Maybe he has helped in the past, but I really don't think he is expressing genuine concern by mocking the program. If he were truly concerned he would come out with something better. Or at least buy these kids a boat load of the $100 laptops.
Good point. Computers are intimidating to most end users that I deal with on a daily basis. They are all so afraid to 'mess something up' that most of them do not take full advantage of the services our IT dept has to offer. Having a console that you cannot mess up without physical damage sounds like a better idea to your average end user who wants nothing more than to surf the web anyway. The toughest sell I believe will not be the four to five hundred bucks on the console, but the monthly forty to fifty Mom and Dad will have to shell out. The people that are willing to pay for broadband have it, but those who do not want to spend that money do not. Maybe if the price was right, they would pick it up. This also leads to another question - since broadband access is so widespread now have the prices cheapened enough to bring in those that think it has been too high? My monthly subscription price hasn't dropped...
I agree.
The CIO of your company is not doing his job. If he were, he would be motivating (or hiring!) people to do the job at hand. Never, ever treat your IT dept like crap. If they are worth their salt, they can do very bad things (like adding your email address to pr0n mailing lists and unencrypt the network traffic and capture it cuz chances are you use the same passwd for everything).
Re:Classic Halo fanboy..
on
Black Review
·
· Score: 0, Flamebait
If the parents would make sure that their kids know the separation of whats real and whats entertainment, then there would be no problems.
And yes, I agree - maybe if the kids saw the dead bodies hanging outside of Fallujah then suddenly violence wouldn't be cool. If parents tell their kids that these people died horrible deaths, and how their families are suffering. Then again, the same parents that bitch about violence in computer games are usually the same ones that bitch about violence on TV.
Very true. This can be seen in advertising, where business will 'throw in' something for free just to drive traffic up.
There is an old parable about a guy who sat his refrigerator on his lawn with a "Take for Free" sign on it. After two weeks, he stuck a "For Sale: $50" sign on it. It was gone the next day.
Enterprise - a unit of economic organization or activity (Merriam-Webster). Enterprises are usually really big businesses with a really large user base. Its a buzzword for the suits.
I agree - OSS must gain ground in the enterprise for it to thrive (more). Once good OSS has established itself as reliable and accountable, then the software will gain the respect it deserves. In order for this to happen, the software must be mature enough to withstand 'the beatings' of the suits (think maintenance costs, feature requests, etc). The only immature OSS products we use at work are in-house stuff. It is just a matter of time before the (other) big players in OSS come to the top - not just Linux, MySQL (and more).
Nothing is wrong with compiling a package - the knucklehead just uses that because he is lazy and is more accustomed to point and click everything.
NB, what I didn't quantify above was the ratio of good guys : bad guys. I have a gut feeling that a person's estimate of this ratio might provide a valuable insight into their personality.
I couldn't agree more. I have a coworker (I work in the gubba-mint) that is strickly pro-MS, despite whatever advantages Linux/Unix/Mac may offer. His main argument is that 'How can it be more secure if everyone can see the source code?'. Proving he has a lack reason, he cannot grasp the argument I give him which is the same as above. His other argument is that 'Whenever you want to install anything you have to compile it'. While this is true for some apps, its not true for all - there are things called package managers. He cannot grasp this thought either. Oh by the way, he slipped up one day and admitted he owned MS stock.
The point of my ramblings is this: while the Upper Management may have strong arguments and numbers against open source, there may be underlying factors involved in their decisions - such as money.
The problem comes when you are using hundred year old ideas - patents were a result of trying to protect innovators and exploration of progress. Now, the business of Patent Hoarding has become lucrative. Its no longer about protecting innovation. Its about sucking up as many ideas as humanly possible in order to take full advantage of capitalism.
This (IMHO) is a downfall of capitalism - businesses no longer compete by making a better product, they compete by leveraging laws and other details against any existing and would-be competitors. If you can manipulate the rules, you do not have to play as hard.
If rolling a 20 sided die is your idea of a fun night and prevents you from getting laid, you need to reevaluate your life But then again it is a free country...
This is something that has been long overdue for sometime. I just hope they mold the new license using developer/user/company feedback and not just on what a handful of individuals 'think' may be good for the group as a whole. Hopefully the FSF actually listens to its followers and it will not just be the blind leading the blind.
Coming from a sys admin standpoint, an ad-supported anything fits right in with the average user base. Most people are willing to put up with advertisements as long as it is free/cheap (spyware included). I don't see this as being any different than your typical ad-supported website anyway.
Isn't to get rid of unnecessary intellectually-based property one of the ideas of open source? Isn't open source not only about sharing ideas but also about allowing more than one person/group/entity to have the same idea and to produce a product using the same means? Patents were to protect businesses in the beginning, but now it seems that they have become a cash cow for both businesses and lawyers.
I have been working at my current employment for a couple of years now. They actually take pretty good precautions about the IT department and keeping 'them separated from the rest of the pack'. However, they leave the business department in the open. The same business department that regularly accesses credit card numbers and social security numbers in front of the general public.
I really do not access that much sensitive data on a daiy basis and neither do my coworkers. I think IT seclusion is important, but so is seclusion of other departments.
Slashdot Mirror
Sorry...I've been criticized for my dry humor before. That part was the joke.
Maybe he has helped in the past, but I really don't think he is expressing genuine concern by mocking the program. If he were truly concerned he would come out with something better. Or at least buy these kids a boat load of the $100 laptops.
