[plug] ZDNet Australia News & Tech OS SCO takes Linux to Murdoch Univers ity (fwd)

[Bret Busby]

On Thu, 10 Oct 2002, James Elliott wrote:

> 
> I am a Murdoch External Student - I have already done units in Linux, so I
> am not sure what you mean when you say:
> 
> "Just received from Anne - apparently, SCO and Murdoch are entering into
> a partnership to teach Linux, from next semester"
> 
> I studied Linux last semester

What specifically, did you study? Was the unit named Linux 101?

I am and have been a student at Murdoch. B227 Data Communications, and 
B316 Computer Systems and Network Management, both INCLUDED Linux as the 
operating system used, but the units did not teach exclusively Linux, 
or, result in a Linux qualification. Christian's security unit, likely 
INCLUDES Linux, but does not lead to a formal Linux qualification.

I trust that you DID read the article?

Given that the particular course(s) is/are due to start next year, 
perhaps, you should wait and see what is involved, or, ASK the 
university, BEFORE dismissing the information as being incorrect.

I trust that you are aware of the partnership between Murdoch Division 
of BITL and CISCO, that leads to a CISCO qualification? I assume that 
this is the start of an equivalent thing for Linux.

Perhaps, you should investigate it, before dismissing it.

"Damnant quod non intelligunt"; "they condemn what they do not 
understand."

> 
> The only Microsoft package that got a mention in the whole course was Access
> in the Unit on Databases ... that's OK because Orcale is the king of the
> huge, distributed databases and Access is the best, if not the only,
> relational database for standalone PC's
> 

Funny - I thought that PostgreSQL is a far better DBMS for standalone 
PC's. I use it a little here. Since you are such a database expert, no 
doubt, you are aware of the differences between the two, and, the 
limitations of Access, in terms of locks, as applying to concurrent 
accessing of database information? Concurrent data accessing is not 
limited to multiple physical users; if you have a database, and you are 
tring to enter data, while you are running a report, you might have a 
bit of difficulty. Similarly, when a report tries to access the same 
record or table, for more than one process at the same time, the locking 
could present problems. That is just one of the advantages of PostgreSQL 
over MS Access. Also, I trust that you are aware of the non-compliances 
of MS Access with ANSI SQL-92, and the severe limitations of MS Access?

It all depends whether you are referring to a toy, student database, 
or to a commercial database, even for a standalone, single-user 
workstation (PC is an incorrect term, like the misuse of the term 
hacking, as, if a single computer is used in a business, for commercial 
puposes, it is no longer personal, is it?).

Oh, and, from memory, PostgreSQL is far more ANSI SQL-92 compliant, than 
"Orcale", and, I trust that you are aware of the Web Blades, etc from 
Informix Universal Server, now incorporated into DB2, now that IBM 
bought out Informix?

Actually, from what I understood, it was more SAS, for huge databases, 
depending on the purpose of the databases.

However when you get into data mining, and data warehousing, and setting 
up multi-dimensional cubes and things, that tends to be done in things 
other than Oracle, but, Anne knows more about that, than me. I trust 
that you have done all of these things, in your obviously omnipotent 
experience and expertise, of huge distributed databases, to which you 
have referred?

I assume from what you have said, that ActivePerl is no longer used in 
the units B211 Internet Computing? Given that ActivePerl is a Windows 
based version of Perl, if ActivePerl is still used, that would imply 
that MS Windows is used, still?

Similarly, I assume from what you have said, that MS Office is no longer 
used for the unit B105 Introduction to Information Technology, and, that 
now, Star Office, or, OpenOffice.org, is now used.

Similarly, I assume from your message, that B108 Introduction to 
Multimedia and the Internet, is now taught using Linux, and Linux based 
appliocations, rather than MS Windows and Windows based applications?

-- 
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............

"So once you do know what the question actually is,
 you'll know what the answer means."
- Deep Thought,
  Chapter 28 of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- Douglas Adams, 1988
....................................................