Mozilla's simple and flexible XUL saves time when building Java-less applets
Here is somebody else offering a rich GUI to web builders. The only problem, they are open people, with very little money and no marketing. They have a head start on Microsoft. Guess which platform is going to win?
We can be sure of one thing though. If the rich GUI does catch on, we will see a lot of sites that will have the logos of the past. This site meant to work with that particular browser!
Wednesday, October 29, 2003
why no more IE?
After reading this, this, and this, I might have understood why no more IE from Microsoft. Still not sure!
But if what I think is right, then this truly sucks! It leads me to the conclusion that we are going to have a more controlled, and less free (platform lockin, as well as, controlled content) environment on the internet for the future.
I'm talking about this. The rich GUI.
And Microsoft finally realized the need for a dock.
But if what I think is right, then this truly sucks! It leads me to the conclusion that we are going to have a more controlled, and less free (platform lockin, as well as, controlled content) environment on the internet for the future.
I'm talking about this. The rich GUI.
And Microsoft finally realized the need for a dock.
Monday, October 27, 2003
torrents + RSS?
I just thought this up. Does'nt it sound like a good idea?
Maybe I should work on a client that works this way.
Maybe I should work on a client that works this way.
Longhorn Development Center
Wow! Microsoft is really getting a head start on this new version of thier operating system. Its going to be released in 2006.
Lop.com
Lop.com (Do not click) is the web site that provides the damn piece of shit software that installed itself on my system the other day. It is hard to get rid of. I was planning on re-installing the OS as it is, but still it is a real pain in the ass.
And apparently those users using Mozilla are not safe either. I use Konqueror on Linux. So for the time being I'm safe from this menace. I should have been more careful, when I installed the software that actually installed this crap software in the first place.
And apparently those users using Mozilla are not safe either. I use Konqueror on Linux. So for the time being I'm safe from this menace. I should have been more careful, when I installed the software that actually installed this crap software in the first place.
Sunday, October 26, 2003
Friday, October 24, 2003
is it legal?
I have been ripping streams of internet radio sites, and I wonder, is it legal?
It should be, I use to record music of the normal radio. This is the same thing, right?
It should be, I use to record music of the normal radio. This is the same thing, right?
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
I hate SpyWare/AdWare
Rant:
Damn it! I was installing something in a hurry, and by mistake clicked past the setting in the install which asked me if I wanted to install Spyware/Adware, some online casino shit! Damn thing fucked up the whole system. Thats why I love Linux. No fucking spyware!
Today when I had time, I went into Add Remove Programs, and tried to find the software, but ofcourse it is'nt there. Then I ran spybot. Nothing doing. If I dont find a solution, I'm gonna have to reinstall. I have Windows XP just for games, but damn it man... I hate reinstalling windows. Compared to Linux its a mess! No wonder all these office people are so frustrated all the time, they have to use Windows!
/RANT:
Damn it! I was installing something in a hurry, and by mistake clicked past the setting in the install which asked me if I wanted to install Spyware/Adware, some online casino shit! Damn thing fucked up the whole system. Thats why I love Linux. No fucking spyware!
Today when I had time, I went into Add Remove Programs, and tried to find the software, but ofcourse it is'nt there. Then I ran spybot. Nothing doing. If I dont find a solution, I'm gonna have to reinstall. I have Windows XP just for games, but damn it man... I hate reinstalling windows. Compared to Linux its a mess! No wonder all these office people are so frustrated all the time, they have to use Windows!
/RANT:
Thursday, October 16, 2003
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
rdesktop
I just connected to my home computer running Windows Server 2003 using rdesktop, from a debian machine at work. It works great! Its amazing. Now I can connect to any machine running Windows XP and higher from a Linux machine, without having VNC installed.
Well I've installed Windows 98 on my laptop. I found a PCMCIA card at work that no one seems to be using, and the problem is that no matter what distribution I try I cannot get the card to work. The driver for the card is listed on the hardware list, but when I actually get it on a linux system the driver will not load. Anyway, I have too many machines running Linux, so if one runs this OS it is'nt that bad. Anyway, I am kinda enjoying sitting in bed, and blogging from the laptop, and I guess that is what matters. Use what makes you more productive. Its an old laptop, so its not like I can get much programming done on this anyway.
Monday, October 13, 2003
Understanding Active Directory Services
Understanding Active Directory Services [Understanding Active Directory Services at InformIT.com]
Sunday, October 12, 2003
And Linux has its problems too!
