Posts by ela

ela_lawyer

28 Nov 2007

News / Is The Warsaw Voice in British or American English? [39]

Is The Warsaw Voice in British or American English?

Although the Warsaw Voice is based in Warsaw, Poland, their American (USA) office is located in Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA. So, this newspaper is more 'American' than English. To be more specific, the ownership is Polish-Jewish, similar to Gazeta Wyborcza. This information is for those of you who wish to see exactly who is in charge of this publication, and is not intended to imply any form of anti-semitism.

In the general opinion of most Poles who have come into contact with this newspaper, the Waraw Voice is generally regarded as extremely anti-Polish Catholic, often containing defamatory and exaggerated remarks by their columnist, Slawomir Majman, a Polish-Jewish businessman living in Warsaw. Here are some more facts. The president of this newspaper is Andrzej Jonas, also a Polish-Jew living in Warsaw.

For the president of the Warsaw Voice to allow the columns written by Mr. Majman to be published and included in the paper's contents suggest that the ownership fully supports his racist views. Below, is an excerpt of an excellent forum posting on "Racist Language and the Polish-Jewish Discourse" reflecting an example of the type of subject matter Mr. Majman has in engaged in: (link: info-poland.buffalo.edu/issues/goska.html)

"Two recent articles are typical in their employment of the lens of racism to discuss Polish or Polish-Jewish issues: Abraham Brumberg's March 2, 2001 "Murder Most Foul" in the London Times Literary Supplement and Slawomir Majman's June 24, 2001 Warsaw Voice article, "Great, Great Indifference." (Note by Ela_Lawyer: This article cannot be found in the Warsaw Voice's archives any longer...I wonder why?)

Mr. Majman's thesis, in his own words: "the Poles retain a feature that makes them dramatically different from other developed nations: a neurotic curiosity as to how the world perceives them . . . The Poles, more than any other nation, worry about the world's opinion of them and that's a fact worth remembering . . . a hang-up exists: the Poles' complex about their image."

Mr. Majman's repeated locution, "The Poles" is a shibboleth -- it's a tip-off that he is using racism as a model for understanding and describing the world. He is not talking about this human being or that human being, who happens to be Polish, who is displaying a universal human trait. He's not reporting sound sociological research that has uncovered an undeniable statistical trend -- the rise of a universally human behavior in a given population under a certain set of circumstances. He's not describing the circumstances under which any human community, of any ethnicity, would become more likely to display a given, universal, human trait -- and thereby contributing to an illumination of the human condition.

He's not using the scientific method, a method that demands that if a point is made about phenomenon A, it be defined in contrast to a control, phenomenon B. No hard scientist, for example, would dare attempt to describe the properties of any element, hydrogen, for example, without comparing hydrogen's mass, structure, etc. to other elements from the periodic table, and adducing evidence to support any such description. In the social sciences, no respectable sociologist would dare to state anything even so apparently simple and uncontroversial as "Appalachia is poor" without adducing charts on income levels in Appalachia compared to income levels in the rest of the United States."

The above sample of what type of literature the Warsaw Voice circulates provides a good reason for any educated individual to avoid it as much as possible. There are many more such examples of Anti-Polish Catholic remarks which were in previous editions of the newspaper. Note: You will not find most of such articles and columns in the online archives any longer. The Warsaw Voice has been very careful to omit such information as not to offend anyone. Nevertheless, they are in their hard copy, print editions for anyone interested in research.

Question: How does any respectable firm like "LOT Polish Airlines", the many hotels and tourist centers in Warsaw and Poland, support and hand out this type of newspaper to individuals for free as advertisements?

ela_lawyer

29 Nov 2007

News / Is The Warsaw Voice in British or American English? [39]

The article you quote from was written by Danusha V. Goska. The same Danusha V. Goska who wrote of the men who during the 1992 Los Angeles riots attacked Reginald Denny and fractured his skull in 91 places "their action was a protest against white supremacy." Nice to see you quoting such an intellectual giant. Surely you can find something better on jewwatch.com or whatever cesspit you usually dwell in.

While you are quick to point out who is and is not a Jew, you seem rather confused as to whether the Warsaw Voice is anti-Polish or anti-Catholic. Which is it?

Danusha V. Goska, PhD, seems to more of an intellectual giant than you'll ever be in your lifetime. She is an "experienced teacher, an award winning writer, and a published scholar". Her accomplishments and credentials are on the net. Please perform a seach on Google. What exactly are your credenitals, please tell us here at the forum? Do you seriously consider the State University of New York, a highly regarded institution, to be a "cesspit"? Sorry, the other site you mentioned is not frequented by myself. Perhaps, that is the sort of website you often patronize since you are so familiar with it.

