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Ulitzer's Business Wire reports:
The Spine -- a collection of national applications, services, and directories -- connects clinicians, patients and local service providers throughout England to essential national services, such as electronic prescriptions and patient health records.
Spine is used by more than 20,000 organizations that provide health care across England, including primary and secondary care sites, pharmacies, opticians and dentists. Riak, the open source distributed database, is key to providing the reliability and scalability for the platform to drive efficiency and improve patient care.
The NHS' move to revamp the Spine, in a major project led by England's Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), was driven by the need for a scalable, resilient and flexible system that would also result in cost-savings for the organization.
With these requirements in mind, the NHS selected Riak Enterprise, the commercial version of Basho's distributed open source, highly available NoSQL database, to support the transition and implementation of the new Spine. Basho and the HSCIC collaborated throughout to ensure the technical knowledge of both organizations was reflected in enhancements to Riak and the wider project itself.
El Reg's coverage notes that the old system used a (closed-source, proprietary) Oracle product and the new software is NoSQL running on an open-source stack. It also notes the decision was made in October 2013.
Robert Pogson's commentary is also interesting.
(Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Thursday September 11 2014, @04:09PM
So do you honestly not understand how licensing works or just a hypocrite? Because news flash, its a TAX BREAK so either you are someone who doesn't understand its a tax break or you are a hypocrite that thinks he is such a special little flower he should get a free ride...which is it? because you see the cost of the Windows license is LESS THAN THE COST OF THE TRIALWARE so by putting Windows on the OEMs actually MAKE MONEY which they use to...drumroll...lower the price in a competitive market, isn't capitalism grand? We know this because Sony and Toshiba in the past have told how much they paid and offered to sell PCs without Windows, all you had to do was pay the difference....needless to say not enough supposed "FOSS supporters" were willing to put their money where their mouth was so that ended pretty quickly. Its really VERY simple, in large volumes the OEMs are paying between $25-$50 depending on which license they want and they make as much as $100 to load the PC up with trialware...NOW do you see why its not a tax but a tax break? If you want Linux fine, YOU pay the difference but don't expect ME and the other Windows users to pay more so YOU can get a discount you didn't earn,mmkay?
As for RMS I don't think he is crazy, I think he is a vicious mean spirited asshole who only cares about what HE wants PERIOD. For examples see him gushing over Chavez and Castro, both thug dictators, see how he has NO problem accepting money from corps like Intel while at the same time making it clear he doesn't think a programmer is worth a single dime,. Oh and lets not forget the hypocrisy, like how he has NO problem paying his lawyer or doctor but thinks the labor of a programmer should be worth nothing, or how when asked "If I give away my programs how am I supposed to make a living?" he told programmers "you should charge for documentation" only to turn around when programmers started making their docs proprietary, the ONLY way a person CAN charge for more than a single copy under his supposedly wonderful GPL, only to have him turn around and say "documentation should be free!". As for the mean spirited, just look at how he used his license to launch a personal attack on TiVo for actually following his license, their crime? Not following the "spirit" which of course can be anything RMS says it is today! Real classy, but what do we expect from a guy that is so elegant in public [youtube.com] and who brags about being a fricking bum!
So if you want to act like a 4 year old and have Voldemort like Poggie? You go right ahead, it just gives more fodder to the normal people who already think you're a bunch of basement dwellers [penny-arcade.com] while the rest of us accept reality which is 1.- Linux doesn't get better [narod.ru] it just breaks different things with each release, 2.-The drivers are deep fried ass [osnews.com] 3.- even those that champion it have to use something else to get their work done [youtube.com] and it lacksbasic features Windows has had for years [osnews.com], for examples see an easy way to roll back a buggy driver (Windows has had this for 15 years) or an easy way to restore the system if an update shits on the OS (14 years) 4.- The simple fact that most most basic function of ANY OS, the ability to update itself reliably? Doesn't work and never has which is why "The Hairyfeet Challenge" has stood uncontested for 8 years now, despite my bending over backwards (NO USB, NO Printer support, NO Mobile support) to give Linux the benefit of the doubt. Oh and the much vaunted "Linux security"? Yeah that has been proven to be security by obscurity [darkreading.com] that is easily bypassed using the same tricks they use on Windows [geekzone.co.nz] and proves many eyes is total bullshit. [wikipedia.org]
If you like Linux and think its great? I'm glad and hope it gives you lots of fun but if you act certifiable [tmrepository.com] or try to sell bullshit as truth [tmrepository.com] then you shouldn't be surprised when somebody calls you out on it. BTW know why TMRepo exists? Its because the hardcore FOSSies have been telling the same old lies and spewing the same old crazy for sooo damned long that you can cover any FOSSie argument with nothing but TMRepo memes. From the praise [tmrepository.com] to the bullshit [tmrepository.com], pathetic workarounds [tmrepository.com] to the standard FOSSie insults [tmrepository.com] its ALL covered by the TMs because its been the SAME OLD SHIT for the better part of a decade!
