Recent Posts

76

Developer's Corner / Re: Lost My Faith - Need New Religion - Need LAMP Help...

« Last post by Rover on January 12, 2012, 09:37 AM »

Hey Renegade,

It looks like I'm late to the party.  Good luck with your transition.

Just some thoughts in case they come in handy...
1) OpenSuSE is a pretty solid distro.  It has it's ism's, but YaST makes it a pretty strong player for a new convert.
2) Centos is RedHat.  So is Scientific Linux.  This is important as a LOT of server apps are built for RH.  99% of them can run on SuSE. It just seems that a lot of documentation assumes RedHat and so you sometimes have to translate and adjust slightly.
3) Centos/SciLinux/RedHat do not have a direct YaST replacement.  You can install something like WebMin to take up the slack.  It's really only good for 1 at a time systems, but that probably covers your need.
4) Fedora is not RedHat.  I wouldn't use it for a server.
5) Damn near everything in can be configured in a plain text file somewhere.  Most of the system stuff live in /etc. 
6) Learn the basics of vi.  It's always available and very handy for quick file edits.
7) Do use LVM for partitioning your disks.  Nothing says cool like adding a new hard drive into your existing FS structure.
EXT4 or BTRFS.  EXT4 if you want solid tools.  BTRFS if you want cutting edge. (BTRFS has it's on LVM built in... cool)

PM me if you get really stuck. I can usually find someone who knows the answer   

77

MEWLO Web Framework / Re: OLD - Unfinished Web project: YUMPS

« Last post by Rover on November 20, 2011, 10:17 PM »

I'm really hoping this becomes a "pluggable"/"isolated" user validation system.  I currently have Linux validating against AD using Quest (via PAM) and adLDAP.  I'd live a single point to alter for Yii support.  I can supply Group Membership, etc.  I just need 1 point   to change for framework wide authentication.

Party on dudes.

78

MEWLO Web Framework / Re: OLD - Unfinished Web project: YUMPS

« Last post by Rover on November 20, 2011, 09:29 PM »

Hmm... I was looking pretty hard a Yii, but then thought Symfony 2 looked a little better.

If I had a "support group" I might be interested in using more

I'm looking for a platform to build some serious (IMHO) web application(s).  It's really one application, with several default views.

79

Living Room / Re: Stop the Machine! (anyone seen this?)

« Last post by Rover on August 20, 2011, 04:05 PM »

In the US, May 30th is referred to as Tax Freedom Day. Because that's the date by which the average wage earner has traditionally made enough to pay all of his or her tax obligations. So for five months out of the twelve, all US taxpayers are basically working for their government. They don't start working for themselves until June 1!

According to The American Spectator however, in 2011, the date is more correctly August 12th...

 

-40hz (August 20, 2011, 07:25 AM)

It's interesting to me that we all accept May 30 or Aug 12 as Tax Freedom Day.  And then we think we're paying something less than 41.6% tax.   May 30 equals 41.6% of the year and typically 41.6% of the money I'll earn that year.  

Just something to think about I guess.

@mouser:  If you think this is becoming divisive we should probably lock the thread.

80

Living Room / Re: Stop the Machine! (anyone seen this?)

« Last post by Rover on August 19, 2011, 09:10 PM »

Sorry for not letting it rest.

-Shades (August 18, 2011, 10:16 AM)

We're having a nice civil discussion.  No reason to feel sorry.

Although I see your point and actually agree with practically all of it, there is something nagging.

Taken from the U.S. Census bureau:
In 2009 there were 117,181,000 households in the US. The phrase that keeps returning is: "the top 1% controls 95% of the money in the US"
So that leaves a solid 116 million households. How much Federal taxes are for each of those households I don't know, but assume that when on average each of these households pays 1000 USD/year, there would be 116,000,000,000 USD/year on tax revenue.

How can one say that the rich pay the lion share? (yes, I am fully aware that this projection of numbers is way too simple)

Then again, such numbers also mean that taxing the rich more will not make much of dent either. So government spending is the major issue.

-Shades (August 18, 2011, 10:16 AM)

Agreed - Gov't spending is the major issue we can agree on.

I think your numbers got scrambled.  According to Wikipedia (the 100% most accurate source in all the world  )  2007 Fed Income Tax was 1.366 Trillion and change.  There were just under 139 million returns filed giving a flat average of ~$9,800 per return.  We don't know if those are households or not.

