Monday, June 30, 2003
Will Debian survive the rise of Linux?
We need events, gatherings, news, launches, conferences, and new initiatives: any excuse to talk to the media or even just the person next door. The media is hot for Linux right now, so we need to work it. Debian's upcoming 10th birthday[3] is a perfect opportunity. We need to make sure it's covered by the popular press all around the world, and the idea of a distributed worldwide party is as good a hook as any to convince them to cover it. We've got less than two months to organise it, so lets get moving on it.
Friday, June 27, 2003
Jon Udell on RSS and Echo
I read Jons blog every day. This is a really amusing read. This RSS debate needs to come to an end. They need to decide on a format and stick with it.
I read Jons blog every day. This is a really amusing read. This RSS debate needs to come to an end. They need to decide on a format and stick with it.
Thursday, June 26, 2003
Lipstick on a Pig: An Object-oriented Layer on an OS That's Not
On .Net...
In short, those six lines of code will allocate 8,000 strings that take up a total of 500Kb of memory. That might or might not represent a performance hit, but I've found that it certainly surprises most developers.
Thats just gross!!! I'll stick to plain old C++/QT or C++/GTK, thank you very much.
On .Net...
In short, those six lines of code will allocate 8,000 strings that take up a total of 500Kb of memory. That might or might not represent a performance hit, but I've found that it certainly surprises most developers.
Thats just gross!!! I'll stick to plain old C++/QT or C++/GTK, thank you very much.
What desktop OS do you use?
I'm surprised Linux is there with such low numbers! Sucks! I was hoping at least now there would be more people who would be using Linux! I cant believe even the person who posted to the site uses Windows!
This blows!
I'm surprised Linux is there with such low numbers! Sucks! I was hoping at least now there would be more people who would be using Linux! I cant believe even the person who posted to the site uses Windows!
This blows!
I was just looking what kind of laptop $500 would buy me. I need a nice fast (not super fast) laptop with decent hard drive space. The laptop should be good for development purposes, and should be stable. The pentuim laptop I have is good for this stuff, but the machine is dying and I dont know how long she will last out. It already has a problem that it reboots unexpectedly all of a sudden, and it seems to be a hardware problem. It does'nt matter what OS you are running on it. Windows 98 or Linux. When it goes out it just sits there without restarting for a while. This started happeneing after I lent the laptop to a friend. He took it somewhere and must have dropped it or something. As long as you leave it lying on a desk and not moving the laptop seems to work fine.
Its old. Need a new one. There is a transmeta laptop on pricewatch that is being sold for under $500. Now all I gotta do is to save some dough.
Its old. Need a new one. There is a transmeta laptop on pricewatch that is being sold for under $500. Now all I gotta do is to save some dough.
Openness makes software better sooner
Computer software develops more effectively when its code is freely accessible to all, UK researchers have calculated.
This will come as no surprise to the legions of supporters of open-access software, such as the operating systems and tools the Linux and Apache projects distribute. To them, the superiority of freely available code is an article of faith - as much an ideological position as a technological decision.
Computer software develops more effectively when its code is freely accessible to all, UK researchers have calculated.
This will come as no surprise to the legions of supporters of open-access software, such as the operating systems and tools the Linux and Apache projects distribute. To them, the superiority of freely available code is an article of faith - as much an ideological position as a technological decision.
Air Conditioner
I told him my secret. Men in my life have taught me how to do things. The most important thing they've taught me is what men learn as boys. They learn they CAN'T GIVE UP. I hate to say it, but at least for my generation, as little girls we were taught WE COULD GIVE UP, that we could get emotional, throw up our hands and say, "I give up, I can't figure it out!" There was something diabolically "feminine" and "cute" about that. It's often called "learned helplessness" as girls learn that appearing helpless gets them more positive attention, and often as not, attention from men who want to help them, playing to the worst of alpha male stereotypes. I've since learned that this stance is truly insidious. I've learned from men that if you start with the premise that you MUST solve a problem, it's much easier to solve. Men have taught me to be resourceful and NOT to give up. So have women. My sister-in-law and I once had a blast installing a dimmer switch. She was good, but not typical of most women I fear. We let our girls off the hook all too often. We need to teach them how resourceful they can be.
