drones could not otherwise be good buddies. They are enemies, small thinkers.
Enter stage left: A programmer with a keyboard under his arm in full football uniform regalia. Nubile female #23 enters with a CD-ROM.
Nubile female 23: Does anyone here know how to burn an ISO file?
Java only forces you to be a little verbose. Try COBOL! You're right though.
I hope we don't make a new digital version of The Patriot Act.
Hey those aren't vaporpositions, those are dev positions! If they were hiring marketing people, ad artists, lawyers, and salespeople, that'd be different.
Free Live Cams Looking for xfree86? I deliver, and I'm live right now.
That is good reading. My favorite part is where teh SCO PR guy says, "I find that there is so much misinformation on Groklaw that is misconstrued and twisted that it's probably one step above a lot of the ranting and dribble that takes place on Slashdot.'. . ."
Isn't is drivel, not dribble?
This is the kind of stuff that makes slashdot so magical for me.
If I have gray water toilets, how are the dogs and cats in my house supposed to get water!
Here's how you 'stop' looking for work. Let's say I'm a high power software developer, and get laid off. I apply for unemployment benefits, so now I'm included in the unemployment statistics. My unemployment benefits run out in say, 8 months, but I've stil not found a job. My unemployment benefits run out. Eventually I can't survive on $0/month any more, so I get a job at the local movie theatre. I'm no longer counted as unemployed.
I didn't realize BEA was a player in the applications market. I thought they sold tools and infrastructure, not ERP applications. (Newegg might use BEA to run their web server, but wouldn't go to BEA for, say, warehouse and order management software.)
Regarding why the DoJ didn't have a problem with PeopleSoft buying JD Edwards, perhaps its because that merger was arguably beneficial to the customers. PeopleSoft is weakest in areas like hard core distribution and direct sales (like what newegg does), and that's where JD Edwards really shines. JD Edwards, on the other hand, is weaker in some areas where PeopleSoft is stronger, such as with their technology infrastructure (PeopleSoft is all web based) and their HR package.
Another aspect of this is that maybe the DoJ could see this was perhaps Justice was legitimately conviced that this deal was bad for competition. More information available here, and here (Is Oracle the New Neighborhood Bully).
I, for one, welcome our new Linux Dog Overlords.
If Oracle intended this whole deal as FUD to encourage people not to buy PeopleSoft, they couldn't have done a better job.
One of the main things people look for when they buy ERP software is longevity in the software package, and knowledge that the software will flourish in the future. This deal casts a tremendous doubt on PeopleSoft in that regard. So just the talk of this alone helps Oracle tremendously in their competition with PeopleSoft.