Why, because he actually wrote something disparaging about your precious open-source LDAP crap? Give me a break.
Active Directory was a godsend to sysadmins. There is absolutely nothing like it from the open source world, period. What few attempts to even come close from oss are extremely bad implementations and are the difference between shooting a bullet and throwing it.
Man, if it were up to me, posters like you would actually be forced to RTFA over and over. That wouldn't really serve any public good other than annoy you and make me feel better.
Set aside all your conspiracy theories about Detroit, big government, and such...
There are several very simple reasons (some already hinted at) why America does not have high-speed rail.
1. First and foremost is the construction and design of the railroad tracks. European countries and Japan use concrete rail ties, which last much longer, are extremely stable, and do not flex under the weight of the train. American railways have wooden ties, which cannot be used for high-speed rail.
The reason why U.S. railways are wooden ties goes back to the first days of the railroads. Because of the vast distances through wooded country, making railties was faster and much cheaper than concrete. It was not the government building the railways but private companies (the rail barons, etc.)
Which is an excellent segue...
2. Private companies own the vast majority of the railways, not the government. This hearkens back to the days of the rail barons again. It is the exact opposite model of the interstate system. The government builds and maintains the roads and automobile laws and standards, but does not manage the business of building the cars.
The Amtrak model is a very flawed model because of this. Asking the government to maintain the railway service in a competitive capital economy is a money-draining operation since the government is not intended to compete with private interests.
3. Railroads are viewed in America as freight-movers, not people movers. As a matter of fact, the railroad system in America is one of the cheapest ways to haul freight. It's actually cheaper than hauling freight over-the-road.
4. Passenger rail is not an appealing mode of transportation compared to other forms of mass-transit or, even personal transport options. If I had the option of driving to, say, Tampa from Miami vs. taking an Amtrak, what do you think I'd do? The car culture reigns supreme in the U.S.
Air travel is much speedier and more cost effective to the average consumer. Southwest airlines makes travel much cheaper for the consumer and always beats out Amtrak.
Even driving is much more cost effective to the average consumer, primarily because gas prices still remain cheap in the U.S. compared to other countries (European nations come to mind, some with gas prices as high as $6-$7 a liter).
5. The U.S. isn't as densely populated as other nations; ergo, moving between the states via rail is just not as cost effective as previously mentioned options.
6. The cost of creating a bullet train with the correct track configuration is hugely expensive, therefore the return on capital invested would really need to cover the cost. So far, that does not seem like a realistic scenario in many different states (Florida residents continue to turn down funding for a bullet train between major cities because the cost is prohibitive vs. the number of people who may actually ride it).
There ya go. Planes, trains, and automobiles, most folks pick planes and autos. Trains will move your product, but not people (at least in the foreseeable future).
Slashdot Mirror
Why, because he actually wrote something disparaging about your precious open-source LDAP crap? Give me a break.
Active Directory was a godsend to sysadmins. There is absolutely nothing like it from the open source world, period. What few attempts to even come close from oss are extremely bad implementations and are the difference between shooting a bullet and throwing it.
Man, if it were up to me, posters like you would actually be forced to RTFA over and over. That wouldn't really serve any public good other than annoy you and make me feel better.
Set aside all your conspiracy theories about Detroit, big government, and such... There are several very simple reasons (some already hinted at) why America does not have high-speed rail. 1. First and foremost is the construction and design of the railroad tracks. European countries and Japan use concrete rail ties, which last much longer, are extremely stable, and do not flex under the weight of the train. American railways have wooden ties, which cannot be used for high-speed rail. The reason why U.S. railways are wooden ties goes back to the first days of the railroads. Because of the vast distances through wooded country, making railties was faster and much cheaper than concrete. It was not the government building the railways but private companies (the rail barons, etc.) Which is an excellent segue... 2. Private companies own the vast majority of the railways, not the government. This hearkens back to the days of the rail barons again. It is the exact opposite model of the interstate system. The government builds and maintains the roads and automobile laws and standards, but does not manage the business of building the cars. The Amtrak model is a very flawed model because of this. Asking the government to maintain the railway service in a competitive capital economy is a money-draining operation since the government is not intended to compete with private interests. 3. Railroads are viewed in America as freight-movers, not people movers. As a matter of fact, the railroad system in America is one of the cheapest ways to haul freight. It's actually cheaper than hauling freight over-the-road. 4. Passenger rail is not an appealing mode of transportation compared to other forms of mass-transit or, even personal transport options. If I had the option of driving to, say, Tampa from Miami vs. taking an Amtrak, what do you think I'd do? The car culture reigns supreme in the U.S. Air travel is much speedier and more cost effective to the average consumer. Southwest airlines makes travel much cheaper for the consumer and always beats out Amtrak. Even driving is much more cost effective to the average consumer, primarily because gas prices still remain cheap in the U.S. compared to other countries (European nations come to mind, some with gas prices as high as $6-$7 a liter). 5. The U.S. isn't as densely populated as other nations; ergo, moving between the states via rail is just not as cost effective as previously mentioned options. 6. The cost of creating a bullet train with the correct track configuration is hugely expensive, therefore the return on capital invested would really need to cover the cost. So far, that does not seem like a realistic scenario in many different states (Florida residents continue to turn down funding for a bullet train between major cities because the cost is prohibitive vs. the number of people who may actually ride it). There ya go. Planes, trains, and automobiles, most folks pick planes and autos. Trains will move your product, but not people (at least in the foreseeable future).
I wasn't picking it, I was SCRATCHING it...