Linux-Advocacy Digest #553, Volume #32 Wed, 28 Feb 01 07:13:04 EST
Contents:
Re: MS websites: a tale of total and humiliating failure! (Giuliano Colla)
Re: Breaking up is so very hard to do... (Aaron Kulkis)
Re: A question for a user who wants to jump the M$ ship (Terry Porter)
Re: why open source software is better (Nick Condon)
Re: My long signature - Oops! (Woof)
Re: why open source software is better (Ian Davey)
Re: Mircosoft Tax (Giuliano Colla)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Giuliano Colla <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To:
alt.destroy.microsoft,comp.os.ms-windows.advocacy,comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy
Subject: Re: MS websites: a tale of total and humiliating failure!
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 11:40:57 GMT
Amphetamine Bob wrote:
>
> "." wrote:
> >
> > > Every source that claims that MS tried multiple conversions of Hotmail to NT
> > > all reference the same *SINGLE* story published on less than credible news
> > > site with "unnamed" sources.
> >
> > Cnet - Sun->NT
> > http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-344896.html
> >
> > ZDNet - BSD->NT
> > http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/2000/30/ns-17071.html
> >
> > True to form with the Microsoft web site, searching for something doesn't
> > turn it up. Do you have a link to microsoft.com with their most recent
> > official statement?
> >
> > > Meanwhile, MS themselves stated specifically that no conversion was ever
> > > attempted. Further, the claim was that MS tried to convert to NT within
> > > weeks of purchasing Hotmail. It would have taken them months just to
> > > familiarize themselves with the system enough to even begin such a task, let
> > > alone complete and fail within weeks.
> >
> > That's based on a false premise... MS would be quite capable of fucking
> > up the conversion in just a couple of weeks. A sane programmer wouldn't
> > attempt it without reading and understanding the source code, but sanity
> > is a bit short in some areas.
>
> I believe that the most recent story was based on multiple (many)
> sources, all current MS employees. They repeated the same statement
> about MS not being able to run Hotmail on NT after multiple tries and
> also stated that almost all of MS big websites are running on Unix,
> even after numerous attempts to get them running on MS software. All
> of the employees wished to remain anonymous.
>
> Here are the facts from that article (from my notes).
>
> 1. Link Exchange. MS bought Link Exchange and tried to move it from
> Oracle over to SQL. They threw a ton of their best employees into the
> problem. After 2 months they gave up and put it on Oracle/Solaris
> where it remains. :)
>
> 2. BCentral. This site runs on Free BSD, BSD/OS and Solaris. MS
> tried very hard to migrate it to NT and Win2K. They had to quadruple
> the servers to pull it off and they decided it was not worth it! :)
>
> 3. Hotmail. Sure there are a few Win2K servers there but 99% of the
> site runs on Free BSD. :)
>
> 4. MSN!!!!!!! Yes, MS' own flagship site runs on Apache/Solaris! :)
>
> 5. BCentral's ad server is 100% Free BSD. :)
>
> 6. WebTV is almost completely run on Solaris. :)
>
> 7. An interesting tidbit: When MS announced the release of Win2K, MS
> issued a memo to all of its employees telling them to not even think
> about using it for production because it was too unstable!!!!!!! :)
>
> Since the sources were all current MS employees, they had to remain
> anonymous. Sorry but I forgot to write down the source of the article
> but it was one of the bit computer ezines that is very pro-MS. ;)
> Hehehehehe. This article came out, I believe, around November so
> things might have changed since then.
Things have almost certainly changed since November. What is
dubious is in what direction. :-)
> --
> Bob - shooting the bozo bit at 550 MHZ :). Wheeeeee! ;)
> Microsoft "Tech Support".
> 1) Re-boot
> 2) Re-boot
> 3) Re-install all your software
> 4) Buy the new release (again)
> 5) Go to 1
--
Giuliano Colla
Before activating the tongue, make sure that the brain is
connected (anonymous)
------------------------------
From: Aaron Kulkis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Breaking up is so very hard to do...
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 06:45:47 -0500
muppet wrote:
>
> > > and "intellectual property" legislation.
> >
> > Thankfully, they don't get to write legislation.
>
> Unfortunately the "American way" is that those with the largest bank
> accounts get to make whatever laws they want. Admittedly this is a view from
> outside the country, but it does seem that American law making is very much
> money oriented.
