Years ago I evaluated PostgreSQL and MySQL for a project and decided to go with PostgreSQL. One reason was that it seemed more solid, which was more important than speed. The other was the funky way that MySQL was being developed - by a single, for-profit company - even though it was formally GPL licensed. Yes, MySQL would probably have worked fine, but the current issues with forking and all that mean that I would not trust it today. The community behind the project is more important than whatever license you choose to paste into the source and documentation.
Actually, "work for hire" only applies to employees; a developer who works as a contractor will still own the copyright in code developed for a client, unless a written contract provides otherwise.
If Java API's are copyrightable, does this mean that Oracle has a copyright interest in every program ever written that uses those APIs? Does every Java programmer need to add a comment "Copyright Oracle" to every file that uses a Java API?
The software industry as a whole has been very cavalier about APIs. It is not hard to find examples of big vendors like Microsoft, IBM, or DEC claiming copyright ownership of APIs taken from elsewhere. In return, rarely, if ever, do they become involved in litigation claiming ownership. Some vendors (e.g., The Open Group) consider use of APIs (including implementation) to be covered by "fair use".
Oracle wants to tread in waters that the industry as a whole has deliberately avoided in the past.
I am not a Java developer, and give the way that Oracle has turned the language into toxic waste, I doubt I will ever become one.
It is not against the rules, and I saw it happen, when Willie Davis of the Dodgers stole second against the New York Mets while the pitcher held the ball the entire time. This was way back when the Mets played in the Polo Grounds. Even thought the Mets were bad, it was still not a nice thing to do. It was one of many incidents that has led to my current mantra:
"If the Dodgers lose, it was a good day in baseball"
Had the same need 20 years ago when migrating from VAX/VMS to Unix. The old emails were saved in a not quite readable format, but I figured I could recover them if necessary. In the end, never bothered. Yes, there are a few (actually, only two) that I'd like to resurrect now, but life moves on.
When necessary, I use OpenOffice - and it's version 1, from 10 years ago. Newer versions changed things up so much I gave up trying to figure them out. Just give me the same fonts, the same menus, the same tabs to click on. In the end it's the content, not the way you type it in, that counts.
This book, by Frederick C. Ewing, made the best-seller list in spite of the fact that neither it nor the author even existed. The hoax was perpetrated by Jean Shepherd and his radio audience to protest the way the lists were compiled - this was back in 1956.
The only way to bring stability to the software industry is to make sure that compatible APIs are outlawed. You know, like what we had during the UNIX Wars http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_wars
People forget that before netbooks appeared, the smallest regular notebooks were 12 inch models weighing nearly 4 pounds, which came at a price premium (upwards of $2K), and while smaller devices existed, they were expensive, quirky, and underpowered, yet Microsoft demanded that they only run Vista. The original eee PC obliterated the cost/weight barrier, which contributed to its extremely popularity in spite of its other shortcomings, and indicated that there was enormous latent demand for low-end mobile devices. Microsoft, demonstrating its continued cluelessness in the mobile market, took the minimal steps necessary to ensure that netbooks woudl run MS Windows, not Linux, but otherwise did nothing to promote or improve the platform, and sure enough, iPads, smartphones, and their ilk have taken over the market from the low end while pricing pressures have forced down the cost of traditional notebooks from the high end.
My Samsung netbook [Ubuntu NBR] hits the sweet spot for a full-featured "laptop", which I absolutely need when traveling, but is small and light enough that I no longer bother to check bags, even on the smallest regional jets. It will be tough finding a replacement that works as well.
I'll stick with e16 - it does all that I need. Basically, I only use the e16 window manager, along with a GNOME desktop - kind of odd but it works. Even at that, the only features I rely on from e16 are edge-flip and "annihilate" - features that used to exist in Red Hat but were dumped long ago.
I had one EULA that was displayed in a hard-to-read, tiny scrolling window, but since it was for a purchased product, I decided to read the thing anyway. Partway through, an error message popped up saying I had taken too long, so the transaction was cancelled.
