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Big Batch of Quickies 46

Posted by CmdrTaco from the stuff-to-read dept.
gman has started a new site, linuxhardware.net in an effort to create help newbies learn and share information about Linux and Hardware. nickm an insane link designed to bring arts and culture to the Unix community. Apparently Dogman has created a hilarious page entitled "Installing a network PostScript printer on a Sun workstation running SunOS As illustrated through interpretive dance. Whoever said learning can't be fun never saw this. Or maybe they did and just created a mental block so they didn't have to think about that guy dancing. Jerome ALET sent us a link to the Linux Slogans Database Matthew Astley wrote in to where you can buy 25x25mm self-adhesive domed plastic badges featuring Tux to attach to your computer case in that little logo spot. The Phly sent in links to a new Bible for Linux page is up. jgalun wrote in to send us a link to a Washington Post that comapres Sys Admin Salaries average system admin salaries, in which they note that Mac sys admins seem to make very little. Hmm, wonder why...Also noted is that Linux sys admins had the greatest pay raises last year. More to come, hopefully! darius sent us a link to the new apple ad campaign which features the one, the only, HAL 9000. BigZaphod wriote in to announce a new games site:Legions. And rounding in to the more tasteless part of the quickies, kweiheri sent us an great parody of realdoll.com- except this one is (ahem) realhamster.com. What is this world coming to? GraZZ wrote in to send us an amusing parody of Star Wars and the Starr Thing.
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Big Batch of Quickies More

Big Batch of Quickies

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  • Does having an OpenBible mean we can make modifications? :-)
  • Macs are really good because some applications for some pre-1985 computers are bad? Buying a Mac to replace your aging AS/400 makes sense? Buy a mac to replace mission-critical computers?

    I gues that would be thinking different, but not thinking well.

    Apple spreads more fear and lies. Is anyone suprised by this?

  • What I'm not surprised about is your willingness to forget the PC world's blunders in the interest of bashing Apple.

    But that's not what apple is bashing. They're talking about how the problem was in ``big iron''

    Back in the era of mainframe computers or big iron (a.k.a. the Iron Age), programmers used an abbreviated date format to conserve precious memory. Using two digits to denote the year for instance, 99 for 1999 turned out to be a bad idea. Apple solved the Year 2000 problem 15 years ago with the introduction of the Macintosh, a personal computer that could handle internally generated dates correctly all the way to the year 29,940

    It says nothing about PCs. Just mainframes and macintoshes. I'll agree with you that much PC hardware is crap, and I'll agree with you that much Windows is crap.

    I don't know about the Y2k compatibility of Linux. How safe is it?

    Well, there's really no Y2K problem, but with all unices (and windows) there's a Y2038 problem, which is 2^31 seconds since 1970.

    libc6 can compile using a 64-bit time_t cleanly. We'll all be using 64-bit native computers by 2010, probably, and by then libc6 might be stable. So we'll switch for all processors and non-64-bit processors will just not be so fast using time_t. Other programs will have to be recompiled, too, but if they are written well (ie time_t numsecs; rather than int numsecs; ) then they'll be pretty easy to port into a 64-bit date.

  • Posted by alexeir:

    I think you are wrong. The SANS numbers are right on the money. Remember, these are user submitted numbers, not stuff SANS pulled out of the air.

    The market might be able to bear better wages in some industries in some areas, but it is the average that counts.

    Also, the SANS numbers need to be explained: the $60k is a nationwide average of network/security/systems admins. The avg is also for folks with 6+ years of experience (but does this include college work?). Folks with less than 6 years of experience made an average of $10K *less*.

    The SANS numbers also go on to indicate that contractors make $10k more than salaried employees and that consultants made $20k above contractors. So, being a consultant is the way to riches, if that is the life you wish to lead.

    The internet has helped push the avg sys admin salary up across the markets. It used to be that the only way you could break $80k outside of the financial markets (where Malox is your friend and downtime is your enemy) was to be a consultant.
    Now you can go run some web servers for a small company and do minimal admin tasks for a pretty penny (well, way more than avg computer science grads make).

    I do agree that you should take these numbers lightly. Don't go to your boss and demand to make more than the avg since you consider yourself an above avg employee. If you feel your compensation package is not up to par (given the company health, your work ethic and your responsibilities), talk it out. The SANS survey did say that the #1 way of increasing your salary was to jump ship. It is unfortunate that this is the case.
  • Posted by alexeir:

    15%? That is pretty aggressive. You have to weary of "salary caps". At 15% a year, it will take
    6 years to double your salary. Doubling your
    starting salary used to be easy: you are a sys admin for a university making $30k/yr. You go to work for private organization and you can easily double your salary. Now, try going from $60k to $120k in 6 years. Unless you go into management, you are going to run into a glass ceiling.

    Managers are also faced with the dilema of either continuing to shell out more $$$ for talent (lets say a hot-dog sysadmin comes in cheap then really proves himself and doubles his salary in short order and demands another huge raise) vs simply hoping to be able to hire another hot-dog sysadmin fresh out of school for 1/2 of what the other guy wants.

