AOPA Flight Planner - Microsoft only?

The browser identity string is settable on Linux browsers and many are set
to show themselves as being Windows machines running IE. This is because
there are a lot of sites that block entry unless IE on MS.

Nevertheless, Windows is still the predominant platform for desktops. But
don't count on that forever - corporate America is poised to make the jump,
led by IBM and others, to Linux. Good or bad, that is happening now.
Personally, I am for the freedom to use whatever platform you want (right
now most of my stuff is Windows), and not support a private standard such as
MS.


"Gig Giacona" wrote in message
...
I was a Mac user back at version something. About 5 years ago I gave up.
Yes they have a great operating system but Apple has done everything
possible to screw up the adoption of it by the general public.

According to Google Zeitgeist the operating systems used to access Google
during February 2004 by percentage were

Windows 98 23%
Windows XP 46%
Windows 2000 18%
Windows NT 3%
Windows 95 1 %
Mac 4%
Linux 1%
Other 1%

That's 91% for Windows.

There just isn't the base out there for every body to port every thing to
non-Windows OS. Hell, the virus writers don't even port their stuff to
Mac.



"Andrew Gideon" wrote in message
online.com...
Morgans wrote:

Who cares? You are a very small minority. (only half a grin, here)

The question is: Does AOPA care (about the minority that doesn't spew
viruses at everyone {8^) ?

I am, after all, an AOPA member.

Seriously: I spend a nontrivial amount of effort selling people on
non-viral-farm solutions. Thanks to Apple's OSX, this is actually quite
feasible for the nontechnical today.

So what is AOPA saying about safe computing (and never mind
monocultures)
if
they ignore us?

- Andrew

Peter Gottlieb wrote:

But
don't count on that forever - corporate America is poised to make the
jump,
led by IBM and others, to Linux. Good or bad, that is happening now.

We're a Solaris/Linux shop here, but I'm *very* aware of Apple's UNIX
product. A lot of desktop moves that might have been to Linux a year or
two ago are instead going to Apple. I cannot speak from my own experience,
but I think it a safe assumption that the Apple product is easier for
neophytes to use than Linux.

Of course, I personally still use a window manager (olvwm) from well over
ten years ago. The object model that most Linux managers use today leads,
in my opinion, to a cluttered screen that's tough to navigate. But Apple's
modal interface seems even worse to me.

The point being that I'm a poor judge of what UIs others would like. Still,
I think Apple on the desktop a good bet.

- Andrew

I don't understand. This implies to me that they used to offer support for
other platforms, and have withdrawn it. The use of the words "remaining" and
"eliminated" are pretty clear here.

While the fact is they have provided an *increment* on what was previously
available. It's a but reminiscent of people trying to explain how adding gay
marriage will destroy traditional marriages.

-- David Brooks

"Andrew Gideon" wrote in message
gonline.com...
I tried to go to the AOPA Flight Planning web page today, and found that
the
only option remaining is to download a Microsoft-only application. This
seems annoying.

Sure, I was able to go directly to the duat web site, and it was fine.
But
I'm a member of AOPA, and they've eliminated a benefit from my use merely
because I prefer to use a more robust computing environment.

Especially given what's going on with viruses, worms, zombie machines, and
the like, requiring that AOPA members used one particular unsafe platform
to exercise an organization benefit seems foolish.

Has this issue been raised to AOPA and ignored? Is something in the works
for the rest of us? Anyone here know what's going on?

- Andrew

Oh, wait, there was a web-based planner, wasn't there. I take back; let's
ask AOPA to restore it. Then I can run it from Redhat Linux running in
Virtual PC on my XP laptop :-)

-- David Brooks

"David Brooks" wrote in message
...
I don't understand. This implies to me that they used to offer support for
other platforms, and have withdrawn it. The use of the words "remaining"
and
"eliminated" are pretty clear here.

While the fact is they have provided an *increment* on what was previously
available. It's a but reminiscent of people trying to explain how adding
gay
marriage will destroy traditional marriages.

-- David Brooks

"Andrew Gideon" wrote in message
gonline.com...
I tried to go to the AOPA Flight Planning web page today, and found that
the
only option remaining is to download a Microsoft-only application. This
seems annoying.

Sure, I was able to go directly to the duat web site, and it was fine.
But
I'm a member of AOPA, and they've eliminated a benefit from my use
merely
because I prefer to use a more robust computing environment.

Especially given what's going on with viruses, worms, zombie machines,
and
the like, requiring that AOPA members used one particular unsafe
platform
to exercise an organization benefit seems foolish.

Has this issue been raised to AOPA and ignored? Is something in the
works
for the rest of us? Anyone here know what's going on?

- Andrew

"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...

"Eric Rood" wrote in message
...


Peter Duniho wrote:

Don't get me wrong, I think MacOS and Linux are great options, and
each
has
lots to offer in their own way. It's just that when someone goes
around
claiming that those options are inherently secure while Windows is
inherently not secure, it's obvious the hamster's not engaged
upstairs.

Windows is insecure enough that the US Army migrated to Apple software
based
servers to improve security of it's network several year ago.


BWAAHAHA! What a colossal waste of money! That is like trying to improve
security by moving the hinges of a gate from one side to the other.

Yep. Mac OS -- endorsed by the United States Army. The same people who
brought you wasted billions on trying to find out if psychics could see
what
the enemy is up to are now improving security by playing with toy
computers....

But they come in such pretty colors.

Peter Duniho wrote:

Don't get me wrong, I think MacOS and Linux are great options, and each has
lots to offer in their own way. It's just that when someone goes around
claiming that those options are inherently secure while Windows is
inherently not secure, it's obvious the hamster's not engaged upstairs.

Yep. My brother's a Mac fanatic by any definition. He just picked up a virus
and was outraged. Been using computers for probably 20 years (and raising Cain
about how insecure Windows is for at least half of that). His hamster's spinning
the cage in this respect.

George Patterson
Battle, n; A method of untying with the teeth a political knot that would
not yield to the tongue.

Jay Masino wrote:

AOPA should have just left it as a Web application.

AOPA didn't have anything to say in the matter. The application is provided by
Jeppesen.

George Patterson
Battle, n; A method of untying with the teeth a political knot that would
not yield to the tongue.

Kai Glaesner wrote:

I think the reason for the windows-only Flight Planner is, that the just use
a scaled down version of Jeppesen FliteStar for rendering/showing the maps.

You've got it.

George Patterson
Battle, n; A method of untying with the teeth a political knot that would
not yield to the tongue.

Peter Gottlieb wrote:

Um, I'm seeing a huge demand for offices to switch to Linux due to security
concerns.

That's encouraging. My former employer was a Unix shop until about 1990. At that
time, the company converted to Windows over the strident objections of the engineers
and developers because the programs which management wanted to use (Lotus, Word,
Excel, etc.) all ran only on Windows. It would be nice to see a system such as
Linux be able to handle the needs of all levels of corporations.

George Patterson
Battle, n; A method of untying with the teeth a political knot that would
not yield to the tongue.

"Peter Gottlieb" wrote in message
t...
Are you always such an ignorant a**hole?


Generally. There have been rare exceptions when I was even more ignorant.

I am certain your carefully reasoned reply completely refutes my point.
However, I will ignorantly continue to maintain my point of view. After all,
the whole Microsoft vs. everybody else debate really is nothing more nor
less than a religious holy war. Reason has no place in it.