I figure the crapware vendors pay enough to balance out the cost of MS Windows 8. Thus, when I wipe the hard disk and install Linux, I'm still breaking even.
"A BUG has been discovered in the way that the initial release of Windows Home SERVER manages FILE transfer and balancing across multiple hard drives. In certain cases, depending on application use patterns, timing, and the workload that is placed on the Windows Home Server-based computer, certain FILES could become CORRUPTED."
"... For distributing data across the different hard drives that are MANAGED by WINDOWS Home Server, the WINDOWS Home Server mini-filter driver REDIRECTS I/O... A BUG has been discovered in the REDIRECTION mechanism which, in certain cases, depending on application use patterns, timing, and workload, may cause interactions between NTFS, the Memory Manager, and the Cache Manager to get out of sync. This causes CORRUPTED data to be written to FILES."
"Microsoft's Windows Home Server CORRUPTS FILES" "'Don't edit' list includes photos, as well as Quicken and QuickBooks files, warns Microsoft; no word on patch"
[Backdrop - the requirements I enumerated were only a partial list of what I need to get my day job done.]
VPN - The link you provide says that "Cisco AnyConnect is supported when configured with L2TP over IPSec." Unfortunately the VPNs I need to connect to all run in SSL mode - not supported.
Kerberos - Google's SSO is of no use. I need to authenticate against my organization's servers.
Printing - here be dragons. Google's solution (for "classic printers") assumes that your printer is plugged into a computer. How retro. At work, all the printers at work are network-connected. Even my home printer is now.
All of the above limitations have solutions that could easily be implemented in ChromeOS. But before long, you now have an OS that is not any different from what you would find on a... netbook.
Given that a Chromebook works best when on a network, at least it should get the network stuff right. Right?
VPN - does it support, say, Cisco AnyConnect? No. Kerberos? Not that I can tell. Printing? Sure, if my organization is willing to install "Google Cloud Print Connector".
Baslcally, this thing might work fine if your entire business runs in the Google universe. Otherwise, get a netbook.
My high schools days predated computers, but I still acquired what is perhaps the most valuable skill needed by a progammer - touch typing. Except I learned on a manual typewriter, which penalizes mistakes harshly. People with CRT displays have it easy.
Make sure it is loaded on the right ship. Many years ago a friend of mine had a crate shipped from N. to S. America. It showed up... 2 years later, having been loaded on the wrong ship and circling the world.
EPEAT covers more than recycling - it also covers materials incorporated into the product.
Apple's recycling program only makes sense if there is no other recycling program available. Otherwise, it becomes a liability. Imagine having a recyling bin that accepts all types of cans... oh wait, except Miller cans, for these you have to order a box and send them back separately.
Where I work we buy a lot of Mac laptops, but all must be EPEAT-compliant (or a variance must be granted, which isn't likely for that many machines.) I sense a lot of disgruntlement coming.
Good move, Apple - you may have just saved Steve Ballmer's job.
Slashdot Mirror
Years ago I evaluated PostgreSQL and MySQL for a project and decided to go with PostgreSQL. One reason was that it seemed more solid, which was more important than speed. The other was the funky way that MySQL was being developed - by a single, for-profit company - even though it was formally GPL licensed. Yes, MySQL would probably have worked fine, but the current issues with forking and all that mean that I would not trust it today. The community behind the project is more important than whatever license you choose to paste into the source and documentation.
Actually, "work for hire" only applies to employees; a developer who works as a contractor will still own the copyright in code developed for a client, unless a written contract provides otherwise.
If Java API's are copyrightable, does this mean that Oracle has a copyright interest in every program ever written that uses those APIs? Does every Java programmer need to add a comment "Copyright Oracle" to every file that uses a Java API?
The software industry as a whole has been very cavalier about APIs. It is not hard to find examples of big vendors like Microsoft, IBM, or DEC claiming copyright ownership of APIs taken from elsewhere. In return, rarely, if ever, do they become involved in litigation claiming ownership. Some vendors (e.g., The Open Group) consider use of APIs (including implementation) to be covered by "fair use".