>
> Also unfortunately, since the majority of the internet is assumed to be
> contained in the US (at least by Americans) there will probably be an
> assumption that their laws will apply throughout the rest of the world.
I make no such assumption.
I'm merely stating that when sitting in the United States, the ONLY
laws that apply to me are US Federal laws, plus the law of whatever
state and local jurisdictions which I happen to occupy.
Conversely, when I'm on vacation, if I happen to write an e-mail
from my foreign destination, then I am subject to the laws of whatever
jurisdictions I happen to occupy at that time.
For example...if an American goes to Amsterdam, they can sniff,
snort, smoke, and shoot-up with whatever drugs they want...despite
the fact that this is blatently illegal at home.
[On the other hand, if they are a federal worker, or part of the
military, then they should be aware that a periodic urine test
could then get them discharged/fired.]
Right now, jurisdiction is STILL governed by the location where
the behavior takes place.
--
Aaron R. Kulkis
Unix Systems Engineer
DNRC Minister of all I survey
ICQ # 3056642
K: Truth in advertising:
Left Wing Extremists Charles Schumer and Donna Shelala,
Black Seperatist Anti-Semite Louis Farrakan,
Special Interest Sierra Club,
Anarchist Members of the ACLU
Left Wing Corporate Extremist Ted Turner
The Drunken Woman Killer Ted Kennedy
Grass Roots Pro-Gun movement,
J: Other knee_jerk reactionaries: billh, david casey, redc1c4,
The retarded sisters: Raunchy (rauni) and Anencephielle (Enielle),
also known as old hags who've hit the wall....
I: Loren Petrich's 2-week stubborn refusal to respond to the
challenge to describe even one philosophical difference
between himself and the communists demonstrates that, in fact,
Loren Petrich is a COMMUNIST ***hole
H: "Having found not one single carbon monoxide leak on the entire
premises, it is my belief, and Willard concurs, that the reason
you folks feel listless and disoriented is simply because
you are lazy, stupid people"
G: Knackos...you're a retard.
F: Unit_4's "Kook hunt" reminds me of "Jimmy Baker's" harangues against
adultery while concurrently committing adultery with Tammy Hahn.
E: Jet is not worthy of the time to compose a response until
her behavior improves.
D: Jet Silverman now follows me from newgroup to newsgroup
...despite (C) above.
C: Jet Silverman claims to have killfiled me.
B: Jet Silverman plays the fool and spews out nonsense as a
method of sidetracking discussions which are headed in a
direction that she doesn't like.
A: The wise man is mocked by fools.
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Terry Porter)
Crossposted-To: comp.lang.java.programmer
Subject: Re: A question for a user who wants to jump the M$ ship
Reply-To: No-Spam
Date: 28 Feb 2001 11:48:54 GMT
On Wed, 28 Feb 2001 05:05:08 -0500,
Flacco <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>
>> I have a list of my most dear apps and I humbly beseech anyone to
>> comment on best-match equivalents, if any, on Linux:
>
>I have to agree with you at this point that the GUI desktop apps are not
>there yet. They're getting closer as time goes on - I'm surprised by the
>progress they've made just over the last few months that I've been tracking
>Linux - but that said, here are my picks / observations:
I must disagree, the Linux desktop has been productive for *years*.
At least it has for me, and I've been using it full time since August 1997.
>>
>> * MS Outlook
What's the fuss with this app ?
Is it the 'favorites' list that slips to the left and dissapears?
Perhaps its the ease with which, your Windows pc can become virii ridden?
I submit that EXMH is a capable GUI emailer that offers many advanced
facilities, that 'Outhouse Distress' does not.
>
>Ximian's Evolution is getting there. Interface is pretty good; still buggy,
>but it's not finished yet.
>
>> * Internet Explorer (i sooo hate Netscape these days.. it just sucks,
>> compared to IE!!!!! <not trying to troll!!! please don't hit me!!>
>
>Try the latest build of Mozilla, or Opera. I'be been using Mozilla, but
>recently DL'd Opera and find it's fast and works well so far.
I hate netscape too, and I'm quite stuck on Mozilla 0.8 atm.
>
>> * Dreamweaver Ultradev
>
>Good luck. I brought this up recently and was basically told I was a pussy
>and/or moron for not writing out my web pages long-hand. Die-hard Linux
>users seem unwilling to admit that casual users may want a graphical design
>tool to build web pages, integrated with site management tools.
How about "Screem" ?
