Linux in the SMB space

Lately,  I've been working on another website, quite a bit.  Trying to get some google money from advertising, etc.  But primarily, I have been trying to develop content for a Linux site focused on supporting small business.

For several years, I have been a strong proponent of Linux.  The Open Source 'movement' has come a very long way in recent years.  As applications such as Samba continue to progress, every day Linux is narrowing the Microsoft dominance in the IT industry.

In the IT industry there are five primary arenas.  The most profitable arena is the 'Enterprise'.  Followed by Government (or Public), Client, then SMB and finally Consumer.

The Consumer Market is home PC like what is available in most 'BigBox Stores' such as WalMart and BestBuy.

Enterprise is the large company with many computers, massive server farms, and the like.  WalMart, Ford Motor Co, JPL, NYT, and similar companies would be considered Enterprise customers.

The Government or Public channel includes such as NASA, the federal, state and local governments, schools and so on. 

Client is more like a joint sub-division of both Enterprise and Government.  Client is usually alrge. high number sales orders for machines with all the same specs.

And finally, we come to SMB (Small/Medium Business).  SMB is usually defined as 100 or fewer PCs.  Microsoft has a product out call Small Business Server which has a set of restrictions limiting the system to support no more the 75 users.

The Linux environment is in use in all these markets.  Many very large organizations may not even be aware they are using Linux systems outside of the IT department.  Few people are using Linux as their primary home desktop primarily because of learning curves.  Linux is not difficult ot learn, it is just ... different. 

However, one issue I have seen that is holding Linux 'back' in the SMB space is the lack of support and easy integration of all these various tools.  So, my website, L4SMB.net, is focused on bringing that information together.  It is also a site for those persons who have an interest if supporting Linux in teh SMB space to share ideas and hopefully insight.

If you have an interest in Linux, or are in business, take a look at my site.  http://www.l4smb.net

P. Blacksmith

One idea on 'How to Fix Our Government'

Ok, I had this truly evil idea.  At least many in our government (mostly the elected officials) would consider it evil, yet they are the one's who gave me the idea.

Here are my thoughts on several things that are broken and how we can fix them.

• Problem - Social Security - I'm paying a lot into it and doubt I will ever get anything back out of it.
• Fix - get rid of ALL the special federal employee retirement programs and have them use Social Security
• Problem - Medicare/Medicade/National Healthcare - If National Healthcare is so good, why do the English and the Canadians come to our country for major medial, like multip-by-pass surgeries?
• Fix - Put ALL State and Federal Employees and Elected persons on Medicare/Medicade/National Healthcare.  Within 3 years, the 'unrepairable' will be fixed.
  
• Problem - 2nd Amendment Rights - The politicians say we have no reason to want or need firearms.
• Fix - If we don't need or have a right to firearms, then they don't need armed body guards, neither do their kids, their wives, mothers-in-law, etc.  They want us 'dis-armed' then they should demonstrate how safe this land is.
  
• Problem - Pork Spending - Every single one of those politicians is spending our money for their next election.
• Fix - Mandatory term limits, salary capped at 2x national minimum wage, Social Security instead of their pension plan, Government run medical for them and their families.  After all, if it's good enough for me and mine, it's good enough for them.
• Problem - Sex Scandals while in Office -
  
• Fix - "Hey! America!  Give it up, already!  The Emperor of Japan laughed at us, LAUGHED, because there was so much hooplah over Clinton getting a blow job from an ugly woman!"  Yes, the man lied, but he lied only becuase there was so much BS being put on him for these actions.  I am dead certain that Lewinski was intelligent enough and 'experienced' enough to know the difference between sexual harrasment and consentual sex between adults.
• Problem - Gay Marriage/Rights - Many don't like the idea of it and want federal laws banning it.
• Fix - Read your Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, Emancipation Proclimation and Bible with all with the same level of enthusiasm.  Then shut up and sit down when I DON'T read YOUR Bible but some other belief.  All four of these documents grants us the freedoms and makes us responsible for the freedoms of others to seek happiness.  It does not gurantee us the right TO happiness, just the freedom to seek it out.
• Problem - Abortion
  
