Re: What kinds of business use Linux?

From	TJ <TJ@noneofyour.business>
Newsgroups	comp.os.linux.misc
Subject	Re: What kinds of business use Linux?
Date	2011-04-22 21:27 -0400
Organization	A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID	<iot9un$u9m$1@dont-email.me> (permalink)
References	<ioira3$78o$1@dont-email.me> <iopla6$tfa$1@dont-email.me> <iopt6r$t7k$1@dont-email.me> <ioq9ft$106$1@dont-email.me> <iosb6o$8hq$1@news.albasani.net>

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On 04/22/2011 12:43 PM, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
> TJ wrote:
>> On 04/21/2011 02:31 PM, Todd wrote:
>>> On 04/21/2011 09:17 AM, TJ wrote:
>>
>>>>
>>>> Sorry, can't help you much. I run my business on Linux, but I'm a
>>>> farmer
>>>> and something of an oddball. I provide all my own support. When it
>>>> comes
>>>> to IT stuff, if I can't do it myself it won't get done.
>>>>
>>>> <Shrug.> I couldn't afford a consultant if I wanted one, anyway.
>>>>
>>>> I will tell you that I use The Gimp to prepare a color-coded map of the
>>>> crops I plant, overlaid on a satellite photo of the farm. I need to
>>>> supply the USDA with this information to assure them I qualify for
>>>> various programs. The guys in the USDA office say that my map is the
>>>> best, easiest to read one they get, and that includes some prepared
>>>> with
>>>> expensive Windows software.
>>>>
>>>> TJ
>>>
>>> Hi TJ,
>>>
>>> You are truly unusual. The farmers and ranchers out here refuse
>>> to use computers. Plus, if you have mastered GIMP, you are got me
>>> bested but good!
>>>
>>> Do you do your accounting on Linux? and, if so, what program(s)
>>> are you using?
>>>
>>> -T
>> "Mastered" is too strong a word for my abilities with GIMP. I had a
>> need, and learned what I needed to fill it. That's about it. Well, I
>> did use it a few years ago to restore a couple of 30-year-old photos
>> as presents for my mother, but that's not exactly business-related.
>>
>> I'm the third generation of my family to run this farm, and like most
>> farmers who do their own accounting, I run it on a cash basis. I use
>> an accounting system originally developed by my mother back when she
>> and my father ran the farm, essentially an elaborate single-entry
>> system. Where she used columnar paper I use OpenOffice (soon
>> LibreOffice) Calc.
>>
>> Of course I have adapted her system to our present situation. Last
>> year, when my brother and I formed a partnership, I looked into using
>> Gnucash, but finally decided to stick with the system I know, and
>> adapted it yet again.
>>
>> Operating on a cash basis and being debt-free, my accounting needs are
>> simple. That, too, makes me something of an oddball when it comes to
>> business. Mom's system is quite adequate. But if I needed something
>> more, I'd be using Gnucash.
>>
>> Oh, and I wouldn't be quite so quick to dismiss your local farmers as
>> Luddites when it comes to computers. There may be more using them than
>> you think. You'd be surprised.
>>
> In the UK, if you can't use one, you hire a consultant who can.
>
> The come round take soil samples, analyse the weather, look at
> infestation rates, potential crop futures prices, all into one big
> spreadsheet and that spits out the optimum yield per unit spray of
> herbicide, pesticide and fertiliser needed, figures.
>
> Its highly technical these days. Even the harvester can monitor moisture
> levels in the grain when harvesting and is robotically steered via GPS..
>
Yep, and it's robotically steered so the wheels don't go in the same 
spots as the previous piece of equipment, to prevent soil compaction 
from repeated trips. That fertilizer applicator can be programmed to 
apply just the right amount for a particular spot, rather than the old, 
wasteful way of applying the same rate all over the field.

Or it will if you're big enough to afford all that stuff. I'm not. So I 
get my weather predictions from NOAA and the local TV stations and watch 
the local Doppler radar loops to try to figure for myself if that storm 
is gonna hit here or go on by. And I use Internet shopping skills to 
find the best deals on the things I buy. And I do much of my banking 
online because I can do it that way in five minutes and it kills a good 
hour to go to the brick-and-mortar bank. And I can find booksful of 
information on just about anything far faster and easier than I ever 
could before search engines.

And it's fun. Don't forget that. Even a small farmer has a use for fun.

