Wow! I have a bunch of old i386 (33mhz, 66mhz) machines downstairs in the basement. I didn't realize installing the latest Linux distro on them would turn them into Supercomputers... I thought my current Linux boxen ran fast because of the modern hardware.
Unless it's changed recently, I'm confused as to why in the United States you can walk with the person(s) who is flying right up to the gate.
Here in Canada, anyway, you can't get past security, well before the gates. It's kinda sad because you can only wait with so long before they should be heading in through security and such. Also, when picking up, you're out where the baggage pick-up is.
Seems like a small thing but I think it's a rather cheap +1 to security.
My first Linux installation had me drooling at the list of games that were in the Games folder. Then, as I started each, one by one, I found the feeling similar to when you got your Burger King meal's get-the-bb-into-the-holes game.
Or, similarly, found the amazing Atari emulator only to find that those games that used to kick ass now keep your attention for about 30 seconds each - but there's 2,000 of them!
I'm a linux user/fan/quasi-zealot but I certainly don't understand this article enough to re-articulate it back to non-technical or managerial types. I get the gist.
Persistantly I've sent articles (usually referenced by/.) to the upper management here in my department (provincial government) and at least it has begun to turn some heads*. But what we geeks see as obvious (security, "free", etc.) doesn't do much for executive-types. "Free" almost does, but organizations (especially governments) like paying for stuff, especially if it comes with a manual.
Security is almost ignored. Why? Because I.T. gets all those vulnerable Windows servers patched. There hasn't been a nasty break-in, so the concept of vulnerability between the notice of exploit and the actual patching process doesn't even occur to them. It all comes down to what you know and what you're comfortable with. I'm sure they think that Linux needs patching from time to time so, unless the entire network comes grinding to a halt and really affects man-hours or budget, they won't bother.
I'm lucky to have been able to convince a completely Windows-dominated I.T. group in my department to let me have a second machine on my desk, running Linux. (Tip if you're a webmaster/programmer/designer: tell them Konqueror renders very closely to Mac's Safari and we can't be ignoring that ~5% of the population.) But there's no way I can convince them to set up one of the older servers with Linux just to play around with. There are machines sitting back there doing nothing, install a distro and do your own testing. Cost? $0.
I went off track.
It just seems to me that where Microsoft is beating Linux is in their ability to describe, in lay terms, why their product is better. Even though it's total crap, they convinced them and using lay terms. It's possible for a geek to convince a geek, it's difficult for a geek to convince a tie.
* Get them at home. Especially those people who browse web, read email and open the occasional word doc. A quick install of Mandrake will suit them just fine and word might spread. Bonus points if one happens to be on the Executive Team in a gov't department. Next time s/he is briefed on allocating funds for that massive new licensing program they might go -oh, hey, what about...
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Wow! I have a bunch of old i386 (33mhz, 66mhz) machines downstairs in the basement. I didn't realize installing the latest Linux distro on them would turn them into Supercomputers... I thought my current Linux boxen ran fast because of the modern hardware.
Thanks Darl! Maybe you're smarter that we think.
Unless it's changed recently, I'm confused as to why in the United States you can walk with the person(s) who is flying right up to the gate.
Here in Canada, anyway, you can't get past security, well before the gates. It's kinda sad because you can only wait with so long before they should be heading in through security and such. Also, when picking up, you're out where the baggage pick-up is.
Seems like a small thing but I think it's a rather cheap +1 to security.
On second thought, maybe it's not such a bad idea.
So what about those terrorists who are 'unknown' flying for the first time?
They get a green light, pass through and drive themselves and the plane into the ground.
woohoo!
My first Linux installation had me drooling at the list of games that were in the Games folder. Then, as I started each, one by one, I found the feeling similar to when you got your Burger King meal's get-the-bb-into-the-holes game.
Or, similarly, found the amazing Atari emulator only to find that those games that used to kick ass now keep your attention for about 30 seconds each - but there's 2,000 of them!
I disagree.
I'm a linux user/fan/quasi-zealot but I certainly don't understand this article enough to re-articulate it back to non-technical or managerial types. I get the gist.
Persistantly I've sent articles (usually referenced by /.) to the upper management here in my department (provincial government) and at least it has begun to turn some heads*. But what we geeks see as obvious (security, "free", etc.) doesn't do much for executive-types. "Free" almost does, but organizations (especially governments) like paying for stuff, especially if it comes with a manual.
Security is almost ignored. Why? Because I.T. gets all those vulnerable Windows servers patched. There hasn't been a nasty break-in, so the concept of vulnerability between the notice of exploit and the actual patching process doesn't even occur to them. It all comes down to what you know and what you're comfortable with. I'm sure they think that Linux needs patching from time to time so, unless the entire network comes grinding to a halt and really affects man-hours or budget, they won't bother.
I'm lucky to have been able to convince a completely Windows-dominated I.T. group in my department to let me have a second machine on my desk, running Linux. (Tip if you're a webmaster/programmer/designer: tell them Konqueror renders very closely to Mac's Safari and we can't be ignoring that ~5% of the population.) But there's no way I can convince them to set up one of the older servers with Linux just to play around with. There are machines sitting back there doing nothing, install a distro and do your own testing. Cost? $0.
I went off track.
It just seems to me that where Microsoft is beating Linux is in their ability to describe, in lay terms, why their product is better. Even though it's total crap, they convinced them and using lay terms. It's possible for a geek to convince a geek, it's difficult for a geek to convince a tie.
* Get them at home. Especially those people who browse web, read email and open the occasional word doc. A quick install of Mandrake will suit them just fine and word might spread. Bonus points if one happens to be on the Executive Team in a gov't department. Next time s/he is briefed on allocating funds for that massive new licensing program they might go -oh, hey, what about...