These standards that they're setting up are good. They're not trying to force you to write something a certain way - you can go ahead and write it to depend on libthisisntincludedinanydistroexceptmine or whatever. What they're doing is writing a set of standards that you can choose to follow if you want for your distro or programs. The plus of this is that if the standard becomes widely accepted, companies will write more closed source apps for Linux (Photoshop, Winamp, etc.) because all users will have (apart from whatever a particular distro has set up) a specific way to access everything (like [almost] everyone has the GNU tools). Basically think of it as an expansion of the GNU tools to include any system function.
The benefit of this? well for those of us who support our own systems, probably nothing. But for companies that need to support Linux, it's huge. instead of having 500 different ways of doing something, you can support most users with just a generic system for all of this.
For me at home, it makes little difference. But at school I need to use Photoshop and InDesign for Journalism. If Adobe had made a Linux version, that wouldn't be a problem. But because there's no Linux version of InDesign and it doesn't work under WINE, I have a problem. Adobe's not going to make their programs for Linux until they have some standard for all of their stuff, but I need them under Linux.
I think they really need some sort of easy-to-use program that wraps around normal Linux installs for what they're doing. For example, I'm working (I'm not in a hurry; don't expect me to even release anything for a couple of years) on an application that builds support for just about any distro into a program. Give it a tarball (gzipped, bzipped, anything) with a specific directory structure, and it'll build a.deb, a.rpm, a.tgz (and/or tbz etc.) etc. The second part is a yum/apt-get/portage/etc. server that the user just needs to add to get the updates for that program (and the program itself). Finally, the third part is a user-end program that wraps around (insert package management system here) with this system. Say, for example, that I want to release a program with this system (assuming the user already has this last program). All I do is call my program with this and upload to the server. Then I tell the user to open this program and add http://my.website.com/url/to/packages to their list. The program adds/apt, or/yum, or/portage or whatever they need to the URL and adds correct formatting for that package management.
I think that's really what they're aiming for - one way for users of any distro to do anything necessary for support of their apps. Everything else can still be customized.
Well thank you for pointing that out to all the ignorant Americans who were too confused. And yes, that is kind of silly of them to write "on the 10th", but the article is dated correctly.
OKay, for Gentoo, it's actually ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="~x86" emerge openoffice-bin but that's just because it hasn't been tested and proven stable yet. It might be similar on other distros too. On debian you probably have to use the unstable archives.
RedHat may not be the only Distro out there, but (1) RedHat and RedHat-based distros make up the bulk of mainstream users and (2) RPM is a standard (LSB). Any reasonable distro can read RPMs. I use Gentoo, and I'm busy installing it right now.
Thanks for the idea:-)
I just patented the ability to patent something patently obvious and sue people for patent violation.
Heh cool. Accepted. I think I'll get Microsoft to pay me in gold bars.
I agree with you there. I see it like this: It doesn't matter what protocol you use. Since they're free, you're not giving those companies ANYTHING. I think I'll stick with Kopete on AIM, Yahoo, MSN, ICQ, and Jabber. Plus Skype. You never have to worry about not being able to communicate, and it costs you nothing but 5 minutes of time. Once.
I HAVE NOT read the other comments, so please don't flame me for redundancy.
I believe that an OSS class should consist of the following:
Start out with a bit of info (What is OSS? Why should you use this development model?) Only make that a doy or two, though, as most students will know already.
Next, go into licencing etc. explaining the positives and negatives of each model.
Bring in a guest speaker for whom Open Source has worked (if possible). Linus Torvalds, RMS, ESR, or the founders of just about any Linux-based Software corporation should work.
If it's a programming course, have the students work on the OSS project of their choice. Make it a grade, but not a big one.
And don't forget to give out the All-important Linux/Firefox/Other OSS CDs. I would suggest Ubuntu CDs since they come with The Open CD also. You can order them for free from the Ubuntu website.
DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT TRYING TO PUSH UBUNTU!!! I am using a Gentoo system at home, but I think that, for beginning Linux users, Ubuntu is a nice system.
People can live without Google, but hey can't without MS.
I cannot disagree with you more.
For me, it's quite the opposite way around. I use Google Search (and Google Images), Google Maps, GMail, Froogle, Google Groups, Google Translator, Google Talk (Thru Kopete), Google Local Search, Google Personalized search (esp. since I use so many different computers, I don't have to remember all my searches), Google Suggest, The Google toolbar for Firefox, and have a search box and Google ads on my web site.