Is it not allowed to point out who certain individuals are? In October, 2000, Ms. Pamela Kruger of "Fastcompany.com" did an in depth story entitled "The Best Way to Keep the Devil at the Door Is to Be Rich", about Helena Luczywo and Wanda Rapaczynski, founders of Gazeta Wyborcza, Agora SA (Link: fastcompany.com/magazine/40/wf_agora.html). Ms. Kruger went into depth on how GW was formed, who started it, and who the founders were, in detail. Here is one quote of many from the article:

"To understand Agora's thirst for independence, you first need to appreciate the personal stories of both Luczywo and Rapaczynski. Like most Poles, their personal histories are wrapped up in Poland's traumatic political history. Luczywo's parents, both Jews, fled during World War II to what was then the Soviet Union, escaping the fate of roughly 3 million Polish Jews who were murdered in Nazi death camps. While in the Soviet Union, the Luczywos became friends with Rapaczynski's parents (her father was a Polish Jew; her mother was a Polish Catholic). Michnik, who was also Jewish and who was an outspoken student activist, was arrested several times during that period and spent some time in prison.)"

So, now tell me, if Ms. Pamela Kruger can do an article and point out is who is Jewish, why can't others do it? Also, is Ms. Kruger confused as to the definition of is a Polish Jew or Polish Catholic? I think not. The definition is clear cut.

Poles, the majority being Roman Catholic, are of various faiths in this country. There are Poles of the Roman Catholic faith, Eastern Orthodox Catholic faith, Muslim faith, Protestant faith, Lutheran faith, Jewish faith, and many others. A "Polish Catholic" is simply a Pole of the Catholic faith. A "Polish Jew" is simply a Pole of the Jewish faith. So, where is the problem of understanding you are having? I used the precise terminology as Ms. Pamela Kruger used in her article written 7 years ago. She explicity described Wanda Rapaczynski's parents as "Polish Jew" and "Polish Catholic". Still confused? I suggest you read some good literature on the subject. That might clear up your mind a bit. By the way, you should stay away from such facist websites as you had mentioned.

ela_lawyer

1 Dec 2007

News / Is The Warsaw Voice in British or American English? [39]

You mean one can be of Polish ethnicity and of Jewish faith (well, it isn`t impossible)?

Of course. Just ask Adam Michnik, Editor-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza. He openly describes himself as a Pole of Jewish origins.

ela_lawyer

11 Jan 2008

Real Estate / Deals available from Polish property developers [40]

Unlike Poland the Bulgarian boom has been caused by foreign buyers.

eleanoroconner,

You are partially incorrect to make sweeping assumptions like this. Although locals account for most of the demand in Poland, foreign influence weighs heavily on the Polish property market. Let's take a look at an excellent article from the "International Herald Tribune" entitled, "Poles watch housing prices soar as western Europeans snap up property in new EU nation", dated September 13, 2006, but very relevant to today's property prices. Here are some snippets:

- "Like many Poles hoping to buy a home, the 30-year-old journalist has resigned herself to painful compromises - having to live in a suburb and commute by car - as soaring housing prices driven partly by foreigners put much of the city's best property off limits to normal working people."

- "House and apartment prices in Warsaw and other leading Polish cities have spiraled upward since the eve of the nation's 2004 entry into the European Union - a boom driven by low interest-rate mortgages, housing shortages and foreign speculators snapping up real estate as investments."

- "The demand is generally driven by local people but there are buyers from Spain, the U.K. and Ireland buying new constructions in bulk - 10, 20 or 30 apartments and sometimes even more," Rutkowski said.

- "The foreign speculators are pushing the bar up for normal buyers," said Andrzej Halesiak, an economic researcher with the BPH Bank who has studied the issue.

ela_lawyer

22 Jan 2008

Real Estate / Interesting Article on Polish Real Estate [33]

Today I stumbled upon a very interesting article: interfax.com/5/356632/news.aspx on Polish Real Estate from "Interfax Information Services". Below is one quote from the article:

"A recession in the United States will not affect the Polish real-estate market as negatively as it could hit other developed markets, such as those in the UK or Spain, Dorota Latkowska, head of Capital Markets and partner for international real estate agency Knight Frank, told Interfax Tuesday."

I also agree with most of this opinion due to the fact that Poland's Real Estate market is still in its infancy, and has much catching up to do with the West, price wise.

ela_lawyer

23 Jan 2008

Real Estate / Interesting Article on Polish Real Estate [33]

Does it mean that when it's in a mature age, the price per square meter would be three as much as in the US?

No, it means when the real eastate market in Poland nears maturity, prices will be on a 'similar' level to that of Western European democracies and the USA. Who ever mentioned "3 times" as much?

the Polish real estate market is overheated.

It absolutely isn't.

if you compare prices in Berlin, with the salaries that Germans earn, then there is a huge discrepancy. Housing in Berlin is cheaper than in Warsaw.

Again, as in a previous post by someone making similar comparisons to yours, you cannot look only at local salaries anymore, because foreigners can work, buy and sell in most countries within the EU. My brother works in London and owns flats in both Berlin and Warsaw. From what he tells me, property in Berlin is certainly more expensive than it is in Warsaw. I also see this with my own eyes when comparing prices from any ad offereing similar property. Keep in mind, the EU is becoming more of a country in itself, with individual member countries functioning like states. Local salaries are having a smaller impact on properties these days. Hence, one doesn't have to work in Germany to purchase a property in Berlin.

