Well, considering taxes are much higher in Europe, I would agree that paying to go to the beach would be a little ridiculous. But...considering it is in the United States, where taxes are much lower, and it is very popular place to the surrounding area (North Jersey, New York City, PA, etc.) $5 doesn't seem very unreasonable.
In North Jersey it costs around $5/game/person to bowl, $7-$9/hr/person to shoot pool, and $10/person to go to the movies. $5 to spend a day at the beach isn't that bad of a deal if you're into that sort of thing.
10 digit display? Bah. Give me a cellphone with 5 toggle switches: 4 to set the number and the 5th to set it into memory and 1 LED (and just 1! I don't need any more than 1 LED and I'll be damned if I pay for more!) to tell me if the phone is on or off and maybe then I'd consider purchasing a cellphone.
Don't be so dramatic. You're not relearning Word - you're simply learning how to navigate through their new UI (which, by the way, isn't that hard). Things change and you're going to have to adapt (if you've worked in the computer industry for any length of time you should have known that already).
Also in response to your first post: (1) If Word is a main part of your job, shouldn't you at the very least know that 2007 docs weren't compatible with 2003 or below? (this isn't the first time Word docs aren't backwards compatible either) (2) Why wouldn't you save as a PDF? (Word is for creating documents, not presenting them)
There's no reason not to have multiple buttons on a mouse. For the times when you do need to use a mouse, say for internet browsing, gaming, and applications such as Photoshop and Illustrator, more buttons = more productivity. Why settle for 3 when your hand can easily use 5 or more?
Those side-buttons you think you need don't provide any useful benefit
Says who? Browsing the internet I can use buttons 4 and 5 to go back and forward between pages (very useful, much better than switching between the mouse and keyboard), Gaming I can set the buttons to switch to a specific weapon or perform a certain ability, and other applications, like Photoshop, I can set it to switch to a certain tool, etc. There are hundreds of uses for multiple buttons on a mouse even if you're not willing to admit to any.
Heck, I'll even admit that apple might've been correct about having only one button on the mouse.
Why? Did you prefer holding down ctrl and clicking rather than just having a right mouse button? Besides, even Apple has come around and made a 5 button mouse because of the huge demand for it.
If you're putting an entire keyboard on the mouse, you're tacitly admitting that the keyboard is actually a superior interface for the task you're trying to accomplish.
The keyboard and mouse are two separate input devices both with their benefits and drawbacks. I don't see why anyone would want less buttons on a mouse as all it will do is limit what the user can do.
Although there isn't enough data to conclude that DVDs are fading away, I believe there is more than enough to conclude that customers have seen the difference between standard definition and high definition. Just look at how many HD TVs and HD subscriptions (iO / FiOS) are being purchased. The majority of customers have jumped on the HD bandwagon and I believe it is safe to say that the majority of people with HD sets would like to watch the movies/tv shows that they rent/buy in the same high definition they've come to expect from their regular TV programming.
Also, let's not forget these new formats greatly benefit the computing world. Let's face it, file sizes aren't getting any smaller and it's just a matter of time before we see the new format's RW drives for under $100.
Here's what will happen: The HD formats are currently being purchased by the upperclass with the disposable income to waste on high definition players for their high definition tvs. They will demand stores start carrying more hd titles, which they will and prices will begin to go down enough for most of the middle class to adopt the new format. Then, stores will realize that the new format(s) are selling better than the ancient formats and since self space ain't cheap, they will get rid of dvds in favor of the newer, more popular format(s). From this point, the lower class will be basically forced to switch to the new format(s) because they won't be able to find any newer movies/other content on the older format.
It's only a matter of time. I'll give it two years.
Yes, that could work. Many P2P programs allow you to change the ports in their settings anyway so it probably wouldn't be necessary to use a router. The problem is, though, that this isn't what the ISP is going to do. They will be monitoring all packets transmitted by users over the network and comparing them to their music database. The best options in this case would be to use encryption of some sort so your packets aren't detected as a copyrighted song, but I'm not sure if that will even work.
They could have spent their billions on making windows more industry standards compliant, or invest in useful software like OpenOffice, the gimp, GCC, etc. After all, what's the best way to sell an OS? Make sure there is software for it.
