For a group of people who pride themselves for being rebels and saving the world from bad software, there's a lot of bitterness towards people with university-issued bits of paper.
This industry was built by people who did and didn't graduate and some who don't give a damn about college. In the end, it's the software that matters.
Linus is being recognized by a group of folks for his INTELLECTUAL, not financial, contribution. I say he takes the doctorate and that we applaude the fact that someone in the Outside World acknowledges that what he's done is a Great Thing.
Hell, let's see if we can get a few more honorary degrees for some of the other Free Source coders and organizers out there...
I've read lots of comments about all of these people who waited in lines to watch the first Star Wars, bought all of the toys and crap, and are now whining either that TPM has been hyped too much or that the movie deserves the hype. I'm really sick of it.
There is no way to get back the wonder, the sheer thrill of watching the original Star Wars on the big screen after you've seen it for the first time, so you might as well stop trying and enjoy it for what it is, a fun kid's story.
When Star Wars first came out, I remember seeing it maybe three, four times tops. I was too poor to afford seeing it more and buying the toys was out of me and my family's reach. My little brother and I built X-Wings and TIE fighters from the Legos we had and fought hundreds of battles. We'd run around the house flying these ships and crashing them into the unfortunate Lego city on the family room floor. At night in bed, I'd wonder what it would be like to fly in one of those starships around the universe. Before then, I had read some minor science fiction and some fantasy stuff, but Star Wars became the turning point. It gave me the gift of dreaming of space travel, of discovery, of fighting for Good and Honor. I was a convert, I believed it all.
Nowadays, I know I can never reach that point again. Too much life between The Empire Strikes Back and now has made me cynical and more than a little bitter. I've seen the whole Star Wars trilogy too many times to count (and rooted for Darth Vader on more than few occasions) that the effects the series once had on me has wore off.
I hate the hype. I hate seeing George Lucas popping up nearly everywhere mumbling about how he created the Great American Myth. I hate the stories of adults standing in lines for toys that will stay in the box forever or for tickets weeks before they are issued (I do like that it was done for charity, but it still doesn't make up for the audacity of it). I hate the commercialism that surrounds TPM and that I'll be encased in it for months on end. I hate the sheer amount of marketing around TPM, waiting for suck the almightly dollar from children. I hate that adults putting their lives, their dreams, their hopes on the line for this film. How can they justify dedicating so much time, effort, and money on a movie? It seems so insane to me now.
But most of all, I hate the fact that I'll never be able to see the whole series with the eyes and the innocence of a ten-year-old who could believe it all.
Once in a while, I can still find the kid in me that flew mis-matched X-Wing made up from Lego gate-pieces and feel thankful for the hours of fantasy that I got from George Lucas.
It's a film for kids. I'll probably see the new one a few times, but I'll damned if I'm going to buy any of the toys unless my nieces want some. Just as long as they promise me they'll actually play with them.
Nothing really to write home about. It's blocky, monochrome, useful only on a large level, and it's not that impressive. It's a step, but a small step. When they can get multiple colors or a finer definition, then I'll start paying attention. -S. Louie
Why should just hackers/programmers/geeks be the only ones to benefit from Linux? If we keep Linux only as a toy for the few people who are willing to put up with its eccentricities, we condemn Linux to become yet another footnote in computer history.
Well, why *shouldn't* Linux stay this way (or at least take its own sweet time to become something else)?
Keeping Linux as a pet project only promotes its exclusivity. The question arises, is Linux being built to make the world a better place or to prove just how smart its programmers are? If it is the former, then Linux supporters need to demonstrate its usefulness in the Real World. If it's just a ego booster, then Linux supporters should make that clear to the industry and accept the loss of support. What is the point of promoting Linux if you don't plan to use it? And who then determines if and when Linux becomes a viable product?
Open source software depends on the masses to design, create, test and implement it. Creating Linux and then not using it for useful, practical, day-to-day, general computing just becomes a form of mental masterbation. It's solving Fermat's Last Theorem, but with a lot less fanfare.
Currently Linux is viable. It is useful. It does exist as a Real World solution. To pull back now would be to condemn Linux to the same status as the logo programming language.
