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Comment: Re:"Peaceful Use" (Score 1) 1032

by Chris Burke (#29567573) Attached to: Iran's Nuclear Ambitions

Quadaffi took a different approach and has come out way, way ahead for it. He saw GWB invade Iraq and thought "that nutjob is serious!" Now the libyans have cancelled chemical and nuclear weapons research, stopped funding most terrorists, and are being let into the world community in spite of nutjob's rantings and ravings.

Yeah, to the extent that they ever had one. Not much of a sacrifice to make when you're a tiny insignificant country who completely lacks the leverage to hold off the international community while developing nukes. Quadaffi doesn't need or want nukes. So promising the U.S. that he wouldn't make them to earn our favor was pure win for him.

This is classic Libya/Quadaffi behavior. They aren't about big shows of military strength. They're about making allies and then quietly, subtly, stabbing them in the back. Thinking that this was somehow a big win for us is playing into Quadaffi's hands.

Comment: fallacious logic (Score 1) 275

by xalorous (#29567547) Attached to: How To Save $1 Trillion a Year With Open Source

In 2006 Open Source software and services earned $1.8B USD50 as compared with $235B USD in packaged software sales51 (which likely pulled through an additional $235B USD in support and services52). No matter how one looks at it, Open Source solutions represent less than 1% of global software spend, and yet now enable a reduction of more than 25% of such spending (because $60B is more than 25% of $235B). More impressively, Open Source solutions represent less than 0.1% of global ICT spend, and have already been estimated to deliver back 2% in total returns ($60B is approx 2% of $3T). With these kinds of numbers, the idea of spending half one's budget on open source software and half on proprietary becomes meaningless: the whole problem could be solved twice over with Open Source solutions for 10% of what is being spent right now.

They're assuming that the ratio of (free cost/licensed cost) compared to returns will remain constant. I propose that as they convert their entire shop to FOSS, costs will rise above the status quo. Sysadmins and linux geeks will make the leap quickly, but the rest of your support staff will have to be replaced or retrained. Helpdesk person supporting Windows who is not a linux geek will not know what questions to ask to support linux.

Haven't even addressed productivity. And if you think the average user will make the switch without a gun to their head, I call BS! Techies, geeks, early adopters and mac fans might be able to live in either environment (sorry, maybe not the fanbois) (couldn't resist), but Average Joe wants to fire up Outlook and Explorer and PowerPoint. 2007's ribbon (BTW, Ribbon = Menu + Toolbar, easy) causes tons of problems. Take away their start button. They'd riot.

Comment: Re:A Still More Glorious Dawn (of some sort) (Score 0, Troll) 183

by Namlak (#29561799) Attached to: Carl Sagan Sings

Hawking has repeatedly stated that if we are to survive long term as a species, we will have to inhabit other worlds or at least colonize space

And I thought guys like this were supposed to be *smart* and understand the scope and scale of things universal. Why exactly, does the universe need or want us to survive? If the universe doesn't need us, why do *we* need us? Our likely eventual nuclear destruction won't even register as background noise. You know, if the LHC creates a black hole and sucks in the Earth and 7 billion people into in in a minute, I'm OK with that - really. Nobody will be around *not* to be OK with it.

So let's say that we do colonize space and/or other worlds. Why do these guys think that the "colonists" won't end up just like us in due time? Because they'll all be peaceful, collective "space hippies"? Puhhhleeze. How odd that incredibly intelligent people who study nature on the grandest of scales refuse to acklowledge nature's most basic laws such as supply-and-demand of limited resources which create greed, jealousy, crime, class separation, etc.

Comment: Re:Makes sense (Score 1) 386

by Ironica (#29192155) Attached to: Habitual Multitaskers Do It Badly



I have the same issue as the GP. The only music that I can use as "background noise" is classical. No lyrics, not even very interesting. I don't particularly like classical music, but it doesn't overtly bother me like jazz does.

If it's music I actually *like*, I'll get distracted from the task at hand and listen to it.

But, different strokes for different folks. I remember one time, my ex walked into the living room to ask me a question while I was sitting and reading a book. While talking, he picked up the TV remote, hit the Power button, surfed to a channel showing something vaguely interesting, put down the remote, concluded the exchange, and left the room. With the TV on. While I, on the other hand, don't turn on the TV unless I intend to watch it, because if it's on, I *will* pay attention to it.

Comment: Re:I say DIG (Score 1) 142

by xalorous (#29062705) Attached to: Will Silicon Valley Run Out of Data Center Space?

Just because you're city-centric doesn't mean everyone else is too. Lots of folks are willing to move to small towns.

Dangerous to raise kids in the country? Dude, what city do you live in? Violence in schools is much lower in the country due to the lower population density. If you're talking about quality of schools, unless you go private, things are tough all over. Current crop of teachers came from the class promotion culture and things are just going to get worse as time goes on. But rural areas are really the last bastion of the older culture. Yet still the political nature of funding schools, the games educators have to play to get that funding, and the general decline of education in the States means that you're not going to find a good public school very often. City or country.

Personally, I'll live anywhere I can support my lifestyle. Broadband and postal mail at the house and a grocery store within an hour's drive.

Comment: Re:Aion will Flop (Score 2, Interesting) 256

by xalorous (#29062545) Attached to: On Transitioning To an Asian-Style MMO, Such As <em>Aion</em>





Posted by timothy
from the check-if-you-are-running-windows dept.
