Let's let Joe Barr know that LUGs matter
Joe Barr wrote an opinion piece over at Newsforge asking Do LUGs still matter? http://software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=05/12/23/193238 As most of you have probably figured out, I have a pretty strong opinion on the matter. Slashdot picked up on the piece, http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/12/25/0433243from=rss And I was pleased to see one response from a recent attendee to CentraLUG in the comments at the end of the NewsForge piece. I posted a response on my own blog at: http://radio.weblogs.com/0117767/2005/12/26.html#a1816 And Joe himself responded with the comment, What a great response to the story. Wish I saw more like this one. If you know of activists in other LUGs (I know BLU is very active), please consider asking them to contact Joe and let him know that, while the Austin scene may be in a lull, LUGs worldwide are buzzing with activity. Perhaps we can get Joe to consider a followup article if we can supply him with enough examples. Ted Roche Ted Roche Associates, LLC http://www.tedroche.com ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss
Re: Let's let Joe Barr know that LUGs matter
On Dec 27, 2005, at 09:26, Ted Roche wrote: If you know of activists in other LUGs (I know BLU is very active), please consider asking them to contact Joe and let him know that, while the Austin scene may be in a lull, LUGs worldwide are buzzing with activity. Perhaps we can get Joe to consider a followup article if we can supply him with enough examples. Who's Joe Barr? One of my group members pointed me to the article on Newsforge yesterday. I figured Joe Barr just had too small a sample size to be writing such an article. I could have also thought that inflammatory hyperbole sells ad impressions but I didn't think that. I saw this comment attached to it: http://software.newsforge.com/comments.pl?sid=52693cid=120905 a position I pretty much agree with. Then I saw Joe Barr's response: http://software.newsforge.com/comments.pl?sid=52693cid=120912 and thought to myself, OK, I can safely ignore whatever Joe Barr's saying. So, I ask, academically, why do why care what Joe Barr thinks? -Bill - Bill McGonigle, Owner Work: 603.448.4440 BFC Computing, LLC Home: 603.448.1668 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cell: 603.252.2606 http://www.bfccomputing.com/Page: 603.442.1833 Blog: http://blog.bfccomputing.com/ VCard: http://bfccomputing.com/vcard/bill.vcf ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss
Re: Let's let Joe Barr know that LUGs matter
On Dec 27, 2005, at 11:11 AM, Bill McGonigle wrote: Who's Joe Barr? Just another guy who writes lots of articles for the magazines. http://www.pjprimer.com/history.html Lots of journalists, especially the opinion writers, write a lot of stuff I disagree with, and occasionally engage in discourse whose tone I would avoid. But attempting to tweak an opinion in our favor is all I was asking. ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss
Re: Let's let Joe Barr know that LUGs matter
On Tue, 27 Dec 2005 11:11:50 -0500 Bill McGonigle [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I saw this comment attached to it: http://software.newsforge.com/comments.pl?sid=52693cid=120905 a position I pretty much agree with. Indeed, indeed. I too, but the reality seems to be a blend of both. I believe Joe Barr is a journalist who has written about Linux and FOSS for some time now and as such is viewed as a seer of some note on those topics. Whether he has a clue I don't know, but I suspect he has an aura of an authority given his public presence as a journalist. Ed Lawson ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss
Re: Let's let Joe Barr know that LUGs matter
On 12/27/05, Ted Roche [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: ... Slashdot picked up on the piece ... Which is doubtless the only reason anyone[1] cares or even knows about the original article. Linux possibly defamed somewhere! http://www.suck.com/daily/99/12/13/ [1] For appropriately-sized definitions of anyone. -- Ben Nothing for you to see here. Please move along. Scott ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss
Re: system no longer dual-boots
Local pc repair guy copied Windows disk to a new (larger) disk, and replaced that first disk. However, now system only boots Windows. There no longer is even a prompt to choose between Windows and FC4. It is not a serious problem, but I am not sure enough of the procedure to competently advise you. That explanation covers the gist of it. For a more detailed bit of help with Knoppix, I have the Knoppix Pocket Reference, which is essentially a trimmed down version of Knoppix Hacks. It includes a specific fwe pages about repairing LILO and GRUB boot loader problems like this, effectively telling you line by line how to re-install each of them. If you want to see/borrow it, let me know. Otherwise, for $10, it comes in handy a good deal. -N ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss
Re: Let's let Joe Barr know that LUGs matter
On Tue, 27 Dec 2005 13:20:26 -0500 Ben Scott [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On 12/27/05, Ted Roche [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: ... Slashdot picked up on the piece ... Which is doubtless the only reason anyone[1] cares or even knows about the original article. You mean Slashdot is not the center of the universe? Ed Lawson ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss
[OT] Grand Unified Theory of Computer Suckage (fnord)
[WARNING: Now entering a low-reality zone] I'm just wondering if anyone knows of any work done to develop a Grand Unified Theory of Computer Suckage? It's just that I'm once again noticing that pretty much everything, everywhere, that has anything to do with a computer, sucks. The suckage varies. Sometimes it's like a distant high-frequency sound that you almost, but not quite, can't hear. Sometimes it's like having your entrails ripped out with a rusty pitchfork and ground into the mud by a herd of stampeding llamas with mad cow disease. But it's pretty much always there. I'm wondering if there is a reason for this, or am I just living in the wrong quantum universe? -- Ben Llama herder Scott ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss
Re: [OT] Grand Unified Theory of Computer Suckage (fnord)
Ben Scott wrote: [WARNING: Now entering a low-reality zone] I'm just wondering if anyone knows of any work done to develop a Grand Unified Theory of Computer Suckage? It's just that I'm once again noticing that pretty much everything, everywhere, that has anything to do with a computer, sucks. The suckage varies. Sometimes it's like a distant high-frequency sound that you almost, but not quite, can't hear. Sometimes it's like having your entrails ripped out with a rusty pitchfork and ground into the mud by a herd of stampeding llamas with mad cow disease. But it's pretty much always there. I'm wondering if there is a reason for this, or am I just living in the wrong quantum universe? -- Ben Llama herder Scott Uh... Having a bad day? LOL :-D I can feel your pain. Well, actually, if I felt your pain, I'd be in shock or unconscious or dead. Stampeding diseased llamas... Rusty pitchfork... Ye gods! After working for closing on thirty years doing tech support (amongst other computer stuff), I feel I can safely say, yes, it sucks; no, it hasn't really gotten better; and I doubt it'll greatly improve any time soon. Which is why I'm still working on tech support after thirty years... with no end in sight. Not that it's done me any harm. (I wonder why my business partner laughs so hard when I say that.) I do believe it does have something to do with the ineluctable nature of the universe, as Finagle's Law states: The perversity of the universe tends toward a maximum. The corollary of Hanlon's Razor does accerbate that native perversity. As Frank Zappa observed, There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life. Combine perversity and stupidity and what do you get? Have a nice day, Ben. (Or, at least, a better one.) ;-) -- Dan Jenkins ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Rastech Inc., Bedford, NH, USA --- 1-603-206-9951 *** Technical Support Excellence for over a quarter century ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss
Re: [OT] Grand Unified Theory of Computer Suckage (fnord)
[EMAIL PROTECTED] said: Sometimes it's like having your entrails ripped out with a rusty pitchfork and ground into the mud by a herd of stampeding llamas with mad cow disease. Let's see. Let's take about several billions lines of code, written by several thousand people (and that is a conservative estimate), most of who never communicated with each other in any way, and most of whom never read the documentation (if it existed) all the way through, (or even started reading it). And they definitely, definitely never read the erata sheets or manditory update information. Then take those lines of code, which follow some standards (some written and formal, some pseudo-standard) and put them through these things called compilers and interpreters, written by other people who never talk to anyone other than their so-called peers, which generate instructions to lots of computer chips that struggle to be the same, but continually different. These lines of code are divided into things called operating systems, networking code, etc. that are supposed to work together, but still be separate stacks, for portability. All are developed by companies that want their products to be a little different so they can differentiate themselves from each other, but yet enough alike so ISVs will (reluctantly) port to them (with just a FEW ifdefs). Now let's administer them with professionals who work like the devil so their clueless bosses can do as much with as little investment as possible in infrastructure (including paying for training for the systems administrators) so the stockholders and management can buy more Porches. Finally, even when the systems don't work, and continuously fail, we do not throw them out. If other systems fail, we throw them out. But with computers we keep trying to use them, refusing to look at other answers. And you wonder why things don't work? I am continuously amazed they work so well. md -- Jon maddog Hall Executive Director Linux International(R) email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 80 Amherst St. Voice: +1.603.672.4557 Amherst, N.H. 03031-3032 U.S.A. WWW: http://www.li.org Board Member: Uniforum Association, USENIX Association (R)Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in several countries. (R)Linux International is a registered trademark in the USA used pursuant to a license from Linux Mark Institute, authorized licensor of Linus Torvalds, owner of the Linux trademark on a worldwide basis (R)UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the USA and other countries. ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss
