Robert Pogson

The former network administrator was convicted of “hacking” the network because he would not turn over the administrative passwords when he left an employer. He’s being made a scapegoat IMHO. What of the incompetent supervisors who did not require him to document his work and why was one guy in charge of all that with no backup? What if he had been run over by a bus? Would the city have sued his estate? Nope. What’s the difference? He did turn over the passwords eventually and no harm was done except panic caused the city to spend $900 K in 12 days to recover control of the system. How did they manage to spend that much money if all that was required was a password? Now they want to send him the bill.

The moral of the story? Don’t ever work for San Francisco as a system administrator. I have managed a lot of networks and I have always left the passwords with my boss on the way out. What they do with them is their problem. So he was a twit. Is that worth four years in jail? Why did they have to keep him in jail for a couple of years during the trial? It seems to me the punishment does not fit the crime. Otherwise half the population would be behind bars.

One of the frustrations of promoting GNU/Linux is that retail sellers of PCs tend to ignore or are ignorant of GNU/Linux yet about 10% of retail customers are very familiar with GNU/Linux. That makes no sense. It may maximize current cash-flow but will cause retailers to lose customers as GNU/Linux grows and start-ups or smaller retailers cater to the business. The result is a chicken-and-egg situation where many who would buy GNU/Linux on price and performance do not have much choice and because most users of PCs are not do-it-yourself types GNU/Linux does not grow as rapidly as it could.

Oracle has written a paper which suggests ten rules retailers should live by to thrive in a changing world. On the topic of serving niches, Oracle suggests everything is a niche and to pass by any niche without serving it is a weakness and an opportunity for competitors. Oracle also suggests incorporating the technology of computing into the business, even assuming customers will access stuff on their smart-thingies while walking around and conversing with like-minded customers when making choices. A new level of openness and responsiveness to customers is in order.

see New Rules of Retail
“Look for underserved markets to attract new customers.

The retailers that share the most accurate and comprehensive product information win favor with consumers.”
Wouldn’t that be a refreshing change?