Oracle wants to tread in waters that the industry as a whole has deliberately avoided in the past.
I am not a Java developer, and give the way that Oracle has turned the language into toxic waste, I doubt I will ever become one.
It is not against the rules, and I saw it happen, when Willie Davis of the Dodgers stole second against the New York Mets while the pitcher held the ball the entire time. This was way back when the Mets played in the Polo Grounds. Even thought the Mets were bad, it was still not a nice thing to do. It was one of many incidents that has led to my current mantra:
"If the Dodgers lose, it was a good day in baseball"
The only science I care about is published in reputable journals.
Like the discovery of "N rays". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N_ray
And the discovery of "Potassium Flares" in the spectra of stars. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1967PASP...79..351W
Not to mention the discovery of Cold Fusion by Pons and Fleishmann. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0022072889800063
Had the same need 20 years ago when migrating from VAX/VMS to Unix. The old emails were saved in a not quite readable format, but I figured I could recover them if necessary. In the end, never bothered. Yes, there are a few (actually, only two) that I'd like to resurrect now, but life moves on.
When necessary, I use OpenOffice - and it's version 1, from 10 years ago. Newer versions changed things up so much I gave up trying to figure them out. Just give me the same fonts, the same menus, the same tabs to click on. In the end it's the content, not the way you type it in, that counts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Libertine
This book, by Frederick C. Ewing, made the best-seller list in spite of the fact that neither it nor the author even existed. The hoax was perpetrated by Jean Shepherd and his radio audience to protest the way the lists were compiled - this was back in 1956.
The only way to bring stability to the software industry is to make sure that compatible APIs are outlawed. You know, like what we had during the UNIX Wars http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_wars
It is the CEO of the big company who establish priorities. If the CEO wants a security hole fixed, it will be fixed. When the CEO is personally involved in the courtroom protecting "IP':
http://www.sfgate.com/technology/article/Ellison-testifies-in-Android-suit-against-Google-3489185.php
the fixing security of holes will suffer.
Why can't the larger companies, e.g. Microsoft and Oracle, respond to and fix the sucrity issues more quickly than on a timeline expressed in months?
It's because big companies like Oracle are too busy pursuing lawsuits against Google for IP infringement:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57526509-93/oracle-appeals-ruling-in-lawsuit-over-googles-use-of-java/
Protection of "IP" takes precedence over fixing security holes in the same "IP" every time.
People forget that before netbooks appeared, the smallest regular notebooks were 12 inch models weighing nearly 4 pounds, which came at a price premium (upwards of $2K), and while smaller devices existed, they were expensive, quirky, and underpowered, yet Microsoft demanded that they only run Vista. The original eee PC obliterated the cost/weight barrier, which contributed to its extremely popularity in spite of its other shortcomings, and indicated that there was enormous latent demand for low-end mobile devices. Microsoft, demonstrating its continued cluelessness in the mobile market, took the minimal steps necessary to ensure that netbooks woudl run MS Windows, not Linux, but otherwise did nothing to promote or improve the platform, and sure enough, iPads, smartphones, and their ilk have taken over the market from the low end while pricing pressures have forced down the cost of traditional notebooks from the high end.
My Samsung netbook [Ubuntu NBR] hits the sweet spot for a full-featured "laptop", which I absolutely need when traveling, but is small and light enough that I no longer bother to check bags, even on the smallest regional jets. It will be tough finding a replacement that works as well.
I'll stick with e16 - it does all that I need. Basically, I only use the e16 window manager, along with a GNOME desktop - kind of odd but it works. Even at that, the only features I rely on from e16 are edge-flip and "annihilate" - features that used to exist in Red Hat but were dumped long ago.
I had one EULA that was displayed in a hard-to-read, tiny scrolling window, but since it was for a purchased product, I decided to read the thing anyway. Partway through, an error message popped up saying I had taken too long, so the transaction was cancelled.