Linux needs to evolve into an OS that is usable by the masses if it is to become anything beyond a novelty item. As it stands, Linux has become popular for the very reason that it can perform competitively with MS, Apple and other UNIX varients on certain levels. It needs to make the next step and become a reliable, trusted foundation that general software can be built upon.
It's not a matter of competing with MS. That is a small part of the big picture. Linux and other open/free source products means creating software that people can rely upon to do work. If you're into Linux just for the anti-MS nature of the movement, then you're a little misguided. Creating good software for people to use means creating software for everybody. Just because someone didn't contribute code to gcc doesn't mean they can't benefit from it. The same goes for Linux in general. The light at the end of the tunnel is a simple, effective, reliable system. Why should just hackers/programmers/geeks be the only ones to benefit from Linux? If we keep Linux only as a toy for the few people who are willing to put up with its eccentricities, we condemn Linux to become yet another footnote in computer history.
Right now Linux hasn't won too many people over. Large companies are reacting because they don't want to get left out just in case. Making "ease-of-use" an issue with Linux may promote more general usage from those who are computer-savvy, but not inclined to work with non-proprietary software or have had bad experiences with UNIX. The more general usage, the more companies will be enticed to promote Linux as a viable option. The more companies, the more acceptance and, voila, a world where good, thoughly tested, useful software is the norm.
Hey, what can I say? I'm allowed to be overly optomistic once in while...
I felt that Leonard tries to emphasize documentation bundled with software along with simple GUI customization as part of the ease-of-use process. The idea is to appeal to the Window/Mac experienced user without pandering to the true beginner.
While the article does report that there is a decrease in lines of code, I find it distressing to find that the biggest complaint is that American programmers are no longer working 70-hour weeks and the executives plan to "light a fire" to get them to overwork themselves. This is yet another distressing look at how business looks more at the bottom line rather trying to figure out how to work efficently. Executives mumble "work smarter, not harder," but then they start looking at these silly statistics to judge programmers. What a crock.
Another telling remark from the article is European "productivity" is due to the fact that they used "packaged software" more than in the States. So all of that Visual software may be forcing those poor Europeans to write more lines of code than they should. I apologize to our fellow programmers in Europe. If we could stop MS from making crap, we would.
A few posters have already mentioned the fact that they spend most of their time writing specifications (good), design and development plans (good), and dealing with the bureaucracy of micromanagement (very bad). The slowdown in code production might also be due to American business' obsession inability to let the reins free and let coders be coders. It's not 9-5 that counts, it's the midnight-three burst of inspired, brilliant code that counts. It's the knowledge that design definitions aren't moving targets that calms the programmer. It's realistic deadlines that allows the coder to plan. It's not having to look over the shoulder every minute that lets the programmer think of solid code instead of changing jobs.
Presales puts those planning to camp out for tickets in a bad place. I hate to admit it, but if some people are going to camp out for weeks to see a movie, I say, go ahead and let them camp out. One of the best experiences in my youth was sitting in line for "Return Of The Jedi" tickets with my friends and grooving with those around us.
With presales, the kids who would have sat in line all night for tickets will whine to their parental units about using their credit cards to buy tickets in advance. Presales caters to the older crowd who'll snatch up the first five days worth of tickets and leave the kids whose parents can't or won't use their cards on some silly Star Wars movie tickets out in the cold.
All of this is being done for the theaters' sake. I appreciate the fact that Lucas promotes a better viewing experience for our benefit, but maybe he can take the extra step and let the faithful sit in line to get in first.
Lawrence, Ks. (BS) - The parents of the two students soaked by the sinking of the rowboat, Nau-Sea, are taking on the entertainment industry, claiming that media romance inspired the act that caused the boat to capsize.
The relatives filed a $2.5 billion lawsuit in U.S. District Court today against nearly one hundred Internet Titanic sites, several romance book distributors, and the makers and distributors of the 1998 Leonardo DiCaprio film "Titanic."
"We intend to hurt Hollywood. We intend to hurt the romance industry. We intend to hurt romantic Titanic sites" on the Internet, said Sammy "Snake" Flotsam, one of the parents' lawyers.
The lawsuit claims that the act that caused the untimely sinking was influenced by the romance in "Titanic" and by romance novels such as "Love on the Seas," "What the Steward Knew," and "Cruise Ship of Lust."