Thats exactly how my friend is. She loves to do things herself. She is resourceful and does not give up. Also, I have recently developed the biggest crush on her. And if you read my blog, you'll notice, it aint going well!
I told him my secret. Men in my life have taught me how to do things. The most important thing they've taught me is what men learn as boys. They learn they CAN'T GIVE UP. I hate to say it, but at least for my generation, as little girls we were taught WE COULD GIVE UP, that we could get emotional, throw up our hands and say, "I give up, I can't figure it out!" There was something diabolically "feminine" and "cute" about that. It's often called "learned helplessness" as girls learn that appearing helpless gets them more positive attention, and often as not, attention from men who want to help them, playing to the worst of alpha male stereotypes. I've since learned that this stance is truly insidious. I've learned from men that if you start with the premise that you MUST solve a problem, it's much easier to solve. Men have taught me to be resourceful and NOT to give up. So have women. My sister-in-law and I once had a blast installing a dimmer switch. She was good, but not typical of most women I fear. We let our girls off the hook all too often. We need to teach them how resourceful they can be.
Thats exactly how my friend is. She loves to do things herself. She is resourceful and does not give up. Also, I have recently developed the biggest crush on her. And if you read my blog, you'll notice, it aint going well!
Learn to consume RSS feeds at DevX
This web page is so heavy that it brought my Pentium 166 Mhz computer to a crawl while trying to scroll the article. Yes P166 is old, but still I have never come across a web page that was so heavily laden that the P166 could not scroll it properly. Well, I guess there is a first for everything. I wish I had the money to buy a new laptop.
This web page is so heavy that it brought my Pentium 166 Mhz computer to a crawl while trying to scroll the article. Yes P166 is old, but still I have never come across a web page that was so heavily laden that the P166 could not scroll it properly. Well, I guess there is a first for everything. I wish I had the money to buy a new laptop.
Reasons for the Gentoo Fork!
If these points have piqued your interest, my story, and how I chose to respond, follows in my typically extemporaneous style of phenomenally verbose prose. Parental discretion is advised - young children may need to have explained the ethical implications of this sordid tale.
....
Free code, yes; free labor, no.
Damn.... And I was actually thinking of trying out Gentoo!
If these points have piqued your interest, my story, and how I chose to respond, follows in my typically extemporaneous style of phenomenally verbose prose. Parental discretion is advised - young children may need to have explained the ethical implications of this sordid tale.
....
Free code, yes; free labor, no.
Damn.... And I was actually thinking of trying out Gentoo!
About the XML interface to Amazon.com
Amazon (AMZN ) may not always get the sale, but that's just fine with the e-commerce giant, which is playing a more central role in Bausch's buying habits. Amazon has made it easier for Bausch and other developers to get the info they want. Since April, 2002, Bausch -- or anyone who has signed up as a developer with Amazon's Web-services program -- has been able to download data feeds from Amazon in XML (extensible markup language) format. Plenty of Amazon hackers have, like Bausch, made tools for their personal use or to put them on their own sites. Still others have made a business selling their tools or software based on Amazon's XML feeds to other companies and Web sites.
Amazon (AMZN ) may not always get the sale, but that's just fine with the e-commerce giant, which is playing a more central role in Bausch's buying habits. Amazon has made it easier for Bausch and other developers to get the info they want. Since April, 2002, Bausch -- or anyone who has signed up as a developer with Amazon's Web-services program -- has been able to download data feeds from Amazon in XML (extensible markup language) format. Plenty of Amazon hackers have, like Bausch, made tools for their personal use or to put them on their own sites. Still others have made a business selling their tools or software based on Amazon's XML feeds to other companies and Web sites.
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
Alas, Poor Microsoft ... You Used to Be So Interesting
A tech-savvy friend of mine casually said something the other day that's been bothering me ever since. "Microsoft is in trouble," he said. It's not unusual to hear people in Silicon Valley flip Microsoft the bird, saying stuff like "Microsoft is evil incarnate" or "Microsoft must be neutered." But "Microsoft is in trouble"? That's a new one. How could my buddy possibly believe that Microsoft�Microsoft!�is in trouble?
