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Monday March 6th: CentraLUG meeting: Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP)

By on March 3, 2006 in Linux, OpenSource, Technology

The monthly meeting of CentraLUG, the Concord/Central New Hampshire chapter of the Greater New Hampshire Linux Users Group, occurs on the first Monday of each month on the New Hampshire Institute Campus starting at 7 PM. This month, we’ll be meeting in Room 146 of the Library/Learning Center/Bookstore, http://www.nhti.net/nhtimap.pdf , marked as “I” on that map. Directions and maps are available on the NHTI site. Open to the public. Free admission. Tell your friends.

This month’s meeting will feature Steve Amsden, Network Administrator for the Merrimack Valley School District, showing off LTSP, the Linux Terminal Server Project. From Steve:

“LTSP is an add-on package for Linux that allows you to connect lots of low-powered thin client terminals to a Linux server. Applications typically run on the server, and accept input and display their output on the thin client display. The power and flexibility of this platform have far reaching implications, particularly for K12 school districts who have been educated and brave enough to seek other solutions than the cost of systems and applications software. But more specifically, being locked into a treadmill of constant upgrades, licensing problems, and unsupportable client-server nework environments that have been the Achille’s heel of technology education. Merrimack Valley School District has five LTSP server environments in various states of implementation, and
uses e-Smith Linux server for gateway, DHCP, content filtering, firewall, and Windows 2000 emulation using SAMBA. Exeter School District, as well as Salem, are too using combinations of e-Smith and LTSP. Though LTSP has made in-roads into the schools, it will be some time before the full impact is realized, and others convinced that there is a better way than the Microsoft Way.”

Should be an awesome presentation! Hope to see you there!

Ziff-Davis notices FoxPro and Sedna

By on March 1, 2006 in FoxPro, Microsoft

Microsoft Watch from Mary Jo Foley reports FoxPro Faithful Await Microsoft ‘Sedna’. “This week, FoxPro developers received a first test build of a new set of technologies, code-named Sedna, designed to make FoxPro interoperable with Windows Vista, Office 2007 and .Net.”
“Visual FoxPro developers, oft-overlooked by Microsoft, are about to get an infusion of new technologies aimed at making the FoxPro language interoperable with Windows Vista, Office 2007 and .Net.”

Apple ships new Mac Minis

By on March 1, 2006 in Microsoft, OpenSource, Security, Technology

OSNews points to two articles that juxtapose in a Point-CounterPoint fashion. What I read: in the first piece, the author is desperately trying to prove that Windows sucks less than before. Bugs are fixed. Bad driver models replaced. Security is tightened. This is incremental improvement, laudable, expected, but not compelling, and not worth the cost of the update, nor the incredibly long wait. Microsoft themselves have admitted that Vista sales will come through the purchase of new machines, not upgrades. This isn’t market choice, it’s monopolistic behavior.

The second article argues that Vista is a mess, and I agree. It’s not an operating system, it’s a software bundle that includes yet another incompatible operating system kernel, a new GUI engine and interface, and new half-apps (bundled applications with the good features removed).

It’s funny. In some ways, I see a parallel between Microsoft shipping this huge bunch of stuff (Media Players, backup software, networking, GUI, web browser, game subsystem, kernel) and cable TV providers shipping bundles of cable channels. Each insists it would be too hard or expensive to unbundle and provide the customer with a la carte choice. Each backs this up with some pretty questionable claims.

It’s about choice.

Why Windows Vista Won’t Suck. “There’s a lot of confusion about Windows Vista these days. Many online discussion forums have a great number of users who express no desire to upgrade to Vista. Sure, we’ve all seen the screenshots and maybe a video or two of Vista in action, but for many it only seems like new tricks for an old dog. Yeah, it’s got some fancy 3D effects in the interface, but OS X has been doing that for years now, and it’s still Windows underneath, right? The sentiment seems to be that Vista is another Windows ME. Perhaps part of the problem is that people just don’t know what Vista has in store for them.”

Also from OSNews, Why Windows Needs to Go Back to Basics. “Once upon a time, operating systems managed the resources of computers, and that was about it. But after the PC revolution, most software makers started subscribing to the theory that bigger means better. But does it?”

The Real Windows Vista

By on February 27, 2006 in Apple Macintosh OS X, Microsoft

Over on the ProFox mailing list, Ed Leafe links to a new video showing off the “Real Windows Vista.” Absolutely hysterical and dead on. I, for one, cannot wait to experience the power of Microsoft Windows Vista. Wait! I already have!

Office Twelve / 2007 introduces new SKUs, Servers, Licenses, Confusion

By on February 17, 2006 in Microsoft, Technology

InfoWorld: Top News is reporting It’s official: Office ’12’ to become Office 2007.

(InfoWorld) – “Microsoftæis set to unveil on Thursday its long-awaited branding, packaging, and pricing for the next version of Office, which is expected to be available later this year… There will be seven Office suites in the 2007 Microsoft Office System, including one new enterprise package, Office Enterprise 2007, as well as two packages that have been rebranded…”

“Long awaited?” Now there’s something I’m sure their customers demanded: seven different versions! “Two packages have been rebranded?” They’re not sold under the Microsoft label? No, they’ve been renamed, so the package you buy is not the same as the one of the same name. Other industries call this bait-and-switch.

“To help companies purchase some of the new licenses that will be required to use Office 2007’s collaboration capabilities, Microsoft will offer a new Enterprise Client Access License (CAL). ..”

Oh, Microsoft is helping customers!

“Microsoft also will add new server software to the Office family. The company will combine its portal and content management servers into one server called Office SharePoint Server 2007… n addition, the company will offer Office Forms Server 2007… Another new offering, Office Project Portfolio Server, complements the existing Office Project Server…”

Now, Office is a “family.” I’m not sure which I find more disturbing: Microsoft’s packaging, or the reporter’s straight-faced use of MicrosoftSpeak without any objection.

Seven different versions. Dozens of applications, with various features disabled. Nightmarish new licenses. New servers. What a mess! All this to print documents, calculate spreadsheets and do other routine office work? I think Microsoft is overreaching here. They may sell to their captive audience, but new computer users whose machines come with Corel Office or OpenOffice are going to be hard-pressed to find a reason to switch.

If you haven’t tried OpenOffice.org, there’s no better time than the present!

Lies, damned lies, statistics and vendor-sponsored research

By on February 15, 2006 in Microsoft, Technology

Microsoft Watch from Mary Jo Foley points to an eWeek article claiming Linux Vendors Go on the ‘Get the Facts’ Offensive. “The Open Source Development Labs and Linux vendor Levanta published on Monday a 17-page study entitled “Get the Truth on Linux Management.”

Levanta, whose name and logo both make me think they sell into a different industry, sells high-end management software/hardware for Linux. They comissioned a study that finds — surprise! — that Linux is cheaper to operate than Windows. Especially for people who use Levanta tools. Oh, please.

Let’s agree that “Total Cost of Ownership” means what you want it to mean, based on the assumptions you’re going to stipulate, and get on with the business of solving people’s problems. An arbitrary “TCO” measurement is like MPG, one piece of data, but only a small piece.

Valentine’s Day Patch Massacre

By on February 14, 2006 in Microsoft, Security

Computerworld News notes Microsoft issues seven security patches. “The updates are considered less serious than January’s fixes, although two are rated critical.”

Read the gory details here. While only two are rated “Critical” several of the “Important” patches allow remote code execution. Patch away!

MS06-004 through -010 were released today. It’s the seventh week of 2006. When exactly is Trustworthy Computing supposed to kick in?

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