>This is a huge hole in Linux applications availability, and I think that
>once Linux becomes a more viable and popular desktop OS, vendors will rush
>in to fill this ridiculous gap.
For me the hole is in the Windows App availability, or perhaps my lack
of incentive to pay $thousands for apps that run on this unstable OS.
>
>
>> * ERWin (a top notch database modeling tool.. i'm a web app developer)
>> * TOAD (a tool for oracle application developers)
>
>No idea.
Ditto
>
>
>> * Rational Rose
>
>Look into ArgoUML for a free tool, or, if you're looking for a commercial
>product, I'm using ObjectDomain, which is coming along quite nicely.
>Version 3 is right around the corner. Has a free DL version that does
>everything, but will not store more than 30 entities.
>
>
>> But then there's ones like Flash and QuarkXpress which I know aren't
>> available for Linux and I need them both desperately!
You may be locked in to Windows then.
>
>No idea on those.
>
>
>> BTW.. I know Quake III is available for linux.. will it take full
>> advantage of the 3D processing of my GeForce 256?
>
>I would think so. I DLed the demo, ran great on my machine (but I just have
>TNT2 Ultra)
>
>
>For migrating Windows users, Linux isn't ready yet for prime time on the
>desktop.
Linux may never be 'ready' for migrating Windows users.
On the other hand, if you're able to look at the issues other than thinking
'will Linux run my Windows only apps' then you may be in for a pleasant
supprise.
Addmittedly I do electronic design and manufacture, and coding, and have *all*
the apps I've ever needed, there are no Windows or dos, (or emulation)
os's on this machine.
> But, it's getting closer all the time, and it makes sense to stay
>on top of things so you'll be ready to go when the glorious day comes that
>you can throw out your WinWare.
I wouldn't hold my breath, Linux is NOT a replacement for Windows.
Linux is Free Software, and has little in common with Windows.
>
>
>
Terry
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Nick Condon)
Crossposted-To: gnu.misc.discuss,comp.os.ms-windows.advocacy,misc.int-property
Subject: Re: why open source software is better
Date: 28 Feb 2001 11:51:24 GMT
[EMAIL PROTECTED] (vrml3d.com) wrote in
<97i0t4$4tb$[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
>
>> The subject line for this message should be "why open source software
>> is better for the *customer*".
>
>No, it should be "why open source software is better for the customer in
>the short run". Anything that drives producers out of the market in the
>long run is bad for consumers in the long run, business cycles not
>withstanding.
>
>Anecdotal evidence suggests a serious decline in shareware applications,
>with open source an obvious culprit. Fewer apps, fewer choices. Sorry
>I don't have numbers to back it up. That's why it's only anecdotal.
How about the rise of the Internet, more or less in line with the rise of
open source?
The Internet is built on free software.
--
Nick
------------------------------
From: Woof <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: My long signature - Oops!
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 11:58:34 GMT
In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] says...
> On Wed, 28 Feb 2001 09:23:45 GMT, Woof <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >Seems like many of you are taking this seriously for some reason.
> >It was just one of my many examples of my twisted humour
> >I was just teasing Aaron over his long sig in this one thats all
> >Anyone with half a brain can see its a fake i didnt try very hard to
> >fake it at all
> >
> >Woof da dog
>
> Woof, you Windows Lemming, it's just pathetic how you equate forgery
> with 'your twisted humour'.
>
> Please learn some usnet etiquette, and re-start taking your medication ?
>
>
> Terry
>
>
You need to get out more
------------------------------
Crossposted-To: gnu.misc.discuss,comp.os.ms-windows.advocacy,misc.int-property
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Ian Davey)
Subject: Re: why open source software is better
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 12:01:34 GMT
In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Craven Moorehead
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>On Wed, 28 Feb 2001 10:11:23 GMT, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Ian Davey)
>wrote:
>>Do you completely misunderstand the concept of a community? You get the source
>
>>code, and can acquire the OS for free (though can easily pay for it if you
>>want a nice box and extra documentation), but can contribute back to the
>>community by coding (or paying for the software, or writing documentation, or
>>providing help/support to others). The internet was built on free software,
>>and without it you wouldn't be sitting here typing now.
>
>Aren't you getting confused now? Open source does not necessarily mean
>free, But that is what it is associated with it most of the time.
I know perfectly well what Open Source is, and the differences between it and
Free Software.
