- Feature Articles
- CodeSOD
- Error'd
-
Forums
-
Other Articles
- Random Article
- Alex's Soapbox
- Announcements
- Best of…
- Best of Email
- Best of the Sidebar
- Bring Your Own Code
- Coded Smorgasbord
- Mandatory Fun Day
- Off Topic
- Representative Line
- News Roundup
- Editor's Soapbox
- Software on the Rocks
- Souvenir Potpourri
- Sponsor Post
- Tales from the Interview
- The Daily WTF: Live
- Virtudyne
Admin
Yes: VERA, the Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms.
Admin
<font color="#000080"><i>Jesper</font>: Solaris Team?
<br<font color="#a52a2a">Consultant</font>: Ehrm... you know, the expensive Linux and hardware from Sun?</i>
<br><br>
Umm, did you just imply that Solaris is an expensive version of Linux? It's a completely different environment.
Admin
I'm noticing an irritating tendency for people in the corporate world to conflate LAMP to mean, basically, any application stack that involves Linux.
I think the problem is that since there's some ambiguity as to what the P stands for (PHP? Perl? Python?), people figure it just doesn't matter one way or the other.
Java, however, starts with a J. I'm quite sure of this.
Admin
Yeah, someone got this WTF backwards. The consultant sounded solid. The hiring person sounded like they screwwed up.
Admin
Frankly I haven't used any redhat since 7.1, and definitely not RHEL, but I'm not sure what you mean by core. I'm sure they (RH) provide their own kernel patch set. They probably have some proprietary configuration utils too now (probably all spiffy and graphical to win over windows users). They've always had rpm, but so do other distros (even though it stands for redhat package manager). Maybe a timeline would help. Comparing RedHat and Debian is like comparing MySQL and PostgreSQL (IN CONCEPT, NOT IN FEATURES OR "BETTERNESS" OR ANYTHING!). One doesn't spawn from the other. Frankly, once you install any linux distro it's all pretty much the same. Biggest differences I've found are the package management untils, default packages, and default window manager look... Graphical configuration utils also differ somewhat. Under the hood they're all just about the same though.
Admin
Spontaneously unmounting drives? 8-letter passwords? Ed as default editor? Rlogin/telnet by default? Compiler, you have to buy? Ridiculous upgrades?
Sorry - each day with solaris in my life brought up a new wtf to this world :) (yup - I know it's trolling and much changed after 5.8, but still...)
Admin
Hmmmm... how about a client-server platform for LAN-based Macintosh programs? The server is Mac OS X with Apache, MySQL, and AppleScript, the clients are written in Java, with AppleScript, manual, and Automator interfaces... I give you, the MAMA-JAMA system. </joke>
Admin
What GoatCheez said.
Basically, a Linux distribution starts with some version of the kernel, adds in patches and software, and some kind of managment system for dealing with the software. The "big three" in terms of package management are Red Hat (which originated the RPM format), Debian (which originated .deb and the Advanced Package Tool / APT), and Gentoo, which uses a "I'll just automated the process of downloading and compiling source code my damn self" system which will be familiar to folks who have used BSD or Darwin Ports on OS X.
Um... anyway. If you're interested in getting started in Linux, I recommend trying Ubuntu, which is based on Debian. It uses a package management tool called Synaptic, which is easily my favorite. I also recommend picking up a <a href="http://www.vmware.com/products/free_virtualization.html">free copy of VMWare Server</a>, since it will enable you to do so without so much as having to mess with your boot loader.
And incidentally, it's shocking to me that after so many years, Red Hat's officially supported package managmeent toolset is so primitive.
Disclaimer: I use Ubuntu and OS X at home; Windows, RHEL, and Novell/SuSE at work; I'm also a Red Hat Certified Engineer, for whatever that's worth.
Admin
Well geez. What do you expect from a bunch of nerds? Social tact?
Admin
I actually did get your reference, and I was taking it another step as someone pointed out and quoted Homer. You did a nice job of blowing up at me and making your own condescending smartass comment, I'll give you that, too bad it was misdirected.
...I think I ate your chocolate covered squirrel.
Admin
yeah... I did notice what the other guy posted and would have replied earlier with an apology but was too busy trying to dislodge my foot from my mouth.
Admin
Where'd you get those clothes from, the toilet store?
Admin
<FONT face=Verdana>No where near as exciting as the SOFA technology.</FONT>
Or SOFA King Retarted Technology
Admin
But they call it Fedora Core; that must mean there's a special chocolate core in there, right? Right?
