Anadarko

Running a Windows desktop VM on a Linux workstation is actually an excellent solution in the right circumstances. On one hand you seem to say that using the right tool for the job is best, but then you come out with this tripe? Shame on your 4-digit UID!

Having worked for a large oil company, we used VMPlayer to run the standard Windows desktop build on each of the extremely high-end Linux geophys workstations. Why? Because having 2x 30" monitors on a geologists desk was enough and using a KVM to completely switch everything from one machine to another was not desirable. This wasn't done because we were zealots or anything, but because the geologists requested it. And when you're in oil exploration, everything revolves around the geologists (as long as they're good!)

Cheers

Duncan

Blah blah blah - BP - blah blah blah

Why don't we hear much from Haliburton and Anadarko about the spill?

Who modded me Funny? I'm serious - I like the scheme. But it's like PIN numbers on credit cards - people HATE change. They'll find a way to criticise it as insecure, big brother, or anything - just to denigrate it.

You think the current system is secure?
You think the current system works well?

Seriously - there are more people who would accept this scheme than is reported in the general press. And the concerns about big brother and invasion of privacy are only equal to the same concerns but of the current system. The new driving licenses are great (apart from the points I've currently got of course). This scheme isn't such a big step away from that.

And to the real privacy concerned brigade . . . get your tin foil hats off.

I like mine . . . no really, I do.

It's not yours . . . give it back!

Sorry . . . but COOK the popcorn? I know there's a technical correctness to that phrase, but "cook" is a somewhat gradiose for the efforts required to produce popcorn...

What nasty 50Mbit users they must be!!! Imagine actually USING their connections at the same time as you - how inconsiderate :-( I'd have started crying right about . . . . WOA - hold on.

As they pay more than you, what makes you think that they should be throttled more than you? The 50Mbit service has no traffic shaping or download limits. THAT'S WHY SOME OF US PAY FOR THAT SERVICE.

If you want to pay for a cheaper server - go right ahead. Just don't whine when people who pay more than you are using their service to the full.

Selfish users indeed. Pay for the service - or in your case, don't.

Being on the 50Mbit connection, I'll confirm the absence of traffic shaping.

I'll also confirm that the service runs at VERY close to the advertised speed the vast majority of the time.

I actually took part in a trial of a system like this at my local GP's when I was still at school. I've still got the credit card sized optical card that has a store of all my patient records at that time.

Don't know what the reasons for the demise of the project were, but carrying your own data around with you is exactly what people don't like about ID cards. It could also scratch easily and doctors had no access to the data unless you were actually in the practice with your card.

Centrally stored universally accessible (with applicable restrictions if you ABSOLUTELY need them) are the only way forward. Been knocked over by a bus in a strange city? Have medical complications that it would be just great if the Doctors treating you had access to?

Quite simply it is that Doctors believe they are the most intelligent people in the room whenever they walk in. They will accept no management advice, no time allocation advice, no parking advice, no dietary advice . . . no advice.

They believe that they are already operating in the most efficient manner and that any change will put patient lives at risk. Well . . . actually they don't believe this, but this excuse is used every time they don't like something. A quick "OOooooo - patient lives at risk" and any progressive idea is already on the back foot.

This ideology permeates through the health care system with consultants at the top right down through the chain to the nurses.

Getting these people to agree on ANYTHING is a Herculean task.

A friend of mine (a Doctor) was on a committee trying to bring more IT into the healthcare system in Scotland. He is very IT minded (read geek) and was keen as mustard to help push things along. Within a handful of months, he was at the end of his tether due to the sheer deluge of nonsensical crap that was being floated purely to waste the committee's time and ensure that nothing got done.