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10376

General Software Discussion / Re: Make Linux magically disappear

« Last post by 40hz on April 10, 2009, 09:44 PM »

...Those were the days! ...

-cranioscopical (April 10, 2009, 09:23 PM)

Yes and no. 
(Like most things in life. )

10377

Living Room / Re: *nix /usr - where it came from, why it's still there, and how to get rid of it.

« Last post by 40hz on April 10, 2009, 09:33 PM »

(oh, and Microsoft has plenty of hard-coded paths in their software btw)

-Gothi[c] (April 10, 2009, 06:54 PM)

Yes they do. But in their case they aren't doing it because they're ignorant or too lazy to do it correctly. They're doing it for business reasons.

As far as a cleaner solution goes, the only effective and sustainable solution would be to fix the real problem rather than try to put a Bandaid over a severed artery.

The reason why this hasn't happened, and probably won't happen, goes back to three fundamental factors. Two are unique to Linux, one isn't.

1. Inertia. (Not unique to Linux.) Objects in motion tend to remain in motion and follow a straight path. When it comes to executable code, something that's working adequately and now will invariably trump something more elegant or flexible or correct - especially if the 'better way' requires significant changes be made to what is already available. And nobody is going to turn their back on GNU/Linux's huge codebase just because a a good portion of it wasn't designed or programmed 'correctly.'

2. Ad Hoc Development and Amateurism. A large amount of the software developed for Linux is either done by amateurs or on a 'quick & dirty' basis. Trying to argue 'best practices' in this environment is difficult. And when you add in the fact that most of this software is free, you can't in all fairness make too many demands on the developers.

3. Linux is not a standard - "it's really more of a guideline." (Linux's claim to fame.) There can be no enforcement of coding standards because GNU/Linux is not owned by anyone.

So if you take inertia and a bunch of sloppy or overworked coders - and add that to the lack of anything resembling an enforceable rulebook - what you wind up with is a lot of the nonsense that goes on in the NIX world. And although it drives the software development and support people crazy, most of the users really don't care.

So short of an 'epic fail' somewhere along the line, I doubt we'll ever get an overhaul of the file structure until Linux itself gets replaced by something better.

I'm all for that, but I'd love to see a cleaner solution than hiding folders and multiple layers of symlinks ..

-Gothi[c] (April 10, 2009, 06:54 PM)

Me too. Got any workable ideas for how to best accomplish that? Maybe even something like:




(HA! I suspected as much.    )

10378

General Software Discussion / Re: Make Linux magically disappear

« Last post by 40hz on April 10, 2009, 07:10 PM »

I tried that under Vista 64-bit and my machine rebooted with XP Pro 32-bit installed.  

-cranioscopical (April 10, 2009, 03:51 PM)

Wow! You were lucky. I tried it with WinXP-SP3 and I rebooted into a copy of Visicalc running under CP/M!

10379

General Software Discussion / Re: Where can I get Libra (collection manager)?

« Last post by 40hz on April 10, 2009, 06:59 PM »

Hint: Google a bit and try some of the bigger software sites like Softpedia et al. 

free-codecs.com has a link to a mirror that still works.

Info: http://www.free-code...m/download/Libra.htm

Download:  http://www.free-code...php?d=4597&s=763

 

10380

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the new desktop?

« Last post by 40hz on April 10, 2009, 06:53 PM »

A nice Clairefontaine or Levenger notepad and a good, quality fountain pen!

Jim

-J-Mac (April 10, 2009, 01:48 PM)

Or in my case (and on my budget ): a Pilot-G2 XFine gel pen; a high quality stiff-backed pad of ¼-inch graph paper; and a pack of 3X5 index cards.
 

10381

Living Room / Re: *nix /usr - where it came from, why it's still there, and how to get rid of it.

« Last post by 40hz on April 10, 2009, 06:43 PM »

The Linux file 'hierarchy' is a pet peeve of mine. A couple of observations:

hiding the traditional filesystem

-Gothi[c] (April 10, 2009, 03:29 PM)

Unfortunately, the 'traditional file system' is routinely ignored, misunderstood, and screwed with, such that much of its underlying concept has become largely meaningless today. Hidden or not, Linux's directory structure is total garbage and desperately needs to be replaced with something that makes more sense.

