This is described as "The future of networking as seen through the works of university and other labs"; it's the best name for a tech blog that I've seen in a while.
Good link on the Thurrott commentary. The essence of the review is that MS is failing miserably with Vista not because it is a horrible piece of software, but because it has failed to meet so many of the promises that were made for it. Some good quotes:
"Having dealt with Microsoft for many years, I can say this much with certainty: The company is literally filled to the brim with some of the brightest, smartest, most insightful, and friendliest people I've ever met. Some of my best friends work at the company either directly or indirectly (in some cases doing PR work), and I've established long-term friendly relationships with numerous people I've come into contact with specifically because of my job writing about technology. Despite these enviable assets, Microsoft has made some mind-numbing mistakes. It (illegally, as it turns out) artificially bundled its immature Internet Explorer (IE) Web browser so deeply into Windows in order to harm Netscape that it's still paying the price for the decision--a full decade later--in the form of regular critical security flaws that have taken away time from developers that might have otherwise been spent innovating new features. The company itself has turned into that thing it most hated (read: IBM), an endlessly complex hierarchy of semi-autonomous middle managers and vice presidents of various levels and titles, many of whom can't seem to make even the smallest of decisions. The company is too big and too slow to ship updates to its biggest products. It's collapsing under its own weight."
"the Windows Division retains, as employees of the software giant have told me, the last vestiges of the bad, old Microsoft. This is the Microsoft that ran roughshod over competitors in order to gain market share at any cost. The Microsoft that forgot about customers in its blind zeal to harm competitors. The Microsoft, that frankly, all the Linux and Apple fanatics always imagined was out there, plotting and planning their termination."
"So what went wrong? What didn't go wrong? When Bill Gates revealed in mid-2003 that he was returning to his roots, so to speak, and spending half of his time on what was then still called Longhorn, we should have seen the warning signs. Sadly, Gates, too, is part of the Bad Microsoft, a vestige of the past who should have had the class to either formally step down from the company or at least play just an honorary role, not step up his involvement and get his hands dirty with the next Windows version. If blame is to be assessed, we must start with Gates. He has guided--or, through lack of leadership--failed to guide the development of Microsoft's most prized asset. He has driven it into the ground."
I agree with you on this; one thing to note is that since long distance phone calls are so much cheaper than they were back in the day a BBS can have a broader-based user group. Users would spend a lot more time on line at two cents a minute than at twenty, obviously....
Maybe slashdotters already knew about this but I found this website http://www.seinfeldscripts.com./ It appears to have the full text of transcripts from every episode. This is fantastic...IMO one of the big reasons for "Seinfeld"'s success was the quality of the writing; toward the latter half of the show's run some of the episodes could legitimately be considered literature in the high-falutin' sense of the word.
Newman: I'm not beaten yet. I still have armies in the Ukraine. Kramer: Ha ha, the Ukraine. Do you know what the Ukraine is? It's a sitting duck. A road apple, Newman. The Ukraine is weak. It's feeble. I think it's time to put the hurt on the Ukraine. Ukrainian: I come from Ukraine. You not say Ukraine weak. Kramer: Yeah, well we're playing a game here, pal.
Ukrainian: Ukraine is game to you?! Howbout I take your little board and smash it!!
What I thought was interesting was that Congressman Weldon appeared to say at one point that he thought that certain computer systems that were sold to China by US manufacturers were supposed to have a backdoor built in, but that the system makers failed to do that. I'd certainly like to know more about that..did the Chinese defeat the backdoor or did the US manufacturers not put it in because the Chinese told them they wouldn't buy their machines...
Your example just emphasizes why this guy probably left Novell...they couldn't sell their way out of a wet paper sack. Given that NetWare is robust and malware resistant, how come this message isn't getting to the people who authorize software purchases? Clearly corporations are willing to rip and replace systems when they're not working..just look at all of the examples of companies that tossed ERP implementations after spending millions of dollars. NetWare ought to be an easy sell.
I haven't read the terms of use of this MMORPG, but I wonder what guarantees these buyers have that the game sysadmins won't decide to create another virtual island and sell it to someone else, devaluing the pre-existing virtual properties? When central banks see times getting tough, the temptation to just print money has proved irresistible in the past.
Given the sensitivity of the noise filtering mechanisms, would the data gathered by those mechanisms be useful to researchers in fields not directly tied to the LIGO project? For example would the seismic noise filters generate data useful to geologists?