Now I realize that I could have al of these thru competitors, but I can have all Microsoft products thru competitors too. At home I use Gentoo Linux with KDE 3.4, Mozilla Firefox, Kopete/Skype, JuK/Kaffeine, OpenOffice.org and KOffice (I haven't decided which one I prefer) among my programs. These COMPPLETELY replace the following Microsoft programs: Windows, Internet Explorer, MSN/Windows Messenger, Windows Media Player, and MS Office.
Now I understand that what you're probably saying is that the AVERAGE user has to use Microsoft products but doesn't have to use Google, and I agree with that at this point in time. Heck, I have MS Office 2000 and IE6 under WINE because sometimes I'm forced to use them (occasionally I come across a presentation or Spreadsheet that wants MS Office), but if say 10% of people completely refused to use MS Office (I do send anyone that gives me that a polite request to convert their documents to OpenOffice and/or PDFs, so that would be okay, too), then almost everyone would be able to stop using Microsoft products. It's like Mozilla's "Report a broken site" thing. If someone started something to report documents that are unreadable in alternative Office suites (KOffice, OpenOffice.org, StarOffice, etc.) and made it easy enough (KDE/GNOME panel applets, Windows System tray service, something for OSX [I'll know as soon as I get my Mac], etc.), the makers of those documents would realize: "Hey. There're otehr people not using MS Office trying to access this" and would hopefully change.
Basically what I was originally trying to say is that no user is completely dependent on one company. Users can (and will) swap if they like something else better.
Not meaning to be critical, but I think you got it the wrong way round. 1 human year is about 10 tech years. Otherwise Windows 95 is only a year old, when it actually is about as useful as a 100-year-old man.
Ok, what about this?
Make RPMs for RedHat, Fedora (latest two; you don't really need to go further back than that), SUSE, and Makndrake/Mandrivia
Make a.deb file (should work for ANY Debian-based distro).
Make a g-zipped or bz2'd tarball (Slackware, etc.).
Perhaps you could make the directory holding these files publicly available. That way, distros like Gentoo (which I use) could add your product to their database. One would simply have to have an account on your server to download the files.
Most people use yum/apt-get/emerge/etc. If you required people to log in to your server and to have a product key to enter in (Maybe like a checksum of a file with their info and some other data)
Okay: first of all, if you're not willing to spend probably around $20,000, don't bother with this one.
OK: So buy 3 21" and 2 19" monitors (LCD). Set the 19" ones on top of the 21" ones (almost like a pyramid). Angle the side 21"'s like 20-30 degrees in (or whatever suits you), and the 19"'s half of that. Make sure that you're looking down like 5 degrees for the 21" ones.
Hook that setup to an Athlon XP with at least 2 GB of RAM and PCI Express. Try to get all five in that machine (or if not, hook leave one of the bottom side ones, I've got a plan for that one too). Get Gigabit ethernet and one or two of those 2.5 TB drives. Make sure that that drive is on a SEPERATE network from you home one. Next, 2 300GB SATA drives in software (or hardware) RAID. Striped with no redundancy. This is for often-accessed stuff.
Get a 5.1 (or 7.1) surround sound system if you want to do some gaming or music/video editing. You'll want whatever keyboard you're confy with. For the mouse, I'd get one of those semi-wireless optical ones that the wire's on the mousepad (you know, so you don't ned to charge it), or a trackball. Make sure you get a wrist pad if you like it (I like it for the mouse, not the keyboard).
If you can, put it in a room without windows. Otherwise, put it in front of the windows. For light, get some soft lamps and put them next to the monitors (but not between them). Put 40 watt bulbs in there. Get some 70 watt bulbs for lights behind you. Put them to either side.
Face the Right lamp towards the crack between the middle and right monitor, and the left the opposite way. The dim lamps should light up every direction (make sure to get nice geeky lamp shades).
Your chair should be a REALLY comfy one. Go around to anywhere you know that sells office chairs and just try them out. Find the most comfortable one for typing (perhaps take your laptop along and place it on a desk in front of you). Oh yeah. get a desk that raises and lowers and has a keyboard attachment that also tilts.
You'll want your 'net connection in that room and your router to go from there (if possible).
Oh and your speakers. on the outsides of the monitors. If you get a subwoofer, put it at your feet. they make great foot massagers (as seen in UserFriendly, but is true).
Put Gentoo on this machine. And you might want to try Kdevelop. KDevelop and Eclipse are my favorite IDEs.
