I like your perspective, but let me give you another angle from personal experience. I've been laid off (more times than I care to count) and most of those times continuing to hang around has been tied to getting a fat severance package (as in several months' worth of pay after the job ends). This meant that by the time the ax fell I had already lined up another job but still collected the severance. Basically, once you're given your notice your full-time job becomes getting another job. The fact that you're being paid while job hunting is really preferrable to just being kicked out with no money.
It's not fair, and it's not fun. But just as the companies only look out for themselves, so do I.
My thoughts exactly. This is kind of like the SCO/IBM thing, in that while an immediate resolution would be nice, there's probably more to gain by taking this all the way through the courts and getting things settled once and for all. The conditions he agreed to as a settlement could have been better enforced as a result of a court case, I would think.
I wonder what the penalty will be when he finally is unable to keep in compliance with this agreement.
I agree with everything you said, but your statement that we don't sue Stanley Tools if someone hits us with a hammer is becoming less true. Firearms manufacturers are being sued based on what people do with their guns. If that principle is established in law, then it seems like a small leap to apply that to other areas, too. Given that Utah is apparently enamored with firearms culture, from what I've heard, this could end up being something of a pickle for our boys in Mormonland.
That was my first thought as well. My reaction to the whole article was, "Gee, ya think?" They've always been first and foremost about making money; innovation and quality are definitely further down the list.
But maybe the real import of the article was that this thought process used to be just the thoughts of a few and is now the realization of many. Don't know if that'll actually change much, though, given the way things are.
The other guy isn't talking about clones as in the PowerMax PC maker that was making Apple clones for a while there. He's talking about the "design" that's cloned, like the way Dell started making PC cases much like the first G4 tower cases shortly after they were released. And the way that now so many mp3 players seem to have a remarkably similar layout to the iPod (ala, Zune).
Maybe you're trolling, and it flew right over my head. Either that, or I'd say that if you think the Shuffle is just a clone of pre-existing flash drives, then maybe industrial design flies over yours. I see rip-offs of Apple designs in many other maker's products.
It's been quite a while since I encountered a site that required IE, but back when they were more common I was always able to access them by having Opera identify itself as IE. It sounds like that's more of a common experience than I knew.
Gartner will never be less certain about their predictions. Instead, they'll just make more predictions than ever in the hopes that no one notices how many of them are completely wrong because Gartner will be loudly touting the one they got right.
Somewhere around here I've still got Gartner's insightful analysis stating that nearly one-third of American companies will fail due to Y2K problems. I think that was around 1997 or so.
I agree with your assessment 100%. But the beauty, for lack of a better term, of the MS business model is that they don't need people to buy the OS. They just need people to buy new PCs, and their dopey OS will be there waiting for them. I know a lot of people who are running various MS OSes, and none of them went out and specifically bought the OS they have running. It just came with the box.
It's going to be hard to be a physician or lawyer without going to grad school, after all. The answer is really dependent on what kind of career you are trying to persue. My ex got a medical degree from grad school and it was definitely worth it for her. My buddy at work just got a MS in web design, and while he learned a lot he hasn't been promoted or given more interesting assigments as a result. He would still probably say it was worth it, though, since it probably increases his potential salary when he goes job hunting.
I don't recall any exactly when, but I remember shortly after GWB came into office there were rumblings that one of his priorities was to move oversight of the labs from UC Berkeley (blue-state lefties) to the University of Texas. I didn't think about it much at the time, but there then followed a series of sensational articles about misplaced laptops, missing hard drives, and so forth. Like the Win Ho Li (sp?) episode, a lot of this turned out to be much ado about nothing, but the final findings got much less press than the accusations. The final result was that UC Berkeley remained, but shares its role with a private corporation (Bechtel).
I could be wrong, but given MS's stance on DRM and so forth, I would expect them to be even less sympathetic to your cause than Google. I'll be curious to see if your experience with them is any different, if not worse.
My thoughts exactly. The term "class action" in a lawsuit seems to guarantee that the actual "victims," for lack of a better term, see a few dollars from the settlement while the lawyers get enough to retire.
I agree. I don't know a single gamer who envies my Mac machines. Instead, they sneer at the many titles I don't have access to without running Windows. In my case, though, as Willie said, "they jest at scars that never felt a wound."
I don't think the envy the author suggests is really out there much.
Re:Dual boot? How about virtualization, too!
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I've been surprised by this, too, thought it seems like I'm seeing more Windows guys being excited for me, like "Wow, now you can finally run Windows." Yeah, like I ever wanted to in the first place (though I realize there are some who do). I admit getting access to all the PC games makes it tempting, but not tempting enough to have to use XP. Even if I put the games my Mac, I'd feel like I'd have to disconnect from the internet every time I played to keep my machine from getting owned the second it connected.
Since the late 80s I've had a Mac at home and a PC at work. Ever since Apple brought out the G4 PowerMac towers, though, I have the opposite impression of which is an easier box to reconfigure. I found the tower designs are so accessible and well thought out that it makes it difficult to keep your fingers out of the innards. I agree that there aren't as many hardware choices and vendors, but when I swap components or whatever, I have a much greater comfort level that my new config will work fine right off the bat. Working on Windows PCs always seems like a crapshoot with a hundred hiddens "gotchas" waiting to happen.
You know, strangely enough I not only don't keep track of how many if any people I've switched, I don't make any effort to get people to switch. I don't want to be responsible for their choices and become the default expert for anything that might come up that they want fixed or explained. The only exception is my mom, who I just want to get on any computer, but that's a whole 'nother story.
Also, I don't argue with the MS fanboys I work with who rail against Apple without having ever owned or used a Mac. That's their loss. If anything I fear that more wide-spread acceptance of Apple products will lead to some Walmart-like decline in the company's products and quality.