I am not sure if you can consider any country to be immune from global recession

Correct, no country is immune. When a country such as Poland who not long ago had property prices that were very undervalued, and whose economy is now booming, there is a very good chance that the worlwide recession will have little effect.

As the article mentions:

Strong economic foundations in Poland mean, however, that the
real-estate market is expected to continue to grow - albeit more slowly
in the near future.
"On the other hand, economic indicators in Poland are positive enough
and most projects have a potential to increase rents," Latkowska said.
"We still expect investment transactions on the Polish real-estate
market despite the fact that the next six months may be somewhat slower
in comparison to the previous year."

ela_lawyer

8 Aug 2008

History / Robert Bielski Slanders Poland with Historical Revisionism [3]

In a recent article in the Jewish Daily "Forward" entitled, "[forward.com/articles/13935/] - Polish Investigators Tie Partisans to Massacre" (By Marissa Brostoff, Thu. Aug 07, 2008), Robert Bielski, son of Tuvia Bielski, member of a WWII Jewish partisans group, says in response to an article in Gazeta Wyborcza which stated that the Jewish partisans murdered 128 innocent civilian Polish Catholics:

""But," he added, "even if it were true, which I know it's not, the 128 people are in no way close to the millions of people that the Polish people herded towards the Germans so they could be extinguished. I believe it's just a consistent Polish antisemitism and the Poles are sloughing off their own crimes of being an enemy of the Jews during World War II."

The above comment by Robert Bielski is pure nonsense and fabrication. He should be taken to court, sued, fined, and jailed for such historical revisionism. It is a crime, and a slander against all Poles and Poland. The Polish government should take action today.

Can you believe this Jewish partisan group is being praised in a new film to be released soon entitled "Defiance"? Is this freedom of speech, or pure lies?

ela_lawyer

8 Aug 2008

History / Robert Bielski Slanders Poland with Historical Revisionism [3]

Since when is the following statement a true, historical fact?

"...the millions of people that the Polish people herded towards the Germans so they could be extinguished."

By whom, and when? Does Robert Bielski have a reliable source on this? I don't think so. He made it up out of pure hatred, and it his way of venting anger at the fact that the IPN is investigating this case.

ela_lawyer

29 Oct 2008

Travel / Skiing - Slovakia or Poland? [12]

What are the pros and cons, and which would you recommend Slovakia or Poland?

I recommend you come to my village and choose from two smaller local Ski areas. No tourists, no mess. For more info, just ask. Cheers!

ela_lawyer

28 Dec 2008

Life / Beware When Buying a Computer in Poland [28]

Several clients of mine filed complaints against stores in Poland selling computers to them. We were successful in court and all have won their cases against the defendants.

Here was the issue in each case:

Consumer goes to a store to purchase a computer (PC). The PC could be purchased with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Linux, or without any Operating System (OS) at all. Let's assume, the price of Windows XP OEM copy by itself costs 300 zloty, any Linux Operating System is Free of Charge, and the PC with Windows XP plus a LCD monitor costs 1,700 zloty. Well, in all cases, the consumer first questioned the sales person in each store, "How much does that PC with Windows XP and monitor cost? The salesperson answered, "That will be !,700 zloty with VAT included." Then, the consumer questioned, "How much will the same PC without Windows XP (perhaps with Linux, which is Free) cost?", rightfully thinking the price should be lower. The salesperson answered, "That will be the same price...1,700 zloty with VAT included." In this case, the price should have been the 1,700 less the 300 or so zloty (value of Windows XP). The consumer argued this to management, and the reply was, "Don't worry about it, we'll give you Windows XP for free anyway. That's our policy, there is no price differential." In other words, these computer stores are selling computers with 'illegal copies' of Windows XP to their customers, when in fact, they should be selling the computer with 'legal' copies of Windows XP as an added cost to the purchase price. In all cases, the court forced the stores to sell my clients the computer at a price less the value of Windows XP. The prices for a 'computer without any Windows XP Operating System" should be priced separately from "Windows XP", with the latter being an added cost. Buyers in Poland beware. Don't let some computer store salesmen sell you a computer for more than it's worth. They tend to pocket the value of MS Windows as an extra commission.

I recommend, when buying a computer in Poland:

1) Ask the store salesman how much Windows XP / Vista costs by itself
2) Then ask how much a computer with Windows XP / Vista will cost.
3) Finally, ask how much the same computer will cost without any operating system, since you wish to Install Linux on it.

You will be surprised at some of the answers you receive. Good luck.

By law, a store selling a computer with MS Windows on it must pay a fee for each copy sold, and should be passed on to the consumer when included on a PC. OEM (manufacture's copy) usually sell for less than the retail version, nevertheless, they both still have a cost.