If I'm reading the graph correctly and it's accurate, the top 25% of all income earners paid 85% or 1.161 Trillion of those dollars.  The bottom 50% of earners paid 0.041 Trillion or 41 Billion of those dollars.  Leaving the top 51-74% of income earners to pay the remaining 164 Billion dollars.

Warren and his other top 1% friends paid 505 Billion of that themselves. 

Hmmm, how many secret agencies you you really need? The US military machine is also quite costly. Spent a few less percentage points (single digit!) less on these and invest that money in infrastructure (more jobs), alternative energy sources (more high-tech jobs).

Everyone is better off for it (incl. the rich, so I truly don't understand why the Tea party gets their knickers in such a twist about tax increases if the need arises).

-Shades (August 18, 2011, 10:16 AM)

I'm not in the tea party.  My understanding is they get their knickers twisted for exactly the reason agreed on above.  Gov't spending needs to be brought back in-line.  Until then, raising taxes is out of the question because we've had so many "fake" spending cuts in the past.  e.g.  We'll cut spending by eliminating the cost of the war.  We have plans to be out by 2011.    Then something changes and that deal of off.  The spending cut isn't realized.

If the above makes me a socialist simpleton, so be it. Live and let live.

-Shades (August 18, 2011, 10:16 AM)

I never thought that about you.  Hope I didn't imply that. 

I'm all for changing the tax code.  They're are way too many loop holes for guys like WG Buffett.  Why does he only pay 17% and I pay more.
I'm a little on the fence here.

On the one hand, companies that make lots of money also tend to create lots of jobs.  Not always, but usually.  Should we penalize profitable companies with more taxes?    When you think about it, taxes are like insurance or rent.  It costs money to keep the USA safe from bad guys, keep the roads repaired, etc. etc.  Since we all benefit from National Scale perks, we should all share in the cost of those perks.  But how do you fairly distribute the cost? 

Flat taxes have pros and cons, so do sliding scales.

I don't know what's "fair" but I pretty darn sure all the rhetoric from some liberals about "Taxing the Rich" is a distraction and is designed to incite class envy; even more enmity.

I think we all agree things need to change.

81

Living Room / Re: Stop the Machine! (anyone seen this?)

« Last post by Rover on August 17, 2011, 09:14 PM »

Mr. Buffett is free to write a check anytime he feels the need.  If he feels so guilty about all the money he make he should ended his article with "So I'm sending my first payment as a gesture of good faith.  $10 million dollars payable to the IRS."

So now he pays 17%.  Still paying 6.9 million per year.  What is that the Federal Government provides that costs so much more to do for Warren Buffet than me? 

The fact still stands the the top few percent of income earners still pay the lion's share (in actual dollars) of the federal tax.

My point is still that the federal government spending is out of control* and needs to be scaled back a lot.    *This is not just the current administration although they are the worst by far.  Spending has been running away since Bush 1.

I do feel the wealthiest people in our country have an obligation to do more.  Bill and Belinda Gates set up a charity to do just that.  It's about only thing I like about Bill.

I do not think it's the federal governments job to re-distribute wealth.  Nor does the Constitution give them power to do so.

I guess we'll see how everyone else feels in Nov. 2012.

82

Living Room / Re: Stop the Machine! (anyone seen this?)

« Last post by Rover on August 14, 2011, 11:17 PM »

Proportionally, the higher your income the more your tax rate.
Some numbers:
$50k annual income pays ~18% Fed tax (that might be way off.. I haven't see the tax tables lately)  Which would be ~ $9,000 taxes
$100k annual income pays ~23% Fed tax (again the % may be off)  which would be ~ $23,000 taxes.
"The top 10 percent of income earners pay the most in federal taxes. Sixty-eight percent of federal revenue is generated by this group."

-Rover (August 13, 2011, 05:00 PM)

Except, keep going up the income ladder and the model breaks down. Check out what Warren Buffet and any given hedge fund manager pays (less than 14%), and when the richest 400 Americans make more money than the next 150,000,000 million Americans, they should pay their fair share or go live somewhere else. If you make a million dollars, you won't be paying 23%, I promise you.

-zridling (August 14, 2011, 10:35 AM)

I like to see the source for the 14% numbers.  Even if that is accurate, do you not consider someone -- say Bill Gates -- who makes 100 Million giving 14 million to the federal government fair?  I'll never pay 14 million over my life time (or probably my children and grand children).  They pay that EVERY year.

Oh well, I've been all over the income ranges, and I get screwed no matter where I'm at!

Me too!  Nothing like seeing your tax money go to support things you disagree with -- whatever they are.

