A Linux Geek Embraces Mac OS X. ExtremeTech’s own (and OSNews reader) Jim Lynch is a long-standing Linux and occasional Windows user. He recently got a Mac for the first time, a G5. Did he like it, will he stay to the new platform? [OSNews]
Archive | 2005
OpenFox.org gets closed
Paul McNett has run OpenFox.org as a Wiki for people wanting to run FoxPro on platforms other than Windows. Unfortunately, according to a note on the home page, Paul has had to take down the site due to spammers. He does, however, point to other links that contain great information on this, including WineHQ and his own web site.
With the recent VFP9 EULA (I still haven’t seen it online), someone asked if that meant that VFP is dead on Linux. Frankly, I’ve always thought of it as more of a parlor trick than a viable platform for development. I mean, if the vendor really doesn’t want to run on the many other operating systems out there, that is their choice, even if they are cutting off their nose to spite their face. The other answer is one that Paul points out in the white paper on his site: you don’t need to run VFP 9 or 8 or even 7 to get most of the benefits of VFP. If you are running (or at least distributing) VFP 6 level applications, the EULA had no noxious requirements about the operating system. As always, you should consult a lawyer about this, but it looks good to me…
Slashdot: Human Animal Hybrid Created in Lab
SlashDot notes: “National Geographic has an article stating that… “Scientists have begun blurring the line between human and animal by producing chimeras – a hybrid creature that’s part human, part animal.”
Great! And are these creatures – HAnimals or Animans? – entitled to protection by the SPCA or by the UN Human Rights Commission? There are incredible ethical issues in this.
VFP9 co-existing with earlier development versions
Ken Levy responded to my earlier post with:
Based on the feedback from you and others in the VFP community after the release of VFP, I met with the Microsoft legal team who worked on the VFP 9.0 EULA and they allowed that section to be removed.æ So anyone can upgrade to VFP 9.0 and use “any” previous version on the same machine, no restrictions in the EULA on previous versions related to upgrading.æ You can blog my comment on that if you want so people know who don’t have VFP 9.0 yet.
Anand on the Mac, Part 2
Last year, I blogged that Anand of the PC hardware review site AnandTech wrote up an enthusaistic review of the state of the Macintosh. Apparently, that started a whole new section of the site, devoted to the Apple technologies.
Anand follows up with another thorough discussion – ten thousand words over 11 pages – that will give you a great view of where Apple is and where they are going.
VFP 9 EULA available online?
Several folks have contacted me to let me know of the change to the EULA and Ken Levy’s statements at various conferences. Thanks, folks.
Ken Levy’s words are not Microsoft’s contracts, and Microsoft (and all software vendors) ought to have their licenses available for inspection. Thanks to my friends and readers, I’m better informed (as will others who might Google this post), but public viewing of licenses ought to be standard practice.
In a recent column, Ed Foster asked, “Would software licensing terms be any less nasty if we could read them before we made our purchase decision? It’s an interesting question, and one I think is going to be answered in the not-so-distant future.”
Visual FoxPo 9.0 hits the streets
Visual FoxPro 9.0 now in retail channel!.
“Microsoft Visual FoxPro 9.0 finally hit the streets! It comes in a sleek DVD-case. Rick spotted it at FoxToolbox.com and other retailers.”
(Via fiat volpes) Via Alex Feldstein
Now, has anyone seen the End User Licensing Agreement posted online? I’ve been told that the “upgrade” version no longer has the requirement that previous versions must be removed from your machine, as earlier EULAs did. Since the “Version Upgrade” costs around half as much as the full product, this is an important question.
Webmin releases version 1.180
A new version released today. Webmin is a great tool for administering a Linux, OS X or Windows (with Cygwin) machine remotely via a web browser. Based in Perl, it includes modules for many of the popular tools on the platforms: Apache, IPTables, Samba, MySQL, PostGreSQL. It’s a very handy way to familiarize yourself with the administrative options available with those tools, and often offers a simpler and easy to use interface than the tool itself does.
Mini Madness?
No, not the Cooper Mini, although Laura and I would love to play with one. The Mac Mini. Steve Jobs brought his portable Reality Distortion Field to MacWorld last week and put on an as-always great keynote, his first since a scare with pancreatic cancer last year, and the crowd went wild, and the press went wild and Slashdot went wild. Inevitably, a few naysayers trotted out the usual tired arguments against Apple. Reviews were either Apple Fan-tastic or Apple hater-mean. Let’s get real.
Laura asked me at lunch just who they were trying to sell to. Great question! The Mac Mini is a little too mini for those of us who push our machines really hard: the CPU, RAM and disk aren’t much upgradable. the video too weak for gamers. If you buy into the all-Apple thing, and buy the Apple keybaord and mouse, Apple Airport card, RAM and HD upgrade and a 21″ Cinema display, the price comes out pretty close to what I paid last year for a loaded iMac (the “Luxo Lamp” model). However, this can make an ideal office desktop machine for someone who needs mail, web browsing and routine office work (using Apple Works, OpenOffice.org, NeoOffice/J or Apple’s new iWork).
For those who already have the peripherals (or can buy them at a bargain), I suspect the Mac Mini can make a great desktop machine or second machine. But beware! Once you’ve experienced the Apple trademark “It Just Works!” experience, don’t be surprised at finding yourself pricing out a dual-proc PowerMac or a slick PowerBook.
Tim Bray thinks about whether a “Mini for Mom” is a good choice.
OSNews has an interesting article comparing a home-brew mini-PC vs. the Mac Mini.
If you’ve got the time and you’re really intrigued by the entire Apple phenomenon (I am!), Daring Fireball has an insightful Mac Mini analysis with an interesting conclusion.
PostGreSQL 8.0 Released
PostGreSQL 8.0 is a pretty impressive product that doesn’t get the attention of MySQL, but really should. It’s a full-featured relational database engine with most of the competitive features of the big boys: triggers, RI, procedures, etc. In the 8.0 product, the press release claims the most features in any dot-zero release of PostGreSQL. Notable is a native Windows port for better introduction into monoculture shops.