Rather than "for profit companies", he most likely should have said "for profit software companies who want to use GPL'ed software as part of their software offering". The company that I work for is "for profit". It uses software, but does not develop it for sale or redistribution. So the fact that some of the software we use is GPL'ed is irrelevant.
I just recently got a Mac Mini. I haven't had time to really mess around with it. So far, it has things that I like. But my Linux habits are hard to break. And it has nowhere near the software easily available for it. The main thing that I love is the video. It is much easier, for me, than Linux video. I can actually see the Mythbusters' videos on the web. I know that Linux can do video, it just isn't as easy (at least with openSUSE and/or Fedora, haven't tried Ubuntu).
Do you have a Glock handy? Use it on either the hardware or yourself. If you use it on the hardware, simply report a hardware failure. If you use it on yourself, you don't need to worry about what your boss does.
Have you considered Crossover Linux? I have it and run Quicken 2000 on it. That's the last of my Windows applications. It is relatively inexpensive as well.
They might try. And they'd likely get eviscerated by the people on the Linux Kernel Mailing List. Many people are very leery of Novell right now. Trying this would likely get them chewed up like a sausage in a dog kennel.
I generally agree. However, being a olde-tymer, I actually like something that we used to call hardcopy on occassion. Sometimes it is easier for me to have multiple hardcopy printouts of various interrelated programs on my desk and use a thing called a pencil to make synchronized changes. This likely means that I'm doing something wrong. Or I need better eyes and >19inch wide screen monitor. But I must live with what the boss is willing to buy. Anyway, the desire for hardcopy means that I need to make my lines small enough to fit on a single printed line. I usually use 8 or 9 point Courier New and landscape.
I've also noticed that, again for me, I sometimes find it easier to understand subroutine calls if I place each parameter on a separate line, with proper indentation. This tends to make the lines shorter as well.
I'll be the goat here and say that this is one reason is I like Java. No, it is not perfect. But it will not fail silently due to lack of testing some return value for -1 or NULL or some other magic value. Of course, if you want it to, it is simple to enclose every function with try-catch where the catch does nothing. Or where the catch translates the exception into a magic return value. But you're at least forced to do __something__. Use of a "null" catch should be ground for dismissal as far as I'm concerned. Even if the exception is "minor" and "doesn't hurt anything", it should at least be logged somewhere.
I agree. As compared to President Clinton's people, all of whom were 100% literate in all their areas of responsibility and never did anything illegal or immoral or stupid. Who only cared about the people of the U.S., not any special interests.
Not true. Remember the big blow up about the LZW patents in GIF images? And the patents in JPEG. Neither were enforced (or attempted) before GIFs and/or JPG became a de-facto standard.
That's what they thought with Nixon and Agnew. They got Agnew first, then Nixon. More of the same? How I yearn for term limits for EVERY elected politician!
If they are truly "small", then their "lock in" may well be light enough to consider using Linux instead. For those things which don't have an equivalent, I'd check to see if it ran under CrossOver Linux (was CrossOver Office). Convert all MS Office documents to Open Office documents. Not difficult, unless there are a lot of VBA macros. Convert MS SQL server to MySQL or PostgreSQL. Start converting VB.NET stuff to something else (I'd say Java, but I don't want the flames [grin]).
I agree with you. I'm not a gamer, myself. But I have a friend who is. I keep trying to get him on Linux. His response has always been that he can't run his games, easily, on Linux. If he can't run them easily on Vista, then he (1) isn't going to upgrade to it and (2) may be more open to replacing Windows with Linux (if the games get better).
Gamers drive the "high end" hardware. I don't need accelerated 3D graphics in order to write a document or even make a graph in a spreadsheet.
But that person then has the right to redistribute. And if they do, then they must supply the source code. That is also a part of the GPL. You cannot take a GPL'ed program and say: "Here is a modified version and the source. But you cannot give it to anybody else!" Once the modified program is distributed to ANYBODY, then it can be distributed to EVERYBODY. And that cannot be stopped.
I'm just asking. But it seems to me that if a Web site were designed to use AJAX, then the entire "session" would be a single communications, so no cookies would be needed to "track" the user interaction.
What amazes me is that companies continue to hire people like this that need to use computers constantly as part of their job, yet don't have even the most basic computer skills.
The reason is simple. Such people can be hired for less money per hour. This increases profitability and thus directly affects management's bonuses. That is what matters to management. Any problems caused by this are obviously the technicians' fault.
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That's what __they__ want you to believe!
