To my understanding, MS Office is a fairly good product... to be honest, it's better than OpenOffice, no one can't deny it.
MS Office 97 is the pinnacle of office suites, it was almost perfect. It has all the features you may ever need from a office suite. And the shinny diamont of this jewel is Excel.
Every other version that came after it just added bloat and eye candy... Office 97 is so perfect that it doens't really need any new features!
But Perfection is the worst nightmare of a company Microsoft... they need bugs to fix, and features to add!! How else they can push the next version to their customers!?!
I predict Microsoft will became so desesperate to find reasons to make people upgrade MSOffice that they're going to offer free usb-voodoo dolls of Clippy for free! Every time it appears you punch the usb-voodoo doll, and them it magically vanishes from the screem with a terrible cry of pain!!!
As I can see, if Microsoft sell a defective product to you, they must fix it for free. Every other industry work like this, if there is a defect there will be a recall.
Microsoft is just giving away arguments for even more lawsuits against them! How can they be so stupid? What they're trying to do has a name, and the name is FRAUD.
Microsoft: Hey, look... I got this wonderfull, secure OS, it's called Windows XP! Buy it and your problems with virus and spyware will disapear forever! Customer: Oh, really? Here, have my money! (...some time later...) Customer: Hey, my PC is infested with virus and spywares! You must fix it! Microsoft: Ok, you just have to purchase our new AntiVirus Software.
Are they really serious about this?! Do they actualy enjoy being sued?!?
They're putting Sun under pressure...
on
Open source Java?
·
· Score: 1
Apache is a key member of the Java community, I guess that Harmony project will put some pressure on Sun to opensource more of their code.
See.. if I can run Geronimo, Tomcat, Struts, Tiles, Velocity and many other projects under Harmony, why should I install Sun's VM? Harmony could well be crafted as a modular java implementation, I don't really need all that swing classes on my webserver, and that is a major selling point.
I could guess that once Harmony get a functional core, Sun would start donating code under the Apache licence... witch is more friendly to their "corporate ways" them than GPL.
If they offered a non-drm format that can be played on my OS of choice, that's it.
Between the work, and the study, I have little time to watch TV... and most of my favorite shows are aired when I can't watch them. Today I'm a subscriber of a TV cable service, but when I miss an episode from Justice League Unlimited, for example, my only choices are wait for the reprises next season, or download it from emule... Guess what's my choice?
Also, I don't really watch all channels that cable TV has to offer. For example, I don't like sports... but I can't remove ESPN from my subscription to pay less.
If someone offered me something like an ITMS for series and shows, where I'm able to buy, or subscribe, to shows individualy I would sign in no time! And I guess it would cheaper than cable TV too, since it's pay per view.
(PS. There is no PVRs avaliable here at Brasil that I know of...)
Here at Brasil, companies can't force you to buy Windows along with the computer. If they don't offer an alternative, you can buy the computer WITHOUT ANY OS.
I must admit that you actualy have to involve some theatening of moving an lawsuit against the company, but in the end they'll sell even a notebook without Windows.
To force a coupled sell is a crime against the consumer, and consumer rights are one of the few things that are taken seriously around here.
But, in the end, even if you can buy a computer without Windows the price difference is so low, and it gives you so much work, that is better to buy the fscking computer with windows, and then wipe it out later...
NOT discovered the animail, but discovered what the animal is.
He identified the animal, and classified it according to the scientific standarts. Before it was just a furball that looked like a rat, it could be a marsupial, monotremae, rodent, mustelidae, or any other. But now we know that is a rodent, and member of an entirely new family.
Now, a feature that would benefect me is disabled by default... and that's just because of you, since most coutries doesn't allow software patents.
Well... looking at the bright side this may give a reason for some devellopers out there to switch to a more platform independent codebase. Like QT for example.
As a student, and as a professinal, to me the best thing about FOSS is that almost every information you need is there, also for free.