One scene in "Titanic" shows a sequence in which the main characters, played by DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, balancing on the bow the ship to experience the feeling of flying.
More than one hundred Internet Titanic sites display this scene emphasizing the romantic nature of the material.
Last September, the high-school couple took a rowboat out on Clear Lake, when the girl convinced the boy to re-enact the "flying" scene from "Titanic." There are reports of promises of "getting to second base" may have unduly influenced the boy. While attempting to balance on the bow, the rowboat capsized and the couple fell into the three foot deep artifical pond. Both were completely soaked, embarrassed, and the girl alleges she caught the sniffles from the cold water.
The capsizing of the rowboat took place three weeks after the high-school couple had watched the movie. The young woman was known to have recently visited the Titanic sites on her IMac and has read nearly fifty romance-style novels over the last four years.
"We believe that that couple was influenced by the movies they watched, the books they read, and the Internet sites they visited," Jane Jetsam, the mother of the girl soaked by capsizing, told reporters.
The parents have also filed lawsuits against the boat rental company and owner of the artifical pond, ClearLake Inc.
------------------------- Yah gotta love America...
If you're still in university, query around your employment office for an internship that deals with systems administration or send queries out to various computer companies you suspect use some version of UNIX. There are quite a few companies out there who would love to have some fresh bodies to throw into the machine at student prices.
It just looks like someone spliced the quarter in to "demonstrate" the size and they did a bad job of it. The quarter should be larger from the looks of the ports and the rest of the board.
Oddly enough, after watching the last Star Trek movie I could help but think "Boy, I'm glad Star Wars is coming out soon."
I've NEVER heard Star Trek classified as strictly "Fantasy" but always in the context of "Science Fiction/Fantasy". I'd like the people who've been telling you different and set them straight. And I admonish you for not telling them different. Whenever ST tried to do the fantasy thing it always fell flat because they HAD to explain it away using fuons or uberpowerful entities. Why? Because it was "Science!" fiction. If your rule of measure of fantasy being stories as having a utopian view of the world, there are a LOT of books/movies/etc. out there that needs to be reclassified.
Let's just strip it all down to size. If you don't like the Star Wars hype, you can ignore it. At least it isn't as irritating as people trying to figure out ST transporters.
Slashdot Mirror
For a group of people who pride themselves for being rebels and saving the world from bad software, there's a lot of bitterness towards people with university-issued bits of paper.
This industry was built by people who did and didn't graduate and some who don't give a damn about college. In the end, it's the software that matters.
Linus is being recognized by a group of folks for his INTELLECTUAL, not financial, contribution. I say he takes the doctorate and that we applaude the fact that someone in the Outside World acknowledges that what he's done is a Great Thing.
Hell, let's see if we can get a few more honorary degrees for some of the other Free Source coders and organizers out there...
-S. Louie
There is no way to get back the wonder, the sheer thrill of watching the original Star Wars on the big screen after you've seen it for the first time, so you might as well stop trying and enjoy it for what it is, a fun kid's story.
When Star Wars first came out, I remember seeing it maybe three, four times tops. I was too poor to afford seeing it more and buying the toys was out of me and my family's reach. My little brother and I built X-Wings and TIE fighters from the Legos we had and fought hundreds of battles. We'd run around the house flying these ships and crashing them into the unfortunate Lego city on the family room floor. At night in bed, I'd wonder what it would be like to fly in one of those starships around the universe. Before then, I had read some minor science fiction and some fantasy stuff, but Star Wars became the turning point. It gave me the gift of dreaming of space travel, of discovery, of fighting for Good and Honor. I was a convert, I believed it all.
Nowadays, I know I can never reach that point again. Too much life between The Empire Strikes Back and now has made me cynical and more than a little bitter. I've seen the whole Star Wars trilogy too many times to count (and rooted for Darth Vader on more than few occasions) that the effects the series once had on me has wore off.
I hate the hype. I hate seeing George Lucas popping up nearly everywhere mumbling about how he created the Great American Myth. I hate the stories of adults standing in lines for toys that will stay in the box forever or for tickets weeks before they are issued (I do like that it was done for charity, but it still doesn't make up for the audacity of it). I hate the commercialism that surrounds TPM and that I'll be encased in it for months on end. I hate the sheer amount of marketing around TPM, waiting for suck the almightly dollar from children. I hate that adults putting their lives, their dreams, their hopes on the line for this film. How can they justify dedicating so much time, effort, and money on a movie? It seems so insane to me now.