Rather than "for profit companies", he most likely should have said "for profit software companies who want to use GPL'ed software as part of their software offering". The company that I work for is "for profit". It uses software, but does not develop it for sale or redistribution. So the fact that some of the software we use is GPL'ed is irrelevant.
Which was part of the design criteria for COBOL. It was so that "low level" (PFC) military "grunts" could write code that would work.
Put in front of Judge Kimbal (SCO vs. the world) and he's libel to slap them silly.
If somebody steals my identity and I kill them, is it suicide? Or, since I am still alive, it is only attempted suicide?
Not only is it capable of destroying your mind, you get to use all these neat Greek language symbols!
I use OpenOffice on Linux and NeoOffice on my Mac. It does everything this non-power user (of Office software) needs.
I just recently got a Mac Mini. I haven't had time to really mess around with it. So far, it has things that I like. But my Linux habits are hard to break. And it has nowhere near the software easily available for it. The main thing that I love is the video. It is much easier, for me, than Linux video. I can actually see the Mythbusters' videos on the web. I know that Linux can do video, it just isn't as easy (at least with openSUSE and/or Fedora, haven't tried Ubuntu).
Do you have a Glock handy? Use it on either the hardware or yourself. If you use it on the hardware, simply report a hardware failure. If you use it on yourself, you don't need to worry about what your boss does.
Or just humans?
Have you considered Crossover Linux? I have it and run Quicken 2000 on it. That's the last of my Windows applications. It is relatively inexpensive as well.
They might try. And they'd likely get eviscerated by the people on the Linux Kernel Mailing List. Many people are very leery of Novell right now. Trying this would likely get them chewed up like a sausage in a dog kennel.
I generally agree. However, being a olde-tymer, I actually like something that we used to call hardcopy on occassion. Sometimes it is easier for me to have multiple hardcopy printouts of various interrelated programs on my desk and use a thing called a pencil to make synchronized changes. This likely means that I'm doing something wrong. Or I need better eyes and >19inch wide screen monitor. But I must live with what the boss is willing to buy. Anyway, the desire for hardcopy means that I need to make my lines small enough to fit on a single printed line. I usually use 8 or 9 point Courier New and landscape. I've also noticed that, again for me, I sometimes find it easier to understand subroutine calls if I place each parameter on a separate line, with proper indentation. This tends to make the lines shorter as well.
I'll be the goat here and say that this is one reason is I like Java. No, it is not perfect. But it will not fail silently due to lack of testing some return value for -1 or NULL or some other magic value. Of course, if you want it to, it is simple to enclose every function with try-catch where the catch does nothing. Or where the catch translates the exception into a magic return value. But you're at least forced to do __something__. Use of a "null" catch should be ground for dismissal as far as I'm concerned. Even if the exception is "minor" and "doesn't hurt anything", it should at least be logged somewhere.
They may be "perfectly free to employ experts ...". But how do they know that the binary matches the source?
I agree. As compared to President Clinton's people, all of whom were 100% literate in all their areas of responsibility and never did anything illegal or immoral or stupid. Who only cared about the people of the U.S., not any special interests.
I like kate, myself.
Not true. Remember the big blow up about the LZW patents in GIF images? And the patents in JPEG. Neither were enforced (or attempted) before GIFs and/or JPG became a de-facto standard.
I think this is possible from something called "the Latham Act" which is about unsupported claims which can negatively impact a company's business.
That's what they thought with Nixon and Agnew. They got Agnew first, then Nixon. More of the same? How I yearn for term limits for EVERY elected politician!
If they are truly "small", then their "lock in" may well be light enough to consider using Linux instead. For those things which don't have an equivalent, I'd check to see if it ran under CrossOver Linux (was CrossOver Office). Convert all MS Office documents to Open Office documents. Not difficult, unless there are a lot of VBA macros. Convert MS SQL server to MySQL or PostgreSQL. Start converting VB.NET stuff to something else (I'd say Java, but I don't want the flames [grin]).
Gamers drive the "high end" hardware. I don't need accelerated 3D graphics in order to write a document or even make a graph in a spreadsheet.
But that person then has the right to redistribute. And if they do, then they must supply the source code. That is also a part of the GPL. You cannot take a GPL'ed program and say: "Here is a modified version and the source. But you cannot give it to anybody else!" Once the modified program is distributed to ANYBODY, then it can be distributed to EVERYBODY. And that cannot be stopped.
Or am I full of you-know-what again?
The reason is simple. Such people can be hired for less money per hour. This increases profitability and thus directly affects management's bonuses. That is what matters to management. Any problems caused by this are obviously the technicians' fault .