Good point. Computers are intimidating to most end users that I deal with on a daily basis. They are all so afraid to 'mess something up' that most of them do not take full advantage of the services our IT dept has to offer. Having a console that you cannot mess up without physical damage sounds like a better idea to your average end user who wants nothing more than to surf the web anyway. The toughest sell I believe will not be the four to five hundred bucks on the console, but the monthly forty to fifty Mom and Dad will have to shell out. The people that are willing to pay for broadband have it, but those who do not want to spend that money do not. Maybe if the price was right, they would pick it up. This also leads to another question - since broadband access is so widespread now have the prices cheapened enough to bring in those that think it has been too high? My monthly subscription price hasn't dropped...
I agree. The CIO of your company is not doing his job. If he were, he would be motivating (or hiring!) people to do the job at hand. Never, ever treat your IT dept like crap. If they are worth their salt, they can do very bad things (like adding your email address to pr0n mailing lists and unencrypt the network traffic and capture it cuz chances are you use the same passwd for everything).
Im waiting for the flamebait mod...
I agree, but how may lusers out there will know how to do this???
If the parents would make sure that their kids know the separation of whats real and whats entertainment, then there would be no problems.
And yes, I agree - maybe if the kids saw the dead bodies hanging outside of Fallujah then suddenly violence wouldn't be cool. If parents tell their kids that these people died horrible deaths, and how their families are suffering. Then again, the same parents that bitch about violence in computer games are usually the same ones that bitch about violence on TV.
Any time lawyers make money, it must be good for the economy. i.e.: Class action lawsuits, patent infringements, antitrust cases, etc....
</sarcasm>
I wish they would make a decision (over the patent case) so I can make a decision.
Very true. This can be seen in advertising, where business will 'throw in' something for free just to drive traffic up.
There is an old parable about a guy who sat his refrigerator on his lawn with a "Take for Free" sign on it. After two weeks, he stuck a "For Sale: $50" sign on it. It was gone the next day.
I will not succumb to your enticement for a flamewar.
Enterprise - a unit of economic organization or activity (Merriam-Webster). Enterprises are usually really big businesses with a really large user base. Its a buzzword for the suits.
I agree - OSS must gain ground in the enterprise for it to thrive (more). Once good OSS has established itself as reliable and accountable, then the software will gain the respect it deserves. In order for this to happen, the software must be mature enough to withstand 'the beatings' of the suits (think maintenance costs, feature requests, etc). The only immature OSS products we use at work are in-house stuff. It is just a matter of time before the (other) big players in OSS come to the top - not just Linux, MySQL (and more).
Nothing is wrong with compiling a package - the knucklehead just uses that because he is lazy and is more accustomed to point and click everything.
:)
NB, what I didn't quantify above was the ratio of good guys : bad guys. I have a gut feeling that a person's estimate of this ratio might provide a valuable insight into their personality.
What personality?
I couldn't agree more. I have a coworker (I work in the gubba-mint) that is strickly pro-MS, despite whatever advantages Linux/Unix/Mac may offer. His main argument is that 'How can it be more secure if everyone can see the source code?'. Proving he has a lack reason, he cannot grasp the argument I give him which is the same as above. His other argument is that 'Whenever you want to install anything you have to compile it'. While this is true for some apps, its not true for all - there are things called package managers. He cannot grasp this thought either. Oh by the way, he slipped up one day and admitted he owned MS stock.
The point of my ramblings is this: while the Upper Management may have strong arguments and numbers against open source, there may be underlying factors involved in their decisions - such as money.
Crazy people don't know they're crazy. Maybe the same could be said for mature people...
When does maturity set in? Never! Just take a look at a politician - theres your proof.
The problem comes when you are using hundred year old ideas - patents were a result of trying to protect innovators and exploration of progress. Now, the business of Patent Hoarding has become lucrative. Its no longer about protecting innovation. Its about sucking up as many ideas as humanly possible in order to take full advantage of capitalism.
This (IMHO) is a downfall of capitalism - businesses no longer compete by making a better product, they compete by leveraging laws and other details against any existing and would-be competitors. If you can manipulate the rules, you do not have to play as hard.
I wonder if this one will ever be moderated...
or at least: do.eu screw.eu on-c.eu
If rolling a 20 sided die is your idea of a fun night and prevents you from getting laid, you need to reevaluate your life But then again it is a free country...
This is something that has been long overdue for sometime. I just hope they mold the new license using developer/user/company feedback and not just on what a handful of individuals 'think' may be good for the group as a whole. Hopefully the FSF actually listens to its followers and it will not just be the blind leading the blind.
Coming from a sys admin standpoint, an ad-supported anything fits right in with the average user base. Most people are willing to put up with advertisements as long as it is free/cheap (spyware included). I don't see this as being any different than your typical ad-supported website anyway.
Isn't to get rid of unnecessary intellectually-based property one of the ideas of open source?
Isn't open source not only about sharing ideas but also about allowing more than one person/group/entity to have the same idea and to produce a product using the same means?
Patents were to protect businesses in the beginning, but now it seems that they have become a cash cow for both businesses and lawyers.
I have been working at my current employment for a couple of years now. They actually take pretty good precautions about the IT department and keeping 'them separated from the rest of the pack'. However, they leave the business department in the open. The same business department that regularly accesses credit card numbers and social security numbers in front of the general public. I really do not access that much sensitive data on a daiy basis and neither do my coworkers. I think IT seclusion is important, but so is seclusion of other departments.