I disagree that Ubuntu is all hype. I started out in Linux using Mandrake and the install hiccups I experienced I figured were normal. Then I tried Ubuntu a year ago and was amazed at how smoothly the install went and was pleased with the default settings. I would never go back to Mandrake.
Now we know why Ebay bought Skype...they got wind of this Google Base and figured they needed a communication channel to add to their functionality. The key quote from the Ars story: "The last sentence there really speaks to what they're after: eBay, Craigslist, and classified ads. Users will be able upload all kinds of items for sale, and you'll be able to geo-locate them, compare them, and search them via Google. Think about it. When using eBay or Craigslist, how often do you think "I wish I could search this with Google"? Recall, too, that Google has a payments service in the works." They left out the Google Talk and IM functionality...
BTW, anyone else think that Ars Technica is one of the most bloated sites around? With all the ads and the default red background, it takes longer to load than a lot of sites.
MEMO To: Taco From: Slashdotters We wonder how many of us submitted a story on this Google Base announcement. Probably several hundred, at least. In the interest of saving time and hurt feelings of submission rejectees, we propose that you implement the following story posting algorithm on your server. Pseudocode follows:
while Slashdotserver.up=true do if GooglePRwebsite.NewRelease=false then select mostrecentstory randomly from theregister.com RolandPiquepaille.com Newyorktimes.com slashdot.com 1up.com insert misleadingsummary do PostSlashdotStory else insert misleadingstory do PostSlashdotStory
PS: what's the deal with the 'lameness' filter? I couldn't get my properly formatted pseudocode past it.
Essentially what you are saying is that Google could replace sites such as arxiv.org(which indexes and links to physics working papers), adding all of Google's capabilities to the basic functions which working paper websites generally provide.
I think that this would be a great thing, both for Google and for any group of researchers or collaborators needing to have a central repository of information that they didn't mind being public. Obviously, Google gets more traffic and ad placement opportunities, and researchers and so forth would have topnotch storage for their content.
The point of this story is that PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS started using OpenBSD! This is a BIG FOUR accounting firm! Every IT exec in the world can now say "If it's good enough for PWC, it oughta be good enough for us." So this is a big win for open source.
PWC advises many Fortune 1000, Global 1000, what have you on IT issues; there is a chance that this sort of internal use of open source software will lead them to recommend use of OSS to their clients. The C-level decision makers are talking to PWC and others, and probably not reading Slashdot.
Michael Crichton's "State of Fear" illustrates in fiction(exaggerated just a little, of course) just this possibility that you describe. The book is worth a read by anyone interested in global warming issues and environmentalism in general. I think that Crichton is one of the most even-handed explorers of current day issues.
Back in 1993,Novell was adding $300 million in cash every quarter when Netware ruled networking. They've fallen a long way. For a startup, $100 million is good, I agree; but for Novell, it is a pittance compared to what they had at their peak.
Postscript to my previous script: I went and read the linked story and the key quote from that is that the author estimates that Novell has enough cash for 1 year of operations. If that is the case, in my opinion the company should just be liquidated. The company is obviously not bringing in any significant amount of cash through its Linux based operations. Perhaps they could get a little bit of cash by selling the Linux operations. The only company that I can think of that would be a candidate would perhaps be IBM...
When Cambridge Technology Partners merged with Novell, one of the major selling points was that combining consulting services with Novell's products would produce growth. If Novell's investors have decided to split off the consulting business, this is an admission that Novell's entire strategy for however long it's been since the CTP purchase has been a failure.
I don't know what proportion of Novell's employees are in the Linux/OSS area, but in my opinion these are the only ones to keep. The rest of the business has been in shrinkage mode for many years. I used to work at a large manufacturing company near Novell's operations in Utah, and that company switched from Netware to Microsoft server software about 10 years ago. At the time, I thought that if Novell couldn't keep customers in its own backyard, it was probably doomed. It is amazing how long it takes to kill off an enterprise.
Ironically, Novell finished building about a 12 story office tower in Provo around the time that the Cambridge Technology Partners merger went through. That building is probably worth as much as the IP rights to Netware now.
Let's not forget that there are a lot of folks out there who either slept through, skipped, or didn't even take science class in high school, or immigrated to the USA from countries with far worse educational systems. So he's explaining to that large segment of the population why this is worth doing.
Slashdot Mirror
I have been wondering who at Intel would be getting fired as a result of this SNAFU, and stumbled on this commentary http://techsearch.cmp.com/blog/archives/2006/06/do es_intel_xsca.html?loc=hardware/
that suggests that Otellini is actually buying himself some time with this sale.
Alpha Doggs Blog .