That way, I don't have to spend all my money on books (they're really expensive here at Brasil) and trainning. I can sit down, and read the free online documentation... I've learnd almost everything I know about linux this way, and how to program Java and Python.
If I wanted to learn anything from M$, I would have to buy their OS, their certified books, their certified trainng, and subscribe to their devellopment network... too much money for me!! The average middleclass can't afford all of this around here, I can't.
I own my knowledge to the FOSS... All this free software would be useless to me if the documentation, foruns, newsgroups and chat rooms doesn't exist, or if they cost money! To me, this is the single best feature to the IT professional, it plays a even bigger role here on Brasil, because Linux, and Unix culture, is almost unknow on the academic circle! Microsoft domminated the academic circle far too long, and most of the professors fear and don't understant Linux and FOSS.
The community, that's the "real good thing" about Open Source.
The solution is simple, and clear as water... Use a better, more secure operational system!
We already have MacOSX, and lots of user-friendly Linux distribuitions. I'm yet to see an automated way to compromise one of those systems.
Let those Windows installations BURN IN WORM HELL. I couldn' care less... The operational cost of to mantain all of your Windows workstations sane is just too high when compared to *nix based desktops, those Worms are here to confirm that.
Why keep trying to win a lost battle? Better fight to switch your desktops to a OS that is better to manage, and it's free.
Can't they tell a lie? If IIS won by 20% to 30% less geeks would be outraged and they would stand a chace of not being exposed...
Its the biggest software company in the world we're talking about, they sure can hire the best team to produce a fake study!
I really hope they can learn from their mistakes, and can produce a better and more beliaveble faked study showing how Longhorn is more innovative than MacOSX Tiger.
AFAIK this can't be enforceable... at least not here at Brasil. When two parts have an agreement, and one want to change the terms, both have to agree and be noticed of the change.
Is the law in the US so flawed that this kind of term is actually valid, or Google lawyers just put there as a "safety measure", even knowing that's invalid?
The future of databases is... no Database at all!!
on
The Future of Databases
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Picture this... memory nowdays is a hell lot cheaper than a full Oracle Licence. So, instead of investing on a DBMS why not buy massive quantities of ECC memory and keep all instances of your data in-memory for near instant access?
Crazy idea, huh? What if I said that this can be as fast as 8000 times faster than Oracle? And 3000 times faster than MySQL!
Crash recovery? No big deal, keep a serialized version of your in-memory-objects, and a transaction log and you're set!
But what if [Pick Your Favorite Evil] decides to fund a real research to find a way to manipulate the laws until they make the GPL look illegal?
I guess it already has been done, by a number of companies that have interests on OpenSource. We can only speculate about their findings...
I don't know about the USA, but here at Brasil the GPL is a contract. And here, a contract is treated as a "law between peers". So, as long as it doesn't go against the legislation, it's as valid and enforceable as an EULA. Only that an EULA normaly restricts your rights, and give you lot's of rules to be followed... and the GPL grants you rights, since you follow some rules.
I'm not a lawyer, but it would be interesting to see how the GPL stands against the legislation of every country in the world. Pehaps the FSF should put a map online, wiht green areas pointing where the GPL is valid and backed by the laws, and red areas where it's just a bunch of words with no value.
I would recommend AmavisNew+ClamAV+SpamAssassin, it's a killer combo!
Most of the Phishing is detected as virus by ClamAV on my servers, and the few that escapes from it are stopped by SpamAssassin.
I administrate a small server, with only a few hundred accounts. But it's still amazing how it effectively stops virus/spans/phishing.
Funny thing is, we're behind a SymantecAV server... as required by the company "secure policy". But most of the new virii passes through it... and in the end AmavisNew and ClamAV are the real protectors of my network.
IMHO Symantec/Norton is good for nothing, but the managers refuse to replace it completely, and save a good few bucks. They just cant trust ClamAV to do the job, since it's OpenSource...
Now, I'm pretty sure that there are places that are just like you described... but I guess it's not a rule.