But most of all, I hate the fact that I'll never be able to see the whole series with the eyes and the innocence of a ten-year-old who could believe it all.
Once in a while, I can still find the kid in me that flew mis-matched X-Wing made up from Lego gate-pieces and feel thankful for the hours of fantasy that I got from George Lucas.
It's a film for kids. I'll probably see the new one a few times, but I'll damned if I'm going to buy any of the toys unless my nieces want some. Just as long as they promise me they'll actually play with them.
-S. Louie
Nothing really to write home about. It's blocky, monochrome, useful only on a large level, and it's not that impressive. It's a step, but a small step. When they can get multiple colors or a finer definition, then I'll start paying attention.
-S. Louie
Well, why *shouldn't* Linux stay this way (or at least take its own sweet time to become something else)?
Keeping Linux as a pet project only promotes its exclusivity. The question arises, is Linux being built to make the world a better place or to prove just how smart its programmers are? If it is the former, then Linux supporters need to demonstrate its usefulness in the Real World. If it's just a ego booster, then Linux supporters should make that clear to the industry and accept the loss of support. What is the point of promoting Linux if you don't plan to use it? And who then determines if and when Linux becomes a viable product?
Open source software depends on the masses to design, create, test and implement it. Creating Linux and then not using it for useful, practical, day-to-day, general computing just becomes a form of mental masterbation. It's solving Fermat's Last Theorem, but with a lot less fanfare.
Currently Linux is viable. It is useful. It does exist as a Real World solution. To pull back now would be to condemn Linux to the same status as the logo programming language.
-S. Louie
Linux needs to evolve into an OS that is usable by the masses if it is to become anything beyond a novelty item. As it stands, Linux has become popular for the very reason that it can perform competitively with MS, Apple and other UNIX varients on certain levels. It needs to make the next step and become a reliable, trusted foundation that general software can be built upon.
It's not a matter of competing with MS. That is a small part of the big picture. Linux and other open/free source products means creating software that people can rely upon to do work. If you're into Linux just for the anti-MS nature of the movement, then you're a little misguided. Creating good software for people to use means creating software for everybody. Just because someone didn't contribute code to gcc doesn't mean they can't benefit from it. The same goes for Linux in general. The light at the end of the tunnel is a simple, effective, reliable system. Why should just hackers/programmers/geeks be the only ones to benefit from Linux? If we keep Linux only as a toy for the few people who are willing to put up with its eccentricities, we condemn Linux to become yet another footnote in computer history.
Right now Linux hasn't won too many people over. Large companies are reacting because they don't want to get left out just in case. Making "ease-of-use" an issue with Linux may promote more general usage from those who are computer-savvy, but not inclined to work with non-proprietary software or have had bad experiences with UNIX. The more general usage, the more companies will be enticed to promote Linux as a viable option. The more companies, the more acceptance and, voila, a world where good, thoughly tested, useful software is the norm.
Hey, what can I say? I'm allowed to be overly optomistic once in while...
-S. Louie
I felt that Leonard tries to emphasize documentation bundled with software along with simple GUI customization as part of the ease-of-use process. The idea is to appeal to the Window/Mac experienced user without pandering to the true beginner.
-Shelley
-S. Louie
While the article does report that there is a decrease in lines of code, I find it distressing to find that the biggest complaint is that American programmers are no longer working 70-hour weeks and the executives plan to "light a fire" to get them to overwork themselves. This is yet another distressing look at how business looks more at the bottom line rather trying to figure out how to work efficently. Executives mumble "work smarter, not harder," but then they start looking at these silly statistics to judge programmers. What a crock.
Another telling remark from the article is European "productivity" is due to the fact that they used "packaged software" more than in the States. So all of that Visual software may be forcing those poor Europeans to write more lines of code than they should. I apologize to our fellow programmers in Europe. If we could stop MS from making crap, we would.