>As for community, 99.99% of the population can't or wont do the
>contributing you suggest. Why should I do work for my OS when I get it
>free with my next PC ? Even if I had to pay directly it would be
>preferable for me.
You can pay for Linux and lots of people do. Walk into a shop and buy Red Hat,
Mandrake, SuSe, or another packaged distribution.
>You suggest a situation where 0.01% do the work and the rest enjoy the
>fruits of the labour. BTW that didn't work in Russia even when 100%
>did the work or at least pretended too.
This has nothing to do with Communism, it's about freedom of information.
Software is after all just information. If people want to create and share
software then who's to stop them? If someone creates something they have every
right to do what they want with it.
>We no longer live in the 19th century, you want something, you buy it.
>No-one makes their own ketch anymore. We buy it.
You can buy Linux so what are you complaining about. Just because it's
available for free, and comes with lots of freedoms, doesn't mean you can't go
out and buy it.
>>However this is mute as a lot of people do get paid to work on the OS.
>
>The vast majority work for MS and if they started in the 80's are now
>retired and sitting pretty.
I didn't mention MS, I was talking about Linux. There are people that get paid
to develop for Linux and to write the OS.
>>People should have the right to do what they want with their "intellectual
>>property", including giving it away. There are lots of different reasons why
>>people want to do this. Because they agree with the free software philosophy,
>>want to contribute back to the community, want to start a open project that
>>they feel they'll need help completing, because it's a hobby or to gain
>>experience. Too many to list here, and the reasons can either be selfless,
>>selfish or somewhere in between.
>
>Maybe they do it when they are young and out to change the world. Then
>they get married, have kids and suddenly find there is no free lunch,
>especially in the US.
Then get paid to do it. Plenty of people do.
ian.
\ /
(@_@) http://www.eclipse.co.uk/sweetdespise/ (dark literature)
/(&)\ http://www.eclipse.co.uk/sweetdespise/libertycaptions/ (art)
| |
------------------------------
From: Giuliano Colla <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: alt.destroy.microsoft
Subject: Re: Mircosoft Tax
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 12:02:44 GMT
Aaron Kulkis wrote:
>
> Giuliano Colla wrote:
> >
> > "." wrote:
> > >
> > > > > (BTW, Office 95 was significantly better than Office 2000)
> > > > >
> > > > Care to elaborate Giuliano? Interesting point. Or anyone else have
> > > > any opinions on this?
> > > >
> > >
> > > Office 95 - a couple of Y2K patches, occasionally crashes for no apparent
> > > reason, no office assistant, unobtrusive and optional office sidebar (I
> > > hated it, but I loved that fact that it would fucking STAY GONE, not like
> > > the bloody paperclip)
> > >
> > > Office 97 - two NON-cumulative service packs, still unreliable, office
> > > assiSATANt, slower, often can't even INSTALL without introducing a couple
> > > of screwups into the registry (regclean sometimes picks these up)
> > >
> > > Office 2000 - I don't even want to start on this, IMO it is pure evil,
> > > but let's just say 'compulsory registration' and leave it at that.
> >
> > That's more or less my experience, with minor differences, because
> > localized versions suffer from MS inability to tell apart code from text
> > messages. After Office 95 (not good but bearable) we got Office 97 for
> > free, bundled in a few PC we bought, and found it slow, dramatically
> > more unstable than Office 95 we had. After some time all the Office 97
> > versions have been uninstalled, and reverted (with some pain and
> > StarOffice help) to Office 95 for which we had a site license.
> > Compulsory registration of Office 2000 rules it out for our use: we
> > frequently wipe clean computers and reinstall everything, and usually
> > those registration gimmicks fail painfully. However I haven't seen any
> > useful feature added since Office 95, I've seen the product becoming
> > bloated, unsecure and more and more unstable. When a text editor decides
> > to correct the name of your customer because it thinks you misspelled
>
> Oh man...what was the name?
I believe it was "Passerini" which was corrected into
"Passerina", meaning a little bird but also a colloquial for
feminine genitals. I remember the first instance of this
"feature" happening in a very innocent way: it replaced the
family name Sandri with a first name Sandra. I felt cold
sweat running down my spine, made a few test with other
customer names, and got some frightening results. I hurried
up to disable the "feature", then I felt safer uninstalling
the bloated thing.
--
Giuliano Colla
Before activating the tongue, make sure that the brain is
connected (anonymous)
------------------------------
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