Red Hat has been at Walmart for almost a year! I have seen it on the shelf along wiht earlier versions of Mandrake. Linux is going to get more noteriety by the redneck hacker's who can only get this at Walmart (nearest puter store is miles away, and they don't feel comfortable doing it on the net.).
It sound more like they caught him looking at what is supposed to be a private resource, even if he did not login or hack into it, he still connected. I know, I know, he didn't do anything, but to those who don't understand such things, he might have. Evidence that the people involved in tis didn't know anything is that they took books that are:
1. Publicly available.
2. One had NOTHING to do with the problem (Kernel Hacking??? I understand the BIND book but Kernel hacking?? Mebbe, but I doubt it.).
He was doing what others might deem as suspicous things. DNS lookups are cool and some of the other things but connecting to semi-random servers isn't (I know, they are not totally random, but they aren't things a normal person would do.).
Hey I am a computer guy. Do you expect me to use english right? Sure you do! Hey someone's a english professor. Do I expect them to know computers or other things other then their subject? YOU BET I DO! Now, I am not a stickler on english. As long as the point gets across, it doesn't matter does it? You see it does matter and I should learn to use better english. Stupidness should have been stupidity.
Well it does. You see, I am SO tired of doing everything right when I take a class and getting the BEST grade I can get, then someone who happens to know the subject well enough to get the A does something and trashes there disk and the teacher gives them extra time because they can't take the tears of a student. Responsibility is something that has to be learned and earned. Giving a student the easy way out is not teaching them a danged thing! Maybe after you get out of college you'll understand. In the business world, people don't care if you trashed the disk you had it one. They want the data or the project done. Not taking this hard line teaches students the wrong thing! You see if they paid all of this money for this schooling, you'd expect that they would do everything they can to assure their grade. Some do not. Some have everything paid for by mommy and daddy (I know a vast majority do not.). If you can't understand computers, you are at a severe disadvantage. Computers are not hard to learn. All it takes to preserve data is a little common sense. If it is SO important that you/they don't lose this file, then you'd think you'd do everything you can to protect it. Maybe I am bitter because I have been in the education environment for a long time (5 years working for a community college IT department.). Maybe I am so tired of hearing the excuses. I dunno. You see I don't feel sorry for these people because by this point, these people should know about stuff like this (By my calculations, some of these kids had computers all of their life, where when I was in college and high school, I did not). It's time for people to TAKE responsibility instead of assuming "responsibility" is someone else's job.
No I don't work for Iomega, and we have a complete office filled with these things and several of which are used regularly. I am not disputing the COD problem, it's just I have NEVER seen it. I am not disputing that this can't happen on a newer drive either. I am just saying I don't see it. Also, it's a well known fact stuff like this will fail with in 6 months if it's going to, then if it doesn't fail, it should be cool until the end of it's life. Tech's all have their stories, most of which aren't true. I would like to see real NUMBERS of how many have reported COD and how many don't. I have experience with at least three versions of these things. USB, ATAPI IDE, and Parallel port and two of these were my personal drives. Noone I know has reported a problem. The COD website is on a site PROMOTING utilities for sale that will possibly FIX these drives. Specifically Spinrite! Iomega's page doesn;t make it sound as dire. I guess if you get COD, you get it and replacing or repairing the drive will fix it. It will either get a drive that will have it or get a drive that won't have it. Also, thousands of people are reporting this problem, and there are over 15 million Zip Drives selling (as of the 98 date of the zdtv show). Lessee...using 100,000 as a rough figure, and 15,000,000 as all of the zips shown, that's.6 percent! That's pretty damn good for a computer device!:) Also, Leo Leport reported on the show he has not seen the problem. Also, if you bang these things around like you do a floppy, you WILL have problems. All it takes is a little common sense!
Time to go shoppin again! Zip disks regularly are around 7 to 10 bucks on pricewatch and local retail. The media JUST is not as expensive as you think. If you dismissed Zip a LONG time ago because of media cost, then try looking again. Also, Iomega isn't the only one making zips any more. There are at least a couple companies maiking drives now, and Fuji makes media now (not just iomegea).
Students are smarter then YOU think they are. Educating them about something which they should know is usless if they can think of better ways to get the job done.
I never use floppies for anything but quick small file sneaker net (the printer I use at work has a hard disk and floppy for transferring forms to...big mainframe type printer). Only other thing I use em for is boot disks and emergency boot disks, but that's going away too since I have a bootable CD-ROM.
As far as I know, their is NOT a mini disc drive for your computer. I heard that there were....issues doing this. Although I HAVE seen in one machine at work a 230 MB optical disk drive. Only place I have ever seen the thing too. It's used to backup the configuration on the Hardware Management Console that comes with S/390 mainframes.
Look on pricewatch. You can get a OEM 100 MB Zip Drive for 34 bucks. Hardly expensive. Disks seem to be coming down in price too. Lowest price I have seen for media (on pricewatch) was 7 bucks. Not exactly equal to CD-RW's or CD-R prices, but decent. So, the expensive argument is out the window. I have never seen a zip fail, and I have been banging on the same 3 disks for 3 years. Also the ATAPI and SCSI Zips are pretty fast. I never have a problem with the speed (heck floppies are a tad faster, but let's face it...nothing removable will catch up to a hard disk for speed).
