252761
submission
teutonic_leech writes:
Cringely's final part of a three-part article series explains how Americans were deceived and defrauded by many of their telephone companies to the tune of $200 billion — money that was supposed to have gone to pay for a broadband future we don't — and never will — have.
249157
submission
vboulytchev writes:
MySQL quietly let slip that it would no longer be distributing the MySQL Enterprise Server source as a tarball, not quite a year after the company announced a split between its paid and free versions. While the Enterprise Server code is still under the GNU General Public License (GPL), MySQL is making it harder for non-customers to access the source code.
http://www.linux.com/feature/118489
247715
submission
jpolachak writes:
Question:
How badly do companies waste money due to political reasons? When viable solutions are proposed only to be declined to due "Executives" that have nothing to do with a project.
I am new to the "Corporate" big business world. I have been a government contractor for 8 years. However, already I am appalled at the things that go on. The company I work for as a Unix System Administrator is always complaining about budgets. Day in and day out someone is complaining about not having money. I know that this is universal. However, when I had a chance to implement a proposal for saving abou $10,000 on a project that is budgeted for $50,000. I was shot down due to political issues. The project was to upgrade and buy new desktops for all the Unix administrators(since we are running on machines almost 10 years old. Ultra 5's). The inital proposal was to go with Sun workstations with 24" Sun monitors. Totaling about $4700 per system w/ monitors. However, I then proposed to buy another brand monitor. Since the cost of another monitor would save about $1000 per persons workstation. I was told that if we changed the order to a non Sun product it would get declined. Due to another "VP" saying that we couldn't have such nice equiptment. However, if we spend the extra $1000 per monitor. Since it said Sun on it that the "VP" would not fuss over it. I was told this happens all the time.
So how often does this happen in other "Corporate" businesses? I ask because if I can make such a difference in just one small area. That must mean it is going on in other areas in the company. How does one get a point across that what is being done is an absolute waste and is inexcusable?
244755
submission
toporok writes:
It seems that the media is not neutral anymore these days. Most of it seems to have picked a side in the political arena. Here's another example. It seems that in their hate for Bush, the Democrats will do anything to oppose pretty much anything that comes from the Republican side and the media pretty much keeps hush on this. It has gotten so bad that just the other day, Democrats in a very controversial vote defeated a measure proposed by the Republicans to ban illegal immigrants from receiving federal assistance for housing and employment ( Yes, Welfare!). Yet it was briefly mentioned as if it was of no consequence and most media outlets didn't cover it at all. I'm not even talking page one, like it should have been. Nothing! I'm not saying Democrats are bad and Republicans are good, I'm a registered Democrat myself but this is ridiculous! Me paying pretty much 40% out of my paycheck to help American Citizens in need is not enough, now I have to support illegal immigrants?!
Where will this stop? I have nothing against immigrants that come here legally and follow the legal process, I myself is an immigrant that followed the process and got my citizenship but I refuse to give my money to somebody that disregards our laws by coming to this country illegally and then demanding to be provided with assistance with educations, housing and unemployment.
Here is the url to the story, and I really had to search to find even this one.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/03/politics /politico/main3130820.shtml
