It isn't about the OS and the applications anymore... they won that battle. Maybe it is about the clients and the server.
However, the real equity they have is in the name. That is what retains the monopoly. You would need to break them into such tiny, obscure chunks to make it an equitable solution.
My theory, though, is however you break them up, they can re-package themselves to stay strong. They aren't stupid! I think the MSN things that they are trying to pull off tell the real story of where they want to go tomorrow! Look out, Sun!
Quarterly server updates, bi-weekly consumer updates? This only appeals to the (few, the proud, the) Nerds! Anual updates to the server and quarterly updates for workstations would be more than any IT group could handle! Why would you want to re-install your server every quarter!? How would you keep current product on the shelves for conumers?
They are in the business of making money... how would your idea help this???
ok, now that that is out of my system-- the idea of what you are talking about, forked content sounds good-- why make Linux as bloated as windows! They have branding, so they should split up and try to hit both markets.
But, think about the logistics of the frequency! Subscription services are one thing... but how long does it take to press CD's? You might be able to make a very rough alpha (devel forks) every month, and a beta every two months... but i think the physical limitations associated with distributing what people pay for limits the viability!
I remember about 2 years ago a cabbie in SF had a ricochet modem and a laptop, and was trying to do something interesting with it. Lot cheaper than cellular... and i think the bandwith is better now, too.
Oh well, some ideas came before their time. In SF, how long are you actually ever IN a cab at once...
Well, actually, what I see them doing is creating an even stronger permanent, regular revenue flow. If the "average" consumer pays $300 every two years for software (OS, plus basic applications), that's only $13/month! A NC hits the hardware costs, so that consumers can pay more for their software service!
If it works, it will really work. Looking at history... it'll work.
Compare it to where all this linux effort is going... the same old paradigms that have been employed for the desktop and server simply being extended. When they do something really new... that none of their competitors could pull of, how can they fail?
Actually, I would say that it is the reverse; laptops are exactly the market they could make some real ground in! The technology is so short-lived in laptops that something slightly innovative or cheaper can make some real headway.
You just have to beat the competition to really make it work... lower power consumption, smaller, faster, whatever...
When you look at the stakes... and what it takes to really secure a financial network (not talking about a crack this challenge), I think it is a justified approach.
In the past, the biggest source of the losses are inside jobs and sheer incompetence.
How do you compensate for incompetence?! Spending money on security still has the same problems of incompetence and deliberate back doors...
While you are in school, the EIT is a breaze... after a couple years (or months) out of school, though, it requires a lot of re-learning.
Personally, I am a PE... but I am in the construction/power industry, so it is required (or, at least was before I left the US). It is something that is easy enough to get (after having passed the EIT, and gotten the relevant professional experience) if you are in an appropriate field.
If you get the EIT now, it keeps doors open for the next few years, in case things (in the high-tech arena) change drastically, or if you decide you want to change fields.
Good luck, and have a few beers before the test... it can't hurt!:)
It makes perfect sense for 3com to spin off the Palm division: it is not a core business operation, and it is profitable. (3Com really isn't a well managed company, or from what I understand, a good place to work. Good way to improve the image of a group that has real potential!)
What worries me (yes, as a stockholder) is that I really think that the palm devices should be integrated into their core business functions. I think that the concept MS had for CE is cool... embedded devices with a common interface and programming language that makes it easy to write applications for something. Fortunately, though, they really botched their attempt, making it do too much, too soon.
There are so many things that you could use these little gismos for... one company can't focus on all the applications. From embedded controllers to tethered computers to waterproof pda's... there are so many ways that you could use the platform that licensing the OS is a smart thing to do.
I just don't understand the attraction to the colors for the high-end Visor. I was going to buy one, but... it looks like a pager for a 12-year-old! I'll wait for the Vx, I guess... unless someone knows who makes a unit that lasts for more than 9 months!
While Apple is a strong canidate to help keep MS on their toes, IBM nad SUN are better examples.
But, MS has the advantage if universities are looking for a complete solution... just like many coroporations have. It is just too much work for cash-strapped organizations to think about buying MS Office, WinNT, Exchange,..., that it becomes more attractive to make a deal with the devil.
But, you can't argue the strategy... it is what made apple successful 15 years ago.
While Apple is a strong canidate to help keep MS on their toes, IBM nad SUN are better examples.
But, MS has the advantage if universities are looking for a complete solution... just like many coroporations have. It is just too much work for cash-strapped organizations to think about buying MS Office, WinNT, Exchange,..., that it becomes more attractive to make a deal with the devil.