Besides developers, who cares if Windows is industry standards compliant? IE has never been 100% compliant with web standards but it still holds the same amount of marketshare with the web as the iPod does for music devices. Average Joe doesn't care if his operating system comes with 100%-industry compliance or open source software such as OpenOffice/gimp/gcc. Average Joe doesn't code his own apps or take the time/have the patience to use programs such as the gimp or OpenOffice. Average Joe wants in an operating system what he wants with everything else - a flashy product that's easy to use, and in that sense Microsoft did a pretty damn good job.
I never expected Vista to sell well, mostly because it's a step back in terms of user experience from XP
Honestly, I tried Vista for over a month and it isn't as bad as everyone says it is. Most of my hardware worked by just plugging it in. The media keys on my keyboard worked, my onboard ethernet worked, my external hard drive worked, and camera worked--all of which required me to install drivers on XP before using. The new voice and handwriting recognition on Vista are also very impressive.
and costs more in both upfront costs and hardware
Again, when its time for Average Joe to purchase a new computer, he's most likely going to go to dell (or whatever popular store) and purchase whichever computer fits his budget--most likely selecting Vista for the operating system. Granted Dell did start selling computers with XP again, and even Ubuntu, but Vista is selected by default and I can't imagine Average Joe searching the site for an XP/Linux/FreeDos machine. The problem is that there is no real competition for Microsoft except Apple and even that is not much of a problem since the majority of users currently are running Windows and most aren't willing to make The Switch for one reason or another. The real problem boils down to this: Windows users are going to replace their XP machines at some point with new ones, and they are very likely to replace them with a new Windows machine. Since Dell is the only major retailer that I know of still selling XP as an option, they are most likely going to be buying a machine with Vista preloaded. It is just a matter of time before we see Vista pulling ahead.
Can you give me some reasons you don't trust banks? Do you fear losing money or is it more of a distrust in what the banks are investing your money in?
Well, forced because Microsoft will end support for their previous versions and focus solely on the current/future versions of their products. Home users aren't 'forced' to switch--well not right away at least, but businesses usually have to once support ends for the old ones. Being a software tester myself, once a new OS is released, there is probably about a year or so of overlap when we test the product with the new and previous OS. After that, it's the new one all the way. So, although you're not 'forced', it is wise if you want to get the most out of the new products, etc etc.
Seriously, most people don't use their taste in music to define themselves, so judging people on that is very narrow-minded.
I don't think it is that narrow minded to judge someone based on the type of music they listen to. For instance, someone with a taste in, say, pop and rap is probably someone who follows the popular trend and cannot think for themselves. However, someone with a more obscure taste in music is someone who would rather be unique and not follow the group, so to speak. I hope this doesn't too much like Mr. Caulfield, but it's pretty easy to tell if someone is a phony based on the type of music they listen to.
The PC version of Halo was a lot of fun. The controls were just like any other FPS and the graphics were on par with other games made in that same year. My friends and I enjoyed playing Halo after ut2k4 became a bore and, in my opinion, it has a lot of great multiplayer maps (Blood Glutch, Sidewinder, and Death Island to name a few). There were many game types and had a decent number of hacks/mods to make the game interesting for quite a long time. If this list came out a few years ago, I would be shocked to not see the game within the top 5.
Saying the game should not be on the list of greatest PC games of all time because you didn't like the xbox version is complete BS. The controller issue you talk about is non-existent on the PC version and the graphics aren't that bad at all. It mainly sounds like your complaints are with the xbox itself and not the actual game.
* Third-generation GPU architecture built for Windows Vista
* Delivers best possible experience when running Windows Vista 3D graphical user interface
* New OS supported by renowned NVIDIA® Unified Driver Architecture (UDA) for maximum stability and reliability
* NVIDIA® PureVideo(TM) technology delivers high-quality VMR pipeline for best-in-class video for Windows Vista
Now, if I purchased this card to run on my new Vista machine, I would be pretty upset when it didn't work right. Wouldn't you?
Perhaps I'm mistaken, but adblock, as it is now, is just a plugin for blocking certain elements (images, iframes, flash, etc.) from being displayed. It comes with nothing preloaded and requires the user to add any urls that they want to be blocked (for instance, to my knowledge blocking googlesyndication.com/* will get rid of all [or almost all?] google ads). I don't see how including this will help boost Firefox's population as the ones that know how to *use* adblock are also the ones that know how to install plugins. Average Joe that has no idea how to use plugins will probably also not understand how to use adblock, unless of course, you want Firefox to also come preloaded with a blacklist of known ad sites...