I have NEVER seen a click of death in newer Zip Drives. AFAIK, it was only a problem in early models, or if you are stupid and keep dropping the portable Zip Drive. Also, according to the IOMEGA support page (following in a link), stores that use mag stripe security on the Zip Disk packages can risk demagnetizing disks, causing them to click. Check out da link. I know Zip disk password is not truely secure, but it makes it damn hard if you forget a password to get the data on your disk.
Here's why: You can't MAKE students do anything. They try to MAKE students use common sense and not eat up bandwith using napster and now they have to block it. Students are HUMAN and they will do what they dang well please! That's why students will just plain not give a damn for your policies like making backup copies of floppies. Also Student machines get 3-4 times the banging that office machines get. Students are always going to lose stuff by corrupt floppies or corrupt disks. The STUDENT just has to learn a little responsibilty and if a teachers student loses the disk or corrupts their only copy and the student can't get it done in time, tough titties....they fail. One F in the GPA will cure sutdent stupidness when it comes to floppy care.
I disagree. A internel ATAPI zip drive IS getting to be a standard in some areas. Around my work, that's what we us. The drive is only around 99 bucks if you play your cards right. The only EXPENSIVE zips are the external USB and Parallel Models and even they are not bad.
Well, if you didn't want a CD-RW drive in every computer, then I would suggest a IDE Zip drive (ATAPI Version), or a SCSI Zip drive. I like the fact that these disks can be passworded if need be that way if a student lost the disk they would not have to worry about anyone else getting their work. Also, the zips come in two flavors, the 100 MB and the 250 MB type. These would be great in a setting such as you suggest. OH and I might add FIRST POST!:) I have always wanted a first post, but we'll see if this works. Talk at ya later!
Well, until the GIMP can do CMYK (yeah I know it's coming and I can't wait!), a port of Photoshop would be MOST welcome. Would I use the GIMP for professional work? YES! The GIMP just plain rocks. It is as good as or better then Photoshop in may areas. MOST Linux sites use the GIMP, including very professional looking sites such as Slashdot, Linux.com, VA Linux (I think!:)) and many others. I agree that some Open Source software is lacking, but the GIMP AIN'T one of dem!
Closed source can be good as long as what you pay for is supported well. I personally don't care whether a program is open source (open source is nice price, but I'd pay to get a needed app)or not, it doesn't matter so long as the job gets done.
Actually I don't think a laptop (or desktop) is overkill for running the sophisticated features of the newer sewing machines. Actually, it could come in quite handy. Imagine turning out your own Tux, BSD, Debian or your dogs jpg into a design you can sew anywhere on a shirt (ala Think Geek....THANKS FOR MY SHIRT TG! I love it!). I don't think you'd be able to do that on a gameboy (except maybe the new GB advanced when it becomes available). Besides, if geeks can prove one thing, they can make sense out of stuff "normal" idiots can't!
MAN! When will people get it thru their THICK skulls that installing an OS (BE it Linux, or Windows) is NOT THAT HARD!!!! Just RTFM! This made me laugh! I wish we could get say a 10-20 percent discount if we ordered one without an OS! I mean, by this point, you'd think Microsoft would start to, if they had any SHRED of intelligence would stop putting FUD like this out. I guess noone thinks at Microsoft except the monopolists there. I read a story on Linux Planet (It's the Blackbox one, at the beginning of the article, I am too lazy to reconstruct the link) about a guy who was trying to get a PC "WITHOUT" the Compuserve 400 dollar rebate for 3 years of "prison" on Compuserve. The sales man could not possibly see WHY we wouldn't want the Compuserve deal (guy must have been selling shoes the week before). Then the guy had the nerve to tell the author that the system would not run Linux (HUH! Show's you about how little he knows about computers). How would he know? He can barely run Windows let alone even know what a DOS box is. Oh well. I usually just say I am just looking until I need something in those supermegadupercomboappliancecomputer stores, then I point and tell them what I want, no more, and no less. When they start asking if I'd like I'd say now what did I just tell you I wanted. That really pisses em off. They can't use their training to brainwash ya into something you don't want if you just point and say I want that, that and that and NOT that, then don't say anything else until you get it.
I agree with you 100 percent. It was dumb for Red Hat to do this. That's there choice though, and they can go down in flames for it. The Debian folks as well as other distros have a REAL opportunity to step up and say our gcc compiles the kernel ( we don't need no stinking kgcc! ). Also, just think what this does for the ease of use people!:) Now they have to learn a different process for compiling the kernel!:) Way to go Red Hat! I have no idea what is with the release numbers anyway considering that the kernel is still a 2.2 kernel. This 6.0,7.0,7.1 mess is marketing driven filth, started by Red Hat! On the other hand, as long as I have the source, who gives a crap if the binary I create will work on either another distro, or only on RH 7.0? I sure as heck don't. Most of the code I have seen is still C unless it's a KDE program. Granted, I agree they should have waited and just done a point release, or may be something that would add the Helix Gnome stuff. I am sticking with 6.2 until I get the balls to install Debian.