But, you can't argue the strategy... it is what made apple successful 15 years ago.
Time will tell...
Make "Upgrading" easier
on
Linux Lite?
·
· Score: 1
When it comes to security... less (packages) is more. But, it is a little hard for a former windows user to change to the unix methodology of adding packages.
I say "upgrade" in the MS-context; it is really easy with MS to just re-install things... that's what their support is built on. BUT, it doesn't scare someone off from the idea that they can always install something at a later date... just as easily as they can now.
I know, i know... there are packages to do it. RPM's aren't hard to use, and I know that there are some RPM GUI's out there, but the what would be nice for the newbies is to just stick that same distribution CD in, and get the whole list of packages, in the same format they saw in thier original install.
One of things that is required for taking over the desktop...
Our client/server apps are all Visual Basic, as far as I know. Future apps are all Web-based. If (porting to Linux) was something we could do tomorrow with the snapping of the fingers, it might not be so bad. But a mission-critical application like this really has to work the first time, and there can't be any conversion issues.
Boy, if it is mission-critical, and written in VB, i worry about the the largest american company.
But, if they hope to port VB to linux... i am really scared!
I agree... but how do you make the dimensions really scale, and how do you make it a good site to "wander?"
The thing that detracts from sites that have a home/index page is that there isn't enough information there... you have to keep going to different pages before you get any meat. With/.-- there is a lot of info right from the start, and you can open new topics in new windows right away.
Something should be done to help keep the quality of a topic going longer, but the structure of your average (online) newspaper doesn't really make sense here.
What I would like to see is a way that a topic can be extended in time, and comments threaded to that extension-- when an "update" is posted, or additional information still on the same topic, it shouldn't be a new story. There is too much duplication with this (current) system, and the discussion isn't complete in and of itself.
One other point is search engines. I first found/. two years back with links from the search engines. I am not sure how well the indexing works today, but... if you wanted information on privacy as posted on/., you would have a lot of work in front of you.
It seems like the overall structure needs to change a little bit, but... how do you manage it?
...um, why bother with a Linux client if you are dependent on an NT server... hardly the way to avoid the "taint of microsoft!" (or to provide reasonable stability...)
Maybe the second generation will be a little more thoroughly though out...
You would be fine as long as the patch was pseudo-code. (I wonder if you could call something pseudo-code if it could not be read by the compiler directly...) That makes it a pain for the maintainer, but... it's fairly minimal.
Um, anybody ever hear of a place called East Timor?
First off, this is already part of States' databases. I know KS and MO already have the images in a database, and I belive that most states that don't use the "real" photographs for their licenses have some form of database. All US passports are also in a database. That is what they are for! Have you ever looked at the little computer the guy has at the immigration booth when you come into the country?
While we all have stories about how the government screws up, wields their power a little too strongly, and is grossly innefficient, fundementally, there are checks and balances that prevent any arm/organization of the government from being able to change things too quickly, or to exercise too much power.
While the idea of a smaller, more efficient government sounds nice, it is good for governments to not be too efficient... it helps keep them from doing too much.
Conspiracy theory... look at what is going on in the world around us... the real demons should be your first concern; the make believe ones will still be around a long time down the road.
I was really just pointing out that additional means of filtering data are nice; the only means you have now is the "score;" the scores don't always accurately reflect the "nature" of the post.
You may be right about people not using their points, but if there are 400 comments on a story, how effective can 400 moderators be? (Possibly adequate... just curious.)
I am confused by your comment, "The moderation system shouldn't be a voting system, run by the moderators." What IS it supposed to be, then?
I think of it as a "classification" system... something to help weed out information so that people that don't have time to read 400 comments on a story can focus on the best information. This is where the humans come in useful:)
Slashdot Mirror
completely off topic, but is that a Stollism?
nostalgia...
It isn't about the OS and the applications anymore... they won that battle. Maybe it is about the clients and the server.
However, the real equity they have is in the name. That is what retains the monopoly. You would need to break them into such tiny, obscure chunks to make it an equitable solution.
My theory, though, is however you break them up, they can re-package themselves to stay strong. They aren't stupid! I think the MSN things that they are trying to pull off tell the real story of where they want to go tomorrow! Look out, Sun!
but... time will tell.
Well, it's more like a gun than a kitchen knife...
The gun can help people defend themselves and feel more secure, but it is just as likely to be abused by a child or burglar.