To put it bluntly, it's a conflict of interest -- I'm not judging them for that, because it may be a necessary consequence of staying afloat as an organization -- but they have goals other than producing "the best browser" possible, which prevent them from putting in such a feature.
So basically, you're saying Firefox has a conflict of interest because they didn't include a plugin you like by default? I could understand calling it a conflict of interest if Firefox somehow prevented the adblock plugin from being installed successfully or removing it from their plugin site, but come on, just because they don't include every popular plugin with their browser is hardly a conflict of interest.
My grandfather died in WW2, I never knew him. He was fighting for the "good guys" (the allies), but that didn't prevent my dad from crying often when he thought about him. War simulation games make me just as angry as this stupid Columbine RPG, and people who get their pants in a knot over the Columbine game then go play the virtual soldier ten minutes later make me sick, because they're biased, politically correct idiots with short memories...
The difference, of course, is that the war games aren't as personal as the Columbine game. When I play a WW2 game, I'm not shooting at your grandfather. There isn't a guy in the game with your grandfather's name above, the designers didn't create a skin resembling your grandfather, and the goal isn't to kill your grandfather.
We received stacks of votes for Apple Computer's iPhone, but that doesn't count since Apple has never actually promised the iPod/phone combo. Except to maybe the board of directors.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, considering taxes are much higher in Europe, I would agree that paying to go to the beach would be a little ridiculous. But...considering it is in the United States, where taxes are much lower, and it is very popular place to the surrounding area (North Jersey, New York City, PA, etc.) $5 doesn't seem very unreasonable.
In North Jersey it costs around $5/game/person to bowl, $7-$9/hr/person to shoot pool, and $10/person to go to the movies. $5 to spend a day at the beach isn't that bad of a deal if you're into that sort of thing.
10 digit display? Bah. Give me a cellphone with 5 toggle switches: 4 to set the number and the 5th to set it into memory and 1 LED (and just 1! I don't need any more than 1 LED and I'll be damned if I pay for more!) to tell me if the phone is on or off and maybe then I'd consider purchasing a cellphone.
Don't be so dramatic. You're not relearning Word - you're simply learning how to navigate through their new UI (which, by the way, isn't that hard). Things change and you're going to have to adapt (if you've worked in the computer industry for any length of time you should have known that already).
Also in response to your first post: (1) If Word is a main part of your job, shouldn't you at the very least know that 2007 docs weren't compatible with 2003 or below? (this isn't the first time Word docs aren't backwards compatible either) (2) Why wouldn't you save as a PDF? (Word is for creating documents, not presenting them)
There's no reason not to have multiple buttons on a mouse. For the times when you do need to use a mouse, say for internet browsing, gaming, and applications such as Photoshop and Illustrator, more buttons = more productivity. Why settle for 3 when your hand can easily use 5 or more?
Says who? Browsing the internet I can use buttons 4 and 5 to go back and forward between pages (very useful, much better than switching between the mouse and keyboard), Gaming I can set the buttons to switch to a specific weapon or perform a certain ability, and other applications, like Photoshop, I can set it to switch to a certain tool, etc. There are hundreds of uses for multiple buttons on a mouse even if you're not willing to admit to any.
Why? Did you prefer holding down ctrl and clicking rather than just having a right mouse button? Besides, even Apple has come around and made a 5 button mouse because of the huge demand for it.
The keyboard and mouse are two separate input devices both with their benefits and drawbacks. I don't see why anyone would want less buttons on a mouse as all it will do is limit what the user can do.
Although there isn't enough data to conclude that DVDs are fading away, I believe there is more than enough to conclude that customers have seen the difference between standard definition and high definition. Just look at how many HD TVs and HD subscriptions (iO / FiOS) are being purchased. The majority of customers have jumped on the HD bandwagon and I believe it is safe to say that the majority of people with HD sets would like to watch the movies/tv shows that they rent/buy in the same high definition they've come to expect from their regular TV programming.
Also, let's not forget these new formats greatly benefit the computing world. Let's face it, file sizes aren't getting any smaller and it's just a matter of time before we see the new format's RW drives for under $100.