See, I live at Brasil... we're on the third world, but we're also a democracy, as every other country here at South America.
And we know how to grow crops very well, indeed our governament agency for agriculture, EMBRAPA, develloped some amazing stuff like plague resistant varieties of a number of vegetables, that are also more productive. And agriculture is an industry around here, we have a high production of cereals, and export it to the 4 corners of the world.
Right now I'm looking for a open alternative to it's OLAP Cube analisys tool... it is a really powerfull data mining tool, and there are a lot of people here that loves statistics and pretty graphics.
I already found some Java projects that provides a OLAP server (Mondrian), and a visualization tool (jPivot)... but they're overkill... an elephant-hunting-shotgun to hit a fly... and I realy don't have the skills to build a complete java-based solution from the ground up.
So, there are open alternatives to Excel programming?
Here at Brasil, some independent bands are already releasing their songs directly to the Web on MP3 format. They don't care about piracy, or lost CD sales since most of their money come from shows. They want people to know them, and to listen their music so they can sell more shows. One of these bands is Mombojo [http://www.manguebit.org.br/mombojo/], you can get a full Album from teir site on MP3 format! Free as in Beer, with no DRM, and under the Open Commons Licence!!!
Other artists, like Lobão and Supla, are selling their Albuns on newstands, with a Data track containing pre-ripped MP3 for redistribuition! The CD come as a supplement of a magazine, so it can be sold on newstands! Very clever indeed.
There are lots of small bands, and independent artists out there, some are good, other not so much. But their work is FREE, lets support them! Also, most commercial music is pure crap anyways... why even bother?
But I'm talking about the professional area, where Adobe and PDF play a big role. Even if you're using a Microsoft tool to prepare a document when you send it to be printed on a large scale the graphic shops will demand it to be converted to PDF, or will convert it before print.
Of course we're going to have a lot of "Metro" documents attached to our emails, instead of those DOC or PPS. But there is no relevance there.
Adobe plays a major role on professional print, and even them perceived that in order to mantain this kind of influence the only way was to adopt an open standart and deliver the best implementation, and the best tools.
Microsoft should concentrate on delivering a better implementation instead of reinventing the weel. Look at Apple for example, they're using both PDF and CUPS to deliver OSX print system, there is no innovation there, it's just a better implementation of an already stabilished standart.
The only problem with your theory is that most press work is done using ADOBE TOOLS. No one with half a clue will trust MSWord to desing a book, newspaper or a magazine... Think of:
Adobe Photoshop Adobe Illustrator Adobe inDesing
Now, how Microsoft will force people to move from these to Paint and MSPublisher using only a file format?
As long as I still can create PDFs directly from OpenOffice.org who really cares?
Oh, wait... you still use that other expensive, closed source, proprietary Office Suite?
As long as Microsoft still tries to be less compatible in order to mantain it's "status quo", they'll see their consumers move away to the stabilished open alternatives.
I can't really talk about US prisions because I live at Brasil, and we really have a terrible penitenciary system.
I'm talking about the general idea... why do we put people at prisions? Do we want to held them there forever, and forget about them? Do we want them to learn from their mistakes, and become better citizens? What do we want from the penitenciary system?
Which one is better, a place to punnish, or a place to redeem?
Slashdot Mirror
Outsourcing it to 3rd world countries!
Sorry, couldn't resist...
To my understanding, MS Office is a fairly good product... to be honest, it's better than OpenOffice, no one can't deny it.
MS Office 97 is the pinnacle of office suites, it was almost perfect. It has all the features you may ever need from a office suite. And the shinny diamont of this jewel is Excel.
Every other version that came after it just added bloat and eye candy... Office 97 is so perfect that it doens't really need any new features!
But Perfection is the worst nightmare of a company Microsoft... they need bugs to fix, and features to add!! How else they can push the next version to their customers!?!
