Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

It has nothing to do with a risk I can't take qole.

I cannot move due to family obligations. Can't, not won't.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Bummer, dude. Sorry to hear that. Keep that chin up.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

I am very sorry to hear that. It sounds like it was a bolt from the blue and must leave you a bit stunned.

We get the impression that you enjoyed your work and position so Nokia's decision will be all the more devastating.

Good luck with your future opportunities.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Thanks rebski, and you are correct. This was the biggest blow of my 22 year professional career.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Wow.. this is the first I've come back on in a while and now I read this. Will you still be around for us to talk to? I really hope you get back into something quickly--preferably even better than your current position. You've been a great fellow to talk to and it seems to me, from what I've seen on here, that you're an enormous value to anyone that would employ you.

Good luck!

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

what a bummer! sorry to hear that.

I've been made redundant twice now, once when the parent company went bust and they'd milked the UK division dry of funds, and once when employer was bought by a giant telco and they mis-managed us to oblivion and had to cut costs. What I can say is that it's important to be positive, tap all your contacts for possible work and/or information.

When a company shrinks, it's best to be in the first wave of redundancies, they usually give a more generous settlement, and being the first out in the job market means more choice. By the time the third wave of redundancies hits, there's loads of people looking.

Good luck!

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

I agree. I got a good settlement when I was laid off... the next month, everyone else got laid off by the new gigantic mothercorp including the CEO who laid me off, and I hear they didn't do as well.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Hope you find something soon, its ugly out there. Although tech sector is suffering less than everyone else. Because no matter what, your computers still need to stay running.

I hear ya on the relocate, across country would be bad enough, but Helsinki is a little far, and a tad chilly I suspect.

I know we have had our differences in opinion over the years (wow how time fly's) but sincerely, good luck, I am sure something will turn up.

pb

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

bah, people just need to learn to dress properly ;)

anyways, good luck, texrat. of all the people on his forum, your one i have had least issues with.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

LOL tso... what does THAT mean??? :D

Anyway, I made a big pitch to actually keep my position. I believe the executive rationale used to move it is fatally flawed. I put together what I felt was a reasonable and persuasive case, and got the ear of the guy with the power to make such a change-- but looks like no-go. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Meanwhile, competition looks tough for the internal jobs I applied for. And the one I was going to apply for with Nokia Siemans Networks was cancelled before I could. There are about 10 or so local jobs with other companies I have identified so far.

But I heard yesterday that the average time for people in my position to find a new job is 4.3 months. Ouch!

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Well I had been feeling pessimistic about further N___a prospects until today. I cleaned up my personal profile and applied for another global position, supporting IT in its efforts to modernize our ways of working. I believe I could at least get an interview on this one. Everyone think positive! Thanks! :D

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

..thinking positive thoughts...

"Texrat WILL get the interview. Texrat WILL get the job. Nokia WILL realise their mistake."

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

I bet itś scary out there but hang TOUGH Texrat.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

good luck!

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Fingers and toes crossed for you!

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Thanks all.

Yeah, it is scary. I can't survive another 9 months unemployment... can't believe I did that last time...

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Originally motivated by an old email from Quim and newly pushed by my impending job loss, I have decided to get serious about public blogging. So, I am in the process of setting one up at Wordpress. The link is http://tabulacrypticum.wordpress.com/

I intend to keep it very tablet friendly and will make further style changes to that effect. I also hope to copy some of my internal bogs there (after some sanitizing) to start. Maybe I'll also finally have time to do something with jablet.net...

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Is 2009 the year for open source?

http://tabulacrypticum.wordpress.com...r-open-source/

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Texrat, what happened to your plan to make a mini server for the NIT?

BTW, Wolf3d came one year before Doom.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

The mini server wasn't really a plan, it was an exercise. I may tinker with one of my 770s along those lines but I don't know. I'm actually thinking now that game servers should be built into public transport and even automobiles... and given adoption of mobile bluetooth (and even wifi lately) I think that's plausible. Heck build them into boom boxes too! :D

And while Wolfenstein may predate Doom, in http://tabulacrypticum.wordpress.com...-introduction/ I'm pointing out how Doom really impacted the landscape more so than W3D or others did. Sorry to all W3D fans, but it's reality.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

:D hmm, maybe! Here in trains they're implementing WiFi in. (On trainstations its there already), and busses have video already. The videos contain commercials mostly.

This was build earlier this decenia: bakscii. Not sure if I posted before. These folks also build their own (mobile) internet cafe, set up wireless WLAN in Croatia and Amsterdam East.

But these are fun projects. I think most devices will get some kind of WWAN in the coming years. Then you can play the games over the Internet, with your own server running on a 100 mbit FTTH, with optionally some kind of parental lock for your kids.

Its a matter of memory I suppose, and many started with Doom. Still, Quake 2 (with Lithium mod) and ET (original) are my fav all-time FPS.

Good luck with your job hunting!

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

That would be something to see, but believe me it's not easy.
I may be repeating myself here (can't remember), but over here we've been doing just that for the last few years.
I work in a (French) public administration which, despite much downsizing during the last couple of decades, is still about 70,000 strong nationwide.
Started like everywhere as semi-clandestine, local grassroots efforts, open source tools have become mandatory official policy since 2004.
In those four years we've replaced most proprietary software with OSS solutions :

MS Office --> OpenOffice
MS Exchange+Outlook --> LDAP, Postfix, IMAP, POP3, HORDE+Thunderbird
MSIE --> Firefox
Servers : MS NT4 --> Linux + Samba + LDAP
Intranets : IIS+ASP --> Apache + PHP CMS
Corporate apps : Web framework (Apache + Java +...)
Oracle --> PostgreSQL
etc.