Finally, get an iBook. Put that on whihever side os opposite the mouse. IMHO, that works better.
Don't get a KVM switch for the iBook. If you want a seperate keyboard and mouse for it, get 2 of each. Do, however, plug you iBook into your sound system (or get 2). If you get 2 sound systems, put the iBook on the better one and use that for music. Store your music on your network drives. Only connect your iBook and this Desktop to the external drives. If you want another machine to access them, either go thru a router to it (but make it ONLY access the network drives that way and the two computers thru another network if possible) or have your desktop act router to other machines. I'd suggest the second. Your desktop and iBook are ok talking to each other thru the gigabit. So your network should be as follows:
ext. hard drive
| iBook-switch-desktop
| | |
---router---
| rest of network/internet
The iBook-router connection is optional
This should limit the gigabit to only stuff that's talking to one of those 3 machines, and maybe not even then (I'm not sure how the switches work).
Oh, and make sure you get video cards with lots of RAM.
Please note: I'm not a professional at this in ANY way. I just think that's the setup I'd get.
Any suggestions/questions/comments are welcome (except trolls).
That's a trademark, though. Anyone is still free to use:-(, as long as they don't promote a business with it.
If this patent gets accepted (which I'm quite positive it won't), nobody will be able to include that method of Emoticons in a program they make.
I believe the true goal of this is to stop programs such as Kopete, GAIM, etc. from implementing MSN chat (or, for the examples I've given, to remove it), as they would have to pay Microsoft.
Well then we can get RMS or IBM or someone to sue them and get them to donate billions to Linux and voila. HUGE cash income for Linux/BSD/Unix/whatever
Slashdot Mirror
These standards that they're setting up are good. They're not trying to force you to write something a certain way - you can go ahead and write it to depend on libthisisntincludedinanydistroexceptmine or whatever. What they're doing is writing a set of standards that you can choose to follow if you want for your distro or programs. The plus of this is that if the standard becomes widely accepted, companies will write more closed source apps for Linux (Photoshop, Winamp, etc.) because all users will have (apart from whatever a particular distro has set up) a specific way to access everything (like [almost] everyone has the GNU tools). Basically think of it as an expansion of the GNU tools to include any system function.
.deb, a .rpm, a .tgz (and/or tbz etc.) etc. The second part is a yum/apt-get/portage/etc. server that the user just needs to add to get the updates for that program (and the program itself). Finally, the third part is a user-end program that wraps around (insert package management system here) with this system. Say, for example, that I want to release a program with this system (assuming the user already has this last program). All I do is call my program with this and upload to the server. Then I tell the user to open this program and add http://my.website.com/url/to/packages to their list. The program adds /apt, or /yum, or /portage or whatever they need to the URL and adds correct formatting for that package management.
The benefit of this? well for those of us who support our own systems, probably nothing. But for companies that need to support Linux, it's huge. instead of having 500 different ways of doing something, you can support most users with just a generic system for all of this.
For me at home, it makes little difference. But at school I need to use Photoshop and InDesign for Journalism. If Adobe had made a Linux version, that wouldn't be a problem. But because there's no Linux version of InDesign and it doesn't work under WINE, I have a problem. Adobe's not going to make their programs for Linux until they have some standard for all of their stuff, but I need them under Linux.
I think they really need some sort of easy-to-use program that wraps around normal Linux installs for what they're doing. For example, I'm working (I'm not in a hurry; don't expect me to even release anything for a couple of years) on an application that builds support for just about any distro into a program. Give it a tarball (gzipped, bzipped, anything) with a specific directory structure, and it'll build a
I think that's really what they're aiming for - one way for users of any distro to do anything necessary for support of their apps. Everything else can still be customized.
Download again. That's happened to me with Firefox previously. run some checksums.
Well thank you for pointing that out to all the ignorant Americans who were too confused. And yes, that is kind of silly of them to write "on the 10th", but the article is dated correctly.
NOTE: THIS IS JUST A GUESS. I DON'T HAVE ANY REDHAT/DEBIAN/ETC MACHINES CURRENTLY, SO I CAN'T TEST IT.
RedHat based: yum install openoffice or apt-get install openoffice
Debian based: apt-get install openoffice
Gentoo based: emerge openoffice-bin
OKay, for Gentoo, it's actually ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="~x86" emerge openoffice-bin
but that's just because it hasn't been tested and proven stable yet.
It might be similar on other distros too. On debian you probably have to use the unstable archives.
