Mac OS X has built-in encryption (called File Vault), built-in VPN (managed in the network control panel), and one-click VPN configuration files for your users to click on. A tool called Automator which surprise automates things even if you don't know applescript. If you don't give them administrator access, most things are locked down anyway. --Sam P.S It is not quite as good as windows policies.

sorry, this is a dangerous thing to say when people who are legitametely bipolar may not take their medications because of things like that that you say. I have experience with this. * ADD drugs and stimulants can cause bipolar in people that are genetically predisposed or overdose, or anyone really. This is a fact of the way stimulants work and ramp up the nervous system. * Beyond that, although Seratonin syndrome is arguably real, it is also rare. Marijuana beyond that is dissociative, and produces states that is not going to be helpful to anyone who is manic and prone to delusions. Thanks. It sounds like what happened in your case is you had a bad doctor, bad coordination. But many people with bipolar disorder say they were misdiagnosed, and that the drugs make them ill ("poisons", "brain atrophy") and other ridiculous stuff dreamt of by quacks like Peter Breggin. Look him up on wikipedia. Psychiatry is full of unconstitutional and dangerous treating behavior, but the science is solid, and marijuana is not a treatment, and the other drugs are.

You should do what's required to make your stuff work. Ask for credit later. Document it and do it right. Writing scripts is part of the job, and reducing burden for your team is also part of your job.

There is a slashdot advertiser that advertises linux pcs. I forget the name. anybody wanna help? Dell makes some ubuntu laptops. www.dell.com/ubuntu

Mac OS X is a full Unix operating system, complete with rsync. Is it possible we could get support for the Mac too?

While I am glad that the online safety scanner can now clean infections, and will probably consider it in the future, it isn't a very widely used tool because of the windows live branding, rather than as a Microsoft product. Trend Micro Housecall has been around for longer. I wish more antivirus's would scan for lack of service packs or security vulnerabilities.

It is the RAM that's slowing you down. RAM is cheap. Do you think you could persuade IT to provide an upgrade? K-Melon is another obvious suggestion. --Sam

I don't think it's cute. I think it is an abridgment of the 1st amendment. And that is the scariest thing. Scarier than Guantanamo Bay. Keep in mind that the constitution has only been suspended during times of war. It is not to be permitted, not then and not now.

It isn't their first Mac app. They've been selling it to businesses before now, but businesses don't generally use Time machine, and would never execute a deletion command using an antivirus on a backup archive while it was running. Not sure whether this is an OS bug, or a sophos bug, or whether if he had allowed the command to finish, it would have worked fine. (Maybe it was just taking a long time.) --Sam

www.alphasmart.com makes both Neos and Danas, which are both word processors of sorts. --Sam

StarOffice is the commercial product and has commercial support contract options.

If you read David Pogue's "The perfect thing" about the history of the iPod, he discusses this "ipod bubble" phonomenon happening to ordinary people -- able-bodied people. Why should someone with cerebral palsy who moves differently not be allowed to keep up on current events/watch videos like any other person? I don't even care if they listen to MP3s.

--Sam

I just want to thank US Cellular. They sell one phone with naked android, and one phone with HTC Sense. Both are running the Android 2.1, which is almost up to date. (Only the Nexus one and some tablets have 2.2).

This is the key, I think: ship the Google code and only the google code, and ship an up to date OS.

Many devices are still running 1.6 and some 1.5. This is unacceptable. Blackberry is no better. They sell their OS upgrades as a feature with their phones. Not OK.

--Sam

It's called RunAs. More information is available at: http://www.intelliadmin.com/index.php/2007/09/elevate-processes-from-the-command-prompt-in-vista/

You can also right click on any application/executable icon and select "Run As..." (XP) or Run As Administrator (7/Vista.) You can also although this is a bad idea elevate the entire command prompt.

--Sam