==>"
OEM software, or original equipment manufacturer software, is software sold by the creator to another company for resale. For instance, Microsoft sells OEM copies of Windows Vista to computer manufacturers who install the software on new computers. Computer manufacturers (e.g., Dell, Sony, HP, etc) generally purchase OEM copies of Windows Vista in large quantities, so each OEM copy of Vista sells for less than a retail copy.

Although OEM copies of Windows XP / Vista are intended for system builders to install on new PCs, it is legal for anyone to purchase and use the discounted software. However, purchasing and using an OEM copy of Windows Vista carries additional risks, limitations, and requirements when compared to the full-price retail copies:

* Risk of pirated or counterfeit copies
* Lack of retail packaging and user manual
* You open it - you support it
* Install only once - no transfers allowed
"<==

What really is shocking in Poland is the usage of lllegal copies of Microsoft Windows Operating Systems at the home user, private business, and even government level. Software usage and theft in Poland is rampant, and more police control should be implemented. Retail computer stores also add to this problem, as you have seen. Buyer beware.

Personally, I prefer and use only Linux on my PC, as well as only Open Source Software. It's all free as in 'air', and 100% lega! :-)

The poorest excuse I hear from friends who use illegal Operating Systems and software is: "Hey, everyone does it, so why not me?"

Elzbieta

ela_lawyer

30 Dec 2008

Life / Beware When Buying a Computer in Poland [28]

what would I do without it......

Install a good Linux distribution. :-) It does almost everything Microsoft Windows does, except: the volume of 'gaming' that Microsoft commands. Otherwise, Linux, for a small or large business, home and professional use, is an excellent Operating System choice. Did I tell you, it's free? You also avoid the potential legal issues that 95% of all Poles face when they use a 'cracked or pirated' version of Windows XP / Vista.

ela_lawyer

30 Dec 2008

Life / Beware When Buying a Computer in Poland [28]

Vincent,

You are so wrong. Wake up! Linux has Operating System distributions such as "Ubuntu, OpenSuse, Fedora, etc...and hundreds more", which have complete plug-n-play capabilities for any computer system out there. For every program in Microsoft, Linux has a very good equivalent, for free. I am a very successful small business owner (a professional attorney), and I run Linux for myself and my other 20 employees, at no cost. This amounts to enormous savings per year for my firm, and the firm's employees are very happy with our current operating systems. The LAN (Local Area Network) works perfectly for us. Can you please provide me some valid argumetns for your previous comments? I am waiting for them.

Elzbieta W.

ela_lawyer

30 Dec 2008

Life / Beware When Buying a Computer in Poland [28]

Vincent,

I've been in the business world for quite a while, with plenty of experience...Microsoft has excellent marketing...Linux, on the other hand, is "Open Source" (non-profit)...hence, there are no profit motives involved. Linux is free, written by an Open Source community of developers. This is the 'meat' of the conflict between Microsoft and "Open Source". it is "for profit" versus "Non-for-profit" developers. Have you yet tried any Linux distribution?

ela_lawyer

30 Dec 2008

Life / Beware When Buying a Computer in Poland [28]

Answer: Cash available for marketing (brainwashing the public). That's why. Linux is "Open Source...free...there is NO profit motive".

ela_lawyer

31 Dec 2008

Life / Beware When Buying a Computer in Poland [28]

assuming of course that I'm wrong

Well, that you are. You are what...a low level translator for some law firm in Warszawa? Does the law firm you work for also use illagal copies of Microsoft Windows? Get a life Harry, or try getting a Polish woman if you can do it. Now please tell me, what exactly made you make the assumption you made here?

think you may have hit the nail on the head there Harry lol

Ukpolska, jealous are you? Perhaps you watch childrin or clean houses for a living? If that's not your occupation, then please, tell us on this forum, what you do in the UK for a living?

Almost every single translation agency in Poland has to use MS word

Open Office 3 is fully compatible with MS word. Learn something about computers ukpolska, and then you won't have to clean houses for a living. Get a university education if possible.

Attention: Please, everyone note...who 'attacked' who on this thread first? I certainly did not mention anyone personally here. Did I hit the nail on the head with the illegal software statement?

Elzbieta

ela_lawyer

2 Jan 2009

Life / Beware When Buying a Computer in Poland [28]

If you come on here and post crap

Software piracy in Poland is crap? It's a well known fact, world wide. Please read Poles Blamed for Internet Piracy. Poland ranks 2nd for pirated game software alone. You can visit any 'open market' in Poland, especially Kraków's Bronowice area and find pirated software until your heart content.

About LInux...it can be used to run full sized businesses and satisfies most software category needs. For Linux, there is excellent accounting, database, graphics, word processing, spreadsheet, and much other software avaiable for free. Translation software will surely have Linux versions in the near future.

The German city of Mannheim is in the process of converting all of their Microsoft based software to Linux, using OpenSuse Linux. Numerous large businesses, for profit, and not for profit, are also taking initiatives to do the same. Even the New York Stock Exchange has recently decided to base it's trading software on Linux. The list goes on. The conversion to Linux from Microsoft will indeed not take place overnight. The movement is on the way to a good start though.

ela_lawyer

2 Jan 2009

Life / Beware When Buying a Computer in Poland [28]

...in case of graphic you have only two options: Mac OS and Windows.

