Our IT people have decided not to offer IMAP or POP. Who knows why - they really don't understand why we won't all just use Office under Windows and stop running this complicated science stuff. The same team that wipe 64bit windows to replace it with the 32bit version, because they don't want to buy a license for the 64bit version of the virus scanner.
Sorry, our IT folks make me rant. I'll look up evolution, thanks for the tip.
I'm not trying to troll, but what kind of open source project is Zimbra? A quick look over the editions page (http://www.zimbra.com/products/product_editions.h tml) makes me think the OS edition is missing some basic features (e.g. outlook sync). Am I missing something?
It's not difficult to do, but you're right, it is critical. Use batteries - it's safer, easier and gives a very clean power supply. Opto-isolate, to protect yourself, and to protect your PC from cockups. I haven't seen a nice USB to digital-over-fiber box, but one must exist - has anyone out there found one?
Most large companies have a site license for Windows anyway. Buying a computer with Windows already installed usually means paying for Windows twice. But this isn't about the big corporates buying $10k+ software licenses, is it? For a home user, knocking $100 off the price of a laptop is worth having. The more people do it, the easier it gets. If Dell could find a way to consistently make their laptops cheaper, they'd be laughing. Dell Linux anybody?
Is there anyone who thinks it's a little unfair for a big monopoly to hide the programming interface, locking out a whole bunch of software providers? Yes, I think that's unfair. I should think the EU have an opinion too. Cutting out the AV providers doesn't count as a security measure.
I agree with the principle of what you're saying, but installing packages under Linux gets a bad wrap. Installing tarballs takes a bit of practice, but almost everybody uses some sort of package manager now. I use gentoo, so I type emerge package to install a package, and emerge -C package to remove it. That's in a distribution renown for being difficult. Suse and friends have clicky goodness.
We need to stop bitching about solved problems, and focus on the next task. A predictable GUI sounds like a good start.
Isn't it interesting to see what happens, once one assumes that government and the people are not synonymous. As a casual observer, it appears that money counts for more than human rights and big industry runs the country. I'm not sure it's what those early Americans were hoping to build.
I use Linux (Gentoo + Suse), Solaris and Windows. If I can use the same browser on all systems, I'm a little less confused. I care about platform support.
Why not form a foundation to produce open journals? I know open journals already exist, but they're small and not well known. With $100M we could create a foundation, fund the editing process, and fund some publicity. Lots of scientists support open journals, once they know what they are.
Symantec and McAfee are only in business because of Microsofts mistakes, true. I'd love to see them go out of business because MS had finally made a secure product. But that's not what MS are doing. Rather than making Windows secure, MS are making it difficult for the AV companies to operate. Sure, they're plugging Windows, but the wrong bits. It's not security, it's monopoly. We've seen this before.
Now if they could just make it so you can lift off the little screen and keep it in your pocket while your laptop is in its bag, that'd be cool. It'd be like having a...um...pda.
I've often wondered, what are these new instruction Intel keep thinking up? Are they some sort of fancy array processing, new addressing modes? I'm curious. Whatever happened to RISC?
I really wanted to say one, but there's no way I can see that working. It's difficult to explain to someone inside the Microsoft monopoly that there are several packages, all capable of doing what you want, all looking a little different. I don't know why - cars are different, hifis are different. How do you pick a hifi?
Three isn't a magic number. But after typing one, I decided that's not the right solution. KDE and Gnome are both good, and I'm glad they both exist (even if I choose to use fluxbox). The proposed web site could do two things. First, offer the stable packages that get you up and running. But second, it could help introduce the open source world, where things work a little differently. It'd be a shame to lose the variety in order to reach the masses.
That is a damn fine idea. Sourceforge is a terrifying experience for even half-hardy users you've never been there. When I recently helped a friend install Inkscape, she ask "Why's it listing all these different countries, where do I click?" with mild panic. She has a PhD in engineering - she's just not familiar with open-source.
A simple site, aimed at your gran with her first computer, listing one package for each main task. Well, maybe three packages, but make it absolutely clear that they all work, and do the same thing. I like the firefox/thunderbird download sites that guess what OS you're using - fewer options is good here. Maybe something like freedesktop.org, but cross platform (i.e. you only get listed if you work on all of Linux/Mac/Windows).
We had those stories a few years ago, about people being mugged because the mugger saw their white ipod earphones. We get all excited about RFID passports, because they broadcast our information. And now Microsoft produce an ipod-alike that positively identifies itself, via wifi, to anyone who cares to listen? That can't be a good idea.
Unless you want to take a screen graphic and PRINT IT REALLY BIG (sorry, my keyboard doesn't have any bigger letters). Not to mention all those desktop icons that automatically scale to the size you want them.
Have you told them? The BBC is full of technogeeks, but without some evidence to take to the boss, it's pretty hard to support these 'weird' systems that aren't Windows. Write them a nice letter, 'Dear Mr. BBC, I use XXX becauses it's good, but can't view your video streams. Have you considered supporting YYY video format, which is supported on MS, Apple, most Unix and XXX?'
Slashdot Mirror
Remember, hire dumb people, so they're never a threat to your business...
Our IT people have decided not to offer IMAP or POP. Who knows why - they really don't understand why we won't all just use Office under Windows and stop running this complicated science stuff. The same team that wipe 64bit windows to replace it with the 32bit version, because they don't want to buy a license for the 64bit version of the virus scanner.