Yeah....
sincerely,
Richard Nixon
Admin
They are actually Simpsons quotes when Homer changed his name to Max Power. And we spell Tai Thai.
Admin
Come on now, don't take that too seriously. Dip into your toolbelt and pull out your wit hammer, funny screwdriver and humor exacto blade and reread the whole thing. I know I am not that funny but this isn't WTF material.
Admin
Exactly. What sane company trusts <acronym title="Paying Homage to Perl">PHP</acronym>?
Admin
I haven't worked for them, but they were hired to "work" for me.
They were my introduction to "corporate consulting". Our organization (a very promenent non-profit by the way) paid a shit-load if money for a couple of bozos to come in, lead a few meetings, and ultimately produce several simplistic flow charts of our processes.
It was a joke. As the newly hired (6 months) person in charge of all data and computer systems I attended all the meetings. I sat there while they told us things I had figured out months ago but did not yet have implemented. It was nothing but simple common sense. But my god! the exectives just ate it up! I learned three things from that experience:
1. Consultants (unless technically skilled in an area you are not) are not going to provide your company with anything that a dedicated and intellegent employee can't.
2. Executives are not all that bright.
3. Executives never trust information or expertise unless it's costing them and arm and a leg.
Admin
That's why www.thedailywtf.com isn't entertainment, it's critical self-education of current and up-to-date enterprise techniques, with like minded young and snappy IT experts. Here we learn about AJAX, and ASP.NET, and LAMP and WTF
And how to not utilise them in mission critical systems.
Your boss shouldn't frown when he watches you surf this site, but smile and be happy to have a employ whom stays current with the IT buzz.
(i really like the sound of that 'the IT buzz' it sounds important. like a NBC 15 minutes news special, with 12 minutes of commercial break in between)
Admin
I write LAMPs using C-Pound!
Admin
Speaking of Acronyms, that should be TANSTAAFL
Admin
It's also free these days (though the support ain't cheap).
Admin
Time for me to plug my favorite consulting book. The gist of it is that executives hire consultants to validate them.
The trick is to make the customers feel good about themselves AND do a good enough job to keep your self-respect. It is next to impossible in many business environments, and that's why you see so many big consulting firm types (who probably had no self-respect to begin with) take the money and run. The type of company that hires those jokers cannot admit a mistake, even to themselves, so they blame that particular consulting firm and cycle on to another big consulting firm.
It is a good idea to interview with big consulting firms once in a while to get a sense of their weltanschauung. They'll always tell you the first priority is to make the customer happy, and they're right in a twisted sort of way. The stuff techies care about, like systems that work, or that money people care about, like ROI, are dim concepts to them. It is not that they are against quality per se, they just never had to learn what it was and it would never be a priority.There are good consultants out there, mostly independents and "boutique" shops, but you have to look for them. The good ones are always looking for customers they can make happy with quality - that niche makes money on return business. If you're ever shopping for one, find out what their track record was on return business.
Admin
Me, I'll get in my hyperbolic chamber and point out that Linux and Solaris are expensive versions of BSD. The most unlikely vendor of all seems to have come up with the least expensive version, OS/X.
Admin
Heh, I love C-Pound, it sounds like fighten' words... "PROGRAMMER SMASH!!!"
Admin
I wouldn't mention that around the office...at least my office.
Admin
I can't afford that damn Linux either. Luckily I still have XP and (as you mention) OSX to fill the inexpensive software gap.
Is it just me or are there more wtf's in the replies here than on the front page?
Admin
$150/hour for web dev consultants ???
That is totally unfair. At college I write software for a hardware eye movement tracker (realtime code in C....precisely timed and drawn graphics...). I get a lousy 130 bucks per month ........... sigh........
Admin
It's not unusual. No understanding of TCO is a persistent WTF in this forum.
Admin
No wonder people aren't using Linux more widely! They all think that it cost money!
Now excuse me while I download the latest versions of Ubuntu, FreeBSD, Fedora Core, etc....
Admin
Tell that to O'Reilly. They have a whole darn website called OnLAMP.
Admin
See what I mean? Perfect example for comment 90251...
Admin
Thanks! I had no idea what OnLAMP referred to until you mentioned it. Come to think of it, I didn't know what LAMP meant until today, even though I'd used each letter. Hold on, does the P mean PHP or Perl or Python or Postgres? No problem, I still know LAMP if I stutter.
