Geeky stuff

[lordshipmayhem]

1) There's a new (well, new to me, anyway) distro for Linux out called "Damn Vulnerable Linux". It's a training tool. The student installs it and then goes chasing down the insecure bits, of which there are plenty. I like the name; it's reminiscent of Damn Small Linux, the run-from-CD distro which has been out for awhile, intended for ancient and very low-powered computers like the 486.

2) What is it with my fellow geeks and the word "loose"? You never lose your socks, you "loose" them. The SCO Group is not going to lose their court cases, they're going to "loose" them all.

3) The Gartner Group has released a study claiming that Windows collapsing under its own weight; radical changes needed". It's a fairly coherent report, pointing out that maintaining backward compatibility is getting to be rather difficult to maintain. This kind of headline will inevitably spark fear in every Pointy-Headed Boss (PHB, see the boss in Dilbert), but that might not be such a bad thing.

Comments

[bunnyhero.livejournal.com]

2) that loose/lose thing bugs me too.

3) yeah, it's probably time for windows to pull a "mac os x": lose the backwards compatibility, except for maybe in a limited way (like the old "classic" environment).

[lordshipmayhem.livejournal.com]

Apple's OS X lost a ton of backwards compatibility because they rewrote their OS to be a *nix, with a *BSD back end. I expect there to be a lot fewer "lost" applications in future operating system upgrades as a result. Linux and other *nix have a remarkable record for being backwards compatible.

Microsoft has always had an issue with backwards compatibility, balancing on a knife-edge between backwards compatibility and breaking old apps and data formats to force you to upgrade your applications. Break too much backwards compatibility and everybody (especially the companies) will look for an alternative that doesn't result in lost access to their nifty programs and essential data with each version change, break too little and they'll not feel the urgency to upgrade at all.

[shivanesti.livejournal.com]

Now, if you could just get business application vendors that market to medium-sized companies to port their software to *nix everything would be fine. Until that happens, Microsoft will unfortunately remain dominate in that area which has both an upstream and downstream effect.

[lordshipmayhem.livejournal.com]

While there are some that we wish a few companies would port over, many that already have, and others that are coming on-stream relatively soon.

IBM has already ported Lotus Notes and Symphony to Linux, and either already has or is in the process of porting Lotus SmartSuite as well. In addition, Lotus SmartSuite will, by default, use ODF (with other formats, including native SmartSuite formats, available). Adobe's PDF reader has a Linux version, although I find KGhostview works better.

In terms of accounting, AccPac Plus is already ported to Linux, both on server and client side. The Enterprise version of Quickbooks (which bears only the slightest resemblance to Quicbooks Pro et al) is available on Linux on the server (and a free download at that), although the client is still Windows. Oracle is taking its entire line of database and ERP software onto Linux, having built their own distribution based on Red Hat/Fedora. There are also some quite sophisticated ERP software packages released under the GPL (for example, Compiere and LedgerSMB), which midsize and large companies can freely adapt to their specialized industries. Smaller companies can use the Canadian-developed Quasar, which is designed to be usable for multiple-site retailers like convenience stores (there's a Point-of-Sale module available).

Substitutes for existing proprietary software:
- Evolution or Kontact for Outlook (especially Evolution)
- OpenOffice.Org and KOffice (plus Lotus SmartSuite, proprietary) for MSOffice
- GNUCash and Kmymoney (plus Moneydance, proprietary but available on OS X, Linux and Windows) for MS Money
- MySQL and PostgreSQL for MSSQL

There's still issues about CAD/CAM programs and multiple calendar co-ordination, but those should come around in the next few years.

The biggest issue is with industry-specific software. One of the most popular software for property management is Yardi, which is so tied to Microsoft you couldn't untie them with a meat cleaver. Still, for the typical office, the only thing holding them back is an overabundance of caution.

[shivanesti.livejournal.com]

Yes, the industry-specific/vertical market software is what I'm talking about as there are largely no alternatives to apps written for Windows (and MS Office where applicable). It's a very good thing that some enterprise software has been ported to *nix or has *nix alternatives, but for some of them customers won't implement due to the lack of (or perceived lack of) support contracts or dedicated support availability. I hope that continues to change.

Lose/Loose

[tamakun.livejournal.com]

This has always gotten to me too, but I had reason to believe that it was the other way around - you "lose" your socks (as in they were lost), but you can "loosen" your belt (which is that something is "not tight", or loose). Don't people lose races, not loose them?

Wow, the words are getting a little confusing to me, now.

Re: Lose/Loose

[lordshipmayhem.livejournal.com]

Actually, I was using the words how our fellow geeks seem to prefer to use them: double "o". ^_^

Loose in the dictionary means not tight. Loose in geekdom means the opposite of "to win".

And don't ask me why. I never had a problem from the time I was in elementary school. Oor shoould that noow be "schol"?