I figure the crapware vendors pay enough to balance out the cost of MS Windows 8. Thus, when I wipe the hard disk and install Linux, I'm still breaking even.
All "sigs" automatically added by your email client.
"This message has been scanned for viruses ..."
In one recent email this sig appears 7 times.
"Send from my iPad" and "Sent from my iPhone"
These sigs are all just shameless advertising.
SCO (or The TSG Group, as it is now called) is no option at all. The UnixWare/OpenServer business was sold to a new company called "UnXis Inc" over a year ago. (TSG retained the lawsuits.)
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/unxis-completes-purchase-of-sco-unix-assets-119609744.html
The new company does advertise migration consulting services for UnixWare 2.x.
How much is this old server worth to you?
Nice try, but fail. That wasn't a bug in Windows, it was a bug in applications.
Really? Not according to Microsoft.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/946676
"A BUG has been discovered in the way that the initial release of Windows Home SERVER manages FILE transfer and balancing across multiple hard drives. In certain cases, depending on application use patterns, timing, and the workload that is placed on the Windows Home Server-based computer, certain FILES could become CORRUPTED."
"... For distributing data across the different hard drives that are MANAGED by WINDOWS Home Server, the WINDOWS Home Server mini-filter driver REDIRECTS I/O ... A BUG has been discovered in the REDIRECTION mechanism which, in certain cases, depending on application use patterns, timing, and workload, may cause interactions between NTFS, the Memory Manager, and the Cache Manager to get out of sync. This causes CORRUPTED data to be written to FILES."
Still, for all of the shit that Linux users talk about Windows, WINDOWS has NEVER had anything as serious as a FILE system CORRUPTION bug.
Finally, someone talking sense ... oh wait.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9054178/Microsoft_s_Windows_Home_Server_corrupts_files
"Microsoft's Windows Home Server CORRUPTS FILES"
"'Don't edit' list includes photos, as well as Quicken and QuickBooks files, warns Microsoft; no word on patch"
Never mind ...
[Backdrop - the requirements I enumerated were only a partial list of what I need to get my day job done.]
VPN - The link you provide says that "Cisco AnyConnect is supported when configured with L2TP over IPSec." Unfortunately the VPNs I need to connect to all run in SSL mode - not supported.
Kerberos - Google's SSO is of no use. I need to authenticate against my organization's servers.
Printing - here be dragons. Google's solution (for "classic printers") assumes that your printer is plugged into a computer. How retro. At work, all the printers at work are network-connected. Even my home printer is now.
All of the above limitations have solutions that could easily be implemented in ChromeOS. But before long, you now have an OS that is not any different from what you would find on a ... netbook.
Given that a Chromebook works best when on a network, at least it should get the network stuff right. Right?
VPN - does it support, say, Cisco AnyConnect? No.
Kerberos? Not that I can tell.
Printing? Sure, if my organization is willing to install "Google Cloud Print Connector".
Baslcally, this thing might work fine if your entire business runs in the Google universe. Otherwise, get a netbook.
My high schools days predated computers, but I still acquired what is perhaps the most valuable skill needed by a progammer - touch typing. Except I learned on a manual typewriter, which penalizes mistakes harshly. People with CRT displays have it easy.
Make sure it is loaded on the right ship. Many years ago a friend of mine had a crate shipped from N. to S. America. It showed up ... 2 years later, having been loaded on the wrong ship and circling the world.
EPEAT covers more than recycling - it also covers materials incorporated into the product.
Apple's recycling program only makes sense if there is no other recycling program available. Otherwise, it becomes a liability. Imagine having a recyling bin that accepts all types of cans ... oh wait, except Miller cans, for these you have to order a box and send them back separately.
Where I work we buy a lot of Mac laptops, but all must be EPEAT-compliant (or a variance must be granted, which isn't likely for that many machines.) I sense a lot of disgruntlement coming.
Good move, Apple - you may have just saved Steve Ballmer's job.