• Fix - See above
• Problem - Loss of Jobs in America - 'Good paying jobs are getting harder and harder to find'
• Fix - Stop sending OUR jobs out of country.  Stop giving companies that outsource work to foreign lands federal tax credits and breaks for breaking the working spirit of our nation.
• Problem - 'The War on Drugs' - Stopping the trafficing, produciton, sale and use of illicit drugs
• Fix - Legalize drugs.  Make them available to people who want them, tax the crap out of them, and persons who use drugs get ONE and ONLY ONE shot at state covered drug treatment.  After that, they forfeit ALL rights to citizenship and the benefits there of.
• Problem - The Growing Anti-American Sentiment around the world
• Fix - Stop meddling.  Bring ALL of our troops home.  Call all debts to our nation by other nations 'due'.  Some country gets hit with a natural disaster?  Leave them alone to solve it themselves.  After all, how many of them came forward to help with Hurricane Katrina?
• Problem - Illegal Aliens 
  
• Fix - All those troops that just came home?  Put them on the borders, two armed soldiers ever 100 meters.  A second 'line' of soldiers 1/2 mile back from the border, again, spaced two every 50 meters.  Give them all live amunition, the best night vision equipment and ORDER them to defend themselves and their nation agianst intruders.  The first line is to attempt to turn back or capture 'those trying to break and enter into our nation.  The second line is to have orders to shoot to kill anyone NOT in specific avenues of travel and not identified by radio communications.  Make it even easier on these soldiers, anyone attempting to cross the borders (north and south) after dark is shot on sight.  Period.  NO questions asked.  If you are out there in the dark, you are in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Any soldier found guilty of colluding with the 'enemy infiltrators' are found guilty of high treason and executed, loudly, if not publically.
• Problem - Complicated, Unreasonable Taxation
• Fix - Flat tax of a given percentage.  Say 10%.  Flat.  If you recieve money for ANYTHING or ANY SERVICE performed, you pay a flat tax on it.  If people want to 'avoid' paying taxes, they are free to use the barter system for physical items.  Anything not physically represented, care, repair services, rent, etc has to be paid for with currency.  Only physical items can be 'bartered'.  If you are a hunter and barter a 7 point buck for a three story house in the middle of Manhattan, congratulations.  Damned good deal.  Do you have a copy of the license used for bagging that buck, please?  And did you pay, in cash, and taxed accrodingly, the notary for the transfer of deed and ownership services?
  

Will this make America a utopia?  NO.
Will this make America a Libertarian Paradise?  NO.
Will this make America anything?  NO.
Will you actually be able to again taste freedom?  As an American, YES.

Testing new Firefox plugin for Blogging called ScribeFire

This is just a test of this new and interesting tool.

I will delete this entry once I have finished with my initial testing.

On the right side of the 2nd amendment

And now we return to our regularly scheduled programming:

JIM MYERS World Washington Bureau has written an article I found promising, but am afraid it is too little, too late.


U.S. Rep. Dan Boren, a board member of the National Rifle Association, announced Wednesday he will serve as co-chairman of a new task force on gun rights.


More details are available here: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090225_11_0_WASHIN825829&allcom=1

I guess Dan is going to be fighting an uphill battle. When you get a chance, send him an encouraging note. Let's start an Encouragement Campaign. OH! GAAAAH! I'm starting to sound like a ... a ... uh, Community Organizer.

Anyway, seriously though, folks, we really should let these people know if we are behind them, or not. I am all abotu keeping my second amendment right. I'm all abotu keeping my life my own and being able to protect it. So, this weekend, I wil lbe sending unique and individual hand written letters to each of these people, encouraging them and providing my support:

U.S. Rep. Dan Boren, Republican, Oklahoma
Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia, Republican
Rob Bishop of Utah, Republican
John Boozman of Arkansas, Republican
Steve King of Iowa, Republican
Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Republican
Rep. Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania, Democrat
Travis Childers of Mississippi, Democrat
Brad Ellsworth of Indiana, Democrat
Jim Matheson of Utah, Democrat
Mike McIntyre of North Carolina, Democrat

Too fat

I diced to walk to the video store, one morning last week. It was only about 3 blocks, round trip, and I was winded and tired and my legs were cramping, especially my calf muscles.

At 5' 9" and 250# I carry a heavy spare tire.

So, I have decided to try something a bit different. Slow small adjustments to my lifestyle. As an example, I have started by cutting back on my soda intake. I can't stand the taste of the diet stuff. The 240 calories in a single bottle, and having 3 to 5 bottles a day puts a lot of unnecessary sugar into my system. I started this about 9 days ago. With limiting myself to only one soda a day, and that with 'dinner', which I have been having at home more often (I hate doing the dishes), I expect my weight will slowly start to drop.