Sorry, our IT folks make me rant. I'll look up evolution, thanks for the tip.
Thanks for the info. My university have just moved over to Outlook (for the added security, they say), so I'm stuck with webmail from my Linux box.
I'm not trying to troll, but what kind of open source project is Zimbra? A quick look over the editions page (http://www.zimbra.com/products/product_editions.h tml) makes me think the OS edition is missing some basic features (e.g. outlook sync). Am I missing something?
But as I understand the article, the UK passport does not include any sort of challenge-response authentication - that's part of the problem.
It's not difficult to do, but you're right, it is critical. Use batteries - it's safer, easier and gives a very clean power supply. Opto-isolate, to protect yourself, and to protect your PC from cockups. I haven't seen a nice USB to digital-over-fiber box, but one must exist - has anyone out there found one?
Most large companies have a site license for Windows anyway. Buying a computer with Windows already installed usually means paying for Windows twice. But this isn't about the big corporates buying $10k+ software licenses, is it? For a home user, knocking $100 off the price of a laptop is worth having. The more people do it, the easier it gets. If Dell could find a way to consistently make their laptops cheaper, they'd be laughing. Dell Linux anybody?
Maybe this is an odd reply for slashdot, but do you have a link? If I've got the wrong end of the stick, I'm willing to learn.
Is there anyone who thinks it's a little unfair for a big monopoly to hide the programming interface, locking out a whole bunch of software providers? Yes, I think that's unfair. I should think the EU have an opinion too. Cutting out the AV providers doesn't count as a security measure.
I agree with the principle of what you're saying, but installing packages under Linux gets a bad wrap. Installing tarballs takes a bit of practice, but almost everybody uses some sort of package manager now. I use gentoo, so I type emerge package to install a package, and emerge -C package to remove it. That's in a distribution renown for being difficult. Suse and friends have clicky goodness.
We need to stop bitching about solved problems, and focus on the next task. A predictable GUI sounds like a good start.
Isn't it interesting to see what happens, once one assumes that government and the people are not synonymous. As a casual observer, it appears that money counts for more than human rights and big industry runs the country. I'm not sure it's what those early Americans were hoping to build.
That's okay, everybody knows Linux users are insignificant [ducks]
I use Linux (Gentoo + Suse), Solaris and Windows. If I can use the same browser on all systems, I'm a little less confused. I care about platform support.
Why not form a foundation to produce open journals? I know open journals already exist, but they're small and not well known. With $100M we could create a foundation, fund the editing process, and fund some publicity. Lots of scientists support open journals, once they know what they are.
Symantec and McAfee are only in business because of Microsofts mistakes, true. I'd love to see them go out of business because MS had finally made a secure product. But that's not what MS are doing. Rather than making Windows secure, MS are making it difficult for the AV companies to operate. Sure, they're plugging Windows, but the wrong bits. It's not security, it's monopoly. We've seen this before.
Now if they could just make it so you can lift off the little screen and keep it in your pocket while your laptop is in its bag, that'd be cool. It'd be like having a...um...pda.
I've often wondered, what are these new instruction Intel keep thinking up? Are they some sort of fancy array processing, new addressing modes? I'm curious. Whatever happened to RISC?
I really wanted to say one, but there's no way I can see that working. It's difficult to explain to someone inside the Microsoft monopoly that there are several packages, all capable of doing what you want, all looking a little different. I don't know why - cars are different, hifis are different. How do you pick a hifi?
Three isn't a magic number. But after typing one, I decided that's not the right solution. KDE and Gnome are both good, and I'm glad they both exist (even if I choose to use fluxbox). The proposed web site could do two things. First, offer the stable packages that get you up and running. But second, it could help introduce the open source world, where things work a little differently. It'd be a shame to lose the variety in order to reach the masses.
That is a damn fine idea. Sourceforge is a terrifying experience for even half-hardy users you've never been there. When I recently helped a friend install Inkscape, she ask "Why's it listing all these different countries, where do I click?" with mild panic. She has a PhD in engineering - she's just not familiar with open-source.
A simple site, aimed at your gran with her first computer, listing one package for each main task. Well, maybe three packages, but make it absolutely clear that they all work, and do the same thing. I like the firefox/thunderbird download sites that guess what OS you're using - fewer options is good here. Maybe something like freedesktop.org, but cross platform (i.e. you only get listed if you work on all of Linux/Mac/Windows).
We had those stories a few years ago, about people being mugged because the mugger saw their white ipod earphones. We get all excited about RFID passports, because they broadcast our information. And now Microsoft produce an ipod-alike that positively identifies itself, via wifi, to anyone who cares to listen? That can't be a good idea.
Darl's never going to make it to Gitmo. He's not innocent.
Your roommate, huh?
Unless you want to take a screen graphic and PRINT IT REALLY BIG (sorry, my keyboard doesn't have any bigger letters). Not to mention all those desktop icons that automatically scale to the size you want them.
Have you told them? The BBC is full of technogeeks, but without some evidence to take to the boss, it's pretty hard to support these 'weird' systems that aren't Windows. Write them a nice letter, 'Dear Mr. BBC, I use XXX becauses it's good, but can't view your video streams. Have you considered supporting YYY video format, which is supported on MS, Apple, most Unix and XXX?'
This must be some new definition of tera. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tera
tera- (symbol: T) is a prefix in the SI system of units denoting 10^12, or 1 000 000 000 000.
That seems to leave Intel 999,999,999,920 cores short.