This is described as "The future of networking as seen through the works of university and other labs"; it's the best name for a tech blog that I've seen in a while.
Good link on the Thurrott commentary. The essence of the review is that MS is failing miserably with Vista not because it is a horrible piece of software, but because it has failed to meet so many of the promises that were made for it. Some good quotes:
"Having dealt with Microsoft for many years, I can say this much with certainty: The company is literally filled to the brim with some of the brightest, smartest, most insightful, and friendliest people I've ever met. Some of my best friends work at the company either directly or indirectly (in some cases doing PR work), and I've established long-term friendly relationships with numerous people I've come into contact with specifically because of my job writing about technology. Despite these enviable assets, Microsoft has made some mind-numbing mistakes. It (illegally, as it turns out) artificially bundled its immature Internet Explorer (IE) Web browser so deeply into Windows in order to harm Netscape that it's still paying the price for the decision--a full decade later--in the form of regular critical security flaws that have taken away time from developers that might have otherwise been spent innovating new features. The company itself has turned into that thing it most hated (read: IBM), an endlessly complex hierarchy of semi-autonomous middle managers and vice presidents of various levels and titles, many of whom can't seem to make even the smallest of decisions. The company is too big and too slow to ship updates to its biggest products. It's collapsing under its own weight."
"the Windows Division retains, as employees of the software giant have told me, the last vestiges of the bad, old Microsoft. This is the Microsoft that ran roughshod over competitors in order to gain market share at any cost. The Microsoft that forgot about customers in its blind zeal to harm competitors. The Microsoft, that frankly, all the Linux and Apple fanatics always imagined was out there, plotting and planning their termination."
"So what went wrong? What didn't go wrong? When Bill Gates revealed in mid-2003 that he was returning to his roots, so to speak, and spending half of his time on what was then still called Longhorn, we should have seen the warning signs. Sadly, Gates, too, is part of the Bad Microsoft, a vestige of the past who should have had the class to either formally step down from the company or at least play just an honorary role, not step up his involvement and get his hands dirty with the next Windows version. If blame is to be assessed, we must start with Gates. He has guided--or, through lack of leadership--failed to guide the development of Microsoft's most prized asset. He has driven it into the ground."
Ouch!
I agree with you on this; one thing to note is that since long distance phone calls are so much cheaper than they were back in the day a BBS can have a broader-based user group. Users would spend a lot more time on line at two cents a minute than at twenty, obviously....
Maybe slashdotters already knew about this but I found this website http://www.seinfeldscripts.com./ It appears to have the full text of transcripts from every episode. This is fantastic...IMO one of the big reasons for "Seinfeld"'s success was the quality of the writing; toward the latter half of the show's run some of the episodes could legitimately be considered literature in the high-falutin' sense of the word.
Newman: I'm not beaten yet. I still have armies in the Ukraine.
Kramer: Ha ha, the Ukraine. Do you know what the Ukraine is? It's a sitting duck. A road apple, Newman. The Ukraine is weak. It's feeble. I think it's time to put the hurt on the Ukraine.
Ukrainian: I come from Ukraine. You not say Ukraine weak.
Kramer: Yeah, well we're playing a game here, pal.
Ukrainian: Ukraine is game to you?! Howbout I take your little board and smash it!!
What I thought was interesting was that Congressman Weldon appeared to say at one point that he thought that certain computer systems that were sold to China by US manufacturers were supposed to have a backdoor built in, but that the system makers failed to do that. I'd certainly like to know more about that..did the Chinese defeat the backdoor or did the US manufacturers not put it in because the Chinese told them they wouldn't buy their machines...
For those of us who are not network admins, could someone please explain what makes Netware so bulletproof relative to Microsoft servers?
Thanks...
Your example just emphasizes why this guy probably left Novell...they couldn't sell their way out of a wet paper sack. Given that NetWare is robust and malware resistant, how come this message isn't getting to the people who authorize software purchases? Clearly corporations are willing to rip and replace systems when they're not working..just look at all of the examples of companies that tossed ERP implementations after spending millions of dollars. NetWare ought to be an easy sell.
I haven't read the terms of use of this MMORPG, but I wonder what guarantees these buyers have that the game sysadmins won't decide to create another virtual island and sell it to someone else, devaluing the pre-existing virtual properties? When central banks see times getting tough, the temptation to just print money has proved irresistible in the past.
GOOD!
Given the sensitivity of the noise filtering mechanisms, would the data gathered by those mechanisms be useful to researchers in fields not directly tied to the LIGO project? For example would the seismic noise filters generate data useful to geologists?