Right after that, I noticed in some magazine that Microsoft's total shareholder return has actually been negative over the past 12 months. You have to put thoughts like those in perspective, of course. Shareholder return depends heavily on timing. And despite Microsoft's size, its revenues continue to grow at a healthy pace�not to mention the fact that nearly 30 cents of each dollar of revenue is profit. If this company has a financial problem, it's figuring out what to do with all the cash it generates.
A tech-savvy friend of mine casually said something the other day that's been bothering me ever since. "Microsoft is in trouble," he said. It's not unusual to hear people in Silicon Valley flip Microsoft the bird, saying stuff like "Microsoft is evil incarnate" or "Microsoft must be neutered." But "Microsoft is in trouble"? That's a new one. How could my buddy possibly believe that Microsoft�Microsoft!�is in trouble?
Right after that, I noticed in some magazine that Microsoft's total shareholder return has actually been negative over the past 12 months. You have to put thoughts like those in perspective, of course. Shareholder return depends heavily on timing. And despite Microsoft's size, its revenues continue to grow at a healthy pace�not to mention the fact that nearly 30 cents of each dollar of revenue is profit. If this company has a financial problem, it's figuring out what to do with all the cash it generates.
Tuesday, June 24, 2003
Monday, June 23, 2003
Intel releases 3.2 Ghz Pentuim 4
Damn, and I just upgraded to 1.3 Ghz.
The new chip contains 512KB of on-die L2 cache and operates over 400, 533 and 800MHz frontside bus frequencies. It is fabbed using a 0.13 micron process.
800 Mhz Frontside Bus. Drool!
But I dont need that kinda power. People in my lab running Sims do. But no one else would!
Damn, and I just upgraded to 1.3 Ghz.
The new chip contains 512KB of on-die L2 cache and operates over 400, 533 and 800MHz frontside bus frequencies. It is fabbed using a 0.13 micron process.
800 Mhz Frontside Bus. Drool!
But I dont need that kinda power. People in my lab running Sims do. But no one else would!
Saturday, June 21, 2003
When was the last time you used an application that was truly revolutionary. My last application would be Radio Userland. What is wrong with the Software developers. Why is everyone so down. Now is the best time to be innovating.
Look at PCmagazine. Its just a digital video camera catalogue. How boring!
I used to love reading Byte. Now you gotta pay for it. I'm just a student.
The computer world has changed. And changed for the worst!
Slashdot barely ever has news about something innovative. Something cool. There is no more interest in coding/developing. Everybody is worried about security and patents. There is no fun.
Look at PCmagazine. Its just a digital video camera catalogue. How boring!
I used to love reading Byte. Now you gotta pay for it. I'm just a student.
The computer world has changed. And changed for the worst!
Slashdot barely ever has news about something innovative. Something cool. There is no more interest in coding/developing. Everybody is worried about security and patents. There is no fun.
Friday, June 20, 2003
More crushing of rivals
In other words, a browser that destroyed its competition by being offered for free may conceivably become available only by buying an expensive operating system. And a browser that has made its own tweaks into quasi-standards because it is universally available may now become the driving force for upgrading to new versions of Windows. The settlement of Microsoft's anti-trust case leaves it free to develop IE for Longhorn as it sees fit.
I dont think this will work anymore. Mozilla is a standards compliant browser that is opens source. No matter what Microsoft may try, I dont think they will be able to stop people from using third party browsers like Mozilla, Opera, and Konqueror/Safari. I dont think it matters anymore.
In other words, a browser that destroyed its competition by being offered for free may conceivably become available only by buying an expensive operating system. And a browser that has made its own tweaks into quasi-standards because it is universally available may now become the driving force for upgrading to new versions of Windows. The settlement of Microsoft's anti-trust case leaves it free to develop IE for Longhorn as it sees fit.
I dont think this will work anymore. Mozilla is a standards compliant browser that is opens source. No matter what Microsoft may try, I dont think they will be able to stop people from using third party browsers like Mozilla, Opera, and Konqueror/Safari. I dont think it matters anymore.
Thursday, June 19, 2003
Microsoft loses No. 2 ranking in market value to drug maker
At first thought this looks like good news from the Linux side. But if you think about it, it also shows the decline in the demand for Tech. A result of the dot com bust, and the bad economy.
