Geek count



in message <[email protected]>, Kevin Stone
('[email protected]') wrote:

> "Simon Brooke" wrote:
>
>>>http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

>
> Quote: I don't have a computer virus - I don't run an operating system
> which is vulnerable to them - so there's no need to mail me to tell me
> I have.
>
> I love this, I challenge you to name your operating system!


Debian GNU/Linux stable.

Now I challenge you to name a Linux virus which has _ever_ been seen in
the wild.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Usenet: like distance learning without the learning.
 
Simon Brooke wrote:


>
> Debian GNU/Linux stable.
>
> Now I challenge you to name a Linux virus which has _ever_ been seen in
> the wild.


wine?


;-)

James
--
If I have seen further than others, it is
by treading on the toes of giants.
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames/home/
 
Kevin Stone <[email protected]> wrote:
: "Arthur Clune" wrote:

:> I went the other way - from a maths department to computers. Being a
:> RA is not fun when you have a mortage to pay.

: Ah, the joys of no mortgage and simple life style.

I have a simple life style really by modern standards. No car, no non-mortgage
debt, no stress, no kids. However even without the mortage the way RAs are
treated would have got to me. Renting loses its appeal after you get
chucked out by the landlord because he wants the house back.
At least if I keep paying the bank money they won't chuck me out.

I had 7 contracts in 3 years. Then a months unemployment. Then two 6 month
contracts. Then I gave it up as a bad job. In all that time I was doing
exactly the same thing.

There's no reason at all IMO why Universities shouldn't just employ RAs on
proper (permanant) contracts. Also the whole "you have to move around" to stand any
chance of getting a lecturership thing. Why should I? And when you're
(finally) a lecturer you get to spend more time doing teaching and admin than
research. While still having to produce the same amount of research
or you won't do well in the RAE.

Nah. I wasn't dedicated enough to maths for that. Good for those that are
but I prefer being out of it.

Hm. More of a rant than I intended........

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org
"Technolibertarians make a philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook
 
in message <[email protected]>, Colin
McKenzie ('[email protected]') wrote:

> Mr. Alan Paterson wrote:
>
>> OK, how many people reading this NG ( like me ) work with computers
>> as a profession.?

>
> Not any more: my last IT customer hasn't phoned for months and I'm
> filling all my time very successfully with cycling-related work.
>
> A more interesting Q might be how people found out about Usenet - I'd
> guess most people came across it first at work rather than at home.


I didn't discover Usenet until about 1986; from about 1988 I ran a news
server at home over a UUCP link; I didn't actually switch to using NNTP
over IP at home until about 1995. These days I have a leased line into
the house, and there's a rack of six real Internet servers behind me as
I type. However we're just about to switch to a satellite downlink to
increase our bandwidth.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
.::;===r==\
/ /___||___\____
//==\- ||- | /__\( MS Windows IS an operating environment.
//____\__||___|_// \|: C++ IS an object oriented programming language.
\__/ ~~~~~~~~~ \__/ Citroen 2cv6 IS a four door family saloon.
 
Simon Brooke wrote:
> in message <[email protected]>, Kevin Stone
> ('[email protected]') wrote:
>
>> "Simon Brooke" wrote:
>>
>>>> http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

>>
>> Quote: I don't have a computer virus - I don't run an operating
>> system which is vulnerable to them - so there's no need to mail me
>> to tell me I have.
>>
>> I love this, I challenge you to name your operating system!

>
> Debian GNU/Linux stable.


Good choice :).
 
Arthur Clune wrote:

> There's no reason at all IMO why Universities shouldn't just employ RAs on
> proper (permanant) contracts. Also the whole "you have to move around" to stand any
> chance of getting a lecturership thing. Why should I? And when you're
> (finally) a lecturer you get to spend more time doing teaching and admin than
> research. While still having to produce the same amount of research
> or you won't do well in the RAE.


For all their imperfections, the govt research labs do seem to have a
significant edge over universities - higher salaries, better working
conditions, no teaching, many more 'permanent' positions - although
nothing is really permanent these days, at least there are some
procedures and some redundancy pay for those who do lose their jobs. I
worked in a university briefly once and thought it was ****.

James
--
If I have seen further than others, it is
by treading on the toes of giants.
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames/home/
 
"Simon Mason" <[email protected]> wrote in news:H4SdnZs2B-
[email protected]:

> we are lab technicians, so I don't think I
> would count.
>


I didn't think lab technicians could count at all. :)
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
Sorry, you left the door wide open on that one, I know it was totally
unwarranted.
 
"Mr. Alan Paterson" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> OK, how many people reading this NG ( like me ) work with computers as a
> profession.?



I'm a "resting" computer consultant. Mind you, the "resting" involves
studying to upgrade some of my certifications and searching for a job.
Bloody hard to break into the local job market over here :-(

Graeme
 
On Wed, 28 Jul 2004 15:22:52 GMT, "Mr. Alan Paterson"
<[email protected]> wrote (more or less):

>OK, how many people reading this NG ( like me ) work with computers as a
>profession.?
>
>Quite a few I'd bet.


I've been a senior development manager (i.e. the software development
project managers reported to me) in a b/i/i/ig bank.

But I'm a student again now. And only part of its geeky! (I'm doing
social science-y stuff too!)