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 2) by arslan on Thursday September 11 2014, @10:27PM
Eh? You're replying to someone critical about Oracle licensing with a Windoze licensing anecdote? Get your head out of the hole man... Oracle licensing is a big pile of dinosaur crap, tax break or not. They are by far the worst and most draconic vendor to deal with in our bank in terms of licensing. Both IBM and M$ looks like little kids compared to Oracle when licensing is involved.
(Score: 2) by opinionated_science on Thursday September 11 2014, @11:16PM
I'll keep this simple. The Windoze tax is the central failure of the last 30 years. This is because it gives an incentive to entrench the purchase of Micro$oft products. As a monopoly , device driver manufacturers will not release their drivers due to pressure from M$ to keep it "in the family".
The industry for "special insider information" to M$ tools is absurd. Everyone knows the whole certification program is a joke, but worse it is tied up with corporate compliance.
It is in insecure by design - governments or hackers. Take your pick.
In short, FOSS is the only way the world can survive. Does that mean everything is FOSS? Not at all. But if you read my post I mentioned that "export compliance is a requirement".
Let's take a good example that we can all relate too. Photoshop. An amazing tool. I would buy it. Only I can't. Adobe refuse to take the ten minutes to hit 'make linux' and release a version. Of course, maybe it would take ten years of work. But here's the thing, I cannot tell, and we cannot (CANNOT) trust Adobe to tell us. And it has been said that they dont WANT to sell it, because linux would cut into their fleecing the Mac market. Try justifying that, go one , I dare you.
So we have Gimp. Very nice. does *most* of what PS does. But it is open source. So it means I can implement new features. But more importantly YOU will NEVER EVER lose them. Because all of the components are opensource too.
So how do firms make money? The way firms SHOULD. By doing something worthwhile and charging for it. Let's start attaching liability to software that is NOT open source. How about that? So when you pay, you pay for support and libabilty insurance.
As it is I get exactly the same liability running Linux as I would Windoze. Only M$ gets paid for an inferior product. And this is why. If Linux costs $0 and has $0 of liability, then I am doing well, because it is in my control and there is parity.
But Windoze costs $1, but as $0 liability. So I am out at least $1. You can expand this analogy to whatever level inequity you want.
Don't get me wrong, there is plenty WRONG with FOSS. The lack of focus is a bit of a PITA. But, a bit of time invested by a user into learning what they need, and it is a manageable exchange of information. Society gets better, because everyone is invested in the process.
So there's my rant. Run what software you like and I hope it works for you. But when it doesn't just realise there is nothing you can do about it without the source, even if you wanted to (unless you are a binary hacker, but I'm not pitching that!).
(Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Friday September 12 2014, @09:10AM
Wow, here is your idiot sign since you don't even seem to understand basic capitalism. I'll try to explain it so even a FOSSie can understand,mmmkay? Company buys Windows for $25, Company GETS PAID BY TRIALWARE COMPANIES to the Tune of $100. What is $100 minus $25? The answer is $75 which is HOW MUCH THE PRICE IS LOWERED. So if YOU want to have it without Windows then YOU pay the $75 that the company is LOSING by not putting it on there...is that REALLY so hard to understand?
Oh and I understand your "reasoning" because you sir are a religious zealot. If the same deal was set up with Ubuntu you'd have NO problem with it because it was YOUR pet OS that was being featured, classic hypocrite, no different than the hardcore left or right who rail about abuses by "the other team" and ignore it when their man does it.
News flash if you want new PCs not to come with Windows then MAKE A BETTER PRODUCT but time and time again the ONLY THING you can offer is your "freedum" which frankly nobody but you gives a rat fuck about, since they aren't programmers and care more about having an OS that actually WORKS than in your precious codez. See the runaway success of the iStuff, which is so locked down it makes Windows look like BSD. Its a free market so its really simple, just make a better product. instead we see what happens when you try to compete on anything other than Stallman's definition of "freedumz", because even on systems designed for Linux [wikipedia.org] you get support so crap that Dell had to make their own fork [theinquirer.net] which allows MSFT to whip your ass with an ancient version of Windows [computerworld.com] because hey at least Windows doesn't deal with failing video servers and bootloader crapping as "common problems" [maximumpc.com], right?