Last year someone referred to me as "just a POJO guy". I didn't know if I was or not, but it turns out he meant "not a Java framework guy", not anything bad like a fetishist or a manager. Someone else smacked him for me.
Admin
Can't say I'm sold on the TCO argument myself. As a home user I find Windows to require a lot more time and effort than Linux, and it's about the same at my (small) business where I'm the unfortunate Maintainer of the Windows Small Business Server 2000 based network.
Admin
That deserves a serious reply. Yes, I think Linux became the desktop TCO winner somewhere in the last 5 years. That's from the point of view of a techie, though - corporate IT is nowhere close to being convinced. They have a point, too - their TCO includes the social costs of cutting over some very conservative people. Hopefully at some point they can't afford not to cut over...
On the server side the writing is on the wall - sooner or later everything is going to be on Redhat (RHEL or Fedora or Centos, etc). I have hopes for one of the BSDs, since BSD is faster and more secure, but the odds are against each of them except maybe OS/X. Linux even has an easy answer for what to do with big iron - you can turn a mainframe into a Linux cluster.
Admin
The real wtf is comparing Apache to VB. After all Apache servers more than 60% percent of all domains: http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2006/02/02/february_2006_web_server_survey.html
btw anyone noticed that fussball girl is back?
Admin
Admin
When I was unemployed and looking for PHP development work, I had this one interview. Everything went really well. The guy was asking me questions and I was answering. I didn't know much about ActionScript but because I knew it was essentially Javascript and I knew the APIs were available (and I told him this) he was really impressed.
He asked me what my Linux skills were like, I said they were fine: that I used Linux at home on my own PC and I was familiar enough with using it to develop in it. He asked me how I was with the MySQL PHP breed. I told him it was my strongest development point. He asked me how I was with Apache. I told him it was the Server I used and that I was familiar with configuring it and using htAccess files (which is all the job spec wanted). He then asked me if I was familiar with lamp. I told him I'd never heard of it.
I got an email back from him saying somethign to the tune of "We found all of your skils up to scratch but we're not willing to hire someone with out lamp experience". So I stuck "LAMP development" into google and guess what I found?
Admin
And I suppose you were pleased with yourself. I've been in that situation a couple of times, and went actively looking for something useful to do. One of the little jobs I found led to several months work for a very pleasant group of people (at a time when work was in very short supply) and two new skills on my CV.
Oh, and I now work for a consultancy that gets around 90% of its work as repeat business from satisfied customers.
By and large you get out of life what you put into it.
Admin
Actually, POJO means Plain Old Java Objects and refers to using J2SE and shying away from EJB objects and the like.
Admin
Could Be Could Be.
But because Macs are made to play nice with Windows and other nx's (Can't use *nix because that leaves out *nux) We should believe that well get WAMP-Vs And UAMP-Js, along with our handy desk LAMP.
If that was a little too enterprisey *s is a script.
CAPTCHA: stfu - Hmm could be telling me something...
Admin
we likes to call it portage...and its pretty darn cute. downloads dependancies like synaptic (err whatever-its-called) for ubuntu does too
/me says crying from my winder's box at work
Admin
Well, the site is called TDWTF, so it's only fitting I included one in my sig.
Good Catch!
Admin
I'm in the fortunate position to only have to worry about my own TCO, and any emplyer silly enough to force a OS/X box in front of me has effectively cut my hours in half. It may be great to make sure Grandma doesn't lose her e-mail window, but it's like running through pudding for me.
Windows - well I'd just quit. Also the TCO for a pair of 23" 1920x1200 lcds is about -$10,000 a year, quite a deal actually!
Admin
That dude wants lamping! ;)
Admin
A write off is a deduction, dumbass. You still spend the money; you just don't pay taxes on that much income, get it? And it works that way whether you file as an individual, a corp, an s-corp, a partnership, or whatever else you want.
Admin
I love... desk
Admin
Mate, you want to come to London (yeah the UK one). I've worked with plenty who actually receive £150 an hour (that's 150 sharp), about 220 of your dollars.
Admin
Don't despair, I thought the same thing when I looked at my kids' Mac. It took me a while to get under the damn UI, but when it turned out to have a shell that understood "ps -aux" I was in heaven. The OS really is nice - if they could turn off the UI and fix the crappy hardware they'd really have something. I suppose it is too much to ask to only make the UI proprietary.
The bad hardware might be limited to the Mac consumer machines, mind you. I looked at an OS/X server at the store and it showed signs of being really good. Now if they could just get rid of the annoying Mac people.
Admin
What's the weather like in bizarro world?