That said... on the balance are guns and lOpht equally important in preserving freedom?
I dunno...
I have a Bosch 909, and that also uses the serial port, but I haven't gotten the cable yet...
My understanding is that you are limited to about 9kBPs... nothing fancy, but enough for telnet...
My GOD, are you high!?
Quarterly server updates, bi-weekly consumer updates? This only appeals to the (few, the proud, the) Nerds! Anual updates to the server and quarterly updates for workstations would be more than any IT group could handle! Why would you want to re-install your server every quarter!? How would you keep current product on the shelves for conumers?
They are in the business of making money... how would your idea help this???
ok, now that that is out of my system-- the idea of what you are talking about, forked content sounds good-- why make Linux as bloated as windows! They have branding, so they should split up and try to hit both markets.
But, think about the logistics of the frequency! Subscription services are one thing... but how long does it take to press CD's? You might be able to make a very rough alpha (devel forks) every month, and a beta every two months... but i think the physical limitations associated with distributing what people pay for limits the viability!
You don't make money screwing schools!
You make money by filling a market niche, getting people used to operating that way, and extending that market.
If they work in schools, the logic would go, they can work in business.
I remember about 2 years ago a cabbie in SF had a ricochet modem and a laptop, and was trying to do something interesting with it. Lot cheaper than cellular... and i think the bandwith is better now, too.
Oh well, some ideas came before their time. In SF, how long are you actually ever IN a cab at once...
oh well...
...well, it works for viruses!
:)
Well, actually, what I see them doing is creating an even stronger permanent, regular revenue flow.
If the "average" consumer pays $300 every two years for software (OS, plus basic applications), that's only $13/month! A NC hits the hardware costs, so that consumers can pay more for their software service!
If it works, it will really work. Looking at history... it'll work.
Compare it to where all this linux effort is going... the same old paradigms that have been employed for the desktop and server simply being extended. When they do something really new... that none of their competitors could pull of, how can they fail?
Time will tell.
Actually, I would say that it is the reverse; laptops are exactly the market they could make some real ground in! The technology is so short-lived in laptops that something slightly innovative or cheaper can make some real headway.
You just have to beat the competition to really make it work... lower power consumption, smaller, faster, whatever...
When you look at the stakes... and what it takes to really secure a financial network (not talking about a crack this challenge), I think it is a justified approach.
In the past, the biggest source of the losses are inside jobs and sheer incompetence.
How do you compensate for incompetence?! Spending money on security still has the same problems of incompetence and deliberate back doors...
While you are in school, the EIT is a breaze... after a couple years (or months) out of school, though, it requires a lot of re-learning.
:)
Personally, I am a PE... but I am in the construction/power industry, so it is required (or, at least was before I left the US). It is something that is easy enough to get (after having passed the EIT, and gotten the relevant professional experience) if you are in an appropriate field.
If you get the EIT now, it keeps doors open for the next few years, in case things (in the high-tech arena) change drastically, or if you decide you want to change fields.
Good luck, and have a few beers before the test... it can't hurt!
They are very small, and very much struggling.
Imagine trying to compete with microsoft with a $250M market capitalization.
Here is their stock price over the past five years. Struggling? Hell Yes!
when are they shipping!? It's been months (well, at least 6 weeks) since they said they were shipping!
What i like about the ucLinux is that it has built-in networking... a lot more flexible for some applications... cool toy, at least...
It makes perfect sense for 3com to spin off the Palm division: it is not a core business operation, and it is profitable. (3Com really isn't a well managed company, or from what I understand, a good place to work. Good way to improve the image of a group that has real potential!)
What worries me (yes, as a stockholder) is that I really think that the palm devices should be integrated into their core business functions.
I think that the concept MS had for CE is cool... embedded devices with a common interface and programming language that makes it easy to write applications for something. Fortunately, though, they really botched their attempt, making it do too much, too soon.
There are so many things that you could use these little gismos for... one company can't focus on all the applications. From embedded controllers to tethered computers to waterproof pda's... there are so many ways that you could use the platform that licensing the OS is a smart thing to do.
I just don't understand the attraction to the colors for the high-end Visor. I was going to buy one, but... it looks like a pager for a 12-year-old! I'll wait for the Vx, I guess... unless someone knows who makes a unit that lasts for more than 9 months!
While Apple is a strong canidate to help keep MS on their toes, IBM nad SUN are better examples.
..., that it becomes more attractive to make a deal with the devil.