[/li]
[li] Many applications use hardcoded paths

-Gothi[c] (April 10, 2009, 03:29 PM)

Which is very poor coding practice at best. No. Correction. It's just plain wrong. Developers should (and hopefully do) know better than that. Heck, even Microsoft knows better than that.

Re Gobo:

I don't think the GoboLinux crowd ever had any intention of creating or maintaining their own distro. I think what they've tried to accomplish is to spark some debate and possibly get people thinking about changing things. I hope they're not holding their breath.

Just my 2¢

10382

General Software Discussion / Make Linux magically disappear

« Last post by 40hz on April 10, 2009, 03:26 PM »

There's a great video making the rounds in the Linux community.

One of the most famous (or infamous) commands in the NIX world is running rm -rf / as a superuser.

For those of you who aren't fans of Unix or Linux, this command basically tells the system to remove all files and directories starting at the root directory and not ask for any confirmation.

Ever wonder what would happen if some fool actually did run it? 

Enter the Fool. Check out this video and watch Linux magically disappear:

http://www.youtube.c.../watch?v=wWOjmvWPRvQ

 

10383

General Software Discussion / Re: Free support ends for Windows XP and MS Office 2003

« Last post by 40hz on April 10, 2009, 12:05 PM »

I sent them an e-mail asking for a clarification. I'll post their response here when I get it.

-40hz (April 08, 2009, 03:31 PM)

You can do that from the grave??

-cranioscopical (April 08, 2009, 11:54 PM)

I may well find out. 

Day 2: still waiting for a reply. Second e-mail sent.

10384

General Software Discussion / Re: What is the new desktop?

« Last post by 40hz on April 10, 2009, 12:01 PM »

If our economy and energy problems continue, I think that this might well be the new desktop for many people.

10385

Living Room / Re: crisis of credit visualized by Jonathan Jarvis

« Last post by 40hz on April 10, 2009, 11:47 AM »

watch it, then you'll be able to transcend your confusion about this mess and simply start being incredibly angry instead.

what about those of us who are already well into being incredibly angry?

-mouser (April 10, 2009, 11:09 AM)

I suggest you pick up a copy of Filthy McNasty's bestseller How I Became Totally Postal in My Spare Time - and So Can You!.

10386

Developer's Corner / Re: Finding developer projects and other work in this economy

« Last post by 40hz on April 10, 2009, 11:34 AM »

But I've really not followed up and relied on word of mouth for clients.

-wraith808 (April 07, 2009, 12:42 PM)

I'd be dead without 'word of mouth' clients. My company gets all its customers that way.

We only advertised once when we were just starting out. The only thing that ad generated was an avalanche of calls from job-seekers or people that wanted to sell us something. I've heard the same story from several people we work with who also own their own businesses.

10387

Developer's Corner / Re: Finding developer projects and other work in this economy

« Last post by 40hz on April 10, 2009, 11:23 AM »

Those sites are all sellers market , no buyers there.

-kartal (April 07, 2009, 12:31 PM)

Not quite true for LinkedIn.

It's more of a buddy system - although some have called it another manifestation of the "Old Boy" network.

Obviously, successful and highly credentialed individuals will initially fare better at a place like LinkedIn than the average lumpen-worker. Success attracts success as the saying goes. But you can build a reputation and contacts even if you're not one of the 'shooting stars.' It will just take longer and require a bit more tact.

You need to approach LinkedIn more like you would a social network rather than a job/opportunity site. It's all about professional relationships. Unfortunately, generating 'relationships' has always been more time-consuming than just gathering 'leads.' But it's vastly more beneficial in the long run.

I only 'went in cold' for the first job I had after graduating college. Every other position I ever held after that was brought to my attention by somebody I knew. As I got to know more people, and they me, the money and opportunities that came my way got progressively better. So much so that I was eventually able to launch my own business with the financial resources and contacts I had accumulated over the years as a salaryman.