Which I think is the real problem.  The Fed. Gov't. spends too dang (cleaned that up for the kids) much money.  They spend more than they take in.  The have a standard budget increase built in every year.  Some (not all) of those spending cuts they just approved were actually just increases they didn't make. 

Dave Ramsey has a great article about this:  Federal Budget 

If their household income was $55,000 per year, they’d actually be spending $96,500—$41,500 more than they made! That means they’re spending 175% of their annual income! So, in 2011 they’d add $41,500 of debt to their current credit card debt of $366,000!

That's insane.  All of this pointing fingers to Warren Buffet and "the Rich" is a distraction.  Washington is spending this country into bankruptcy and they want us to support their plan to steal money from "the Rich" to cover it.  It's a basic redistribution of wealth scheme and it is a socialist policy. 

I am against socialism.

83

Living Room / Re: Stop the Machine! (anyone seen this?)

« Last post by Rover on August 13, 2011, 05:00 PM »

Oh and by the way, those Rich People already pay most of the taxes. 

Not proportionally they don't...

-kyrathaba (August 13, 2011, 10:35 AM)

Proportionally, the higher your income the more your tax rate.
Some numbers:
$50k annual income pays ~18% Fed tax (that might be way off.. I haven't see the tax tables lately)  Which would be ~ $9,000 taxes
$100k annual income pays ~23% Fed tax (again the % may be off)  which would be ~ $23,000 taxes.

I know that I personally pay more taxes, both in actual dollars and % as I have made more money over the years.

So, I'm not sure I understand your position.

"The top 10 percent of income earners pay the most in federal taxes. Sixty-eight percent of federal revenue is generated by this group."

Article: Guess who really pays the taxes

84

Living Room / Re: Stop the Machine! (anyone seen this?)

« Last post by Rover on August 12, 2011, 09:30 PM »

OP:  That's some scary stuff.

"Tax the rich.."   Wow that sounds great.  Those "Rich."  Except the left a word off... Rich People. They're people;  they've earned or inherited their money.  Why does it belong to someone else?  Oh and by the way, those Rich People already pay most of the taxes. 

According to the principles on which the US of A was founded, You are responsible for you;  Not the government.  It's frightening that so many people want to turn their (or more likely, someone else's) money over to the government for "correct distribution."  The government.  Really?  Isn't this the same wasteful government that we railed about for spending $200 for a hammer? 

These people (see links in the OP) are just manipulating voters to gain more power.  It's sad that so many are ready to blindly follow.

85

Developer's Corner / Re: The Yii PHP Framework

« Last post by Rover on July 04, 2011, 11:31 PM »

Hey Mouser --  I don't want to alter the thread direction, BUT have you looked at Drupal?   

I have faithfully ignored it for many years.  Someone at work asked me to consider it and much to my surprise, I can drop only slightly modified php directly into a new page. (node, or whatever they call them.)  Given the steep learning curve of most php frameworks, I'm considering that I might be just as far ahead to learn the Drupal  way and simply use the CMS as a framework.

I  think you and I struggle with similar goals for perfection in tools.  It'd be really cool to not have to re-invent the wheel for normal requests like, Authentication, Intrusion prevention, DB connectivity, forms creation, processing and reporting, etc. all of that WITHOUT having to conform to the design constraints of the rabid Framework designers.  Or at least without having to spend 6 months of in-depth study, plus 3-4 projects with false starts and failures to learn the entirety of the framework design and functions.

Why can't I just have it all, right now?!!

Look at me getting all "developer-y" and serious in a post, without smileys even... can't have that. 

 

86

Living Room / Re: Foxtrot on Apple Comics

« Last post by Rover on June 20, 2011, 06:29 PM »

  Now THAT was funny.

-- Sent from my Flash Enabled Android Tablet.

87

Living Room / Re: You're Only As Young As... Oh... Scratch That...

« Last post by Rover on May 06, 2011, 07:42 AM »

Did you realize that

Star Wars (First movie)

came out

nearly 35 years ago?

And I saw it in the theater. 

and I  AM  NOT   OLD!!!!   

88

Living Room / Re: Flash Game of the Week: Zombie Cats

« Last post by Rover on April 22, 2011, 03:38 PM »

Pretty cool... the ending is .... odd. 

89

Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: Android widgets micro reviews

« Last post by Rover on March 22, 2011, 11:31 AM »

   Nice review.

90

Site/Forum Features / Re: Shortcomings of DC and How to Improve

« Last post by Rover on February 28, 2011, 06:37 AM »

Hehehe I'm here merely to point out the problems

-lotusrootstarch (February 28, 2011, 06:13 AM)

Which shows you just don't get it.  The site is like the community tree house.  If you want to make a change, you need to bring some tools and some boards.  Whining and complaining aren't enough.

