It's not illegal for Apple to decide what they want to sell in their App Store, and it's not illegal for them to attack alternate App sources. It's not even particularly immoral to most of the population. It is, however, tremendously immoral to the techie crowd and a few other groups.
However, what Apple is doing has been done before, many times. Almost every commercially successful game console has had the same walled garden: if you want to make a game, you have to agree to their terms. Apple is being a bit stricter in its terms, but in the end it still amounts to what most here would call censorship.
There was outrage before, but nothing compared to what I see against Apple today. At first I was prepared to pin it down as simple Apple-bashing, but it seems more powerful than that. Maybe we'll see a strong public movement towards personal freedoms with electronics.
First, let me get this out of the way: I have absolutely no problem with what Apple decides to do with their products and their store. It's their decision to run their business that way, just as it's my decision to not financially support it.
My question is: Why are people so vocal in opposition to Apple's walled garden? Where were they for the last decade, through the XBOX and Playstation and GameCube/Wii? Why does the opposition today seem to be only against Apple?
People have been fighting against walled gardens on game consoles. Using one of your examples, the Xbox has a HUGE homebrew community completely unrelated to piracy; ditto for the Nintendo DS. If I want to be a part of the gaming culture, I have zero choice but to purchase their products. Even if I go with PC versions, I still have to deal with DRM. The difference is that I do have a choice when it comes to Apple...there is nothing the iPhone does that can't be done on another platform that isn't walled. The choice isn't quite so clear with gaming systems.
While I've tried to shy away from it since it's a bit offtopic, I'll use gaming as an example.
Unless you restrict yourself solely to homebrew or indie games released with no DRM, if you want to be a part of the gaming culture, you have no choice but to accept the walled garden. You can modify the systems, but you still have to accept the fact that the device is designed with a wall.
Unlike gaming systems, you DO have a choice when it comes to phones. There is nothing you can do with an iPhone that can't already be done or theoretically be done with an Android or (pre-7) Windows Mobile device, which are not walled in any way save for programs being written using code that the hardware can interpret. No changes have to be made, the device doesn't have to be modified...they are designed specifically to allow you to install whatever you want without having to change the underlying device in any way.
So, to sum it up: not much of a choice in gaming, choice in phones.
(For the record, since we seem to be going back and forth, let me clear something up: I have no problem with the idea or action of jailbreaking...but I personally won't buy something that I have to hack when there is already a device that does the same thing out of the box.)
System updates do just that, as do third party system extensions. Doy yourself.
System updates are designed into the product from the ground up. Jailbreaking an iPhone is not something Apple designed. Therefore, you are modifying the device...hence why it's a mod, and not a feature.
Just like with the iPhone. I am able to install whatever I want. That is a fact.
You're right, but only after you perform a modification of the system that was not a part of its original design.
You've obviously not worked on many modern cars. Many parts are pretty much sealed systems you are not supposed to tamper with.
Actually, I was a mechanic for about three and a half years (had to quit due to injury), and I've been working on cars for going on 16 years now. I'm unaware of a single part on any car that cannot be dismantled and rebuilt by someone with the tools and the knowledge, just like an iPhone. Also just like an iPhone, these parts weren't designed for you to do that.
Beyond that, you missed my point. Cars are designed by the manufacturer so you can swap parts out (which is different from dismantling a part and modifying the features it was designed with.) The iPhone wasn't designed by Apple to run unsigned applications...someone modified it so you could.
And you've obviously never run Autocad. It has an installer you know, and that is modifying the system (in part to provide dongle drivers).
Again, the system was designed with the intention of this happening. The iPhone was never designed to be jailbroken...hence, you have to modify that. Unless you are trying to convince me that some engineer mentioned jailbreaking during a feature pitch to Steve Jobs, it's a mod. In addition, dongle drivers don't modify the Windows OS...it acts as a bridge between your OS, your system hardware, and the dongle hardware, utilizing a feature built into the software and hardware. Jailbreaking an iPhone literally changes how the OS functions.
Actually, it was. Like all open hardware devices it was designed to easily load new software on it (for system updates and application loading), which is exactly what Jailbreaking does.
Again, it was not something designed by Apple. Being able to install non-signed applications was not originally intended. I don't seem to recall Apple advertising the fact that you could hack the device.
You are a real user, as is everyone using the device. You are just trying to claim that no users ever modify a system.
I'm claiming that modifying a system so that it performs an additional task beyond its design is a modification of that system, not a feature. Autocad doesn't cause your computer to function in a way that it wasn't originally designed to function; it utilizes features built into (for example) Windows that enable it to converse with the OS and your hardware. Jailbreaking an iPhone "breaks" the code, allowing you to run unsigned applications. Without modifying the hardware, an iPhone can't run unsigned code...hence, you modify it.