I'm not endorsing the "Ya gotta know people, Kid!" school of success. But I'm also enough of a realist to realize that most people prefer to work with people they know - or their friends know - rather than a complete stranger.
 

10388

Developer's Corner / Re: 7 Reasons Not to Direct Link to a Developer's Download Files

« Last post by 40hz on April 09, 2009, 06:20 PM »

Most of them are, but there is also the old newspapers from the NY Times that is being digitized for preservation. I don't know if that is a commercial endeavor or not, but anything that preserves history can't be a bad thing even if it is somewhat commercial.

-app103 (April 04, 2009, 01:28 PM)

Here, here 

-Darwin (April 04, 2009, 04:03 PM)

Unless of course they edit the 'archived' stories after the fact as NYT has done.

If you aspire to be the "paper of record," the record should stand as written. Any retractions, corrections or denials should be done in a separate article that references the original.

Otherwise what happens when you make a formal reference to something that may change after you referenced it? Smacks of the Ministry of Truth's function in the book 1984.

Or did. But that's assuming it hasn't been changed since I last read it. )

10389

Living Room / Re: OS Re-install Tips?

« Last post by 40hz on April 08, 2009, 03:52 PM »

I always back up my Firefox profile every day so it's ready to put back after reinstall! Saves hours of work...

4wd I'm having problems transferring my FF profile to the portable one - any tips? Copying it over doesn't seem to work...

-CleverCat (April 07, 2009, 02:13 AM)

@CleverCat

The easiest way to do it is with the FEBE add-on.

Link: https://addons.mozil...S/firefox/addon/2109

Just install FEBE and set it to backup your full profile. Copy your archived profile to a CD and then use FEBE to restore it on your new installation.

FEBE should be installed on every copy of Firefox.

10390

General Software Discussion / Re: Free support ends for Windows XP and MS Office 2003

« Last post by 40hz on April 08, 2009, 03:31 PM »

Not entirely correct... Support for Windows XP Service Pack 2 is until July 2010

more @ http://support.micro...efault.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];lifesupsps

-PhilB66 (April 08, 2009, 11:35 AM)

Interesting. (Good catch PhilB66. )

Looking at the note for XP with the various service packs on the Support Index I'd have to agree with you, although why they couldn't just spell out an actual date puzzles me. But I also ran into two two places on the MS website where they seem to contradict that  'SP release date + 24 months' note. So...

Sod second guessing these guys.  I sent them an e-mail asking for a clarification. I'll post their response here when I get it.

10391

General Software Discussion / Free support ends for Windows XP and MS Office 2003

« Last post by 40hz on April 08, 2009, 10:18 AM »

Just a heads up in case you aren't aware of it.

On April 14, 2009, Microsoft will be ending it's Mainstream support for Office 2003 and WIndows XP Home and Professional editions. Extended support will remain available until April 8, 2014.

For many customers this won't be too big a deal since security updates and access to non-interactive web support (i.e Knowledgebase and product support pages) will remain free until the end of the extended support period.

But after April 14th, you'll need a credit card if you want to phone, e-mail, or chat with Microsoft about your WinXP/Office2003 support issues.


Thank goodness for Donation Coder's forums!

------------

BTW: Microsoft maintains a FAQ and extensive directory of lifecycle/support information for all of its products.

   Microsoft Lifecycle Support Index: http://support.micro...gp/lifeselectindex#O

   Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy FAQ: http://support.micro...ft.com/gp/lifepolicy

Both are worth checking out if you're responsible for providing tech support to anyone whose MS applications are getting a bit on in the years.

10392

Living Room / Re: BumpTop

« Last post by 40hz on April 08, 2009, 06:23 AM »

One problem with BumpTop is the way they're distributing it.

The free download is so feature-limited that you can't give it an adequate try out. Not allowing the "flipping" feature, and only giving you two notes renders the free version almost completely useless.

They really need to provide a full featured 30-day evaluation since it would take you that long to see if BumpTop worked for you. And people clever enough to develop a product like this already know that.