I disagree that Ubuntu is all hype. I started out in Linux using Mandrake and the install hiccups I experienced I figured were normal. Then I tried Ubuntu a year ago and was amazed at how smoothly the install went and was pleased with the default settings. I would never go back to Mandrake.
when Starfleet uniform wearing slashdotters appear to be normal.
Now we know why Ebay bought Skype...they got wind of this Google Base and figured they needed a communication channel to add to their functionality. The key quote from the Ars story: "The last sentence there really speaks to what they're after: eBay, Craigslist, and classified ads. Users will be able upload all kinds of items for sale, and you'll be able to geo-locate them, compare them, and search them via Google. Think about it. When using eBay or Craigslist, how often do you think "I wish I could search this with Google"? Recall, too, that Google has a payments service in the works." They left out the Google Talk and IM functionality...
BTW, anyone else think that Ars Technica is one of the most bloated sites around? With all the ads and the default red background, it takes longer to load than a lot of sites.
MEMO
To: Taco
From: Slashdotters
We wonder how many of us submitted a story on this Google Base announcement. Probably several hundred, at least. In the interest of saving time and hurt feelings of submission rejectees, we propose that you implement the following story posting algorithm on your server. Pseudocode follows:
while Slashdotserver.up=true do
if GooglePRwebsite.NewRelease=false
then
select mostrecentstory randomly from
theregister.com
RolandPiquepaille.com
Newyorktimes.com
slashdot.com
1up.com
insert misleadingsummary
do PostSlashdotStory
else
insert misleadingstory
do PostSlashdotStory
PS: what's the deal with the 'lameness' filter? I couldn't get my properly formatted pseudocode past it.
Essentially what you are saying is that Google could replace sites such as arxiv.org(which indexes and links to physics working papers), adding all of Google's capabilities to the basic functions which working paper websites generally provide.
I think that this would be a great thing, both for Google and for any group of researchers or collaborators needing to have a central repository of information that they didn't mind being public. Obviously, Google gets more traffic and ad placement opportunities, and researchers and so forth would have topnotch storage for their content.
The point of this story is that PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS started using OpenBSD! This is a BIG FOUR accounting firm! Every IT exec in the world can now say "If it's good enough for PWC, it oughta be good enough for us." So this is a big win for open source.
PWC advises many Fortune 1000, Global 1000, what have you on IT issues; there is a chance that this sort of internal use of open source software will lead them to recommend use of OSS to their clients. The C-level decision makers are talking to PWC and others, and probably not reading Slashdot.
Michael Crichton's "State of Fear" illustrates in fiction(exaggerated just a little, of course) just this possibility that you describe. The book is worth a read by anyone interested in global warming issues and environmentalism in general. I think that Crichton is one of the most even-handed explorers of current day issues.
why don't they borrow some lasers from the sharks and shoot the sonar emitters?
Back in 1993,Novell was adding $300 million in cash every quarter when Netware ruled networking. They've fallen a long way. For a startup, $100 million is good, I agree; but for Novell, it is a pittance compared to what they had at their peak.
Some people call it the "scareball"....
Postscript to my previous script: I went and read the linked story and the key quote from that is that the author estimates that Novell has enough cash for 1 year of operations. If that is the case, in my opinion the company should just be liquidated. The company is obviously not bringing in any significant amount of cash through its Linux based operations. Perhaps they could get a little bit of cash by selling the Linux operations. The only company that I can think of that would be a candidate would perhaps be IBM...
When Cambridge Technology Partners merged with Novell, one of the major selling points was that combining consulting services with Novell's products would produce growth. If Novell's investors have decided to split off the consulting business, this is an admission that Novell's entire strategy for however long it's been since the CTP purchase has been a failure.
I don't know what proportion of Novell's employees are in the Linux/OSS area, but in my opinion these are the only ones to keep. The rest of the business has been in shrinkage mode for many years. I used to work at a large manufacturing company near Novell's operations in Utah, and that company switched from Netware to Microsoft server software about 10 years ago. At the time, I thought that if Novell couldn't keep customers in its own backyard, it was probably doomed. It is amazing how long it takes to kill off an enterprise.
Ironically, Novell finished building about a 12 story office tower in Provo around the time that the Cambridge Technology Partners merger went through. That building is probably worth as much as the IP rights to Netware now.
Let's not forget that there are a lot of folks out there who either slept through, skipped, or didn't even take science class in high school, or immigrated to the USA from countries with far worse educational systems. So he's explaining to that large segment of the population why this is worth doing.