For my firm, employees / contractors, and myself use the following Open Source software exclusively to run the business:

- Operating System: OpenSuse (Linux)

- Office: Open Office 3 (includes spreadsheet, word processing, presentation, data base programs, mathematical syntax, drawing)

- Accounting and Enterprise Resource Planning: SQL-Ledger ERP

- Web Browser: Mozilla Firefox 3

- Web Page Development: Bluefish

- Graphics: GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program), Inkscape (Vector Graphics)

- Firewall: IPTables / Netfilter

- Multimedia: MPlayer, Xine

- PDF: XPdf

- CD / DVD Burning: K3b, DVD+RW-Tools

- Server: Apache

- Instant Messenger / Chat: Pidgin, Xchat

The firm has saved over $60,000 USD utilizing Open Source software and Linux / Unix operating systems. Everything has been working extremely well and is very stable. It took a learning curve of approximately 1 month for most employees to adjust to a non-Microsoft working environment.

ela_lawyer

3 Jan 2009

Life / Beware When Buying a Computer in Poland [28]

...your claim about the ultimate superiority of Linux and its "excellent graphic software".

Open Source graphics software such as GIMP, Inkscape, Scribus, Cinepaint, Blender (3d rendering) are excellent indeed, and this isn't only my view on the subject. Just perform a search on Google for "linux graphic artist software" and that will result in more than several informative articles.

I never used the phrase 'superior' specifically, although it may have been seemingly implied to you. Utilizing Linux for the financial operations of a firm is a great choice because you avoid proprietary licensing fees and overall costs of such software. For example, if you are a graphics artist and find the offerings of Open Source graphics software not suitable your liking, then you can even devote one or several workstations to using either Microsoft or Mac, and pay the license fees for those particular workstations. The remaining part of your firm's operations can use Linux, and you can achieve cost savings in this manner as well. It's not an all or nothing proposition. You can mix the Operating Systems of your choice in the office anyway you wish. Considering it's all free and can save most enterprises enormous sums of money, and the funcionality is there, who could possibly complain?

In my original posting, I mentioned Linux as an alternative to Microsoft because of the rampant pirating and theft of proprietary software in Poland, and the fact that "many" computer sales vendors in Poland will attempt to provide their clients with an illegal copy of Windows, and charge you for it. This was the original issue being dicussed, as is clearly stated in the topic itself. The topic wasn't 'Linux versus Microsoft and Mac'. Linux was only mentioned as another choice for running a business.

From my personal experiences living and working in Poland, I have found that abusing the use of pirated software also extends to the public and governmental level. For example, a close friend who works for a local gmina in her small city had recently stated, "None of the Microsoft software at my workplace, including Operating Systems, is either legal or licensed." This also trickles down the the average home personal computer in Poland. You will find that over 90% of all copies of MS Windows is in fact, illegal or pirated. Most police and citizens seem to turn their head the other way to this and view it as a minor abuse.

It seems that most responses to this post are more focused on the Linux versus MS issue and have totally ignored the original topic itself. As was indicated in 'red' in post #18, how about we stay on topic? Or, we can start another thread on the Linux / Windows / Mac comparison and speak about it there?

Cheers,

Ela

ela_lawyer

21 Jan 2009

Law / Linux, Unix, and Open Source in Poland [119]

During the last several years in Poland, the use of Open Source software and Operating Systems based on Linux / Unix have increased dramatically. Many local city and town governments have already overhauled their systems in favor of Open Source resulting in huge financial savings. Governments in Kraków, Katowice, Jaworzno, £eba, and Mniów can attest to the stability, performance, security, software availability, functionality, and financial savings of Linux / Unix.

Popular annual meetings such as "Meet BSD" and numerous other Linux get togethers attest to the growing popularity of Open Source. It is taking Poland by storm.

An excellent informational and reference oriented website in Poland is "PolishLinux.org". Here you will find many articles, news tidbits, tutorials, and reviews.

I recently attended an IT conference that focused on Open Source in Kraków, which had nice attendance. A fun time was had and the speakers provided some very interesting facts. It's nice to see that Waldemar Pawlak is an advocate of Linux / Unix as well.

What are your experiences with Open Source software and operating systems?

Ela

ela_lawyer

21 Jan 2009

Law / Linux, Unix, and Open Source in Poland [119]

I thought we had this discussion already in your other post.

The discussion of Linux on the other topic entitled, "Beware When Buying a Computer in Poland" was actually offtopic. I wanted to dedicate a thread specifically to Linux, Unix, and Open Source in Poland without being offtopic. There is so much more to talk about regarding this subject.

One of my students has just written a book on Linux applications. Should you experience any technical problems, please let me know and I can refer you to him.