So why aren't they doing it this way?

I'm guessing because most people play will with it for a few hours and then get rid of it.

10393

General Software Discussion / Re: Favorite Firefox Theme(s)

« Last post by 40hz on April 07, 2009, 01:46 PM »

hmm the Chromifox extreme looks kind of nice but I can't stand having to reach up over the toolbar to get to the tab bar.  To much like trying to write from right to left.

-MilesAhead (April 02, 2009, 09:54 PM)

You have to reach up over the toolbar to get to the tabs? I don't have to do that.




Did you mean reach up over the tabs to get to the toolbar?

10394

Developer's Corner / Re: Finding developer projects and other work in this economy

« Last post by 40hz on April 07, 2009, 07:00 AM »

I have several friends and business associates who use and are very happy with a website called LinkedIn.

It's not so much a job site per sce, but rather a way of maintaining and developing a trusted contact list in your area of expertise and experience. More geared towards career-types and people looking for business opportunities, but it doesn't hurt to "know people" so it might be worth exploring.

A few years back, I got an invitation from one of my clients who had recently 'left' his IT position at one of the big mutual funds. I did join, but I haven't really used it all that much. I'll occasionally log on to see what's up or ask a question, but beyond that I'm a semi-lurker at best.

There's been a lot of press about it. And it's even got an entry in Wikipedia so I won't try to recap all the specifics here. Visit their website ( www.linkedin.com) to have a look. Google will give you a few hundred million hits if you want to investigate further.

If you're 'corporate career' oriented (I'm not) it could be a nice resource to have in your Favorites list.

So...anybody out there actively using LinkedIn?

10395

Living Room / Re: TED Videos etc..

« Last post by 40hz on April 06, 2009, 05:34 PM »

what bothers me is how the TED talks seem almost entirely designed to get the audience to repeatedly ooh and ahh..

-mouser (April 06, 2009, 04:59 PM)

True. But you'll get the same thing at an Apple or Microsoft conference.

I don't think it's so much a TED thing, as the way almost everything is being presented these days. Communication goes through fads. At one time, it was overhead projectors, then PowerPoint, then quasi-interactive web. And nowadays it seem to be pseudo-revivalist and football rally mass meetings. And there's one simple reason why this happens: It works.

Still, I wouldn't come down too hard on TED. It is a breath of fresh air in a technological landscape that often sees 'innovation' as nothing more than doing just enough to cut costs, or get to the next product release cycle.

To my way of thinking, enthusiasm coupled with an almost child-like sense of wonder isn't necessarily a bad thing. The USA has just come off eight years of rule by serious, humorless, pragmatic individuals. They didn't seem to make the world a much better place no matter how much they argued it was time for all of us to "get real."

I'll take the dancers and the dreamers any day of the week. The super-serious types may talk a good game, but most of the real innovation and advances come from the people who don't take themselves all that seriously. Maybe they don't need validation from other people because they already know they're smart.

I say let the smart kids have their 'open mic' night. If one of them piques my interest about something they're up to, I'll go off and do my own research on the topic. And at that point, I'll become very serious indeed.

Until then, bring on the elephants, the fireworks, and the dancing girls.

10396

Living Room / Re: TED Videos etc..

« Last post by 40hz on April 06, 2009, 04:30 PM »

Reviving an old thread:

From the folks over at gHacks.com come this terrific resource (emphasis added):

TED Talks List

Ted Talks are a collection of talks by some of the worlds leading thinkers and doers on Technology, Entertainment and Design (hence the name TED). Many of the talks are inspiring and try to convey ideas on all sorts of subjects in those three categories. Many of the talks are available on the Ted website in various formats. They can even be downloaded to the local computer system.

Someone made an effort to put all of the published Ted Talks in a list with direct onsite links to the videos, the name of the talker, the title, a description, the date, running time and event it was held. This is an incredible useful spreadsheet for anyone interested in at least one of the focus areas of TED.

Link to article at gHacks: http://www.ghacks.ne...3/31/ted-talks-list/

Direct link to list: http://spreadsheets....lYH-8AK8ffDa6o2bYlXg

If you are interested in TED, this is one of the most comprehensive indexes available.