TJ

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What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-18 19:16 -0700
  Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Bit Twister <BitTwister@mouse-potato.com> - 2011-04-19 02:42 +0000
    Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-18 19:51 -0700
      Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Bit Twister <BitTwister@mouse-potato.com> - 2011-04-19 04:27 +0000
        Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-18 21:44 -0700
          Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Kevin Snodgrass <kdsnodgrass@yahoo.com> - 2011-04-20 03:11 +0000
            Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-20 10:56 -0700
        Re: What kinds of business use Linux? goarilla <kevin.paulus@mtm.DOTremove-thisDOT.kuleuven.DOTbe.invalid> - 2011-04-29 11:46 +0000
    Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-18 19:52 -0700
      Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Robert Riches <spamtrap42@jacob21819.net> - 2011-04-19 03:45 +0000
        Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-18 21:04 -0700
    Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2011-04-18 23:39 -0400
  Re: What kinds of business use Linux? ray <ray@zianet.com> - 2011-04-19 02:53 +0000
    Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-18 20:25 -0700
      Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Robert Heller <heller@deepsoft.com> - 2011-04-18 23:05 -0500
        Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-18 21:20 -0700
          Re: What kinds of business use Linux? notbob <notbob@notbob.invalid> - 2011-04-19 14:11 +0000
            Re: What kinds of business use Linux? The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2011-04-19 15:23 +0100
              Re: What kinds of business use Linux? notbob <notbob@notbob.invalid> - 2011-04-19 15:02 +0000
              Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-19 11:11 -0700
                Re: What kinds of business use Linux? notbob <notbob@notbob.invalid> - 2011-04-19 18:54 +0000
                Re: What kinds of business use Linux? The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2011-04-19 22:20 +0100
      Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Bit Twister <BitTwister@mouse-potato.com> - 2011-04-19 04:18 +0000
        Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Loki Harfagr <l0k1@thedarkdesign.free.fr.INVALID> - 2011-04-19 10:03 +0000
      Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Tim Watts <tw@dionic.net> - 2011-04-19 07:09 +0100
        Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-19 11:15 -0700
          Re: What kinds of business use Linux? notbob <notbob@notbob.invalid> - 2011-04-19 18:57 +0000
    Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Robert Heller <heller@deepsoft.com> - 2011-04-18 22:48 -0500
  Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Robert Heller <heller@deepsoft.com> - 2011-04-18 22:48 -0500
    Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-18 21:00 -0700
  Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Tim Watts <tw@dionic.net> - 2011-04-19 07:02 +0100
  Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Roger Blake <rogblake@iname.invalid> - 2011-04-19 14:37 +0000
    Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-19 11:16 -0700
      Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Roger Blake <rogblake@iname.invalid> - 2011-04-19 19:25 +0000
      Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Robert Heller <heller@deepsoft.com> - 2011-04-19 15:55 -0500
        Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-20 10:58 -0700
  Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Stan Bischof <stan@worldbadminton.com> - 2011-04-19 16:12 +0000
    Re: What kinds of business use Linux? notbob <notbob@notbob.invalid> - 2011-04-19 16:58 +0000
      Re: What kinds of business use Linux? The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2011-04-19 18:52 +0100
        Re: What kinds of business use Linux? notbob <notbob@notbob.invalid> - 2011-04-19 18:53 +0000
      Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-19 11:22 -0700
        Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Loki Harfagr <l0k1@thedarkdesign.free.fr.INVALID> - 2011-04-19 18:36 +0000
          Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-19 12:24 -0700
            Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Loki Harfagr <l0k1@thedarkdesign.free.fr.INVALID> - 2011-04-20 10:02 +0000
              Re: What kinds of business use Linux? notbob <notbob@notbob.invalid> - 2011-04-20 12:52 +0000
                Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Loki Harfagr <l0k1@thedarkdesign.free.fr.INVALID> - 2011-04-20 16:57 +0000
              Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-20 11:05 -0700
                Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Bud <Bud@bud.invalid.msn.com> - 2011-04-20 21:23 +0000
                Re: What kinds of business use Linux? notbob <notbob@notbob.invalid> - 2011-04-20 21:25 +0000
                Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Robert Heller <heller@deepsoft.com> - 2011-04-20 18:51 -0500
                Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Bud <Bud@bud.invalid.msn.com> - 2011-04-21 20:25 +0000
    Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-19 11:18 -0700
      Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Robert Heller <heller@deepsoft.com> - 2011-04-19 15:55 -0500
        Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-20 11:07 -0700
  Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Joe Makowiec <makowiec@invalid.invalid> - 2011-04-19 17:14 +0000
    Re: What kinds of business use Linux? The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2011-04-19 18:53 +0100
  Re: What kinds of business use Linux? TJ <TJ@noneofyour.business> - 2011-04-21 12:17 -0400
    Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-21 11:31 -0700
      Re: What kinds of business use Linux? notbob <notbob@notbob.invalid> - 2011-04-21 18:37 +0000
        Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-21 12:27 -0700
      Re: What kinds of business use Linux? TJ <TJ@noneofyour.business> - 2011-04-21 18:01 -0400
        Re: What kinds of business use Linux? The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2011-04-22 17:43 +0100
          Re: What kinds of business use Linux? TJ <TJ@noneofyour.business> - 2011-04-22 21:27 -0400
        Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-22 12:33 -0700
          Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Robert Heller <heller@deepsoft.com> - 2011-04-22 15:59 -0500
            Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-22 14:45 -0700
              Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Robert Heller <heller@deepsoft.com> - 2011-04-22 19:50 -0500
  Re: What kinds of business use Linux? William Poaster <wp@induh-vidual.net> - 2011-04-22 12:50 +0100
    Re: What kinds of business use Linux? Todd <Todd@invalid.com> - 2011-04-22 13:15 -0700
      Re: What kinds of business use Linux? William Poaster <wp@induh-vidual.net> - 2011-04-23 11:07 +0100

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