Aug
10
Sometimes, asking a question can be a big challenge. Because even if your question is very clear and precise, there’s always someone that will get it wrong. Perhaps that would be something to expect in fields like fine arts or philosophy, where so many things are open to interpretations and debate. But when it comes to highly technical matters, it’s amusing to see all the ways that things can go wrong after a question has been asked.
How many time have you asked a technical question on a forum or newsgroup, and have only received lots of useless, clueless, wrong or even arrogant answers?
Obviously, human beings can’t always provide a right answer to a given question, and that’s something we have to live with. But nonetheless I wonder: what’s the point in giving an answer when...
- you’re not answering the question that was asked
- your answer is clearly not helpful (and you would have noticed that if you had thought for a minute before answering)
- you really don’t know what the answer is (and maybe you even know that you don’t know)
- you don’t have real world experience on the subject (and no, having a friend who knows, or having read a paper on the subject is not equal to having real experience)
- you’re not qualified for answering (for example, because a question is about medieval history, and you happen to be a car mechanic who hasn’t even studied history as a hobby)
So let’s see how a clear, simple, precise question can be answered in every possible wrong way.
Fair warning
| This article contains some slang and expressions that might make some people feel uncomfortable. You’ll also find a good deal of sarcasm. So if that’s not ok with you, please don’t read it (or at least don’t complain about it after having been warned) |
Continue reading "How (not) to answer technical questions (or "the cow riddle")"
Posted by Marcus Friedman
Last modified on 2009-08-10 23:55
Mar
18
This article provides a general introduction on popular file sharing methods, comparing them and weighing their pros and cons.
Those who are already familiar with this subject can skip this article and go to the next one, where we’ll look into specific open source programs that can be used for downloading large files (see How to download anything you need using open source tools).
Although there are lots of ways for downloading large files efficiently, let’s focus on two of the most usual approaches:
- Direct downloads
- Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks
Now let’s see how they work, and what are strengths and weaknesses.
Continue reading "File sharing with open source tools - An introduction"
Posted by Marcus Friedman
Last modified on 2009-03-18 15:50
Mar
4
Introduction
Starting this month, I’ll be publishing a special monthly article highlighting some of the most relevant news about Linux and open source software. You’ll also find links to articles that can be of interest for system administrators, software developers and IT professionals in general. [ If you’d like to follow these news as they happen, you’re welcome to join me on Twitter : @marcusfriedman ]
This will be the general structure of these monthly posts:
- New releases in the OSS world.
As you know, there are hundreds of new releases every month, and there are sites like Freshmeat devoted to cover them. Here I’ll only include those releases that are truly relevant for the OSS community in general. I am aware that it’s almost impossible not to miss something important given the volume of new releases, so if you find something missing that you think that should be included, please let me know. Please note that I won’t be covering distribution releases, except for those related to Debian and those that are somehow noteworthy or groundbreaking.
- New tools, services and other online resources
- Suggested readings
- General news
New Releases in the OSS world
- Debian Lenny
- X Server 1.6.0
X Server 1.6 introduces the server bits for Direct Rendering Infrastructure 2 (the 3D bits can already be found in Mesa and the Intel driver), X Input 1.5 with device properties, Predictable Pointer Acceleration, and RandR 1.3. Beyond those key features, there are also a number of bug-fixes, EXA improvements, and various other improvements.
- Xfce 4.6.0
Continue reading "Featured News and Articles [ February 2009 ]"
Posted by Marcus Friedman
Last modified on 2009-03-04 20:14
Oct
10
Welcome to ellipsys, my friends!
If you are new to this site, here are some links that you might find useful:
I hope that you enjoy the contents published on this site. If somehow you find them useful, inspiring or entertaining, I’ll know that my efforts were not vain.
Thank you very much for your time. And for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Marcus
Posted by Marcus Friedman
Last modified on 2009-03-06 01:27
