Replies

I’d think it has something to do with the magnetic field used by flourescent lights but not by incandescent, but I’m stuck about how that field would be changed by the reactor. The only magnetic field I can think of associated with reactors is the EMP associated with a nuclear explosion-and not even an incandescent light would survive one of those!

I’d think it has something to do with the magnetic field used by flourescent lights but not by incandescent, but I’m stuck about how that field would be changed by the reactor. The only magnetic field I can think of associated with reactors is the EMP associated with a nuclear explosion-and not even an incandescent light would survive one of those!

I’m afraid I disagree. Money that isn’t used for expenses can be invested so there really isn’t any difference between an expense & an investment-the entire issue IMO boils down to the ROI. The potential ROI from an investment in insurance can be enormous-as you point out. But that’s potential. When comparing ROI you really need to factor in probability. Most insurance-and this in particular-insures against low probability high expense events. I suppose it boils down to two issues-how likely you think it is that you’ll lose a patent infringement lawsuit (and even moreso, one that’s covered by this insurance) and how willing you are to gamble.

Gambling is an interesting term. Some people call me a gambler because I’m willing to risk my money. But I don’t consider myself such-I only risk my money after studying the odds. And then I only risk it on the ‘gamble’ with the best ROI-and I *always* include the option of simply holding onto my money.

In this case the generic options would be: undertake a project using Linux without insurance, undertake the project using Linux with insurance, undertake the project using another platform, and not undertake the project at all (use the money for some other project-in which case the ROI would depend on what the other project was. That can be the trickiest to calculate so I often use a generic ‘investment’ ROI that assumes I’ve invested the money in a blue chip stock or something like that.)

I’m afraid I disagree. Money that isn’t used for expenses can be invested so there really isn’t any difference between an expense & an investment-the entire issue IMO boils down to the ROI. The potential ROI from an investment in insurance can be enormous-as you point out. But that’s potential. When comparing ROI you really need to factor in probability. Most insurance-and this in particular-insures against low probability high expense events. I suppose it boils down to two issues-how likely you think it is that you’ll lose a patent infringement lawsuit (and even moreso, one that’s covered by this insurance) and how willing you are to gamble.

Gambling is an interesting term. Some people call me a gambler because I’m willing to risk my money. But I don’t consider myself such-I only risk my money after studying the odds. And then I only risk it on the ‘gamble’ with the best ROI-and I *always* include the option of simply holding onto my money.

In this case the generic options would be: undertake a project using Linux without insurance, undertake the project using Linux with insurance, undertake the project using another platform, and not undertake the project at all (use the money for some other project-in which case the ROI would depend on what the other project was. That can be the trickiest to calculate so I often use a generic ‘investment’ ROI that assumes I’ve invested the money in a blue chip stock or something like that.)

Setting ‘appropriate access rights to the files/folders required for the program to function’ can be tricky. But even trickier is setting those rights for the required registry keys. At least you can usually identify the directories fairly easily-this ClassID s**t MS developed makes the registry virtually indecipherable.

I installed a word processing program for my daughter. Added the appropriate access rights for the directories. Added the appropriate access rights for the keys I could identify. Appeared to work fine until she tried to use it. In testing I didn’t think to test the features-only the main program. She got an access error as soon as she tried to run the spell checker.

I ended up reverting to the cumbersome way I’ve found to install programs ‘for others’. Cumbersome, but the only way I’ve found that works reliably. First, log on as administrator. Second, change the other user to administrator. Third, log on as the other user. Fourth, install the program. Fifth, log off as the other user & switch back to administrator. Sixth, change the other user back to normal. Seventh, log off as administrator & back on as the other user. Now test the program-if you’re lucky it will work. Bless Microsoft for making things so easy.

Setting ‘appropriate access rights to the files/folders required for the program to function’ can be tricky. But even trickier is setting those rights for the required registry keys. At least you can usually identify the directories fairly easily-this ClassID s**t MS developed makes the registry virtually indecipherable.

I installed a word processing program for my daughter. Added the appropriate access rights for the directories. Added the appropriate access rights for the keys I could identify. Appeared to work fine until she tried to use it. In testing I didn’t think to test the features-only the main program. She got an access error as soon as she tried to run the spell checker.