Yup! They only time you really have to worry about batteries is if you still have a Ni-Cad battery pack. Other then that, Lithium Ion, Nickel Metal Hydrides or any new tech is always going to not have the memory effect (they learned that mistake with NiCads). Now, if your manufacturer says to fully discharge it, then, well, do it. Other then that, stop worrying.
I seems, to me, that since anyone could call GPL'd code their own, so long as they included a copy of the GPL with it, then why is the GCC committee bitchin about it? If Red Hat wants to shoot themselves in the foot and do this then who gives a crap? Isn't the GPL about free speech? Like I said, it's totally within Red Hat's choice that they can do that. Fine. Then I will stick with 6.2 or switch to Debian (contemplating it, but not made the jump...yet), or Corel or heck even FreeBSD. Personally, since I have been running a 2.4 test kernel for a while, I see no reason for holding it back (ie everything I use seems to work ok), except for those little things that end up mattering. O sure, I don't need say something like Very Large File System support or something weird like that now, but if it doesn't work and I need it later I'm screwed and I would blame the developers. That's why I really don't care about 2.4 being late. I don't want another windows and if this prevents it, so be it. I just want an OS to work. Personally, I don't think I have yet to see a case were a binary for one distro installed 100 percent correct on another distro. There are SOO many things that need fixed other then the kernel, it's not funny. Also, compiler's are critical since we do have to compile software sometime! I don't see WHY Red Hat did this except they couldn't program better I18N support in to their own stuff. It's not going to hurt Linux, just Red Hat. And Red Hat is just a distro and NOT the ONLY distro of Linux.
I wish people would quit whining about it like they can't actually get a 2.4 kernel. Oh sure, no major distro is based on it yet, but hey, you can hit the kernel sources and after hacking away at compiling it, even a complete newbie can get a decent kernel compiled with knowing just a little about what they need (ie if you can't identify it, you don't need it usually). Personally, I would rather, as I am sure Red Hat and others would too, they get it right then release it before they are ready. I wasn;t really looking for a release for another couple months anyway. Who knows, maybe they are working on a quick add on like a journalling file syetem or something (maybe ReiserFS or JFS, since Joe Barr's story this week....hmmm.......:)).
Get it right kernel dudes! I'd rather wait for a stable one then take on that may be a little unstable or something not working right!:)
Well, I have one porblem with your theory....It doesn't work unless we were dropped here by some alien force millions of years go. Last I checked, WE ARE A NATURAL PHENOMENON on this planet and we have existed doing so called "cruel" things to his planet long before cars and industry has been invented. We are a tiny tiny part of the whole picture and to think that we have enough power to affect things on a GLOBAL scale is ridiculous! Right now, I bet you that we are a minority creature on the planet. There are far more insects out there then there are humans. There are far more bacteria then there are humans. We would be arrogant to think we are big enough to affect this (unless we are totally stupid and do something idiotic like NOT developing alternative fuels (like fuel cells and electric cars.).
I am not saying there is no cause for concern, but we don't have to be paranoid about it. If there is no equivalent to gas except really expensive, not so useful electric vehicles like the impact, then why don't we see if we can make engines that burn the gas cleaner, or scrub more CO2 from the exhaust. Alternative fuels need not put the oil industry out of business. Even with alternative fuels, we still need oil to lubricate things. There's a really good web site that tells alot of myths and misconceptions about global warming. Strangely enough it's http://www.globalwarming.org. There are several articles about some of the scientists who previously thought the situation was dire thinking it's not so dire anymore.
Slashdot Mirror
The Redneck Hacker
1. Publicly available. 2. One had NOTHING to do with the problem (Kernel Hacking??? I understand the BIND book but Kernel hacking?? Mebbe, but I doubt it.).
He was doing what others might deem as suspicous things. DNS lookups are cool and some of the other things but connecting to semi-random servers isn't (I know, they are not totally random, but they aren't things a normal person would do.).
Hooked on phoniks really werked fer me!
Students are smarter then YOU think they are. Educating them about something which they should know is usless if they can think of better ways to get the job done.
My neighbor loves it too, but is getting ready to dump it in favor of Road Runner. When he saw how fast my Cable Modem was he said I want it! :)
Joel
Get it right kernel dudes! I'd rather wait for a stable one then take on that may be a little unstable or something not working right! :)
I am not saying there is no cause for concern, but we don't have to be paranoid about it. If there is no equivalent to gas except really expensive, not so useful electric vehicles like the impact, then why don't we see if we can make engines that burn the gas cleaner, or scrub more CO2 from the exhaust. Alternative fuels need not put the oil industry out of business. Even with alternative fuels, we still need oil to lubricate things. There's a really good web site that tells alot of myths and misconceptions about global warming. Strangely enough it's http://www.globalwarming.org. There are several articles about some of the scientists who previously thought the situation was dire thinking it's not so dire anymore.