Being a sysadmin for a lab that runs Linux I know! I deal with problems everyday. From driver scarcity for brand spanking new systems, package management systems hell, to just plain problems patching systems. To hackers hacking systems and messing them up. Its not like Linux has all the answers to Windows problems!
I'd still pick Linux over Windows any day!
I'd still pick Linux over Windows any day!
Moving over to Linux
I never thought that it would be hard for companies to move over to Linux but after having delt with personal assistants, professors and students at work, I am convinced that it would take too much to start them over. It is little things, that a power user would never think about that stumps them. They dont know how to use the software. The more important thing is that they have no idea of how the software works from inside, so if something does'nt work the way it used to, it confuses the heck out of them. See the problem is that people are not used to the dynamics of software.
On the actual desktop, it is the person who arranges his equipment (Paper/Pen/Paper weight). Equipment is governed by the laws of nature, and they know how to deal with it, and the laws dont change. On a computer desktop it is different. It is very different. There are many laws at work there. First there is the law of the operating system. Everything is arranged according to the Operating system. If there is a window manager, everything is arranged according to the operating system and the window manager. Then documents are handled according to the laws of the office suite, or whatever else it is that created that document. It is too much to expect normal everyday people to try to learn these new laws over and over again.
So should we keep creating new software, or should we just be improving older software, so that the changes are incremental. Well, according to the users so far, they would rather continue to pay Microsoft to improve the current system incrementally than to switch to a new OS and desktop. They are afraid that there are going to be problems on this new desktop (Linux/KDE/GNOME/etc.) as well. And they dont want to give up one desktop to move to another desktop. The most popular desktops on Linux are those that mimic the MS desktop. KDE and GNOME. Even those that move, dont want to go too far. Imagine moving a Windows user to WindowMaker/Blackbox.
Though if not given a choice, the users will move. As did the users of the Mac. They moved from the old Mac OS 9 interface, to the new Aqua interface in Mac OS X. They moved from an interface that they had been using for years to the new interface that was really good looking but hardly tested. Why did that happen? I believe that the reason is choice. With moving to Linux its a choice. And people are too lazy and too scared to move. But with the Mac the people did not have a choice. Either they use there old systems and dont upgrade, which in this dynamic world is hardly an option for office people. At home it might be, and I wont be surprised if there are people who are still using Mac OS 9. There are people who are using Windows 98. Why not Mac OS 9?
So the conclusion that can be reached is, that, unless the viruses, worms, patches and holes reach a point where the user goes beyond frustration he will not switch platforms. And it must be something more than what happened recently (MSBlaster/SoBig/forgot_name). So, I doubt its going to happen!
On the actual desktop, it is the person who arranges his equipment (Paper/Pen/Paper weight). Equipment is governed by the laws of nature, and they know how to deal with it, and the laws dont change. On a computer desktop it is different. It is very different. There are many laws at work there. First there is the law of the operating system. Everything is arranged according to the Operating system. If there is a window manager, everything is arranged according to the operating system and the window manager. Then documents are handled according to the laws of the office suite, or whatever else it is that created that document. It is too much to expect normal everyday people to try to learn these new laws over and over again.
So should we keep creating new software, or should we just be improving older software, so that the changes are incremental. Well, according to the users so far, they would rather continue to pay Microsoft to improve the current system incrementally than to switch to a new OS and desktop. They are afraid that there are going to be problems on this new desktop (Linux/KDE/GNOME/etc.) as well. And they dont want to give up one desktop to move to another desktop. The most popular desktops on Linux are those that mimic the MS desktop. KDE and GNOME. Even those that move, dont want to go too far. Imagine moving a Windows user to WindowMaker/Blackbox.
Though if not given a choice, the users will move. As did the users of the Mac. They moved from the old Mac OS 9 interface, to the new Aqua interface in Mac OS X. They moved from an interface that they had been using for years to the new interface that was really good looking but hardly tested. Why did that happen? I believe that the reason is choice. With moving to Linux its a choice. And people are too lazy and too scared to move. But with the Mac the people did not have a choice. Either they use there old systems and dont upgrade, which in this dynamic world is hardly an option for office people. At home it might be, and I wont be surprised if there are people who are still using Mac OS 9. There are people who are using Windows 98. Why not Mac OS 9?
So the conclusion that can be reached is, that, unless the viruses, worms, patches and holes reach a point where the user goes beyond frustration he will not switch platforms. And it must be something more than what happened recently (MSBlaster/SoBig/forgot_name). So, I doubt its going to happen!