There is a lot left to do still, especially with legacy apps, and the glaring hole of course is the desktop OS, which is still Windows, except for some hardened laptops. Like many we're skipping Vista though, and hoping it will give us the time and opportunity to launch a large-scale desktop switch-over.

Now for the lessons learned :

1 - you do this *for* the users, in more ways than one... but you do it *against* them, that's for sure. Weaning the typical office jock from his usual tools is a neverending uphill battle.

2 - corporate/federal/whatever policy does not guarantee a landslide, especially if the next government can change it again. When we got started there was an administration-wide "mot d'ordre", mostly based on financial gain. If you look around now, we're not alone : there are several other large ministries with big projects under way, and high-profile symbolic coups like our Parliament. But we're still not the majority either : resistance has been, and still is, immense.

Most of it I believe is simple inertia : these things take *work*, you know, sometimes imagination and creativity, or at least a vision, all of which are more of a hassle than dumping taxpayer money in Microsoft or Oracle's pockets :-)

Some of it is active infighting, ideological or political, fueled by active lobbying. Our new administration is a bit schizophrenic in the sense that it is an active cost-cutter, to the point of brutality, yet is very receptive to big business interests. In particular, efforts had been made to turn these OSS "recommendations" into binding regulations for public services ; the decrees were ready but were not signed before the elections last year, and nothing more has been heard of them since.

Seeing the power of US software majors in our political and business circles, I wonder if even the American President could have his way inside his own administration...

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

fpp I agree with every point to an extent, but we now have a president not only promising significant change but mandated to bring it about. Just as "only Nixon could go to China", maybe it holds that "only Obama can bring open source overhaul to federal government". ;)

Oh, and it would be great if everyone's comments were made on the blog. :D I can copy the ones here if you guys like, or just link to them as I did for allnameswereout.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Well, I'd certainly like to see him try at least, and wish him well : after all he'd set a useful example for others, and he couldn't fail *entirely*, now could he ? :-)
Just did it myself, for that special touch of authenticity :-)

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Hey, if you search on 2009 +obama +"open source" my article is #6 hit on Google! Whoo hoo!

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

If you search

maemo +obama +"open source"

Your article is the number one hit (via planet maemo).

And if you search,

tablet +obama +"open source"

The post where you say,

is the number one hit! Now that is recursive!

:D

EDIT: Even weirder, I just ran that second search again, and now THIS post is the #1 hit. AUGH! Too much self-reference!

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

MS Exchange+Outlook --> LDAP, Postfix, IMAP, POP3, HORDE+Thunderbird <- Zarafa

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

hmm, those + before any secondary search words seems to do nada for the end result...

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Nope, we weren't looking for an Exchange replacement, our solution is 100% free - no Outlook, no MAPI and no licences :-)

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Old habit, and it actually has made a difference in some of my searches.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

You're down to number 3 Qole! Feel better?

Edit: oops, that's just based on the first string.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Well, this is my last week as a Nokia employee. No internal opportunities panned out.

I hope to continue involvement here as I am definitely interested in the success of the tablets as a user, but obviously things will be different.

Had an extensive interview today with a local solar power product manufacturer... we'll see how it goes.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Hope 2009 brings you exciting new opportunities. We look forward to your future contributiions here on this forum!

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Solar power is teh phuture :)

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Speaking of solar power, thirty-five years ago I bought a new home. Was a new developement with no trees yet. I wanted to go solar with solar panels to charge batteries and solar collectors to heat my water. I could not do that because the city would not pass an ordinance that would prevent neighbors from planting trees that shade my property. Even today, no such ordinance, hence, I still cannot go solar.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Trees or TREEEEES?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...al_redwood.jpg

:)

It was in practice illegal to use biodiesel here. Reason: tax evasion. Since a few years it is legal, but only when you load your tank up on special gas stations where you indeed pay additional tax on 'em...

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Even worse than that, when you solar cogenerate in CA you get changed from residential rates to commercial which are higher. The bottom line is you pay so much more for what you use in the evening that there's no ROI for solar at a residence. There's always a catch in CA. Businesses already paying the higher rate have an ROI with solar.

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Thermal power is so viable, I don't understand why all the politicians talk about is wind and solar...

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Because corporations like GM don't wish to adapt or cannot adapt easily yet get huge financial injections in case of a recession.

If you live in a boat on a river you can install thermal power in your boat to use this as an alternative source. Problem is its a huge investment (IIRC 10.000 EUR), with ROI after ~20-25 years. At least, that is what a neighbor of my uncle who lives on Amstel river in Amsterdam calculated. He did install it my uncle didn't. His neighbor is relatively young, hence likely to reach the ROI point. Same has been true for solar power...

Viable also depends on location and purpose. For power grid connected, yes. For a small embedded portable device, as an alternative for recharchable batteries solar power is the most likely viable clean source of power. A diesel car is relatively easy to modify to make it working with 'biodiesel'. Short range cars can use a battery + power grid. These have gotten popular last years. The elder can then drive through the city with 45 km/h

Re: Tablet Advocacy
 

Geez... have had 3 interviews totaling 10 people with this company so far! Just crazy.

Anyway, new blog post, discussing Ovi (tablets mentioned): http://tabulacrypticum.wordpress.com...eloping-world/