I predict Microsoft will became so desesperate to find reasons to make people upgrade MSOffice that they're going to offer free usb-voodoo dolls of Clippy for free! Every time it appears you punch the usb-voodoo doll, and them it magically vanishes from the screem with a terrible cry of pain!!!
As I can see, if Microsoft sell a defective product to you, they must fix it for free. Every other industry work like this, if there is a defect there will be a recall.
Microsoft is just giving away arguments for even more lawsuits against them! How can they be so stupid? What they're trying to do has a name, and the name is FRAUD.
Microsoft: Hey, look... I got this wonderfull, secure OS, it's called Windows XP! Buy it and your problems with virus and spyware will disapear forever!
Customer: Oh, really? Here, have my money!
(...some time later...)
Customer: Hey, my PC is infested with virus and spywares! You must fix it!
Microsoft: Ok, you just have to purchase our new AntiVirus Software.
Are they really serious about this?! Do they actualy enjoy being sued?!?
Apache is a key member of the Java community, I guess that Harmony project will put some pressure on Sun to opensource more of their code.
See.. if I can run Geronimo, Tomcat, Struts, Tiles, Velocity and many other projects under Harmony, why should I install Sun's VM? Harmony could well be crafted as a modular java implementation, I don't really need all that swing classes on my webserver, and that is a major selling point.
I could guess that once Harmony get a functional core, Sun would start donating code under the Apache licence... witch is more friendly to their "corporate ways" them than GPL.
Let's wait and see...
does it works on Linux?
The answer is: it may work, after all is java based. But since it is bundled inside a Windows-only installer we may never know!
What's the point of writing a Java application, that's supposed to be cross-platform, if you bundle it inside a Windows-only installer!?!?!?
I looked at the site, to download the darn thing... but couldn't find an more OS agnostic installer, or package! Can anyone point me one?
If they offered a non-drm format that can be played on my OS of choice, that's it.
Between the work, and the study, I have little time to watch TV... and most of my favorite shows are aired when I can't watch them. Today I'm a subscriber of a TV cable service, but when I miss an episode from Justice League Unlimited, for example, my only choices are wait for the reprises next season, or download it from emule... Guess what's my choice?
Also, I don't really watch all channels that cable TV has to offer. For example, I don't like sports... but I can't remove ESPN from my subscription to pay less.
If someone offered me something like an ITMS for series and shows, where I'm able to buy, or subscribe, to shows individualy I would sign in no time! And I guess it would cheaper than cable TV too, since it's pay per view.
(PS. There is no PVRs avaliable here at Brasil that I know of...)
Not only this...
Here at Brasil, companies can't force you to buy Windows along with the computer. If they don't offer an alternative, you can buy the computer WITHOUT ANY OS.
I must admit that you actualy have to involve some theatening of moving an lawsuit against the company, but in the end they'll sell even a notebook without Windows.
To force a coupled sell is a crime against the consumer, and consumer rights are one of the few things that are taken seriously around here.
But, in the end, even if you can buy a computer without Windows the price difference is so low, and it gives you so much work, that is better to buy the fscking computer with windows, and then wipe it out later...
NOT discovered the animail, but discovered what the animal is.
He identified the animal, and classified it according to the scientific standarts. Before it was just a furball that looked like a rat, it could be a marsupial, monotremae, rodent, mustelidae, or any other. But now we know that is a rodent, and member of an entirely new family.
Now, a feature that would benefect me is disabled by default... and that's just because of you, since most coutries doesn't allow software patents.
Well... looking at the bright side this may give a reason for some devellopers out there to switch to a more platform independent codebase. Like QT for example.
As a student, and as a professinal, to me the best thing about FOSS is that almost every information you need is there, also for free.
That way, I don't have to spend all my money on books (they're really expensive here at Brasil) and trainning. I can sit down, and read the free online documentation... I've learnd almost everything I know about linux this way, and how to program Java and Python.