RedHat may not be the only Distro out there, but (1) RedHat and RedHat-based distros make up the bulk of mainstream users and (2) RPM is a standard (LSB). Any reasonable distro can read RPMs. I use Gentoo, and I'm busy installing it right now.
sudo su emerge --sync ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="~x86" emerge openoffice-bin for amd64, the same but ~amd64 instead of ~x86
Thanks for the idea :-)
I just patented the ability to patent something patently obvious and sue people for patent violation.
Heh cool. Accepted. I think I'll get Microsoft to pay me in gold bars.
There already is an IPv7. When replacements for IPv4 were suggested, Four were made (IP's v 5, 6, 7, and 8). IPv6 was chosen as the best replacement.
3? Why three?
2+2=(4|5)
I agree with you there. I see it like this: It doesn't matter what protocol you use. Since they're free, you're not giving those companies ANYTHING. I think I'll stick with Kopete on AIM, Yahoo, MSN, ICQ, and Jabber. Plus Skype. You never have to worry about not being able to communicate, and it costs you nothing but 5 minutes of time. Once.
I HAVE NOT read the other comments, so please don't flame me for redundancy.
I believe that an OSS class should consist of the following:
Start out with a bit of info (What is OSS? Why should you use this development model?) Only make that a doy or two, though, as most students will know already.
Next, go into licencing etc. explaining the positives and negatives of each model.
Bring in a guest speaker for whom Open Source has worked (if possible). Linus Torvalds, RMS, ESR, or the founders of just about any Linux-based Software corporation should work.
If it's a programming course, have the students work on the OSS project of their choice. Make it a grade, but not a big one.
And don't forget to give out the All-important Linux/Firefox/Other OSS CDs. I would suggest Ubuntu CDs since they come with The Open CD also. You can order them for free from the Ubuntu website.
DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT TRYING TO PUSH UBUNTU!!! I am using a Gentoo system at home, but I think that, for beginning Linux users, Ubuntu is a nice system.
I thought it was "Developers! Developers! Developers!"
And on sundays Steve hates everyone. The rest of Microsoft, though, is in a friendly mood on Sunday.
Or you can Click this link and delete Office XP while you download. Although the download will probably be quicker.
I cannot disagree with you more.
For me, it's quite the opposite way around. I use Google Search (and Google Images), Google Maps, GMail, Froogle, Google Groups, Google Translator, Google Talk (Thru Kopete), Google Local Search, Google Personalized search (esp. since I use so many different computers, I don't have to remember all my searches), Google Suggest, The Google toolbar for Firefox, and have a search box and Google ads on my web site.
Now I realize that I could have al of these thru competitors, but I can have all Microsoft products thru competitors too. At home I use Gentoo Linux with KDE 3.4, Mozilla Firefox, Kopete/Skype, JuK/Kaffeine, OpenOffice.org and KOffice (I haven't decided which one I prefer) among my programs. These COMPPLETELY replace the following Microsoft programs: Windows, Internet Explorer, MSN/Windows Messenger, Windows Media Player, and MS Office.
Now I understand that what you're probably saying is that the AVERAGE user has to use Microsoft products but doesn't have to use Google, and I agree with that at this point in time. Heck, I have MS Office 2000 and IE6 under WINE because sometimes I'm forced to use them (occasionally I come across a presentation or Spreadsheet that wants MS Office), but if say 10% of people completely refused to use MS Office (I do send anyone that gives me that a polite request to convert their documents to OpenOffice and/or PDFs, so that would be okay, too), then almost everyone would be able to stop using Microsoft products. It's like Mozilla's "Report a broken site" thing. If someone started something to report documents that are unreadable in alternative Office suites (KOffice, OpenOffice.org, StarOffice, etc.) and made it easy enough (KDE/GNOME panel applets, Windows System tray service, something for OSX [I'll know as soon as I get my Mac], etc.), the makers of those documents would realize: "Hey. There're otehr people not using MS Office trying to access this" and would hopefully change.
Basically what I was originally trying to say is that no user is completely dependent on one company. Users can (and will) swap if they like something else better.
Not meaning to be critical, but I think you got it the wrong way round. 1 human year is about 10 tech years. Otherwise Windows 95 is only a year old, when it actually is about as useful as a 100-year-old man.
What about the PS3? It'll run Linux, so it *Should* be able to do that...
Ok, what about this? Make RPMs for RedHat, Fedora (latest two; you don't really need to go further back than that), SUSE, and Makndrake/Mandrivia Make a .deb file (should work for ANY Debian-based distro).
