[sf-lug] Consumer & admin (was: Possibly interesting data point on jobs postings)

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Sarah Mei (sarahmei at gmail.com):

> Actually, it can be fully automated without so much as a confirmation
> dialog, if you want, on Windows 2000 and later, I believe.  Would I
> personally want it so?  No, but I set it up that way on all my
> relatives' computers.  :-)

Trivial to do on Linux, too:   E.g., on Debian, just have a tiny cronjob
that runs that same command I mentioned, except with the "-q" (quiet,
which implies "-y" = answer yes to all questions) option.  Ill-advised,
but fully automated.

Anyone who tells you it's both possible _and_ a good idea to fully
automate maintenance of a general-purpose operating system is trying to
sell you something (my opinion, yours for a small fee and disclaimer of
reverse-engineering rights).

> Sure.  Well, my question's been answered: modern distributions by and
> large all have some approximation of this feature.  The last time I
> installed Linux, lo these many years ago, this was not the case.

Ja.  About 2000, all the distros started picking up semi-automated
maintenance regimes of one sort or another, e.g. in the now-discontinued 
Red Hat Linux series starting with v. 7.0 (September 2000).

> And lastly, while I appreciate your input, if you don't find this
> discussion about a specific feature of Linux meaningful or useful, you
> always have the option of just not participating.

If I've said something that offended you, I regret[1] your (apparent)
perception, but none such was intended -- and I'm rather unclear on what
specifically you're referring to, here.

Above and beyond that, if I didn't consider making my comments a good
use of my time, rest assured that I wouldn't do it out of any mere sense
of personal obligation to strangers.  Instead, I do it because (a) I
find it interesting and/or (b) I do it in hopes of helping build our
body of collective understanding of the subject (i.e., Linux).  

But I do thank you for your solicitous concern.

(Sorry if that isn't very California-culture-high-context-sensitive of
me:  I was raised in Hong Kong and went to college in New Jersey, so
you're welcome to regard me as suffering from auslander influences
that make me barbarically direct and plain-spoken.)

[1] ...but cannot in good conscience apologise for...

-- 
Cheers,             
Rick Moen                 "Anger makes dull men witty, but it keeps them poor."
rick at linuxmafia.com                                   -- Elizabeth Tudor