    Usually compensation is somthing that is comprised of many aspects. Salary is part of it. What does it matter if you are getting 15% raises if you work 80hrs/week, are on call every other week and work with morons?

    Good benefits, good management, perks, cool toys, bonuses, training and salary make up the bulk of what most good compensation packages consist of. Some places will offer stock options in lieu of salary. Some do both. It all depends.

    I have been on both sides of the coin, so I know what it is like to be a low-paid over-worked sys admin, but I have tried to make sure that as a manager (of sys admins) I make good on the very same gripes I had.

    Just make sure to deal with your management in trying to hit a win-win (how cheezy) situation. Companies hate having to look for good talent. Employees usually hate changing jobs. Blackmailing your employer into higher salaries will only cause grief in the long run.

    Just my $0.02.

  • Starr? (Score:1)

    by pb ( 1020 )
    Going back to the original "news for nerds" subject, instead of Mad Magazine's opinion on the Starr trials, perhaps a better subject would be their Windows 98 Parody [dccomics.com], from the same source. (I took the link from the frame to get there, so it complains, but the picture is hilarious. :)
  • Dang it, I didn't realize I could be making $60k/year for linux admin! I'm still raking in single-digits-per-hour figures here. Child labor exploitation, that's what it is....
  • Heh... The same kind of loser that try as he may can't seem to spend it on a real woman.. or someone who is just into latex?

    When I checked that site out I had to say that I was impressed.. if you read about the whole manufacturing process and how lifelike these things are supposta be its hard not to. As for the price... its reasonable.. even if it would equal about 8 grand up here in Canada.

    Hmmm.. wonder what my wife would have to say about a threesome with one of those..

  • Ok, cute hal commercial. But what's this silliness about macs being the only systems designed to be y2k compliant? Fsckin' VMS uses 4-digit years in hardware and software...

    --

  • Well, these things are very geographically dependent. If you're on one of the coasts, you're right, your salary is probably going to be higher.

    Other factors:

    1. A lot of us work at universities. We get paid less. That drags the curve down.

    2. They took a pretty broad approach to the term "sysadmin", as is obvious by the inclusion of Macs. (No offense, but maintaining personal computers is hardly a sysadmin job.)

    --

  • This is just what I need to justify the home network I am building. "But mom it's so that dad can reserch for his next sermon".

    Being the son of a pastor is not that bad :)
  • I wouldn't give much salt to that salary survey. Those numbers are too damn low unless they are for fresh graduates with a masters going for their first unix job.

    If you have five to ten years experience and are willing to take that kind of money lets talk!

    Don't be fooled by this. I think its there to depress salary requests that are more in line. "Look at this web site! You're asking for 20K more than it lists. You are out of line!" Yeah right.
    {-P
  • Yeah, there is a reason for that. Administering an all-mac network is nearly a "no-brainer". I mean, you gotta set it up right, which is slightly difficult, but after that you seldom need to fix any part of it.
  • He has one in his studio.
  • Oh, nothing wrong with it at all!

    But usually data processing jobs are paid for based on either the skill required, or the drudgery factor, or a mixture of both. Being a Mac Sysadmin is a very comfortable job, usually.
  • Child labor exploitation indeed.. hah, I was volunteering 20 hours a week when I was 15 before anyone asked me to at my local freenet.. Quite voluntarily, I must add - give me computer and internet connection and I will make your systems go ;)
  • Seems like a lot of work to send $1 to scotland for a sticker... mebbe one of the distributors will pick up a few thousand, and start sending 'em with the distros!

    /me goes and puts $1 in the mail anyway.

  • Over on Dogman's page, I also found: http://www.europa.com/~dogman/motivation/ [europa.com].

    These rule. And the "I found the cure for hope" t-shirt is too cool...

  • For the Lunix addicts... who volunteers to setup www.realtux.com (or realpenguin.com).
    By the way, i think the American women all want a "realclinton"...
  • The BH6 is REALLY nice Overclocking consists of just opening your bios and changing the bus speed it does the rest.. And for just 90 bucks online =)
  • Ok, since the linuxhardware site is just starting adn it doesn't have any info I'll turn to you, my fellow dotheads.

    Now I'm upgrading my system, I mena upgrading, i'm going from a motherboard up thorugh a new processor, HD, RAM, the whole deal (well, ok,that's really all I'm doing). What I'd like to know is what motherbaord you'd reccomend for a Linux system. Right now I'm looking at the Asus P2B so I can slot in one of those nice little PII 450s. But keeping in mind I'm definately getting an Intel PII 450. As well, considering the price on the Asus board is at most $130, no way I'm spedning more'n that. Ah well, this is getting long so if you've read this far, you get a lollipop.. YAY!

  • Every PC in my high-school is going to have one of those, if of course I could pay for them, and get them to install Linux + WP on the machines (not happening withing my or my childrens lifetimes). But I'm definatly going to be picking up some of those stickers for all the PCs I own, and even some that I don't, heh.


    Force Recon Half-Life TC: Check it out [cass.net]
  • His whole site is a piss, be sure to check out his resume' and AOL GEEK pages..

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