Euan, Cert. Soc. Sci. (Open)


--
Cheers,
Euan
Gawnsoft: http://www.gawnsoft.co.sr
Symbian/Epoc wiki: http://html.dnsalias.net:1122
Smalltalk links (harvested from comp.lang.smalltalk) http://html.dnsalias.net/gawnsoft/smalltalk
 
nope, use computers, but not my main line of work which is Telecoms
protection, so get to play with dangerous voltages and currents

Mr. Alan Paterson wrote:
> OK, how many people reading this NG ( like me ) work with computers as a
> profession.?
>
> Quite a few I'd bet.
>
>
 
Zog The Undeniable wrote:

> John Hearns wrote:
>
>> Cough. I build, manage and feed Beowulf clusters for a living.
>>

> Imagine a...oh, never mind.
>
> (if you don't read Slashdot, this will be meaningless)


You mean there are people who dont read Slashdot. (shakes head)

Stan Cox
 
On Wed, 28 Jul 2004 21:35:03 GMT, Simon Brooke wrote:
> in message <[email protected]>, Kevin Stone
> ('[email protected]') wrote:
>
>> "Simon Brooke" wrote:
>>
>>>>http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

>>
>> Quote: I don't have a computer virus - I don't run an operating system
>> which is vulnerable to them - so there's no need to mail me to tell me
>> I have.
>>
>> I love this, I challenge you to name your operating system!

>
> Debian GNU/Linux stable.
>
> Now I challenge you to name a Linux virus which has _ever_ been seen in
> the wild.


For example:

Linux.OSF.8759
Linux.RST
Worm.Linux.Adm
Worm.Linux.Cheese
Worm.Linux.Mighty
Worm.Linux.Ramen
Worm.Linux.Slapper

http://www.viruslibrary.com/virusinfo/Linux.htm

I can't tell if these have been seen in the wild, but they do contradict
the "I don't run an operating system that is vulnerable ... Debian GNU/Linux"

You do run an operating system that is vulnerable to them, but also
run an operating system that is not as targeted as the most popular
by default one is. It is even true to say that it may be *less*
vulnerable, because there are good reasons why it is less vulnerable,
but it is not true to say it is not vulnerable.

Line any virus/infection path there has to be enough hosts out there
to ensure that each infection results in at least two new infections,
and as yet the number of particularly vulnerable Linux hosts is low (home
machines badly connected to the internet). Also linux users at the moment
tend to be more technically savvy. However, if linux was as popular as
its leading competitor it would be much more vulnerable than at present.

Google "linux viruses".

--
Trevor Barton
 
Arthur Clune wrote:

> I went the other way - from a maths department to computers. Being a RA is
> not fun when you have a mortage to pay.


Sounds familiar... I didn't have the mortgage at the time but did find
a succession of 6 and 12 month contracts rather on the insecure side.
So I changed employer from university to NHS (we're a department with 2
hats) to do the department IT officer job officially, rather than just
"in practice" while procrastinating about work I didn't want to do on my
PhD (which I subsequently abandoned).
Didn't get another 3 letters after my name, but did get a job. Rather
more useful in the longer term for me!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
 
I am also an IT Professional and have been since 1986. Mostly development of large Enterprise Applications on mainframes and *nix. Started using usenet in 1984 at Uni but all I could find were computer related or Deadhead and Trekky groups.
 
James Annan <[email protected]> wrote:

: For all their imperfections, the govt research labs do seem to have a
: significant edge over universities - higher salaries, better working
: conditions, no teaching, many more 'permanent' positions - although

My friends that work at the CSL lab near here get paid less than Uni
researchers, but indeed have permnant jobs and no teaching.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org
"Technolibertarians make a philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook
 
James Annan <[email protected]> writes:

>Arthur Clune wrote:


>> There's no reason at all IMO why Universities shouldn't just employ RAs on
>> proper (permanant) contracts. Also the whole "you have to move around" to stand any
>> chance of getting a lecturership thing. Why should I? And when you're
>> (finally) a lecturer you get to spend more time doing teaching and admin than
>> research. While still having to produce the same amount of research
>> or you won't do well in the RAE.


>For all their imperfections, the govt research labs do seem to have a
>significant edge over universities - higher salaries, better working
>conditions, no teaching, many more 'permanent' positions - although
>nothing is really permanent these days, at least there are some
>procedures and some redundancy pay for those who do lose their jobs. I
>worked in a university briefly once and thought it was ****.


In my case they even managed to make me a lecturer on a temporary contract
;)
Which was long enough to make me realise that lecturer is not my thing,
and that the alternative is that series of RA contracts. Which is a waste
of time and money as well, out of our 3 year project we seem to spend most
of the last year on writing grant proposals and looking for jobs.

So to reduce my income and job security I'm now thinking about starting
another degree :)

On the geekness: I should probably raise my hand - physicist originally,
PhD climate research (bowes to James), followed by faffing about with
internet things and eventually getting paid for it, now research into
applications for special user groups. Increasingly tired of computers and
sceptic about the effect of anything I do in university on what
happens outside, so now looking at a degree in forensic anthropology.

Roos
 
On 2004-07-29, Arthur Clune <[email protected]> wrote:
> James Annan <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>: For all their imperfections, the govt research labs do seem to have a
>: significant edge over universities - higher salaries, better working
>: conditions, no teaching, many more 'permanent' positions - although
>
> My friends that work at the CSL lab near here get paid less than Uni
> researchers, but indeed have permnant jobs and no teaching.


Note that the non-contributory pension is worth about 6% of salary.
Of course there can be some anomalies but it does seem like a
generally less demeaning environment. IMO of course (and with a
permanent position in a UK lab!).

James
--
my other signature is witty