To ensure such slow, gentle weightloss, I will be exercising more. Little things, like parking way out in the parking lot, taking the stairs, etc. I've got to change something.

And now for the mandatory governmental snark:

Of course, this is all just training for the change I will be left from my pay checks, with Obama the Master of Spening bilding a stimulus.

Why be POTUS?

Test of Presidential Qualifications

Why would you be willing to spend millions of dollars (some it actually your own) to become POTUS? After all the gig only pays about $400,000.00*. Granted there are a few perks, such as:

a $50,000.00 expense account
a $100,000.00 non-taxable travel account
and $19,000.00 for entertainment

There is also that retired presidential pension. The one that has been tied to the then current administration's cabinet secretaries (Executive Level 1). For 2008, that is just under $200,000.00. Does not sound very fiscally responsible, yet you want to manage our economy.

So, as an enterprising individual, presumably already flush with cash (how else could you afford to run an election campaign?), why?

The pay is not that great. The retirement package is decent, the pension is not bad.

I can see only TWO reasons to WANT to be POTUS.

The first is a sense of pride and duty. As a calling to serve your nation and the ideals our fore fathers started with.

Secondly, influence is often worth much, much more valuable than dollars and cents.

So, in a nut shell, to desire to be POTUS is to put a sign around your neck stating you are either crazed by out dated and no longer sociably acceptable ideologies (by current standards).

Or

You are a dirty, filthy, rotten, power hungry scumbag who sees themselves as better than the rest because the rest can be bought, silenced or manipulated to believing you are a NOT a dirty, filthy, rotten, power hungry scumbag.

So, which is it, Mr. Obama? Which are you? The crazed zealot or the scumbag? And what of you, Mr. McCain? Which are you? Oh, and if anyone can find him, ask Ralph Nader the same question.


P.Blacksmith

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States

Responsibility of Citizenship

Responsibility of Citizenship

Long ago, I read a book by Robert A. Heinlein called Starship Troopers. You may recall several years ago a movie was made based upon the story of that book. The movie sucked. Denise Richards was hot in it, as she still had a look of innocence about her eyes. Now, well, she just looks like a Charlie Sheen one night date. And not a very expensive one at that. The other girl in the movie was hotter, in my opinion. She was hot when she played in Johnny Mnemonic. Anyway, I'm not here to discourse on movies or actors/actresses. That will be saved for yet another day.

Back to the story line.

In the story, the planet was under attack by an intelligent and alien 'bug race'. There was a single military and government for the planet. As I recall it was loosely based on a Democratic Republic. Kind of what the US is now, only ... different and in some ways, better. Continuing with my fading memories the book filled in missing details about the form of government in action on the planet earth. One of which was a person was a subject, unless they had served. Now the movie pushed that service had to be in the military, however, the book stated service only had to be to mankind. Civil services, medical services, military, and so on, were considered appropriate. Without that service record, you were not a Citizen. Therefore you were not a part of the electoral body. Without Citizenship, you had no word in how things were run. Oh, and being a politician was NOT a form of service. That was a form of continuing service, after already becoming a citizen. Citizenship also paid for advanced education, such as college. No citizenship, you had to pay for it yourself.

Maybe Master Heinlein had something there.

Think about it a moment. Regardless of your political views or religious beliefs, there is something positive here. Through service to others persons learned a common language to express responsibility to the whole of society, regardless of differences. Through service, respect was more easily given and received, because of self worth and value. Through this service, bigotry was set aside, because you must learn to support and accept support from those who are different. But most importantly, if you did not serve, you have no right to gripe about the current situation.

Kind of like the past presidential election for our falling nation. If you did not vote, regardless of who you voted for, you have absolutely no room to grouse about the current administration. I voted. I continue to vote with e-mails, hand written letters and phone calls to the people elected into office to represent me. I must have sent more than 70 messages against the recently passed trillion dollar, plus spending/taxation bill. But each of those calls, e-mails and letters were a vote.

People, just because the election is over, you still have to vote. The ancient Greeks tried to develop an open democracy where all persons of a certain stature of society were allowed to vote, but they were expected or required to vote almost weekly, as I recall my ancient history instruction. They soon learned that a republic made more sense. Representatives were chosen from an area to represent that area. And here started the corruption.

But back to the initial point of this posting, Get off your widening backside and partake, or shut up. I'm tired of hearing about how you are not represented. If you want representation, then VOTE, dammit!

That is all.

P.Blacksmith