And Microsoft does not make Autocad.
You're right, but they specifically designed Windows to use software that Microsoft hasn't created or approved. Apple specifically designed the iPhone to use only software that they created or approved.
In addition, technically Apple DID make the software that jailbrake the iPhone because they are the one that introduce bugs that make it possible to jailbreak.
Seriously? OK. So now you are claiming that a bug is a feature. I'm done with you. This conversation is over.
To be more specific, I have a ton of knowledge about the technical side (insofar as my responsibilities are concerned) and enough knowledge about the business side to not only understand their needs, but also why they need them. Acting as a liason between the two seemed like a logical placement.
It is a viable option for anybody. It is not a viable option for everybody. Stop touting something that's difficult as impossible.
I never said it's impossible, I said it isn't a capability built into the phone. You need to use third-party software (which Apple tries to render useless with every update, might I add) that directly modifies the way the device functions. Therefore, it is a modification, not a feature. Were it a feature, Apple wouldn't be actively trying to prevent you from doing it. Semantics, I know.
The reason you can't have the key to the gate is piracy. Same reason you don't get the key to the gate on a console, you can only run games approved by Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo.
Both Windows Mobile (prior to 7, anyways) and Android give you the key; you're allowed to leave the garden whenever you want. People that want to pirate are going to do it regardless of your rules, why ruin it for everyone else?
You talk about consoles on your blog, so their gate doesn't seem to bother you
I would be happy to discuss the walled garden aspect of gaming consoles with you, but not here as that would be entirely offtopic. That being said, your assumption is wrong; the walled garden bothers me on game consoles, but for entirely different reasons. My email address is on my webpage, if you want to discuss this particular subject further.
why does a gate being on a phone bother you so much? Is it because it's enough more like a computer that you just wish it was a computer?
honestly? Because I don't like knowing that I'm locked into a single source for my phone. I readily admit that the appstore would very likely serve any need I could ever possibly have for a phone...but I still don't like the fact that I'm stuck with it. I don't like what Apple is offering, and as such I'm not giving them my money.::shrug:: Some people accuse me of clinging to some misguided philosophy over usability, but I'm just a consumer; if I don't vote with my wallet, what other course of action can I take?
I would be Bill, although most of the people I work with internally are on the Minda side of the equation. It's my job to listen to their business needs and translate it into a way that we can achieve it from the technical end...I'm something of a translator between the two sides.
Lets say you love application X. You love and need it so much, you buy platform Y because it's can run on that.
Why is that not then considered a feature of the device? To you, as the user, there is no difference - you bought Y and it can do X.
It's a feature because it can run on it without modifying the underlying operating system. Doy?
According to your logic, you could not consider any PC to have a feature that was not included in the original box, since all software updates had to be downloaded.
Wrong. With a PC, it's a feature that I can install whatever the hell I want on there.
You could never buy a car because it was easily tunable for better performance or handling.
Cars are designed in a way that enables you to change parts on them. The iPhone wasn't designed to be jailbroken. If it was, the software to do it wouldn't have been developed by someone other than Apple.
People buy PC's because it can run Autocad. Autocad itself is not a feature, but the ability to run Autocad IS. You can buy and iPhone and run any Cydia app on it - the ability to run Cydia apps IS A FEATURE BECAUSE YOU CAN DO IT.
You don't have to modify your PC to run Autocad. You do have to modify your iPhone to run a Cydia app on it. There is a distinct difference. Do you really not see this?
You are confused because you know something is technically distinct.
Wait...so you agree that there is a difference?
But to REAL users, all they care about is the ability to buy a device to perform a task.
Oh, I get it. Now I'm not a real user because I care about the details of said task?
So they buy the device that gets them as close as they can, and then if that's not far enough take it the rest of the way. They still consider it a feature that it can do X, even if they had to add it later.
Again, Apple didn't make the software that jailbreaks an iPhone. How can you possibly consider utilizing a third-party utility to modify the original operation of a device to be a feature and not a modification?
You are just trying to redefine "Feature" so as to specifically exclude a use case you don't like. As with most attempts to redefine what people do every day and label it uncommon, it simply doesn't work.
Once again, Apple didn't design or release the Jailbreak utility, and they actively try to squash it with every update. If it were a feature, you wouldn't have to hack the fucking phone. What about this don't you understand?
I'm not redefining anything; I'm merely calling a spade a spade. You're trying to tell me that it's not a spade, but in fact a poorly endowed titmouse. Sorry buddy. If I have to hack a device to enable it to do something, that is not a feature, that is a modification. If it was a feature, I wouldn't have to hack the damn thing in the first place.