At first thought this looks like good news from the Linux side. But if you think about it, it also shows the decline in the demand for Tech. A result of the dot com bust, and the bad economy.
What SCO Wants, SCO Gets
These guys in Utah are no dummies. The crunchies in the Linux community should be paying more attention.
Damn thats scary!
These guys in Utah are no dummies. The crunchies in the Linux community should be paying more attention.
Damn thats scary!
MSN search bot
Damn things are heating up. I think Microsoft has been sleeping too long. Mozilla/FireBird/Konqueror/Opera have all but caught up with thier browser, OpenOffice with Microsoft Office, and Linux with Windows. Google is a top search engine, and they have to fight them now as well. At least they are gonna have to work hard now to keep their monoply. :)
Damn things are heating up. I think Microsoft has been sleeping too long. Mozilla/FireBird/Konqueror/Opera have all but caught up with thier browser, OpenOffice with Microsoft Office, and Linux with Windows. Google is a top search engine, and they have to fight them now as well. At least they are gonna have to work hard now to keep their monoply. :)
Rules engine/debugger as system service?
I've never bothered messing with any of these spam tools. I might just be lucky in that I dont get that much spam. I saw a friends mail box. He got hundreds of mails in a matter of seconds. It was crazy.
I've never bothered messing with any of these spam tools. I might just be lucky in that I dont get that much spam. I saw a friends mail box. He got hundreds of mails in a matter of seconds. It was crazy.
Wednesday, June 18, 2003
Friday, June 13, 2003
Jon and SurfControl
SurfControl: We have a worldwide team of expert researchers who evaluate sites 24x7.
Jon: Hmm. Well it seems there's been an error. Can you please correct it?
SC: Give me the URL and I'll review your site.
JU: Look, just type "j-o-n" into Google and follow the first link.
(OK, that last bit was harsh, but geez, give me a break...)
Wow! That is sooooo Coooolllll!!!!! :)
SurfControl: We have a worldwide team of expert researchers who evaluate sites 24x7.
Jon: Hmm. Well it seems there's been an error. Can you please correct it?
SC: Give me the URL and I'll review your site.
JU: Look, just type "j-o-n" into Google and follow the first link.
(OK, that last bit was harsh, but geez, give me a break...)
Wow! That is sooooo Coooolllll!!!!! :)
Thursday, June 12, 2003
Media control sucks! I know one thing, it takes a lot these days for me to sit down and watch something. I am so busy that I usually dont have time to settle down. I am perfectly sure that I am not going to put up with stupid warnings and troubleshooting license problems. I am probably going to through the movie/music away and move on. Dont have the time or the patience to deal with this kinda stupidity.
My roommate on the other hand is another story. He is enjoying summer right now, with no work, and very few classes. One actually. That too a distance learning one. He spends all his time at home doing mostly nothing, but watching TV, or movies or something else he downloaded. I used to be like that, but those days for me are gone. Only people like him will be able to put up with those kinda technical problems that might crop up due to media control (like digital certificates and stuff).
My roommate on the other hand is another story. He is enjoying summer right now, with no work, and very few classes. One actually. That too a distance learning one. He spends all his time at home doing mostly nothing, but watching TV, or movies or something else he downloaded. I used to be like that, but those days for me are gone. Only people like him will be able to put up with those kinda technical problems that might crop up due to media control (like digital certificates and stuff).
The PPC 970 transition
I wonder what these new chips will mean for Apple. Are they going to start churning computers that are faster. Are they gonna take back the status of having the fastest computers from Intel. They certainlly have a beautiful OS. I sure hope this works for them. But not too much though. Dont want Apple becoming too famous. They are too closed for their own good in some ways!
I wonder what these new chips will mean for Apple. Are they going to start churning computers that are faster. Are they gonna take back the status of having the fastest computers from Intel. They certainlly have a beautiful OS. I sure hope this works for them. But not too much though. Dont want Apple becoming too famous. They are too closed for their own good in some ways!
Bill Gates, Entertainment God
I hate what personal computers have been reduced to in both cases. I dont like it, and I dont have to like it. The whole house being run by computers is not my idea of a dream house. In fact, a house with as little built in technology is what I want. Dont want to be upgrading my house every year or two, and I dont want to have technology running everything in my life. Anything can go wrong, and I probably wont have time to fix it. It will be a mess. And I dont want to have to go the basement every few hours to reboot the main server! I know I wont be able to rely on it if it is running Windows.
