Posts by jon_knox

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  • Southerly: A Slow Journey and a Quick Arrival,

    Congrats...it must have been a very long month or so.

    The fourth sign was an exciting package from Paul Brislen at Vodafone.

    A public low cost/no cost wireless network (& perhaps the odd wireless laptop) for the wards in the public hospitals would be a great way for patients & their families to overcome some of the isolation that occurs at hospitals.... & great way to get some informed advice whilst waiting for a doc ;op

    Belgium • Since Nov 2006 • 464 posts Report

  • Southerly: Late for What?,

    Can we run a competition to name your child?

    Something that can be abbreviated nicely is always useful.

    Woody Hay-Haywood seems to have a nice balance to it.

    Belgium • Since Nov 2006 • 464 posts Report

  • Hard News: Contains strong language,

    The "lie" I had made was that I said in the employment section that I was a prostitute, earning $40k a year.

    I would have thought your school mate would have given you the benefit of the doubt....$39 400 is pretty close ;op

    Belgium • Since Nov 2006 • 464 posts Report

  • Hard News: Brown bigots etc.,

    I think we should opt for an open-source Mac/PC/Linux compatible National Anthemn that is inclusive of atheists.

    Mac/PC/Linux compatible

    "Platform independent" is the term. Java is platform independent....dunno what the stats are about java, but chances are if your computer just stopped to catch it's breath for a while (ie has hung), java was responsible....(perhaps I'm being unfair).

    Perhaps we could have a new reality show. Write (& perhaps perform) NZ's new national anthem?...it would almost worth leaving NZ to avoid and might solve some of the problems with NCEA....can't imagine too many people would be keen to retain a TV with that sort of dribble on the idiotbox.

    Belgium • Since Nov 2006 • 464 posts Report

  • Hard News: Brown bigots etc.,

    The Census figures on religious affiliation , if anyone is interested, are here.

    I wonder how long before an argument breaks out on PA System about interpreting those stats?

    Belgium • Since Nov 2006 • 464 posts Report

  • Hard News: Brown bigots etc.,

    As a result, our job has become much easier. It is easier to produce the sort of solutions we are required to, it is less costly and we make far fewer design and architectural compromises due to stupid and bizarre licensing rules. In short we invariably end up with a better end result than we did in a previous life. Technically it is satisfying and it is gratifying to be able to make a difference to someone's business without compromises.

    I agree. This stuff increases transparency and means people in the software game provide what is needed, rather than a generic one-size-fits-all suits nobody solution that contains more stuff that I'm never going to use, than stuff I am going to use, which the user is obliged to pay big bucks for. When I look for a parallel in the natural kingdom, I begin thinking more and more about the extinction of the dinosaurs.

    I feel a rant about collaboration and the need for reform of intelluctual property rights (copyright) coming on.

    Belgium • Since Nov 2006 • 464 posts Report

  • Hard News: Brown bigots etc.,

    Counts on this topic so far.
    God botherers 25
    Computer geeks 20

    I wonder how many of the people posting are in both camps?

    Not many (perhaps any) comments from females either....looks RB's identified a means by which to get (approx) half the population to opt out.

    Belgium • Since Nov 2006 • 464 posts Report

  • Hard News: Brown bigots etc.,

    Thinking about Danyl's post.

    In my experience open source software tends to be really great for people with degrees in computer science

    Yep done a bit of this. It was good to learn after years of working in IT, just what people with formal education in these topics learnt. I don't think I learnt much.

    who don't mind rewriting the odd perl file

    If you can speak a language you're capable of doing this.

    or recompiling their OS kernal every now and then

    Never recompliled a kernel, but have written a wee bit of code that requires a compiler.

    and a total freaking nightmare for the other 99.999999% of the population.

    That's chain rattling. An enquiring mind and a little bit of (GN'R) patience are useful. Common sense too. I look at software in the following way. If kids can do it, it must be easy.

    I tend to think of understanding technology simply as a literacy issue, in the same way that reading & writing was perhaps a hundred years ago. Now I'm as capable as anyone of making dumb choices, but where technology gets excessively difficult to understand I tend to think that 1 of 2 scenarios has occurred. Either I haven't found someone whose explanation is good enough, or someone is trying to pull the wool over my eyes. The end result being in either case being I need to increase my level of scruitiny, rather than bury my head in the sand.

    Belgium • Since Nov 2006 • 464 posts Report

  • Hard News: Brown bigots etc.,

    As for using open source office equivalents on school computers - surely it would be a good thing if kids were to learn not only how to type into a word processing program but also how to find bugs and participate if the open source environment that fixes those bugs. Surely that would result in more computer literacy rather than less.

    But this kinda sounds like people have to overcome their ignorance. Many large organisations (be they corporations or religious organisations ) continue to survive because people accept what they are told to accept.

    Belgium • Since Nov 2006 • 464 posts Report

  • Island Life: Fear and greed, son, fear…,

    2 posts in as many days from Mr Slack. Does this mean a satisifeid publisher or has he just hit the wall?

    Belgium • Since Nov 2006 • 464 posts Report

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