An interesting article posted in the OSDN web site’s DevChannel forum. In the first of a series entitled “Rapid application development tools, part 1: Database front ends” Michael “STIBS” Stibane talks about the easy-to-use but limited tools that provide a front end (forms, reports, etc.) to database back ends. There are several intriguing options.
Archive | February, 2004
Migration from Windows to Linux saves thousands
A testimonial from a 300-person company that estimates savings of $145,000 by moving to Linux from Windows.
Cory Doctorow: Ebooks: Neither E, Nor Books
Cory Doctorow, a talent writer of sci-fi and a technology fan, presented “Ebooks: Neither E, Nor Books” at O’Reilly’s Emerging Technology conference. Cory observes some of the up- and downsides of ebooks and makes some predictions on their future.
SD Magazine: 27 Players Ready for Primetime
Software Development magazine features an article this month titled “Free as in Freedom” that describes the progress of free software and features a table of “27 Players Ready for Primetime.” Check out their website and you can view the article online with a free registration
Amazon exposes reviewers as frauds — accidentally
Slashdot reports Amazon.com Pierces Reviewer Anonymity — a goof-up at Amazon revealed that “A reader from Chicago” was, in fact, the author of the book he praises.
I went shopping for some new books this weekend, and was astounded by the trash heap the reviews have turned into: zero-star comments mercilessly trashing a book and five-star gushing praises so over the top that no one could believe them. It’s obviously turned into popularity contest and a mechanism easily exploited. It’s disappointing.
Windows Source Code Leaked?
With all of Microsoft’s initiatives to “share” their source code under restrictive licenses with companies, universities and countries, it was inevitable that it would leak out. A key difference between closed and open source: with open source, having the source code available is a security feature. With closed source, it’s a security liability. Since code leaks are inevitable, which would you prefer? Windows Source Code Leaks Online. Microsoft scrambles to find out how its prized code made its way onto the Internet. Experts say malicious hackers — and Microsoft competitors — could have a field day. [Wired News]
TAOUP
The Art of Unix Programming is Eric S. Raymond’s book explaining much of the Unix history, traditions and tools. Available from Addison-Wesley, the book can also be read online at the link above.
Will I be Arrested if I End a Sentence with a Preposition?
I’ve driven a few technical editors to drink with my challenging writing: tenses and I don’t always see eye to eye, a few split infinitives add rhythm to an essay, and gender-correct “he or she” or “s/he” is correctly written as the singular “they” in my none so humble opinion. So I was enlightened to discover the secret of prepositions in this Dr. Language column: http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/drlang001.html
IOGear print server and Linux
I blogged back in July that I’d picked up a charming little Ethernet-to-USB print server from IOGear for $60, and needed to set it up with Linix. Leeman Strout wrote to ask if I’d ever had any success. I wandered over to the Linux workstation to check, and it wasn’t set up, so I set to it. The printer is a Lexmark E312, which speaks PostScript natively, making it a bit easier to set up with Linux. Here’s the
trick I used, thanks to the latest issue of Linux Magazine, March 2004 and http://www.linuxprinting.org. I opened a browser to localhost: 631, the http interface for CUPS. I added a new printer with the following specifications: Device: LPD/LPR Host or Printer, Device URI: lpd: 192.168.1.xx/ – its local address, Make: Postscript, Model: generic postscript printer (en). The trick was realizing that it used an older LPR interface, rather than the more modern Internet Printing Protocol (IPP). Test prints worked great!
So, How do you make money doing this?
The most common question I am hearing from developers considering bringing Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) into their company is whether people make money doing this. They do. In yet another article where the headline writer should be flogged, CNET reports on Pandora’s box for open source. “As the demand for open-source software continues to rise, established companies must figure out how to profit while combining free technology with proprietary products.”
The article is rather good. The headline, with its reference to an innocent girl releasing pestilence across the world, is a bit over the top.