That's just sad. When did it become about what they let you do, vs. what you can do? If you can make it happen, it is a feature.
Example time:
Do you consider being able to flash the firmware of a 360's disc drive to be a feature? How about flashing a PSP? What about installing a modchip in a PS2?
I recommend reading The Geek Gap. It might give you some further insight into the topic (and, if nothing else, it might help your boss and their boss understand the importance of a proper department).
I also would recommend anyone in an IT or management position to read that book. It's a great read that can be finished over a weekend.
In this particular parent's case, that is true...but you still presented jailbreaking as a viable option for anybody. Again, stop touting a mod as a feature.
If it's really just that simple, what's the point of the walled garden in the first place? And if your response is "well, just stick to the appstore if that's all you want", why would Apple force someone to hack their phone just to use applications from another source? Why not offer the walled garden for those that want/need it, and allow people to freely download from another source as they saw fit?
That is the question I would like answered: Why does Apple force people to stick with the appstore unless they modify the hardware? Why can't we have the walled garden and a key to the gate?
PS: don't respond with "just don't buy one". I haven't, for this very reason. Respond to the actual question posted above in italics, please.
Stop changing the subject. The point is, you linked to an "alternate" app store that requires someone to hack their phone, thereby voiding their warranty...and presented the option as if it were a feature, as if it was something anyone could do without any consequences.
That's the parent's point.
As I've said multiple times in this thread, stop treating a mod like it's a feature.
My response to that is why not allow the walled garden and, if you so chose, alternative stores?
Think about it: have the phone ship, by default, to only run apps from Apple's official App Store. That way your Mom won't accidentally install something that will screw her phone up. However, you could buy the same hardware, enable the "install from any source" option, and boom goes the dynamite.
I already know the answer to this ("business reasons", or, more simply, "revenue"), but why would Apple not allow you to download from the App Store AND an alternate store? Why force people to hack their phones to do it?
or through their website to owners of jailbroken iDevices.
Since when did hacking a device the same thing as using the device "as intended"?
Listen people. I know you can do a whole hell of a lot with a jailbroken ipod/iphone/ipad, but saying you can just hack your device if you want other sources of apps is not an argument that should used to support your hardware of choice Seriously.
A modification != a feature. Stop treating it like one.
Making live beats using something like an MPC 1000 does take a ton of skill...it's just that most of the people who try to do it don't really have it -_-;;
Full Disclosure: I couldn't keep a beat if my life depended on it. That's one of the reasons why I make spacey ambient tunes...can't screw up a beat if there isn't one:-)
Ah, gotcha. The one I mentioned, DownloadHelper, works with any flash object on any web page, whether it's a movie, game, audio file, or anything else. You can download the object as an.flv, and I believe the program supports on-the-fly conversion to just about anything imaginable as well.
Does anyone else find it hilarious that one of the primary contributors to Internet Hypochondria has an article about how bad Internet Hypochondria has gotten?
Considering the 3D flatscreens out there are essentially first-gen products, they work amazingly well. I know they aren't technically first-gen, but they are the first mass-produced and "priced for retail" versions available. All things considered, very impressive.
And the nifty Firefox addon that lets me download them to my hard disk.
DownloadHelper? Invaluable add-on. I've used it for all sorts of...um...reputable sites. Nope, they weren't porn streaming sites. Nope. Not at all.::crickets:: I DON'T USE IT FOR PORN, OK?????
I know that it's a troll, and I know that it's insanely racist...but you know what? If you actually read the whole thing, it's pretty funny. Horrible and wrong, but funny. The jew one that gets posted every now and then is ESPECIALLY funny.
As a jew, I can honestly say that there is nothing funnier than a jew joke. Nothing.
...will it make those people who upload videos of them working on their MPCs actually talented? I think of all the beatmakers on Youtube, there are maybe a handful that are actually worth watching.
The same cannot be said, however, for guitar players; Youtube is overflowing with them.
...how long until the general public has caught on to the point where Spam is no longer profitable? Then again, I would assume the costs associated with it are fairly low...
Still, how are people dumb enough (or just ignorant enough) to click on spam in 20-freakin-10?
Slashdot Mirror
It's not illegal for Apple to decide what they want to sell in their App Store, and it's not illegal for them to attack alternate App sources. It's not even particularly immoral to most of the population. It is, however, tremendously immoral to the techie crowd and a few other groups.
However, what Apple is doing has been done before, many times. Almost every commercially successful game console has had the same walled garden: if you want to make a game, you have to agree to their terms. Apple is being a bit stricter in its terms, but in the end it still amounts to what most here would call censorship.
