Comments for The Vitki's Blog http://thevitki.wordpress.com A Eruilan's guide to runelore, mythology, and madness Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:59:25 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on BBC: What Happened to Global Warming? by Ben Hoffman http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/bbc-what-happened-to-global-warming/#comment-64 Ben Hoffman Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:59:25 +0000 http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/bbc-what-happened-to-global-warming/#comment-64 Considering nearly every well respected scientist who disputes global warming is in the pocket of big oil, it's pretty clear that the actual science supports the belief that man made pollutants are causing the warming of our planet. While there may be anomalies in the pattern, the general trend is definitely that of warming. Rather than being a steady curve, the graph is more like that of a stock during a bull market. There are brief down trends, but the general trend is up. If you look at some of the "scientists" who signed the report disputing global warming, many of them are just high school or community college science teachers as well as non-degreed "scientists" who often turn out to be just right-wing "journalists." I saw solid evidence of global warming a few weeks ago when I took a drive high in the Rocky Mountains. The glaciers that cloaked high mountain peaks just twenty years ago are now nearly non-existent. Considering nearly every well respected scientist who disputes global warming is in the pocket of big oil, it’s pretty clear that the actual science supports the belief that man made pollutants are causing the warming of our planet. While there may be anomalies in the pattern, the general trend is definitely that of warming. Rather than being a steady curve, the graph is more like that of a stock during a bull market. There are brief down trends, but the general trend is up.

If you look at some of the “scientists” who signed the report disputing global warming, many of them are just high school or community college science teachers as well as non-degreed “scientists” who often turn out to be just right-wing “journalists.”

I saw solid evidence of global warming a few weeks ago when I took a drive high in the Rocky Mountains. The glaciers that cloaked high mountain peaks just twenty years ago are now nearly non-existent.

]]> Comment on When Science Meets Money by BBC: What Happened to Global Warming? « The Vitki’s Blog http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2008/11/06/when-science-meets-money/#comment-63 BBC: What Happened to Global Warming? « The Vitki’s Blog Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:12:14 +0000 http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2008/11/06/when-science-meets-money/#comment-63 [...] time readers of this blog will remember my When Science Meets Money article from a year ago where I reported on the 400 scientists who sent a report to the U.S. Senate [...] [...] time readers of this blog will remember my When Science Meets Money article from a year ago where I reported on the 400 scientists who sent a report to the U.S. Senate [...]

]]> Comment on Bit By “The Shell Game” by sandrar http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2008/02/23/bit-by-the-shell-game/#comment-62 sandrar Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:31:45 +0000 http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2008/02/23/bit-by-the-shell-game/#comment-62 Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post... nice! I love your blog. :) Cheers! Sandra. R. Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. :) Cheers! Sandra. R.

]]> Comment on Middle Class Set To Pay Cost Of Poverty by theLakattack http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/middle-class-set-to-pay-cost-of-poverty/#comment-30 theLakattack Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:30:51 +0000 http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/middle-class-set-to-pay-cost-of-poverty/#comment-30 Sad news indeed. It blows my mind how quickly the house of cards fell apart. Maybe the best days for the USA are all behind us. I'd love to think otherwise. Sad news indeed. It blows my mind how quickly the house of cards fell apart. Maybe the best days for the USA are all behind us. I’d love to think otherwise.

]]> Comment on Bit By “The Shell Game” by Middle Class Set To Pay Cost Of Poverty « The Vitki’s Blog http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2008/02/23/bit-by-the-shell-game/#comment-29 Middle Class Set To Pay Cost Of Poverty « The Vitki’s Blog Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:14:39 +0000 http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2008/02/23/bit-by-the-shell-game/#comment-29 [...] already having to choose between feeding the kids or themselves, they’re going to be Bit By “The Shell Game”, and have to watch helplessly as their formerly helpful bank bleeds them of money like a vampire. [...] [...] already having to choose between feeding the kids or themselves, they’re going to be Bit By “The Shell Game”, and have to watch helplessly as their formerly helpful bank bleeds them of money like a vampire. [...]