If you've never heard of TED, read the gHacks article and sample some of the videos. You won't be disappointed.

I'm burning up a lot of bandwidth while getting caught up on a tech dozen topics I'm interested in. Come see what some of the biggest, brightest, and most creative of the techno-dieties have been getting up to.

10397

Official Announcements / Re: Site of the month for June: Gizmo's Tech Support Alert

« Last post by 40hz on April 06, 2009, 04:12 PM »

the newsletter merged, but Gizmo's site is still there, and better than ever.

-mouser (February 23, 2009, 02:24 AM)

Looks like they went over to Drupal doesn't it?

10398

General Software Discussion / Re: How much trouble is a 64-bit OS right now?

« Last post by 40hz on April 06, 2009, 03:03 PM »

there's a lot of closed-source libraries that aren't available in x64 form... but then again, there's a lot of opensource code that doesn't compile cleanly for x64 as well.

-f0dder (April 06, 2009, 09:05 AM)

For x64? Heck, there's a lot of open source code that doesn't compile all that swell under x32 either.

But really, if your applications don't need 64-bit, why port them? Most applications gain zero advantages whatsoever from a recompile, they only become (slightly) bigger and consume (slightly) more memory.

-f0dder (April 06, 2009, 09:05 AM)

Thank you so much for pointing that out. People sometimes fail to see that newer isn't always better.

10399

Living Room / Re: partitioning first time - checklist (cleaning, backup, tools, etc)

« Last post by 40hz on April 06, 2009, 02:22 PM »

40hz, I was planning to try Parted Magic (two places above you call it "Partition Magic" .. another product)  as the super-GParted, so thanks for the thread reference, I am leaning in that direction rather than an XP-begun method.

-Steven Avery (April 06, 2009, 01:21 PM)

Thanks for pointing out my error. I edited the original post to correct the mistake.

Additional note: If you're going to be formatting a lot of partitions on a raw drive, Parted Magic will do it a lot more quickly than Windows will.

I do agree that two OS sharing a data partition is not something to do lightly. However as a test for some small SQL-database-type app it could be rather fascinating.

-Steven Avery (April 06, 2009, 01:21 PM)

Been there, done that. For Ubuntu, I'd suggest sticking to a FAT formatted partition - which isn't very efficient. I still wouldn't completely trust the NTFS RW support in Linux for anything super important.

Just my 2¢

---

Also, always put your pagefile/swapfile on your fastest drive whenever possible (for obvious reasons). Or better yet, add more RAM if you can.

10400

Living Room / Re: partitioning first time - checklist (cleaning, backup, tools, etc)

« Last post by 40hz on April 06, 2009, 10:55 AM »

@Partitioning Tools:

The open source Partition Magic Parted Magic is one of the best general purpose disk tools available. Version 4.0 has just been released, and in keeping with tradition, each new version has gotten better.

Info & download here: http://partedmagic.com/

Partition Magic Parted Magic was designed to be a bootable front-end for a few dozen tools for dealing with hard drives. The selection of included tools is fairly extensive and covers such things as disk information, partition management, formatting, cloning, and data recovery.

Most people download this 70-odd megabyte iso to use the excellent GParted utility mentioned earlier in this thread. GParted allows you to partition and format drives with just about any filesystem you've heard of. But this CD also has quite a few other useful tools well worth getting to know. So do yourself a favor and explore everything this toolkit has to offer. GParted may be the 'crown jewel' in the lineup - but you'll be missing out on a lot if you don't at least have a look around the disk.

Once the tool of choice for all the Linux-freaks (like me ) it has since become a standard found in many a 'Windows-only' technician's tool kit.

You want this tool. Download it!
 
---

For screenshots and a very good review of Parted Magic 4.0, visit Distrowatch.com

Article link: http://distrowatch.c...sue=20090406#feature

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<EDIT: corrected product name. Thanks to Steven Avery for pointing out my mistake below. Next time I promise I'll drink at least one cup of coffee before posting anything. >