Here's what will happen: The HD formats are currently being purchased by the upperclass with the disposable income to waste on high definition players for their high definition tvs. They will demand stores start carrying more hd titles, which they will and prices will begin to go down enough for most of the middle class to adopt the new format. Then, stores will realize that the new format(s) are selling better than the ancient formats and since self space ain't cheap, they will get rid of dvds in favor of the newer, more popular format(s). From this point, the lower class will be basically forced to switch to the new format(s) because they won't be able to find any newer movies/other content on the older format.
It's only a matter of time. I'll give it two years.
Yes, that could work. Many P2P programs allow you to change the ports in their settings anyway so it probably wouldn't be necessary to use a router. The problem is, though, that this isn't what the ISP is going to do. They will be monitoring all packets transmitted by users over the network and comparing them to their music database. The best options in this case would be to use encryption of some sort so your packets aren't detected as a copyrighted song, but I'm not sure if that will even work.
Can you give me some reasons you don't trust banks? Do you fear losing money or is it more of a distrust in what the banks are investing your money in?
Well, forced because Microsoft will end support for their previous versions and focus solely on the current/future versions of their products. Home users aren't 'forced' to switch--well not right away at least, but businesses usually have to once support ends for the old ones. Being a software tester myself, once a new OS is released, there is probably about a year or so of overlap when we test the product with the new and previous OS. After that, it's the new one all the way. So, although you're not 'forced', it is wise if you want to get the most out of the new products, etc etc.
...that's what she said
...that's what she said
I don't think it is that narrow minded to judge someone based on the type of music they listen to. For instance, someone with a taste in, say, pop and rap is probably someone who follows the popular trend and cannot think for themselves. However, someone with a more obscure taste in music is someone who would rather be unique and not follow the group, so to speak. I hope this doesn't too much like Mr. Caulfield, but it's pretty easy to tell if someone is a phony based on the type of music they listen to.
The PC version of Halo was a lot of fun. The controls were just like any other FPS and the graphics were on par with other games made in that same year. My friends and I enjoyed playing Halo after ut2k4 became a bore and, in my opinion, it has a lot of great multiplayer maps (Blood Glutch, Sidewinder, and Death Island to name a few). There were many game types and had a decent number of hacks/mods to make the game interesting for quite a long time. If this list came out a few years ago, I would be shocked to not see the game within the top 5.
Saying the game should not be on the list of greatest PC games of all time because you didn't like the xbox version is complete BS. The controller issue you talk about is non-existent on the PC version and the graphics aren't that bad at all. It mainly sounds like your complaints are with the xbox itself and not the actual game.
I went to this page http://www.nvidia.com/object/7_series_techspecs.ht ml for my video card and it says:
Now, if I purchased this card to run on my new Vista machine, I would be pretty upset when it didn't work right. Wouldn't you?
Perhaps I'm mistaken, but adblock, as it is now, is just a plugin for blocking certain elements (images, iframes, flash, etc.) from being displayed. It comes with nothing preloaded and requires the user to add any urls that they want to be blocked (for instance, to my knowledge blocking googlesyndication.com/* will get rid of all [or almost all?] google ads). I don't see how including this will help boost Firefox's population as the ones that know how to *use* adblock are also the ones that know how to install plugins. Average Joe that has no idea how to use plugins will probably also not understand how to use adblock, unless of course, you want Firefox to also come preloaded with a blacklist of known ad sites...
So basically, you're saying Firefox has a conflict of interest because they didn't include a plugin you like by default? I could understand calling it a conflict of interest if Firefox somehow prevented the adblock plugin from being installed successfully or removing it from their plugin site, but come on, just because they don't include every popular plugin with their browser is hardly a conflict of interest.
From the article:
How dare you! 3 more than 50% is WELL BEYOND RANDOM CHANCE!!!
Manages customer relations, duh
What do you mean? Cisco just released the iPhone like a month ago.
How about the iPod/phone/internet device formerly know as iPhone?
The difference, of course, is that the war games aren't as personal as the Columbine game. When I play a WW2 game, I'm not shooting at your grandfather. There isn't a guy in the game with your grandfather's name above, the designers didn't create a skin resembling your grandfather, and the goal isn't to kill your grandfather.
An Acer laptop running Vista?!? Could you shoot me in the foot instead?
From the Article:
Do I get a prize?
The iPhone is just a rumor. Apple has not confirmed nor promised it.