Make a g-zipped or bz2'd tarball (Slackware, etc.).
Perhaps you could make the directory holding these files publicly available. That way, distros like Gentoo (which I use) could add your product to their database. One would simply have to have an account on your server to download the files.
Most people use yum/apt-get/emerge/etc. If you required people to log in to your server and to have a product key to enter in (Maybe like a checksum of a file with their info and some other data)
Okay: first of all, if you're not willing to spend probably around $20,000, don't bother with this one.
OK: So buy 3 21" and 2 19" monitors (LCD). Set the 19" ones on top of the 21" ones (almost like a pyramid). Angle the side 21"'s like 20-30 degrees in (or whatever suits you), and the 19"'s half of that. Make sure that you're looking down like 5 degrees for the 21" ones.
Hook that setup to an Athlon XP with at least 2 GB of RAM and PCI Express. Try to get all five in that machine (or if not, hook leave one of the bottom side ones, I've got a plan for that one too).
Get Gigabit ethernet and one or two of those 2.5 TB drives. Make sure that that drive is on a SEPERATE network from you home one.
Next, 2 300GB SATA drives in software (or hardware) RAID. Striped with no redundancy. This is for often-accessed stuff.
Get a 5.1 (or 7.1) surround sound system if you want to do some gaming or music/video editing.
You'll want whatever keyboard you're confy with. For the mouse, I'd get one of those semi-wireless optical ones that the wire's on the mousepad (you know, so you don't ned to charge it), or a trackball. Make sure you get a wrist pad if you like it (I like it for the mouse, not the keyboard).
If you can, put it in a room without windows. Otherwise, put it in front of the windows. For light, get some soft lamps and put them next to the monitors (but not between them). Put 40 watt bulbs in there. Get some 70 watt bulbs for lights behind you. Put them to either side.
Face the Right lamp towards the crack between the middle and right monitor, and the left the opposite way. The dim lamps should light up every direction (make sure to get nice geeky lamp shades).
Your chair should be a REALLY comfy one. Go around to anywhere you know that sells office chairs and just try them out. Find the most comfortable one for typing (perhaps take your laptop along and place it on a desk in front of you). Oh yeah. get a desk that raises and lowers and has a keyboard attachment that also tilts.
You'll want your 'net connection in that room and your router to go from there (if possible).
Oh and your speakers. on the outsides of the monitors. If you get a subwoofer, put it at your feet. they make great foot massagers (as seen in UserFriendly, but is true).
Put Gentoo on this machine. And you might want to try Kdevelop. KDevelop and Eclipse are my favorite IDEs.
Finally, get an iBook. Put that on whihever side os opposite the mouse. IMHO, that works better.
Don't get a KVM switch for the iBook. If you want a seperate keyboard and mouse for it, get 2 of each. Do, however, plug you iBook into your sound system (or get 2). If you get 2 sound systems, put the iBook on the better one and use that for music. Store your music on your network drives. Only connect your iBook and this Desktop to the external drives. If you want another machine to access them, either go thru a router to it (but make it ONLY access the network drives that way and the two computers thru another network if possible) or have your desktop act router to other machines. I'd suggest the second. Your desktop and iBook are ok talking to each other thru the gigabit. So your network should be as follows:
ext. hard drive
|
iBook-switch-desktop
| | |
---router---
|
rest of network/internet
The iBook-router connection is optional
This should limit the gigabit to only stuff that's talking to one of those 3 machines, and maybe not even then (I'm not sure how the switches work).
Oh, and make sure you get video cards with lots of RAM.
Please note: I'm not a professional at this in ANY way. I just think that's the setup I'd get.
Any suggestions/questions/comments are welcome (except trolls).
That's a trademark, though. Anyone is still free to use :-(, as long as they don't promote a business with it.
If this patent gets accepted (which I'm quite positive it won't), nobody will be able to include that method of Emoticons in a program they make.
I believe the true goal of this is to stop programs such as Kopete, GAIM, etc. from implementing MSN chat (or, for the examples I've given, to remove it), as they would have to pay Microsoft.
Wishful thinking?
Well then we can get RMS or IBM or someone to sue them and get them to donate billions to Linux and voila. HUGE cash income for Linux/BSD/Unix/whatever
Lynx? Hell, I'd rather just use NOTEPAD (or gedit) to browse the 'net! I have a better rendering engine in my head!
They seem to havce fixed it :-D