But, MS has the advantage if universities are looking for a complete solution... just like many coroporations have. It is just too much work for cash-strapped organizations to think about buying MS Office, WinNT, Exchange,
But, you can't argue the strategy... it is what made apple successful 15 years ago.
Time will tell...
While Apple is a strong canidate to help keep MS on their toes, IBM nad SUN are better examples.
..., that it becomes more attractive to make a deal with the devil.
But, MS has the advantage if universities are looking for a complete solution... just like many coroporations have. It is just too much work for cash-strapped organizations to think about buying MS Office, WinNT, Exchange,
But, you can't argue the strategy... it is what made apple successful 15 years ago.
Time will tell...
When it comes to security... less (packages) is more. But, it is a little hard for a former windows user to change to the unix methodology of adding packages.
I say "upgrade" in the MS-context; it is really easy with MS to just re-install things... that's what their support is built on. BUT, it doesn't scare someone off from the idea that they can always install something at a later date... just as easily as they can now.
I know, i know... there are packages to do it. RPM's aren't hard to use, and I know that there are some RPM GUI's out there, but the what would be nice for the newbies is to just stick that same distribution CD in, and get the whole list of packages, in the same format they saw in thier original install.
One of things that is required for taking over the desktop...
Boy, if it is mission-critical, and written in VB, i worry about the the largest american company.
But, if they hope to port VB to linux... i am really scared!
Anyway, i guess that's what PHB's are for.
I agree... but how do you make the dimensions really scale, and how do you make it a good site to "wander?"
/.-- there is a lot of info right from the start, and you can open new topics in new windows right away.
/. two years back with links from the search engines. I am not sure how well the indexing works today, but... if you wanted information on privacy as posted on /., you would have a lot of work in front of you.
The thing that detracts from sites that have a home/index page is that there isn't enough information there... you have to keep going to different pages before you get any meat. With
Something should be done to help keep the quality of a topic going longer, but the structure of your average (online) newspaper doesn't really make sense here.
What I would like to see is a way that a topic can be extended in time, and comments threaded to that extension-- when an "update" is posted, or additional information still on the same topic, it shouldn't be a new story. There is too much duplication with this (current) system, and the discussion isn't complete in and of itself.
One other point is search engines. I first found
It seems like the overall structure needs to change a little bit, but... how do you manage it?
anyway... enough ranting
...um, why bother with a Linux client if you are dependent on an NT server... hardly the way to avoid the "taint of microsoft!" (or to provide reasonable stability...)
Maybe the second generation will be a little more thoroughly though out...
You would be fine as long as the patch was pseudo-code. (I wonder if you could call something pseudo-code if it could not be read by the compiler directly...) That makes it a pain for the maintainer, but... it's fairly minimal.
Um, anybody ever hear of a place called East Timor?
First off, this is already part of States' databases. I know KS and MO already have the images in a database, and I belive that most states that don't use the "real" photographs for their licenses have some form of database. All US passports are also in a database. That is what they are for! Have you ever looked at the little computer the guy has at the immigration booth when you come into the country?
While we all have stories about how the government screws up, wields their power a little too strongly, and is grossly innefficient, fundementally, there are checks and balances that prevent any arm/organization of the government from being able to change things too quickly, or to exercise too much power.
While the idea of a smaller, more efficient government sounds nice, it is good for governments to not be too efficient... it helps keep them from doing too much.
Conspiracy theory... look at what is going on in the world around us... the real demons should be your first concern; the make believe ones will still be around a long time down the road.
I was really just pointing out that additional means of filtering data are nice; the only means you have now is the "score;" the scores don't always accurately reflect the "nature" of the post.
:)
You may be right about people not using their points, but if there are 400 comments on a story, how effective can 400 moderators be? (Possibly adequate... just curious.)
I am confused by your comment, "The moderation system shouldn't be a voting system, run by the moderators." What IS it supposed to be, then?
I think of it as a "classification" system... something to help weed out information so that people that don't have time to read 400 comments on a story can focus on the best information. This is where the humans come in useful
incompatible C/C++ libraries would disable the product-- preventing users from being able to use other binaries.
They don't even need to provide a compiler!
the gpl has never been legally tested
even if you could win, would you want to fight a legal battle with MS?
the idea is that you don't want/need OS community support--- you don't even have to distribute the (correct) source!
MS has plenty of money... a free CD in every trade magizine is likely to get a lot of people to try it... and get burned!
if you want to be really tricky, make it so that the only thing you can install on top of it is win2k!
Point being... if MS wants to... they could try something interesting.