]]> Comment on Agony Accounting by Sweet http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2008/01/23/agony-accounting/#comment-28 Sweet Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:34:03 +0000 http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2008/01/23/agony-accounting/#comment-28 Hello! I hope that my reply is not too late. Have you tried <a href="www.weberp.org" rel="nofollow">WebERP</a>? I think that it is a good accounting software, and its free and open source, runs on different platforms, too. I have tried GnuCash, too, but my experience with WebERP is so much better than with GnuCash. I hope this little information about WebERP could help you in your quest of finding the software that suits you best! Hello! I hope that my reply is not too late. Have you tried WebERP? I think that it is a good accounting software, and its free and open source, runs on different platforms, too. I have tried GnuCash, too, but my experience with WebERP is so much better than with GnuCash.

I hope this little information about WebERP could help you in your quest of finding the software that suits you best!

]]> Comment on Bit By “The Shell Game” by Tara Phillips http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2008/02/23/bit-by-the-shell-game/#comment-21 Tara Phillips Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:35:06 +0000 http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2008/02/23/bit-by-the-shell-game/#comment-21 I am appalled at the banking practices these days when every dollar needs to stretch further than ever and they are basically busting the knee caps of the average banking customer! Why does the Banking Commission allow this? Who are policing these thugs??? I am appalled at the banking practices these days when every dollar needs to stretch further than ever and they are basically busting the knee caps of the average banking customer! Why does the Banking Commission allow this? Who are policing these thugs???

]]> Comment on Agony Accounting by andrew http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2008/01/23/agony-accounting/#comment-19 andrew Wed, 04 Jun 2008 01:02:06 +0000 http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2008/01/23/agony-accounting/#comment-19 I noticed you mentioned that OpenBravo doesn't provide any sort of online banking. Do you know of any that do? I can't seem to find anything but Quickbooks that offer this for business accounting. I noticed you mentioned that OpenBravo doesn’t provide any sort of online banking. Do you know of any that do? I can’t seem to find anything but Quickbooks that offer this for business accounting.

]]> Comment on Agony Accounting by Richard http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2008/01/23/agony-accounting/#comment-18 Richard Tue, 20 May 2008 16:33:00 +0000 http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2008/01/23/agony-accounting/#comment-18 I'm not sure what your beef is against PostgreSQL. I'm a pretty big GPL booster myself, but if a project wants to use a license that is more free than the GPL, why are you looking to get them to use OpenDB or MySQL? Don't even get me started on MySQL having a GPL version. They also have a commercial licensed version which they want you to use if your application touches non-GPL code. Check out their FAQ sometime. PostgreSQL is free to use, distribute, modify, etc. Your code doesn't even have to be GPL. It has NO RESTRICTIONS that I or anybody else can find. Why is the lack of GPL a hindrance, when it is replaced by a license that has less restrictions? Perhaps you don't understand it's license? By the way: PostgreSQL is also a much better database than MySQL. (Coming from a database administrators point of view). It is the only free database that can even come close to enterprise databases like Oracle. R I’m not sure what your beef is against PostgreSQL. I’m a pretty big GPL booster myself, but if a project wants to use a license that is more free than the GPL, why are you looking to get them to use OpenDB or MySQL?

Don’t even get me started on MySQL having a GPL version. They also have a commercial licensed version which they want you to use if your application touches non-GPL code. Check out their FAQ sometime.

PostgreSQL is free to use, distribute, modify, etc. Your code doesn’t even have to be GPL. It has NO RESTRICTIONS that I or anybody else can find. Why is the lack of GPL a hindrance, when it is replaced by a license that has less restrictions?

Perhaps you don’t understand it’s license?

By the way: PostgreSQL is also a much better database than MySQL. (Coming from a database administrators point of view). It is the only free database that can even come close to enterprise databases like Oracle.