That's great! Please ask him to contribute some remarks here about his views of Linux in Poland. I really would like to hear what he has to say. :-)

Computer Science / Information technology was a double major of mine along with Law during my undergraduate and graduate studies at University. I almost went into programming C++ / Java before I decided Law was my true ambition. Software copyright and legal issues relating to it are a specialty of mine.

While on the topic of Linux, please take a look at this must-read article in today's "New York Times" (Technology Section) entitled, "French Lawmakers Hope to Inspire Linux Revolution". It pertains to Poland and all of Europe.

Several excerpts:

- "If the French National Assembly gets its way, the open-source Linux operating system will take over the governments of Europe, seizing on a weak economy to displace Windows."

- "The French Parliament should save about 500,000 euros over the next five years, thanks to the low price of Ubuntu -- free -- and have lower management costs. Linux tends to have fewer security issues than Windows, for example."

- "With economic woes sweeping through Europe, Mr. Salles believes France can offer a cheaper model for other countries to follow."

Ela :-)

ela_lawyer

22 Jan 2009

Law / Linux, Unix, and Open Source in Poland [119]

1, is bill gates the anti-christ?

He's an exceptional innovator and businessman who came out with a great idea at the right time.

2, are you single?

Yes, I'm single with a 'good friend'.

Just out of interest Ela, what kind of person in your eyes uses Linux...

People in all walks of life regardless of status or education.

windows 7, which I have to say far outstrips anything that Linux can produce 'at the moment'.

MS Windows XP / Vista / 7, the operating itself, doesn't function better than Linux. It's bloated, doesn't come with an effective firewall, cannot be used on older PCs, constantly requires patches and fixes, and a new version comes out every several years. What it does have going for it are the many professional applications and games that are produced for it. There is big money involved due to MS being a for profit enterprise. Linux products are free, produced by both voluntary and for profit programmers. Take Canonical for instance. They program Ubuntu, which is totally free. However, they make their money by servicing it via customer assistance. Redhat, has their Enterprise Linux which you must pay for (Centos Linux is a free clone of Redhat Enterprise), and they produce Fedora Linux, which is free. Mozilla's Firefox and MySQL are still 'free' to download. That's what counts. Interesting article though.

ela_lawyer

22 Jan 2009

Law / Linux, Unix, and Open Source in Poland [119]

Have you tested windows 7?

Yes, at my friend's home recently. We tested OpenSuse Linux and MS Windows 7 on both an older AMD 1 GHz and a newer Intel Dual Core 2.6 GHz PC. Linux resulted in a much faster Operating system on both machines. The result doesn't surprise me.

I use Mozilla Firefox 3 on my computer systems. On Tuesday, January 27, 2009, KDE 4.2 will be coming out. That should be good.

The school I went to for Engineering started teaching students Linux!!

In Poland or the USA? That's great! :-)

ela_lawyer

22 Jan 2009

Law / Linux, Unix, and Open Source in Poland [119]

Now, President Obama wants the US government to go Open Source, according to the article "Calls for open source government" in yesterday's (Wednesday, January 21, 2009) 'BBC News'.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7841486.stm

Excerpts:

- "The secret to a more secure and cost effective government is through open source technologies and products."

- "The government ought to mandate open source products based on open source reference implementations to improve security, get higher quality software, lower costs, higher reliability - all the benefits that come with open software."

So, the governments of the USA, Vietnam, France, City of Mannheim - Germany, Cities of Kraków, Katowice, Jaworzno - Poland, and many more have made or are in the process of making the move to Open Source. Really amazing. I think you'll see the local government of Warszawa doing it soon.

ela_lawyer

23 Jan 2009

Law / Linux, Unix, and Open Source in Poland [119]

And if the Open Souce is copying other software, why was Xerox labs back in 70's was using UNIX to develop heir GUI on? Why did Macintish switch their OS and all OsX are based on BSD. And why did Micro$oft use BSD on their most used site "Hotmail"?

Excellent facts and all accurate. Unix (Which is OS-X, BSD, FreeBSD, Linux) preceded Microsoft. OS-X is indeed based on BSD (Unix) and Linux is nothing more than a modified clone of Unix. It all started with Unix. So, yes, who is copying who?

Here is a timeline, to be more specific:

--------------------------------------------------

- 1960's: Unix operating system was conceived and implemented

- 1970: Unix operating system first released.

- 1977 to 1995: Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD, sometimes called Berkeley Unix) is the Unix operating system derivative developed and distributed by the Computer Systems Research Group of the University of California, Berkeley.

- 1980 to 1996: Mac OS X is a Unix-based operating system, built on technologies developed at NeXT and during Apple's purchase of the company.

- 1984: The GNU Project, started by Richard Stallman, had the goal of creating a "complete Unix-compatible software system" made entirely of free software.

- 1985: Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs).

- 1991: While attending the University of Helsinki, Linux Torvalds began to work on a non-commercial replacement for MINIX, a Unix-like system, which would eventually become the Linux kernel. For all intensive purposes, Linux and Minix are derived from Unix.

- 1996: The first official release of FreeBSD (a Unix-like system) 1.0.