A few posters have already mentioned the fact that they spend most of their time writing specifications (good), design and development plans (good), and dealing with the bureaucracy of micromanagement (very bad). The slowdown in code production might also be due to American business' obsession inability to let the reins free and let coders be coders. It's not 9-5 that counts, it's the midnight-three burst of inspired, brilliant code that counts. It's the knowledge that design definitions aren't moving targets that calms the programmer. It's realistic deadlines that allows the coder to plan. It's not having to look over the shoulder every minute that lets the programmer think of solid code instead of changing jobs.
Or is that just me?
-S. Louie
With presales, the kids who would have sat in line all night for tickets will whine to their parental units about using their credit cards to buy tickets in advance. Presales caters to the older crowd who'll snatch up the first five days worth of tickets and leave the kids whose parents can't or won't use their cards on some silly Star Wars movie tickets out in the cold.
All of this is being done for the theaters' sake. I appreciate the fact that Lucas promotes a better viewing experience for our benefit, but maybe he can take the extra step and let the faithful sit in line to get in first.
-S. Louie
Parents Blame Sinking on Hollywood
(BS NewsWire)
Lawrence, Ks. (BS) - The parents of the two students soaked by the sinking of the rowboat, Nau-Sea, are taking on the entertainment industry, claiming that media romance inspired the act that caused the boat to capsize.
The relatives filed a $2.5 billion lawsuit in U.S. District Court today against nearly one hundred Internet Titanic sites, several romance book distributors, and the makers and distributors of the 1998 Leonardo DiCaprio film "Titanic."
"We intend to hurt Hollywood. We intend to hurt the romance industry. We intend to hurt romantic Titanic sites" on the Internet, said Sammy "Snake" Flotsam, one of the parents' lawyers.
The lawsuit claims that the act that caused the untimely sinking was influenced by the romance in "Titanic" and by romance novels such as "Love on the Seas," "What the Steward Knew," and "Cruise Ship of Lust."
One scene in "Titanic" shows a sequence in which the main characters, played by DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, balancing on the bow the ship to experience the feeling of flying.
More than one hundred Internet Titanic sites display this scene emphasizing the romantic nature of the material.
Last September, the high-school couple took a rowboat out on Clear Lake, when the girl convinced the boy to re-enact the "flying" scene from "Titanic." There are reports of promises of "getting to second base" may have unduly influenced the boy. While attempting to balance on the bow, the rowboat capsized and the couple fell into the three foot deep artifical pond. Both were completely soaked, embarrassed, and the girl alleges she caught the sniffles from the cold water.
The capsizing of the rowboat took place three weeks after the high-school couple had watched the movie. The young woman was known to have recently visited the Titanic sites on her IMac and has read nearly fifty romance-style novels over the last four years.
"We believe that that couple was influenced by the movies they watched, the books they read, and the Internet sites they visited," Jane Jetsam, the mother of the girl soaked by capsizing, told reporters.
The parents have also filed lawsuits against the boat rental company and owner of the artifical pond, ClearLake Inc.
-------------------------
Yah gotta love America...
-S. Louie
If you're still in university, query around your employment office for an internship that deals with systems administration or send queries out to various computer companies you suspect use some version of UNIX. There are quite a few companies out there who would love to have some fresh bodies to throw into the machine at student prices.
Good luck.
-S. Louie
I goofed and failed to see the 60 Minutes interview. Anyone know where I can scam a copy of a transcript or a tape of it?
-S. Louie
MUST HAVE MUST FIND MIRROR... Please someone?
It just looks like someone spliced the quarter in to "demonstrate" the size and they did a bad job of it. The quarter should be larger from the looks of the ports and the rest of the board.
Oddly enough, after watching the last Star Trek movie I could help but think "Boy, I'm glad Star Wars is coming out soon."
I've NEVER heard Star Trek classified as strictly "Fantasy" but always in the context of "Science Fiction/Fantasy". I'd like the people who've been telling you different and set them straight. And I admonish you for not telling them different. Whenever ST tried to do the fantasy thing it always fell flat because they HAD to explain it away using fuons or uberpowerful entities. Why? Because it was "Science!" fiction. If your rule of measure of fantasy being stories as having a utopian view of the world, there are a LOT of books/movies/etc. out there that needs to be reclassified.
Let's just strip it all down to size. If you don't like the Star Wars hype, you can ignore it. At least it isn't as irritating as people trying to figure out ST transporters.