I ended up reverting to the cumbersome way I’ve found to install programs ‘for others’. Cumbersome, but the only way I’ve found that works reliably. First, log on as administrator. Second, change the other user to administrator. Third, log on as the other user. Fourth, install the program. Fifth, log off as the other user & switch back to administrator. Sixth, change the other user back to normal. Seventh, log off as administrator & back on as the other user. Now test the program-if you’re lucky it will work. Bless Microsoft for making things so easy.

By replacement I was thinking of flashing it but if it isn’t a flash BIOS then you’re right that it’s probably easier to replace the whole mobo. At least for the average person.

I wonder what the differences are between the versions of shutdown software. My first UPS was a ‘500 watt’ unit from CyberPower. Their shutdown software (for Win9x) defaulted to 30 minutes-but the UPS would only keep the PC up for about 6. (fairly full PC with 17″ monitor) No option for shutdown/restart based on battery level.

At work we’ve had several sets of APC UPS’s on our servers. I don’t work with the software but I participate in the policy discussions so I know that the software with those UPS’s include the battery level options.

At home my latest UPS is also APC. (1KW rating, actually pretty close for a change-about 970 watts IIRC.) Don’t recall the options on it, but I believe that I did lengthen the shutdown time. I’d swapped the 17″ monitor for an LCD & that plus the increased wattage lengthened the measured run time to over 40 minutes.

By replacement I was thinking of flashing it but if it isn’t a flash BIOS then you’re right that it’s probably easier to replace the whole mobo. At least for the average person.

I wonder what the differences are between the versions of shutdown software. My first UPS was a ‘500 watt’ unit from CyberPower. Their shutdown software (for Win9x) defaulted to 30 minutes-but the UPS would only keep the PC up for about 6. (fairly full PC with 17″ monitor) No option for shutdown/restart based on battery level.

At work we’ve had several sets of APC UPS’s on our servers. I don’t work with the software but I participate in the policy discussions so I know that the software with those UPS’s include the battery level options.

At home my latest UPS is also APC. (1KW rating, actually pretty close for a change-about 970 watts IIRC.) Don’t recall the options on it, but I believe that I did lengthen the shutdown time. I’d swapped the 17″ monitor for an LCD & that plus the increased wattage lengthened the measured run time to over 40 minutes.

I’m always badgered about converting my term ‘death’ into whole ‘death’. The agents always mention the savings aspect of building ‘cash value’. Unfortunately for them I’ve had accounting training-they usually leave pretty quickly after I compare their savings with the earning I can get from investing the premium difference.

Getting back to this Linux thing, I think we agree that nearly all insurance is a poor investment. Sometimes it’s required, but that doesn’t make it any better of an investment.

I’m always badgered about converting my term ‘death’ into whole ‘death’. The agents always mention the savings aspect of building ‘cash value’. Unfortunately for them I’ve had accounting training-they usually leave pretty quickly after I compare their savings with the earning I can get from investing the premium difference.

Getting back to this Linux thing, I think we agree that nearly all insurance is a poor investment. Sometimes it’s required, but that doesn’t make it any better of an investment.

Never thought of it that way but you’re right. Most of my insurance I have only because a bank requires me to. (The exception is term life insurance-I carry just enough that my wife can pay off the mortgage.)

Never thought of it that way but you’re right. Most of my insurance I have only because a bank requires me to. (The exception is term life insurance-I carry just enough that my wife can pay off the mortgage.)

If I’m reading this correctly then not only hasn’t it been determined whether or not Linux actually does infringe on any of the patents, but it also hasn’t yet been determined that any of the patents are valid. Sounds to me like a company feeding on fear-sort of like the government.

If I’m reading this correctly then not only hasn’t it been determined whether or not Linux actually does infringe on any of the patents, but it also hasn’t yet been determined that any of the patents are valid. Sounds to me like a company feeding on fear-sort of like the government.

I kinda like the idea of keeping things granular. As you implied, not all images need tooltips-but all images need ALT tags IMO. And I’ve written some ALT tags that would be fairly inappropriate as tooltips. (Of course if I was thinking about the ALT tag as a tooltip I would have probably written it differently.)