Microsoft Dissatisfaction Running High, Users Contemplate Switch
Microsoft Dissatisfaction Running High, Users Contemplate Switch
Almost two-thirds of respondents to a recent InternetWeek Reader Question said they are dissatisfied with Microsoft software, and 41 percent of respondents are at least thinking about switching away from Microsoft software. Only 28 percent of users responding to the poll described themselves as satisfied Microsoft customers.
The problem is whether we want such people to actually hop over to Linux. They r in a frustrated state. When they move over, they will be frustrated even more with Linux and might be totally turned of by it. I dont know. It might also be good for Linux. I dont know!
Almost two-thirds of respondents to a recent InternetWeek Reader Question said they are dissatisfied with Microsoft software, and 41 percent of respondents are at least thinking about switching away from Microsoft software. Only 28 percent of users responding to the poll described themselves as satisfied Microsoft customers.
The problem is whether we want such people to actually hop over to Linux. They r in a frustrated state. When they move over, they will be frustrated even more with Linux and might be totally turned of by it. I dont know. It might also be good for Linux. I dont know!
I love my Blogroll
Blogrolling has been down for maintainence for a while! It has made me realize how much I use this service! I use it for my reading. Since all the blogs/websites that have been updated are placed on top, I use it to read all of the updated ones. At the moment its down, and its really irritating.
Friday, October 10, 2003
There... titles r much better!
Dont know how it looks in Internet Explorer though!
It seems blogger is putting in a feature after feature every week. That is good. I just cant wait for people to be able to comment on my blog!
It seems blogger is putting in a feature after feature every week. That is good. I just cant wait for people to be able to comment on my blog!
Comments on blogspot?
I wish I could have a comments feature on this blog. That would make things so much better. It would'nt be a one way blog anymore.
Workspace v1.0
GotDotNet Workspaces is an online collaborative development environment where .NET developers can create, host and manage projects throughout the project lifecycle. [GotDotNet Workspaces]
Quote Bookmarklet
Really interesting post by Jon Udell. Makes it so much easier to cut and paste postings with the actual original links in tact. Amazing stuff!
Really interesting post by Jon Udell. Makes it so much easier to cut and paste postings with the actual original links in tact. Amazing stuff!
And here's the actual quote bookmarklet, draggable to your linkbar if you're running Mozilla.
[Jon's Radio]
Monday, October 06, 2003
YpBind stuff
The Slackware ypbind is the GPL'ed one. The Debian ypbind is one that
I hacked up based on the BSD ypbind, because the GPL'ed one wasn't
stable in a multiple-NIS server environment. The current debian ypbind is,
in fact it's rock stable.
The thing is that with the GPL'ed ypbind you could bind it to a NIS
server manually through /etc/yp.conf. The BSD one relies on broadcasts,
the -S option is only to restrict to which server it eventually binds.
The Slackware ypbind is the GPL'ed one. The Debian ypbind is one that
I hacked up based on the BSD ypbind, because the GPL'ed one wasn't
stable in a multiple-NIS server environment. The current debian ypbind is,
in fact it's rock stable.
The thing is that with the GPL'ed ypbind you could bind it to a NIS
server manually through /etc/yp.conf. The BSD one relies on broadcasts,
the -S option is only to restrict to which server it eventually binds.
Another review
It�s been a long time since office suites in general, and Microsoft�s in particular, generated much heat. The features that most users depend on most often were hammered out before these programs were even ported to Windows. Word�s document-handling prowess and Excel�s analytical power have matured over the years, and they are formidable assets, but the truth is the average information worker has little need of them. R�sum�s, memos, and e-mails are written in Word by habit, not by necessity. Excel is typically used just to format, convey, and visualize tabular data. The way to reinvigorate Office was not to pile on more elite functionality, but rather to expand the scope of routine tasks. Office 2003 does so in ways that make it, arguably, the most compelling upgrade ever.
8-1/2-by-11-inch pages, it�s a lousy way to feed a database. So, most Monster users rely on the cut-and-paste method to transfer r�sum� content from Word documents into its database. Soon, De Lorme says, Monster will try an alternative method. Job seekers who have Word 2003 will be able to download Word templates that solve two problems at once. First, they will allow users to create, edit, and print r�sum�s in the normal way. Second, their data will be mapped to XML elements and validated against HR-XML, the dominant XML schema in the human resources realm, allowing the information to be parsed by machines. If the experiment succeeds, job seekers will save time and everyone will benefit from high-fidelity data that can be easily exchanged and effectively searched.