So app you made me feel very bad about myself under this username... alright I'm defeated... so what? It doesn't fix any problems I mentioned.

Ouch you guys really have no idea... 'nuff said. best of luck. cheers. 

I think DC will go on quite happily, thanks; it's the people here that make it work... not the gimmick or the quantity of In-depth reviews. 

Best of luck to you too.

91

Developer's Corner / Re: "competitive upgrade" - is it ethical?

« Last post by Rover on January 11, 2011, 01:11 PM »

Ethical?  Heck no!  Why, the next thing you know people will be writing software for optional Donations!  Heck, they might even give it away altogether.

oh...    never mind.   

92

Official Announcements / Re: HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011 FROM EVERYONE AT DONATIONCODER! Add a reply here!

« Last post by Rover on January 01, 2011, 02:20 PM »

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR

93

Official Announcements / Re: Preparing for a new master DonationCoder server

« Last post by Rover on December 03, 2010, 10:23 AM »

The nice thing about VM's is they are so portable, replaceable, etc. 

If you run on VMware primarily, you can keep an EC2 image for backup. 

1) Set up all of your VM's so everything is working nice
2) Save copies of the VMs as EC2 VM's
3) Do regular data backups and keep it safe
4) update your EC2 copies as you make significant change to your VM

DR Solution:
1) Create new EC2 accounts as needed.
2) Put your Back EC2 VMs on the account
3) Restore data
4) Begin taking backups from EC2 systems

You should then have a work solution with relatively recent data.

Recovery:
1) Spin up your VM's (You backed them up, right?)
2) Restore data
3) Stop EC2 Accounts
4) Start going backups again

Just my 

Migrating from VMware to EC2

94

DonationCoder Projects / Re: Flat File Mini CMS in PHP

« Last post by Rover on October 26, 2010, 08:06 PM »

@Super AC -- This is a huge first step toward your other post goal of learning to program(as stated in another post).  It's what 90% (SWAG Certified) of business people fail to understand;  If you can't do it on paper/flowchart, you can't do it on a computer.  So many times people (me included) have started working on a solution before fully understanding the problem*.  If you make good decisions in your design, you will be miles ahead in your development.

* The result of which is failed projects or projects that require full re-writes for version 2.

Go forth and conquer! 

95

Living Room / Re: Desktop Linux: The dream is dead

« Last post by Rover on October 18, 2010, 06:27 PM »

Is this news?  I thought the Desktop PC was dead 2 or 3 years ago...

Red Hat’s, Brian Stevens, claims that the desktop is dead. This may seem a trifle premature, but from my own perspective, that has already been the case for several years.

2007 Article:  Is the Desktop Dead?

More fine articles discussing the PC corpse:
Dead Desktop -Linux

Most of these were before the iPad came along...   The Desktop must be really dead now.   

96

Living Room / Re: Flash Game of the Week: DeepLeap

« Last post by Rover on May 04, 2009, 04:55 PM »

   Just played again... Got what I thought was an impressive 567 points.  No missed letters or words, clean slate finish.

Then I saw the note on the side where someone got 2000+ points for a single word..... 

 

97

Living Room / Re: Flash Game of the Week: DeepLeap

« Last post by Rover on April 28, 2009, 04:02 PM »

Points: 317      No Tiles Left   

98

Living Room / Re: eBook readers

« Last post by Rover on January 09, 2009, 12:46 PM »

I've used Mobipocket ebook Reader very successfully on my Blackberry and Motorola Q.   I have an 8G micro SD card in my Q that can hold more books than I want.   

99

Living Room / Re: 2008 Cybernet Awards Are Out.. DonationCoder.com Wins Most Useful Forum!!

« Last post by Rover on January 01, 2009, 11:01 PM »

Mouser, you get 1st props for the DonationCoder vision.   

I know there are many here who help make this place special.  See them in post count order:
Donation Coder Supporters

Everyone at DC should be proud of the fine community here.

With this new award we should expect many new members over the next several weeks.  I have no worries that we'll all be kind; just remember "Don't feed the trolls."   

WAY TO GO DC!!   

100

Living Room / Re: Teach computer science without a computer

« Last post by Rover on December 18, 2008, 06:56 AM »

BUMP.

This is a really cool site.  I found it via another source and wanted to put it here as well. 

Maybe in the programming section? We have a lot of folks asking how to start....