And anyway, why would I want to be running a system such as Windows on such a mission critical computer in the first place. In my lab, we fired up a gateway computer about a year ago. We put it up in a corner. It provided a link to the cluster computers. The only purpose it served was when somebody had to go the cluster, they first had to go through the gateway computer. Any transfer that was done, had to go past the gateway computer. It handled gigs and gigs of data every day. And it kept working, without any problems for a whole year. Running Linux. It just kept working and working, until we decided to upgrade it. Its back up, and its been a month, and its still working. Now that is the kind of OS I would trust. Hence, I would only use Linux as a central server running my home.
And as far as the media giants go, they are idiots. They are sitting on a gold mine much larger than the one they are trying to protect. They could have come up with such a wonderful distribution system that would be good for consumers, and would also be good for them. But no, they are fools who are too scared to go with the times. No problem. People like Steve Jobs will replace them. You have read about how well the music initiative by Apple is doing, havent you?
I hate what personal computers have been reduced to in both cases. I dont like it, and I dont have to like it. The whole house being run by computers is not my idea of a dream house. In fact, a house with as little built in technology is what I want. Dont want to be upgrading my house every year or two, and I dont want to have technology running everything in my life. Anything can go wrong, and I probably wont have time to fix it. It will be a mess. And I dont want to have to go the basement every few hours to reboot the main server! I know I wont be able to rely on it if it is running Windows.
And anyway, why would I want to be running a system such as Windows on such a mission critical computer in the first place. In my lab, we fired up a gateway computer about a year ago. We put it up in a corner. It provided a link to the cluster computers. The only purpose it served was when somebody had to go the cluster, they first had to go through the gateway computer. Any transfer that was done, had to go past the gateway computer. It handled gigs and gigs of data every day. And it kept working, without any problems for a whole year. Running Linux. It just kept working and working, until we decided to upgrade it. Its back up, and its been a month, and its still working. Now that is the kind of OS I would trust. Hence, I would only use Linux as a central server running my home.
And as far as the media giants go, they are idiots. They are sitting on a gold mine much larger than the one they are trying to protect. They could have come up with such a wonderful distribution system that would be good for consumers, and would also be good for them. But no, they are fools who are too scared to go with the times. No problem. People like Steve Jobs will replace them. You have read about how well the music initiative by Apple is doing, havent you?
Voyager to a strange planet
Like many natural extroverts, Mr. Stenlund actually seems a bit shy offstage. Though articulate and clearly intelligent, he skipped college because he believed that school stifled creativity. Even as a child, Mr. Stenlund was not very outgoing, according to his mother, Marge Jarrells.
Looks to me like this dude just needs to grow up. He is married for gods sake!!!
I dont understand how people can waste so much time on something that will get them no monetary gain whatsoever. He spends all his time gaming instead of something worthwhile. Like his business. Would'nt that be so much better. Instead he is just running away from reality.
Like many natural extroverts, Mr. Stenlund actually seems a bit shy offstage. Though articulate and clearly intelligent, he skipped college because he believed that school stifled creativity. Even as a child, Mr. Stenlund was not very outgoing, according to his mother, Marge Jarrells.
Looks to me like this dude just needs to grow up. He is married for gods sake!!!
I dont understand how people can waste so much time on something that will get them no monetary gain whatsoever. He spends all his time gaming instead of something worthwhile. Like his business. Would'nt that be so much better. Instead he is just running away from reality.
Wednesday, June 11, 2003
The little coders predicament
I started programming at a very young age. When I first got the computer I made sure that it came with a lot of games. However, I found I could'nt keep my interest in a game for more than five minutes. Did'nt matter which game it was. Hacking/Programming was much more fun. I spent hours sitting in front of the computer, figuring out how some thing worked, or writing code and being amazed at what it could do. Thats why computers were so much fun!
Heck, I remember playing around with Visual Basic v3.0 for a bit. It was fun writing a calculator. But that is really boring. The language that I really did enjoy coding in was DBase. I made my own app for my fathers office in high school. They used it for about two years before a professional came in to upgrade it.
