Slashdot Mirror

Software that includes "PUPs" from the original software producer is not "legitimate". Any company with a EULA such as the one described is not a "legitimate" software company.

Depends - ad-supported programs are a big industry as seen by Android apps. Though, even Android and iOS is not immune - a new plugin for Unity installs a passive Bitcoin miner.

If you're a app developer using the free-to-play model (or freemium), it's another option to consider. And given PC gaming is also going towards the freemium model to bypass stuff like DRM and piracy.

But for the users, well, it means your PC becomes a passive bitcoin miner. Naturally that page has no information on the impact towards mobile battery life.

I fairly understand that for there to be value in bitcoin there must be scarcity and that this scarcity is created via the mining mechanisms. But what I wonder is if there be any other way to create value for a virtual currency?

I ask because to me the most interesting thing about virtual currencies and specifically bitcoin is NOT the mining aspect, but rather the distributed database. The fact the hosting or provision of the database is fundamentally bound to the value-creation process seems to be the problem here. The problem seems not to necessarily be virtual currency or distributed databases themselves. The problem seems to be that value creation is based on artificial scarcity which can be manipulated through collusion.

There has to be another way to establish value for a virtual currency.

Oh, there's lots of ways to "create value" out of nothing. BTC so far is a bit too small to really attract the attention of the big money guys (except say, the Winklevoss twins who claim to own about 2M BTC themselves).

Once the finance guys figure it out, you can expect BTC will be used to create monetary value by the big guys who can play the exchanges off each other and other things.

Another way, though, is to use an $80 Unity plugin attached to your game to mine bitcoins using mobile CPUs. Yes, developers can now embed a BTC miner with their mobile app to earn Bitcoins using your phone's CPU. Naturally, the company behind it fails to tell you the impact to your battery life...

http://www.pocketgamer.biz/r/PG.Biz/Appy+Entertainment+news/news.asp?c=34191

"The piracy rate on Android was 70:1 compared to 3:1 on iOS," Sargent revealed. "That's crippling."

I found that you are 7.5 time more likely to die from a Broken Heart

Also, if teens drink they are 7.5 time more like to die.

If you are a fat ass, you are 7.5 time more likely to have Choledocholithiasis.

If you are a loser 45 year old then you are 7.5 times more likely to waste money.

Lastly (on the Google search results) if your PSA values are between 2.0 to 2.9 ng/mL you are 7.5 times more likely to die of Prostate cancer.

But nothing about guns being 7.5 times more deadly than....what? Hammers? nope. Baseball bats? hmmm..nope. I know! knives! drag...sorry, not knives either.

So I have to conclude you just pulled that out of your ass. Hint: Brady Gun Control propaganda is about the same thing as your ass.

Apple complies with the 7-day requirement in Taiwan, but doesn't allow refunds elsewhere in the world.

link

Apparently, Microsoft is so worried about the lack of developer interest they're offerring substantial incentives to iPhone developers to port their apps. The original source is here. Apparently these incentives are taking the form of prepaid commissions.

Not that it matters. This one is over already, and the product isn't even shipped. Here's the Engadget piece:

The dev that allegedly contacted PocketGamer.biz about the offer turned it down, saying the financial compensation was "substantial" but ultimately not enough for the amount of work he'd have to put into it -- so this might just be a question of how badly Microsoft wants to come roaring out of the gate with a great catalog of apps.

I wonder how many billions they're willing to dump down this hole. I hope we get to find out.