R

]]> Comment on Agony Accounting by walterbyrd http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2008/01/23/agony-accounting/#comment-17 walterbyrd Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:37:12 +0000 http://thevitki.wordpress.com/2008/01/23/agony-accounting/#comment-17 I am also a Linux user. I even use Linux professionally, I am also certified in Linux. But, I have to ask, is it really worth all that trouble to avoid QB? IMO: here is a brief listing of what foss financial software seems to be missing. Note: all of the following is based my limited understanding, and my opinions. Please correct me if I am wrong about any of this: * Cost advantage: QuickBooks simple start is free: http://quickbooks.intuit.com/product/accounting-software/free-accounting-software.jhtml Or I can buy the full version of QuickBooks in only $128: http://www.qbpro2008.com/quickbooks-2008-coupons-for-amazon/ Seems to me that any cost advantage of using a foss alternative is negligible. * Ease of use: Somewhat debatable. But some people site this as a primary reason for Intuit's amazing success with QuickBooks - supposedly 87% of small businesses use QuickBooks. Although, I have to wonder how the number of foss users can be accurately counted? * Integration with online banking: my understanding is that only intuit or msft products can easily integrate with online banking. Not absolutely sure about that. * Payroll: very regional, and changes often == not well suited for foss. * Taxes: somewhat regional, and changes often == not well suited for foss. * Wide acceptance: I think most businesses are much more comfortable using products that are accepted standards. * Wealth of available add-ons: Intuit has a very active community of 3rd party developers. You can buy practically any kind of an add-on you can imagine. These add-ons cost money, but at least they are available. * Major company: I think a lot of businesses are not comfortable with a product unless there is a major company behind that product. I have to admit, even I am not comfortable with software products that are essentially one man operations. * Support: I can always hire somebody who knows quickbooks, or find a "ProAdvisor" consultant, or I can get support from the company, and there are hundreds - if not thousands - of developers who specialize in developing for quickbooks. I can not see where that is true for any project. * Training availability and costs. I can hire people who already know quickbooks. If I hire somebody to work on some foss alternative, then there will be a significant training expense. Of course, there is also the issue of training availability. * Documentation: If I had to pick one thing that kills the usefulness of more foss projects than anything else, this would win in a slam-dunk. Of course, this varies among projects, some foss projects have great documentation. But, I can always find plenty of books, or other documentation for popular proprietary financial apps. * Many accountants, maybe as many as 200,000, use QB and recommend it to their clients. Some accountants will charge much more for files that are not in QB format. * QB has much better 3rd party integration. For example, ecommerce packages like oscommerce, and magento, work with quickbooks, not foss alternatives. Msft accounting works with ebay. I can not find that sort of integration with foss software. I am also a Linux user. I even use Linux professionally, I am also certified in Linux.

But, I have to ask, is it really worth all that trouble to avoid QB?

IMO: here is a brief listing of what foss financial software seems to be missing. Note: all of the following is based my limited understanding, and my opinions. Please correct me if I am wrong about any of this:

* Cost advantage: QuickBooks simple start is free:
http://quickbooks.intuit.com/product/accounting-software/free-accounting-software.jhtml
Or I can buy the full version of QuickBooks in only $128:
http://www.qbpro2008.com/quickbooks-2008-coupons-for-amazon/
Seems to me that any cost advantage of using a foss alternative is negligible.

* Ease of use: Somewhat debatable. But some people site this as a primary reason for Intuit’s amazing success with QuickBooks – supposedly 87% of small businesses use QuickBooks. Although, I have to wonder how the number of foss users can be accurately counted?

* Integration with online banking: my understanding is that only intuit or msft products can easily integrate with online banking. Not absolutely sure about that.

* Payroll: very regional, and changes often == not well suited for foss.

* Taxes: somewhat regional, and changes often == not well suited for foss.

* Wide acceptance: I think most businesses are much more comfortable using products that are accepted standards.

* Wealth of available add-ons: Intuit has a very active community of 3rd party developers. You can buy practically any kind of an add-on you can imagine. These add-ons cost money, but at least they are available.

* Major company: I think a lot of businesses are not comfortable with a product unless there is a major company behind that product. I have to admit, even I am not comfortable with software products that are essentially one man operations.

* Support: I can always hire somebody who knows quickbooks, or find a “ProAdvisor” consultant, or I can get support from the company, and there are hundreds – if not thousands – of developers who specialize in developing for quickbooks. I can not see where that is true for any project.

* Training availability and costs. I can hire people who already know quickbooks. If I hire somebody to work on some foss alternative, then there will be a significant training expense. Of course, there is also the issue of training availability.

* Documentation: If I had to pick one thing that kills the usefulness of more foss projects than anything else, this would win in a slam-dunk. Of course, this varies among projects, some foss projects have great documentation. But, I can always find plenty of books, or other documentation for popular proprietary financial apps.

* Many accountants, maybe as many as 200,000, use QB and recommend it to their clients. Some accountants will charge much more for files that are not in QB format.

* QB has much better 3rd party integration. For example, ecommerce packages like oscommerce, and magento, work with quickbooks, not foss alternatives. Msft accounting works with ebay. I can not find that sort of integration with foss software.

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