If I wanted to learn anything from M$, I would have to buy their OS, their certified books, their certified trainng, and subscribe to their devellopment network... too much money for me!! The average middleclass can't afford all of this around here, I can't.
I own my knowledge to the FOSS... All this free software would be useless to me if the documentation, foruns, newsgroups and chat rooms doesn't exist, or if they cost money! To me, this is the single best feature to the IT professional, it plays a even bigger role here on Brasil, because Linux, and Unix culture, is almost unknow on the academic circle! Microsoft domminated the academic circle far too long, and most of the professors fear and don't understant Linux and FOSS.
The community, that's the "real good thing" about Open Source.
The solution is simple, and clear as water... Use a better, more secure operational system!
We already have MacOSX, and lots of user-friendly Linux distribuitions. I'm yet to see an automated way to compromise one of those systems.
Let those Windows installations BURN IN WORM HELL. I couldn' care less... The operational cost of to mantain all of your Windows workstations sane is just too high when compared to *nix based desktops, those Worms are here to confirm that.
Why keep trying to win a lost battle? Better fight to switch your desktops to a OS that is better to manage, and it's free.
I mean, 200% to 300% !?
Can't they tell a lie? If IIS won by 20% to 30% less geeks would be outraged and they would stand a chace of not being exposed...
Its the biggest software company in the world we're talking about, they sure can hire the best team to produce a fake study!
I really hope they can learn from their mistakes, and can produce a better and more beliaveble faked study showing how Longhorn is more innovative than MacOSX Tiger.
AFAIK this can't be enforceable... at least not here at Brasil. When two parts have an agreement, and one want to change the terms, both have to agree and be noticed of the change.
Is the law in the US so flawed that this kind of term is actually valid, or Google lawyers just put there as a "safety measure", even knowing that's invalid?
Picture this... memory nowdays is a hell lot cheaper than a full Oracle Licence. So, instead of investing on a DBMS why not buy massive quantities of ECC memory and keep all instances of your data in-memory for near instant access?
Crazy idea, huh? What if I said that this can be as fast as 8000 times faster than Oracle? And 3000 times faster than MySQL!
Crash recovery? No big deal, keep a serialized version of your in-memory-objects, and a transaction log and you're set!
Read more at:
http://www.prevayler.org/
Ok, this guy may be a joke.
But what if [Pick Your Favorite Evil] decides to fund a real research to find a way to manipulate the laws until they make the GPL look illegal?
I guess it already has been done, by a number of companies that have interests on OpenSource. We can only speculate about their findings...
I don't know about the USA, but here at Brasil the GPL is a contract. And here, a contract is treated as a "law between peers". So, as long as it doesn't go against the legislation, it's as valid and enforceable as an EULA. Only that an EULA normaly restricts your rights, and give you lot's of rules to be followed... and the GPL grants you rights, since you follow some rules.
I'm not a lawyer, but it would be interesting to see how the GPL stands against the legislation of every country in the world. Pehaps the FSF should put a map online, wiht green areas pointing where the GPL is valid and backed by the laws, and red areas where it's just a bunch of words with no value.
The USA should be painted yellow, I guess.
I would recommend AmavisNew+ClamAV+SpamAssassin, it's a killer combo!
Most of the Phishing is detected as virus by ClamAV on my servers, and the few that escapes from it are stopped by SpamAssassin.
I administrate a small server, with only a few hundred accounts. But it's still amazing how it effectively stops virus/spans/phishing.
Funny thing is, we're behind a SymantecAV server... as required by the company "secure policy". But most of the new virii passes through it... and in the end AmavisNew and ClamAV are the real protectors of my network.
IMHO Symantec/Norton is good for nothing, but the managers refuse to replace it completely, and save a good few bucks. They just cant trust ClamAV to do the job, since it's OpenSource...
Huh?
p ]
Now, I'm pretty sure that there are places that are just like you described... but I guess it's not a rule.
See, I live at Brasil... we're on the third world, but we're also a democracy, as every other country here at South America.