I started programming at a very young age. When I first got the computer I made sure that it came with a lot of games. However, I found I could'nt keep my interest in a game for more than five minutes. Did'nt matter which game it was. Hacking/Programming was much more fun. I spent hours sitting in front of the computer, figuring out how some thing worked, or writing code and being amazed at what it could do. Thats why computers were so much fun!
Heck, I remember playing around with Visual Basic v3.0 for a bit. It was fun writing a calculator. But that is really boring. The language that I really did enjoy coding in was DBase. I made my own app for my fathers office in high school. They used it for about two years before a professional came in to upgrade it.
The Linux System Administrator's Guide
"In the beginning, the file was without form, and void; and emptiness was upon the face of the bits. And the Fingers of the Author moved upon the face of the keyboard. And the Author said, Let there be words, and there were words."
The Linux-PAM System Administrators' Guide
Linux-PAM (Pluggable Authentication Modules for Linux) is a suite of shared libraries that enable the local system administrator to choose how applications authenticate users.
"In the beginning, the file was without form, and void; and emptiness was upon the face of the bits. And the Fingers of the Author moved upon the face of the keyboard. And the Author said, Let there be words, and there were words."
The Linux-PAM System Administrators' Guide
Linux-PAM (Pluggable Authentication Modules for Linux) is a suite of shared libraries that enable the local system administrator to choose how applications authenticate users.
I've been blogging over a year now. I've tried different blogging systems and software. I've tried running a blog at home, and I've tried running blogs on free services. I have'nt found one system that would satisfy me.
The system that came the closest to be being the best was running moveable type at home. A nice blogging interface, comments, and trackback (never could figure out how to use it). But the problem was it was running on my home computer, which requires frequent reboots into Windows for games, and other such little oddities. Now I have enough hardware at home to be able to setup a system that would only serve web pages, and would be separate from my home computer. Problem is that I dont have time on my hands anymore. Kinda frustrating.
The system that came the closest to be being the best was running moveable type at home. A nice blogging interface, comments, and trackback (never could figure out how to use it). But the problem was it was running on my home computer, which requires frequent reboots into Windows for games, and other such little oddities. Now I have enough hardware at home to be able to setup a system that would only serve web pages, and would be separate from my home computer. Problem is that I dont have time on my hands anymore. Kinda frustrating.
Tuesday, June 10, 2003
Rich-Text Editing in Mozilla 1.3
Wow! This is cool. Maybe now we can have a better blogger editor for the Mozilla browsers.
Wow! This is cool. Maybe now we can have a better blogger editor for the Mozilla browsers.
Hacks against linux growing
May saw the highest number of attacks ever, according to mi2g, with 19,208 successful breaches worldwide recorded against Linux based systems.
May saw the highest number of attacks ever, according to mi2g, with 19,208 successful breaches worldwide recorded against Linux based systems.
There is a lot of stuff to do at work.
1. First create a blank server for the new web developer to put up the new web site to be tested. Must be similar configuratiion to the main server.
2. Debug problem with the new cluster computer, to figure out what hardware is faulty, and then to get the hardware replaced.
3. Setup new cluster computers, so that the cluster is up and running completely.
4. Setup new backup computer.
5. Check on oberon, and shutdown all non-required services.
6. Check on otherside, to see if its up and stable.
1. First create a blank server for the new web developer to put up the new web site to be tested. Must be similar configuratiion to the main server.
2. Debug problem with the new cluster computer, to figure out what hardware is faulty, and then to get the hardware replaced.
3. Setup new cluster computers, so that the cluster is up and running completely.
4. Setup new backup computer.
5. Check on oberon, and shutdown all non-required services.
6. Check on otherside, to see if its up and stable.
Friday, June 06, 2003
Thursday, June 05, 2003
The popup blocking in Mozilla Firebird is just amazing. You can get a list of popups that were blocked.
The problem with the other browsers was that all the popups were blocked, and some sites brought in popups when a person had to log in or something. With Firebird its damn easy to enable just the relevant sites to show popups.
The problem with the other browsers was that all the popups were blocked, and some sites brought in popups when a person had to log in or something. With Firebird its damn easy to enable just the relevant sites to show popups.
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