It�s been a long time since office suites in general, and Microsoft�s in particular, generated much heat. The features that most users depend on most often were hammered out before these programs were even ported to Windows. Word�s document-handling prowess and Excel�s analytical power have matured over the years, and they are formidable assets, but the truth is the average information worker has little need of them. R�sum�s, memos, and e-mails are written in Word by habit, not by necessity. Excel is typically used just to format, convey, and visualize tabular data. The way to reinvigorate Office was not to pile on more elite functionality, but rather to expand the scope of routine tasks. Office 2003 does so in ways that make it, arguably, the most compelling upgrade ever.
8-1/2-by-11-inch pages, it�s a lousy way to feed a database. So, most Monster users rely on the cut-and-paste method to transfer r�sum� content from Word documents into its database. Soon, De Lorme says, Monster will try an alternative method. Job seekers who have Word 2003 will be able to download Word templates that solve two problems at once. First, they will allow users to create, edit, and print r�sum�s in the normal way. Second, their data will be mapped to XML elements and validated against HR-XML, the dominant XML schema in the human resources realm, allowing the information to be parsed by machines. If the experiment succeeds, job seekers will save time and everyone will benefit from high-fidelity data that can be easily exchanged and effectively searched.
Office 2003 reviewed
E-mail fans (or slaves) will be delighted to learn that Microsoft Outlook has received a sensational and far-reaching overhaul. But among the big three - Word, Excel and PowerPoint - you'll find only a new, blue color scheme and a few other choice changes.
Over the years, Microsoft's flagship e-mail-calendar program had become the well-deserved butt of jokes, frustration and spite. Because it is ubiquitous in the corporate world, Outlook became a helpless, football-field-size target for virus writers. And because it offered no protection against junk mail, it invited more spam than a canned-meats convention.
If someone sends you an IRM-protected document and you don't have Office 2003, meanwhile, you can't open it at all. (Microsoft says it will make a free viewer program available for the ingrates who don't upgrade immediately. This viewer is, however, for Windows only - IRM breaks some of the convenient Windows-Macintosh file compatibility that's existed for years - and it requires Internet Explorer as your browser.)
The basic Word-Excel-PowerPoint suite costs $450, or $280 to upgrade from an older version of Office (or even Microsoft Works). For just one program, Microsoft charges $230, or $110 for the upgrade. (There's no upgrade price for Outlook, however. It's $110 for newcomers and loyal, long-suffering fans alike. Clearly, Microsoft hopes to exploit the fact that everyone will want it.)
Speaking of payment, by the way, Office 2003 requires a PC running Windows 2000 or Windows XP. If you're among the millions of people with an earlier version of Windows, you had better factor a Windows upgrade into the price - and therefore maybe a new computer. Monopolies have their privileges.
E-mail fans (or slaves) will be delighted to learn that Microsoft Outlook has received a sensational and far-reaching overhaul. But among the big three - Word, Excel and PowerPoint - you'll find only a new, blue color scheme and a few other choice changes.
Over the years, Microsoft's flagship e-mail-calendar program had become the well-deserved butt of jokes, frustration and spite. Because it is ubiquitous in the corporate world, Outlook became a helpless, football-field-size target for virus writers. And because it offered no protection against junk mail, it invited more spam than a canned-meats convention.
If someone sends you an IRM-protected document and you don't have Office 2003, meanwhile, you can't open it at all. (Microsoft says it will make a free viewer program available for the ingrates who don't upgrade immediately. This viewer is, however, for Windows only - IRM breaks some of the convenient Windows-Macintosh file compatibility that's existed for years - and it requires Internet Explorer as your browser.)
The basic Word-Excel-PowerPoint suite costs $450, or $280 to upgrade from an older version of Office (or even Microsoft Works). For just one program, Microsoft charges $230, or $110 for the upgrade. (There's no upgrade price for Outlook, however. It's $110 for newcomers and loyal, long-suffering fans alike. Clearly, Microsoft hopes to exploit the fact that everyone will want it.)
Speaking of payment, by the way, Office 2003 requires a PC running Windows 2000 or Windows XP. If you're among the millions of people with an earlier version of Windows, you had better factor a Windows upgrade into the price - and therefore maybe a new computer. Monopolies have their privileges.
Friday, October 03, 2003
Thursday, October 02, 2003
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