And we know how to grow crops very well, indeed our governament agency for agriculture, EMBRAPA, develloped some amazing stuff like plague resistant varieties of a number of vegetables, that are also more productive. And agriculture is an industry around here, we have a high production of cereals, and export it to the 4 corners of the world.
As for housing and public shcools, things could be better... but we got some amazing stuff going on Curitiba like the project Four Head [ http://www.c3sl.ufpr.br/multiterminal/index-en.ph
So, I think that we could use some public wireless networking here. We can use also some more computers, like that AMD PIC, and Open Source software.
I had to ask,
Right now I'm looking for a open alternative to it's OLAP Cube analisys tool... it is a really powerfull data mining tool, and there are a lot of people here that loves statistics and pretty graphics.
I already found some Java projects that provides a OLAP server (Mondrian), and a visualization tool (jPivot)... but they're overkill... an elephant-hunting-shotgun to hit a fly... and I realy don't have the skills to build a complete java-based solution from the ground up.
So, there are open alternatives to Excel programming?
You can upgrade to 2.6.12 ... just don't include the fscking module.
Also, what are those evil uses that you talk about? And, since Linux puts YOU in control, how can Trusted Computing taints it?!?
Here at Brasil, some independent bands are already releasing their songs directly to the Web on MP3 format. They don't care about piracy, or lost CD sales since most of their money come from shows. They want people to know them, and to listen their music so they can sell more shows. One of these bands is Mombojo [http://www.manguebit.org.br/mombojo/], you can get a full Album from teir site on MP3 format! Free as in Beer, with no DRM, and under the Open Commons Licence!!!
Other artists, like Lobão and Supla, are selling their Albuns on newstands, with a Data track containing pre-ripped MP3 for redistribuition! The CD come as a supplement of a magazine, so it can be sold on newstands! Very clever indeed.
There are lots of small bands, and independent artists out there, some are good, other not so much. But their work is FREE, lets support them! Also, most commercial music is pure crap anyways... why even bother?
I know that...
But I'm talking about the professional area, where Adobe and PDF play a big role. Even if you're using a Microsoft tool to prepare a document when you send it to be printed on a large scale the graphic shops will demand it to be converted to PDF, or will convert it before print.
Of course we're going to have a lot of "Metro" documents attached to our emails, instead of those DOC or PPS. But there is no relevance there.
Adobe plays a major role on professional print, and even them perceived that in order to mantain this kind of influence the only way was to adopt an open standart and deliver the best implementation, and the best tools.
Microsoft should concentrate on delivering a better implementation instead of reinventing the weel. Look at Apple for example, they're using both PDF and CUPS to deliver OSX print system, there is no innovation there, it's just a better implementation of an already stabilished standart.
Ok,
The only problem with your theory is that most press work is done using ADOBE TOOLS. No one with half a clue will trust MSWord to desing a book, newspaper or a magazine... Think of:
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe inDesing
Now, how Microsoft will force people to move from these to Paint and MSPublisher using only a file format?
As long as I still can create PDFs directly from OpenOffice.org who really cares?
Oh, wait... you still use that other expensive, closed source, proprietary Office Suite?
As long as Microsoft still tries to be less compatible in order to mantain it's "status quo", they'll see their consumers move away to the stabilished open alternatives.
Of course Microsoft thinks they're open enougth, they still profit!
When OpenOffice.org stand a real menace, then Microsoft will be pressed to open their format, or to support OO.o own.
OpenOffice.org 2.0 is comming, with database support and a REAL laguage to extend it, Java. Let's see how it stands against Microsoft Office.
I can't really talk about US prisions because I live at Brasil, and we really have a terrible penitenciary system.
I'm talking about the general idea... why do we put people at prisions? Do we want to held them there forever, and forget about them? Do we want them to learn from their mistakes, and become better citizens? What do we want from the penitenciary system?
Which one is better, a place to punnish, or a place to redeem?