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It all started with Unix in the 1960's. BSD, OS-X, Linux, and FreeBSD are all derived from Unix. Microsoft came into the picture later.

Poland and Polish programmers are playing a vital role in the further development of Unix / Linux. If you go to The Linux Kernel Archives web page where the latest and greatest Kernel's are updated and released to the public, take a look at the release notes and you will see many Polish programmers making contributions to it. They also have contributed to numerous Open Source softare projects (KDE, Kexi, Mplayer, etc) and continue to do so.

The inability to work with Word markup, problems with connecting to other OS machines, and difficulty in installing and updating software will mean that I'll be using Windows for the foreseeable future as I have no other choice for my translating company. :)

Ukpolska, have you looked into using the popular and free (GPL - Open Source) translation memory (CAT) tool called "omegat.org"?

- "OmegaT is a free translation memory application written in Java. It is a tool intended for professional translators."

The OmegaT web site is in 17 langages, including Polish and English.

I performed a search on 'Google" for professoinal English / Polish translators, and almost every one of them listed in the search results indicate the use and knowledge of "OmegaT" in their credentials. It seems to me, it must be an excellent program, and free. This wouldn't be useful for and save your translation company money?

You mentioned an "inability to work with Word markup". Here is what I found in the OmegaT manual:

- "Note that OmegaT does not support the Microsoft Office 97-2003 binary file format directly. The user who needs to handle MS Office files will find it helpful to convert them using Open Office free software; the files can can then be saved in a Microsoft format, if desired, after the translation is finished."

This extra step, converting file formats between Microsoft Office and OpenOffice 3 for OmegaT isn't worth the financial savings? Now, here is something else I found: The current version, "Beta version 2.0.0 update 1" (from their website), directly supports MS Office 2007 file formats. Most likely, in a short time, that 'beta' will turn into a 'stable' version.

So, OmegaT, OpenOffice 3, Java, and Linux are free. What is missing and what can't OmegaT do for your translation work? Please give me some specific example if possible, and I will try to assist you with it. In fact, I'm going to install OmegaT right now, learn it well, and test it out for myself. You can then give me a specific issue that you encounter, and I will test it with OmegaT once I learn how to use it. We can run parallel tests with the same data if you wish.

OmegaT works on all OS platforms, including Linux, Unix, Windows, and Os-X. Sounds like a very good piece of software, and almost all professional translators that I saw listed in Google, use or have knowledge of OmegaT.

ela_lawyer

25 Jan 2009

Law / Linux, Unix, and Open Source in Poland [119]

I'm OK with Linux and Windows.
As for the graphics, I'm not sure what you're refering to

Agreed, Linux works well for me and many others. It is very good as a desktop, and the graphics are just fine. Linux is not only intended for server purposes.

Linux and Open Source are becoming popular not only in Poland, but in all of Europe. Once more applications are ported for it, that will gradually cause erosion in Microsoft's market share. It's the quality applications that keep Windows going, and not the Operating System itself.

Windows contains a bloated registry, something not present in Linux. How about free built in quality firewalls? Linux has that as well. The Kernel (heart of Linux) is updated several times a month and is easily customized and integrated into the Linux distribution. New drivers and file systems are in constant development (Netbook, Wireless, Ext4, Btrfs). How often does Windows beccome updated?

My hope is that one day in Poland, Linux will become even more popular than it is now. Local Polish city and town government adaption of Linux sets a good example for individuals to follow. Numerous private firms in Kraków and Warszawa that I know of have already made the change.

Thanks Ela, but I will have to kindly decline as almost all translators use SDL TRADOS in Poland and I cannot dictate to translators who have been using these tools for years to suddenly change to something as they perceive as inferior and VERY rarely used.

Why does it matter what 'other' translators use? I was suggesting that your firm use OmegaT, and not other translation firms. If your reason is because you have clients or fellow translator firms that share and pass on work to your firm, and SDL Trados exports in their proprietary TTX file format, (and OmegaT cannot handle that, yet), the solution is vey simple. You simply request that those who use SDL Trados to export their translation files in the TMX format, which is a standard format for all CAT software. Just because other translation firms you may deal with use SDL Trados doesn't mean your firm must use it. There is plenty of material relating to this scenerio on the internet. If I'm correct, the initial price of SDL Trados is around $700, and upgrades also run for several hundred $?

In fact before you mentioned this program I had never heard of it in eight years of working here.

If you never heard of OmegaT in the 8 years you have been working here, then how can you even say or assume that OmegaT is 'inferior and very rarely used" without actually ever hearing of this software? This doesn't make any sense at all. On the contrary, OmegaT is well known among translators and is quite popular.

ela_lawyer

26 Jan 2009

Law / Linux, Unix, and Open Source in Poland [119]

Prove it!!!

The review and link you have provided is extremely outdated as the author mentions:

"Please note that this review is now a little dated and some aspects have changed. I will try and update it in a few days."