I should add that I've used Macs at home since the early/mid 80s and still have my MacPlus (in its original shipping box now, though).
Good post, and I agree that CM covers so much ground as to make this question very open ended. I also agree about the less than gleeful opinion of ClearCase, which we've been forced to use. I started out with simple SCCS in Unix, which gives you all the basics of version control. But CM can entail much more than version control. It's version control, software configuration control, and instance/evironment control if you're working in an advanced or large-scale project.
I would say that setting up some sort of version control and problem tracking system are the two key first steps from a development standpoint. But you could write a book (and I'm sure many people have) about what's required for a good, comprehensive CM effort on a big project.
I'd say this guy hits the nail on the head. Unless you're living in DC or Manhattan, the Bay Area in California is going to be a unpleasant surprise, cost wise. A tiny house that needs to be torn down still sells for well over half a million just because the land it's on is so valuable. This in turn drives up the costs of other goods and services here.
I've moved cross country a few times, and one of the big non-material things you have to consider is whether you're the type of person who can live in a new area where you might not know anyone. It can be weird and isolating for some people, while others find it fun and exciting.
As the poster above says, I think you miss the point. It's not that anyone thinks that RIM is great and above reproach. Instead, it's just that everyone can agree on how loathsome patent-grabbing litigation firms are.
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It's not fair, and it's not fun. But just as the companies only look out for themselves, so do I.
I wonder what the penalty will be when he finally is unable to keep in compliance with this agreement.
I agree with everything you said, but your statement that we don't sue Stanley Tools if someone hits us with a hammer is becoming less true. Firearms manufacturers are being sued based on what people do with their guns. If that principle is established in law, then it seems like a small leap to apply that to other areas, too. Given that Utah is apparently enamored with firearms culture, from what I've heard, this could end up being something of a pickle for our boys in Mormonland.
But maybe the real import of the article was that this thought process used to be just the thoughts of a few and is now the realization of many. Don't know if that'll actually change much, though, given the way things are.
Maybe you're trolling, and it flew right over my head. Either that, or I'd say that if you think the Shuffle is just a clone of pre-existing flash drives, then maybe industrial design flies over yours. I see rip-offs of Apple designs in many other maker's products.
In fact, it got me thinking that maybe there's a whole new euphamism to be made there: "Not now, I gotta take a Zune."
It's been quite a while since I encountered a site that required IE, but back when they were more common I was always able to access them by having Opera identify itself as IE. It sounds like that's more of a common experience than I knew.
Somewhere around here I've still got Gartner's insightful analysis stating that nearly one-third of American companies will fail due to Y2K problems. I think that was around 1997 or so.
The worst part is we'd probably be better off with a 16 year old spammer than we are with Ahnold.
I agree with your assessment 100%. But the beauty, for lack of a better term, of the MS business model is that they don't need people to buy the OS. They just need people to buy new PCs, and their dopey OS will be there waiting for them. I know a lot of people who are running various MS OSes, and none of them went out and specifically bought the OS they have running. It just came with the box.
My $0.02 anyway.
Anyone else remember anything along these lines?
I get your point, but I would change the wording in your last sentence from "terrifies" to "infuriates."
I can't tell you what applications they're running, but the NIH staff uses tons of Macs and very few PCs.
I couldn't have said it better myself. Fortunately, it sounds like this can be avoided by not using IE or Office. Looks like I'm home free! (I hope!)
I could be wrong, but given MS's stance on DRM and so forth, I would expect them to be even less sympathetic to your cause than Google. I'll be curious to see if your experience with them is any different, if not worse.
My thoughts exactly. The term "class action" in a lawsuit seems to guarantee that the actual "victims," for lack of a better term, see a few dollars from the settlement while the lawyers get enough to retire.
I don't think the envy the author suggests is really out there much.
I've been surprised by this, too, thought it seems like I'm seeing more Windows guys being excited for me, like "Wow, now you can finally run Windows." Yeah, like I ever wanted to in the first place (though I realize there are some who do). I admit getting access to all the PC games makes it tempting, but not tempting enough to have to use XP. Even if I put the games my Mac, I'd feel like I'd have to disconnect from the internet every time I played to keep my machine from getting owned the second it connected.
Since the late 80s I've had a Mac at home and a PC at work. Ever since Apple brought out the G4 PowerMac towers, though, I have the opposite impression of which is an easier box to reconfigure. I found the tower designs are so accessible and well thought out that it makes it difficult to keep your fingers out of the innards. I agree that there aren't as many hardware choices and vendors, but when I swap components or whatever, I have a much greater comfort level that my new config will work fine right off the bat. Working on Windows PCs always seems like a crapshoot with a hundred hiddens "gotchas" waiting to happen.
Also, I don't argue with the MS fanboys I work with who rail against Apple without having ever owned or used a Mac. That's their loss. If anything I fear that more wide-spread acceptance of Apple products will lead to some Walmart-like decline in the company's products and quality.
I should add that I've used Macs at home since the early/mid 80s and still have my MacPlus (in its original shipping box now, though).
I would say that setting up some sort of version control and problem tracking system are the two key first steps from a development standpoint. But you could write a book (and I'm sure many people have) about what's required for a good, comprehensive CM effort on a big project.
I've moved cross country a few times, and one of the big non-material things you have to consider is whether you're the type of person who can live in a new area where you might not know anyone. It can be weird and isolating for some people, while others find it fun and exciting.
Good luck.
As the poster above says, I think you miss the point. It's not that anyone thinks that RIM is great and above reproach. Instead, it's just that everyone can agree on how loathsome patent-grabbing litigation firms are.