Another Country Abandons Windows for Linux

In another blow to Microsoft, after last weeks announcement from China to standardize its country to Linux, Brazil has also followed suit. In a surprising, or not so surprising announcement by Brazil’s top technology officer, Brazil has decided to abandon Microsoft Windows and replace it with Linux and Samba. Full story

Mother of all Operating Systems...

A Message from former Iraqi Information Director Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf...

from VIJAY BABU

All the past weekends I visited interesting places. 1st weekend - actually my friend's(here in mumbai - MBT, with whom i stayed for first 2 weeks) colleague is getting married, so we went with him to buy marriage dressesss to him. for that we went a place called Linking Road in Bandra. in that road u can find almost all the branded item's exclusive show rooms. we spent whole day in that road only. 2nd weekend - went to beach called Bandstand. it is a licensed place for lovers. 3rd weekend - went to Nehru planetarium, Mahalakshmi temple and Sithi Vinayagar temple. temples r very different and good. 4th weekend - went to marine lines, hope u hav seen it in many films. it is also good. payanangal mudivathillai..........

We 3 - 2 Juniors

Hope u read ram's mail to groups... So, we go 1 up on our juniors. I thought our juniors had gained on us, but with Ramgopal moving into infy we have reinstated our place...!! Hope to see more coming in...

Channeling Children

Not very sure if u people had noticed... But, effective y'day there is a new channel on the block - The History Channel... a part of the STAR suite. Its really heartening to see the "Satellite television" turning out to be an educational media too rather than just being entertainment oriented. There was a time (and it still holds) when the Satellite televisions were considered to spoil kids and bring all the wrong things from all around the world at their footstep... But things seem to change in the recent times. Channels have really widened their scope of coverage and are moving to being edutainment channels more than anything else... But what remains to be seen, is the attitude of the parents. Finding a parent who does not give "cable" connection when their children are in school esp. 10th and 12th, is not an uncommon sight. "Studies will get spoiled" is the cliched reply. Most parents are always under an apprehension that getting good marks in the school exams is an indication of intelligence. Moreover, which parent would like their children to score less than their neighbour's child. The bad mania of comparing with other children often leads to the parents pressuring their children into studies and this does no good to the children. Preventing children from watching TV under the pretext of exams or inheriting bad things from channels often shuts the child from a wide array of domains that he ought to learn and know at these younger ages. The attitude of their child's intelligence measured in terms of his marks in the exams or his performance relative to the neighbour's child does have a telling effect. Parents tend to worry on the not-so-right side of things by having too much concern about marks rather than concentrating on choosing the right mould for their child's betterment. ---------------------- If I knew what I was so anxious about, I wouldn't be so anxious. -- Mignon McLaughlin

Here is a funny block which made me laugh...(from www.thenetworkadministrator.com)
Mahendran Jayavel

---

How To Install Software - A 12 Step Program
--author anonymous
1. Examine the software packaging until you find a little printed box that explains what kind of computer system you need to run the software.
It should look something like this:

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
-------------------
2386 PROCESSOR OR HIGHER
628.8 MEGAHERTZ MODEM
719.7 MB FREE DISK SPACE
3546 MB RAM
432323 MB ROM
05948737 MB RPM
ANTILOCK BRAKING SYSTEM
2 TURTLE DOVES
NOTE: This software will not work on your computer.

2. Open the software packaging and remove the manual. This will contain detailed instructions on installing, operating, and troubleshooting the software. Throw it away.

3. Find the actual software, which should be in the form of either a 3.5-inch floppy diskette or a CD-ROM, located inside a sealed envelope that says:
LICENSING AGREEMENT
-------------------
By breaking this seal, the user hereinafter agrees to abide by all the terms and conditions of the following agreement that nobody ever reads, as well as the Geneva Convention and the UN Charter and the Secret Membership Oath of the Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks and such other terms and conditions, real and imaginary, as the Software Company shall deem necessary and appropriate, including the right to come to the user's home and examine the user's hard drive, as well as the user's underwear drawer if we feel like it, take it or leave it, until death do us part, one nation indivisible by the dawn's early light,... finders keepers, losers weepers, ...

