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Nikon Buckles To Microsoft, Will Pay "Android Tax" For Smart Cameras
walterbyrd writes with news that Nikon is the latest company to agree to pay Microsoft for the privilege of using Android on its devices — as you might expect from Nikon, the devices in this case are cameras. (Microsoft's press release.)
The real target of all this bullshit from Microsoft is the use of firmware with software other than what comes from Redmond, period. Face it Microsoft has been squeezed out of the embedded market largely because of the flexibility of OSS and the Linux kernel.
The best and only solution is for manufactures to turn on the bastards and stop using fat and ntfs period or charge more for devices that do.
This could easily be accomplished by providing a software tool with the cheaper devices to read write to Windows without the use of fat or ntfs. If Samsung, Nikon, Sony, Toshiba, Canon and all the other manufacturers got together and created a formatting tool for storage that they shared this could easily be accomplished.
Having one company dictate the format in which all portable storage devices read and write is the problem and the bastards in Redmond need to be held to task and given a full financial enema for a change.
You callin' this "extortion"? That's a big word, my friend. 'Round here we just call it biz niss.
Nikon is a big boy now and can take care of itself.
Founded in 1917 and a core component of the Japanese industrial cartel Mitsubishi.
You do know Mitsubishi? Employs 350,000 people? Rakes in about $350 Billion in revenues each year?
In a mature industry, all Android-related patents would be pooled, managed and cross-licensed to stabilize the business and the product.
No need to build your own customized portfolio. That hasn't happened yet and the geek won't like it when it does ---- any more than he likes the dominance of the MPEG LA pools in video compression.
>Help me understand - you are mad at the victim?
The problem with danegeld is that you never get rid of the Dane.
Paying off Microsoft is the absolutely wrong "solution" to this and only emboldens Microsoft. Microsoft can point at all these people paying danegeld and say "hey, you have to pay too."
It's why we all got mad at people who paid SCO for their extortion.
Fuck Microsoft, but also fuck Nikon for financing their extortion.
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BMO
Wow! Using your income as a tool for protest. You're so fucking cool! As if anyone gives a shit what you buy with your meager salary.
Wow! You're so fucking cool! Using /. posts to mock those who take a moral stand! As if anyone gives a shit about your apathy and lack of concern for matters of right and wrong.
People don't use their income as a tool for protest because they think they're going to change things. They do so because financially supporting unethical actions is unethical itself, whether the effect is great or small. Go back under your bridge.
"From the depths of my skeptical and rationalist soul, I ask the Lord to protect me from California touchie-feeliedom."
Nikon could skirt the patent by using EXT2/3 on their disks and include a driver for EXT2/3 for Windows and OSX. Because such things already exist. It's not like Windows users aren't used to installing drivers already.
But that makes too much sense.
Why device manufacturers insist on using VFAT and FAT64 boggles my mind.
This whole situation is just pure laziness, and a reason why people should point and laugh at Nikon for paying danegeld.
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BMO
Personally, I've used MS Office since 2.0. I've taught classes in many versions. If I go boot up Word on my work machine, now, I can't find a flipping thing. It's easier to get around in LibreOffice. And all that time I spent getting good at Office feel like as big a waste of time as VisualBasic.