Simply accept that the best product won and it wasn't yours, mmkay? When MSFT put out Vista, did Linux gain? Nope, what about Win 8? Nope again, in fact Linux usage has never been lower with the last OS numbers having Linux at a truly pathetic 0.97%...BTW that puts you below "other" which is commonly accepted to be really old Windows like Win2K and Win98, great job! If you think your OS has anything to offer other than "Stallman's freedom" feel free to put your money where your mouth is and take the Hairyfeet challenge, 8 years now and not a single Linux distro has passed what frankly should be considered the BARE MINIMUM that anything called an OS should be able to do! BTW the last Windows that couldn't pass the challenge was WindowsME. Step up and take the challenge!
Take ANY mainstream (not LTS, because even Ubuntu advises against mainstream users using LTS) OS from FIVE years ago, this simulates a 5 year typical lifecycle. This BTW is less than HALF a windows support cycle, so I'm cutting Linux a break. As for mainstream any of the top 5 on distrowatch or anything listed under "user friendly" that has existed 5 years will do, because this is a test of desktops and NOT servers, mmkay? Lets say you use Ubuntu, that would be Ubuntu 9.10 and can be downloaded from their archive. Install it on ANY PC, desktop or laptop (NOT VM as that isn't real hardware and comes with special drivers) that has a wireless card. Wireless is required because more and more mainstream users are ditching wires and nobody wants a laptop that doesn't have wireless, do they?
During this phase you are the system builder so CLI (which is usually required because Linux driver support is poor) IS ALLOWED. Once its installed you are no longer the system builder but THE USER, so like a windows user you are ONLY allowed to use the GUI. You then get to "enjoy the freedom" of using nothing but the GUI (because if you can't even update the thing without CLI you're no match for windows are you) of updating to current...with ubuntu that is SEVEN RELEASES, just FYI. You will film this and post it to youtube, you only have to upload the final install process of each release and a pic of the device manager showing working hardware including sound and WPA V2 wireless, but the complete video should be hosted on dropbox to prove you aren't faking it.
That's it, the most basic of functionality and NO distro has been able to pass! The closest was some FOSSie who claimed "I beat the challenge!" but then admitted he used SciLinux (failed the first part as its own website says its a research OS for labs NOT a consumer OS) and then when the proof was requested? he ended up with no sound and no wireless! Great OS, can't even update itself without trashing itself. But hey prove me wrong, step up and take the challenge! Otherwise you can just accept that even though anybody can pop on the net and buy a Linux PC NOBODY WANTS LINUX because at the end of the day you have developers that care more about politics than making a functional product. Your ranting about "freedumz" and "M$" reminds me of dodge in the 80s "Hey buy a Dodge and support Americans...it doesn't fucking run, breaks constantly, and sucks compared to the competitor but hey...you're supporting Americans!" Apple made a better mobile product and look what happened, they managed to beat "teh ebil M$" yet after 20 years your product can't even get 5%? even giving it away? Time to stop blaming the users and start looking at your own shitty product pal, nobody is making anybody buy Windows, just look at the win 8 sales figures.
(Score: 2) by opinionated_science on Saturday September 13 2014, @05:15PM
Well since you have turned your "Ad Hominem Regum" sign, I will scythe through your noisy protest.
M$ was ruled a monopoly. One of features of a monopoly is that they can use their position to abuse the market, and prevention the emergence of a competitor.
For example, there have been many documented cases where M$ has forced manufacturers to not sell devices with Linux on. They are not the only abuser of power, but they have arguably had the most effect.
M$ gets more cash from Android through the "weak patent circus" for the really crap filesystem that DOS had.
Linux is just(!) the kernel. GNU/Linux is the system. Distributions are collections of software that can be maintained for communities that want them.
If FOSS has one problem it is TOO much choice.
But anyone who quotes "win 8 sales figures" is clearly ignoring the fact that you cannot buy it WITHOUT windoze.
I have no problems with M$ the business or the users. My problem is they have screwed it up for the rest of us with their anti-competitive tendencies, and really crap software. (As I argued before if I pay $1 and it fails, that is clearly worse than $0 and it fails. In both instances you can pay more to fix it. )
The market has voted and linux in the form of Android has won. If you read around you will see that Android is slowly being made available via the linux desktop (ChromeOS). The first distro to offer Android securely via the desktop will shift what is meant by "home computer".