4. Hand the software to a child aged 3 through 12 and say, "(Name of child), please install this on my computer."

5. If you have no child age 3 through 12, insert the software in the appropriate drive, type SETUP" and press the Enter key.

6. Turn the computer on, you idiot.

7. Once again type "SETUP" and press the Enter key.

8. You will hear grinding and whirring noises for a while, after which the following message should appear on your screen:

The Installation Program will now examine your system to see what would be the best way to render it inoperable. Is it OK with you? Choose one, and be honest:
+-----+ +------+ | YES | | SURE | +-----+ +------+

9. After you make your selection, you will hear grinding and whirring for a very long time while the installation program does who knows what in there. Some installation programs can actually alter molecular structures, so that when they're done, your computer has been transformed into an entirely new device, such as a food processor. At the very least, the installation program will create many new directories, sub-directories, and sub-sub-directories on your hard drive and fill them with thousands of mysterious files with names like "puree.exe," "fester.dat," and "doo.wha.."

10. When the installation program is finished, your screen should display the following message:

CONGRATULATIONS!
The installation program cannot think of anything else to do to your computer and has grown bored. You may now attempt to run your software. If you experience any problems, electrical shocks, insomnia, shortness of breath, nasal discharge, or intestinal parasites, you should immediately *!@!$)$%@&*^^)$*!#$_$*^^&

11. At this point your computer system should become less functional than the federal government, refusing to respond even when struck with furniture.

12. Call the toll-free Tech Support Hotline number listed on the package and wait on the line for a representative, who will explain to you, in a clear, step-by-step manner, how to adopt a child aged 3 through 12.

replies

Rini, my post on questioning was an extrapolation of Kicha's earlier post, precisely these lines

These people became eminent because they had the guts to reject eminent people of their times. The bottomline is.. Of course, listen to your elders, teachers, sacred books, philosophy or the deemed eminent personalities.. but do remember, its not in reading sacred books or listening to 'eminent' people, that one gains wisdom...

It was to show that if you accept everything as it happens (some call it Fate), you might find yourself in a doldrum, with no place to go. I was suggesting that a person has the right to question and that should not be encumbered by anyone or anything. I guess you have misunderstood the meaning of a few portions of my post. I am not asking everyone to start questioning everything. I was speaking about questioning about things you don't understand and feel it's not right. In fact, the last para of my post summarised my entire post.

"The squeaky wheel gets the grease, but the too-squeaky wheel gets replaced."

Elders might have various suggestions. But it doesn't always mean that you have to follow everything they say. Some things have to be followed. I understand them and will follow them. But things which make no sense in the modern world have either to be modified or rejected. We have been doing it in the past and will possibly continue to do so in the future. reg. you recent post, I guess Kicha was speaking in general about religion and superstitions. I don't think he was trying to bring literature under the purview of his post. Well, you echoed my points in saying that reading is not as easy as it may seem to be. I think you are trying to tell Kicha that a man without a past will soon be a man without a future. I remember reading a similar statement by Wilbur Smith. Critical awareness is a very important tool that a person can possess. I have experienced it. Before I read "Foucault's Pendulum" way back in the early 90's, books were just meant for passing my time. I used to take a book from the library in the morning, return the book back to the library by early evening. That was it. Another book added to the library in my mind. But two books provided me the enlightment, Foucault's Pendulum and Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. They were the first books where I ran into difficulties. I couldn't understand a single word of what they were trying to tell me. But I was young then, maybe thirteen or fourteen. It took me several weeks to go through them. At the end, I was still confused. I had this strange feeling of having left the book unread. It felt similar to sitting in front of a wonderful buffet, but eating only the dessert. After that, I made a vow to understand each book. Since then, I take pains to understand the context in which a book has been written. I found that books make a greater sense when you understand the context and the frame of mind that author had been while writing. Every book has been a bundle of joy since then. It is good to hear that you are trying to develop an outlook on life. Could you expand more on that later? It is sad to hear that you've got to wear specs. Send me a photo with your new haircut and specs. It is good to hear your garden is growing and it is sad to hear that you've got pets, sorry, pests. I feel that "Elite Essays" could benefit from a discussion board or a comments module. Hope you could set one up. Ram, why are there no updates to "Thoughts"? Any reasons... More later...