The author of the review you provided hasn't updated it since (approximately) October 14, 2004. You will find the same review here along with the date and author's name (same one). Ukpolska, using such an outdated review isn't objective at all. Software changes constantly and gets updated. You provided a software review which is over 4 years old. The latest stable release is version 1.8 from 03 November 2008.

Now, please look at this review, about OmegaT written by a professional translator.

Excerpt:

- "...this software is *fast,* and not just because I've recently had some speed issues with other tools. OmegaT's processes (segmenting a source file, compiling target files, pulling up fuzzy matches) are so fast that you almost don't realize they're happening; in one case I actually clicked "Create Translated Documents" again because I didn't realize that OmegaT had taken only a few seconds to compile the translations in the 15-file project I was working on. Other translators with different needs may have other opinions about OmegaT, since my use of TM is largely for my own productivity rather than because my clients request it, so issues such as exchanging TMs with other translators (which OmegaT can do) are not very important to me. If you're looking for a new or additional TenT for your office, I highly recommend OmegaT; even if you just test it out, it's free, it's easy, and it's fast!...I love it, and as far as presentations and spreadsheets, it does the best of any tool I've used- for free!"

Not bad for Open Source CAT software.

Again, do a search for this software and you will see how many professional certified translators do use it. I'm not saying it's more popular than Trados, but it seems quite good. Why do you keep on mentioning what other firms are using? Aren't we talking about your firm? What difference does it make if one firm uses Trados, and another uses something like OmegaT? They both share a standard file format for importing and exporting translation files. Isn't it at least worth a try, to see how Open Source translation software compares to proprietary? If you don't like it, simply uninstall it.

ela_lawyer

26 Jan 2009

Law / Linux, Unix, and Open Source in Poland [119]

give it up!!!

Is it common for you to resort to insulting others when you have no answers to questions? i attempt to answer, politely, all questions aimed at me. Why can't you do the same? I'm really surprised your 'fanatic' comment wasn't quickly edited out like other comments were.

Our Eastern neighbor, Russia, is now planning to implement a national Linux based Operating System to be used as an alternative to MS Windows.
networkworld.com/news/2009/012609-russia-to-develop-linux-based-alternative.html

All Russian schools are expected to switch to Open Source by the end of 2009.

Mentioned in the same article is news that 3,000 U.S. schools have already signed up to switch over to Open Source. That amounts to 20,000 computers and more on the way.

I'm sure you will eventually see similar, mass movements toward Open Source in Poland on a larger scale than has already taken place. The world economic situation only provides more incentive to lean towards FOSS (Free Open Source Software).

ela_lawyer

6 Feb 2009

News / Reuters News Taints Poland by Association of Prostitution Ring Leader [15]

In a Reuters news clip entitled, "Spitzer prostitution ringleader gets 30 months", the ending statement in the article states, "If the case had gone to trial and he had been convicted, Brener -- a U.S. citizen born in Poland -- would have faced up to 25 years in prison."

What really bothers me is that by making such a statement, there is the possibility that uninformed readers might assume that Mark Brener is a Pole of Catholic origin, which he's not. Mark Brener is a Pole of Jewish descent, and holds an Israeli passport and citizenship as clearly indicated in the article, "Israeli twist emerges in Spitzer sex scandal" by the Jewish Journal. This article states, "Mark Brener, the alleged pimp at the center of the prostitution scandal engulfing Spitzer, is an Israeli."

It is important for Reuters to correctly identity Mark Brener's origins so that readers know who is at the core of the prostitution business in the USA, and perhaps worldwide.

Why is this of concern? Because, being that Poland's population is over 90% Catholic, many readers of that article might very well indeed think Mark Brener is a Catholic. His entire ethnic and religious background should be revealed in the article to the public.

Here is my e-mail to Reuters today:

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From: ela
Topic: Reuters Taints Poland's Image in Article

Such a statement leads readers of the article to believe that Mark Brener was possibly a Polish Catholic. His identity in the article should have been specificly stated as, "a Jewish individiual of Polish origin, who was born in Poland, and holds an Israeli passport and has Israeli citizenship." This would reveal to all readers of this article just who Mark Brener really is, and who is controlling the prostitution rings in the USA.

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ela_lawyer

6 Feb 2009

News / Reuters News Taints Poland by Association of Prostitution Ring Leader [15]

Some people of every country are like him.

Yes, true, however, Israel and only Israel has a notorious reputation world wide for prostitution rings and child trafficking. Poland doesn't. By stating that Mark Brener 'was born in Poland', without making a single reference to his Israeli citizenship or Jewish religion, which I think is crucial since Israel has the most numerous prostitution rings and brothels in the world, this is slightly damaging to Poland's image.

ela_lawyer

7 Feb 2009

News / Reuters News Taints Poland by Association of Prostitution Ring Leader [15]

Just curious, who was the author and of what persuasion are they?

Well, if you follow the link which was provided, the article was published by Reuters, and the actual reporting was done by Edith Honan, edited by Christine Kearney and Todd Eastham. I have no idea what their backgrounds are. If I were to take a wild guess based on their surnames alone, English or Irish background would fit the best. :-)