There was outrage before, but nothing compared to what I see against Apple today. At first I was prepared to pin it down as simple Apple-bashing, but it seems more powerful than that. Maybe we'll see a strong public movement towards personal freedoms with electronics.
First, let me get this out of the way: I have absolutely no problem with what Apple decides to do with their products and their store. It's their decision to run their business that way, just as it's my decision to not financially support it.
My question is: Why are people so vocal in opposition to Apple's walled garden? Where were they for the last decade, through the XBOX and Playstation and GameCube/Wii? Why does the opposition today seem to be only against Apple?
People have been fighting against walled gardens on game consoles. Using one of your examples, the Xbox has a HUGE homebrew community completely unrelated to piracy; ditto for the Nintendo DS. If I want to be a part of the gaming culture, I have zero choice but to purchase their products. Even if I go with PC versions, I still have to deal with DRM. The difference is that I do have a choice when it comes to Apple...there is nothing the iPhone does that can't be done on another platform that isn't walled. The choice isn't quite so clear with gaming systems.
While I've tried to shy away from it since it's a bit offtopic, I'll use gaming as an example.
Unless you restrict yourself solely to homebrew or indie games released with no DRM, if you want to be a part of the gaming culture, you have no choice but to accept the walled garden. You can modify the systems, but you still have to accept the fact that the device is designed with a wall.
Unlike gaming systems, you DO have a choice when it comes to phones. There is nothing you can do with an iPhone that can't already be done or theoretically be done with an Android or (pre-7) Windows Mobile device, which are not walled in any way save for programs being written using code that the hardware can interpret. No changes have to be made, the device doesn't have to be modified...they are designed specifically to allow you to install whatever you want without having to change the underlying device in any way.
So, to sum it up: not much of a choice in gaming, choice in phones.
(For the record, since we seem to be going back and forth, let me clear something up: I have no problem with the idea or action of jailbreaking...but I personally won't buy something that I have to hack when there is already a device that does the same thing out of the box.)
System updates do just that, as do third party system extensions. Doy yourself.
System updates are designed into the product from the ground up. Jailbreaking an iPhone is not something Apple designed. Therefore, you are modifying the device...hence why it's a mod, and not a feature.
Just like with the iPhone. I am able to install whatever I want. That is a fact.
You're right, but only after you perform a modification of the system that was not a part of its original design.
You've obviously not worked on many modern cars. Many parts are pretty much sealed systems you are not supposed to tamper with.
Actually, I was a mechanic for about three and a half years (had to quit due to injury), and I've been working on cars for going on 16 years now. I'm unaware of a single part on any car that cannot be dismantled and rebuilt by someone with the tools and the knowledge, just like an iPhone. Also just like an iPhone, these parts weren't designed for you to do that.
Beyond that, you missed my point. Cars are designed by the manufacturer so you can swap parts out (which is different from dismantling a part and modifying the features it was designed with.) The iPhone wasn't designed by Apple to run unsigned applications...someone modified it so you could.
And you've obviously never run Autocad. It has an installer you know, and that is modifying the system (in part to provide dongle drivers).
Again, the system was designed with the intention of this happening. The iPhone was never designed to be jailbroken...hence, you have to modify that. Unless you are trying to convince me that some engineer mentioned jailbreaking during a feature pitch to Steve Jobs, it's a mod. In addition, dongle drivers don't modify the Windows OS...it acts as a bridge between your OS, your system hardware, and the dongle hardware, utilizing a feature built into the software and hardware. Jailbreaking an iPhone literally changes how the OS functions.
Actually, it was. Like all open hardware devices it was designed to easily load new software on it (for system updates and application loading), which is exactly what Jailbreaking does.
Again, it was not something designed by Apple. Being able to install non-signed applications was not originally intended. I don't seem to recall Apple advertising the fact that you could hack the device.
You are a real user, as is everyone using the device. You are just trying to claim that no users ever modify a system.
I'm claiming that modifying a system so that it performs an additional task beyond its design is a modification of that system, not a feature. Autocad doesn't cause your computer to function in a way that it wasn't originally designed to function; it utilizes features built into (for example) Windows that enable it to converse with the OS and your hardware. Jailbreaking an iPhone "breaks" the code, allowing you to run unsigned applications. Without modifying the hardware, an iPhone can't run unsigned code...hence, you modify it.
And Microsoft does not make Autocad.
You're right, but they specifically designed Windows to use software that Microsoft hasn't created or approved. Apple specifically designed the iPhone to use only software that they created or approved.
In addition, technically Apple DID make the software that jailbrake the iPhone because they are the one that introduce bugs that make it possible to jailbreak.
Seriously? OK. So now you are claiming that a bug is a feature. I'm done with you. This conversation is over.
I've been accused of that, too :-(
I have been accused of such things, yes :-)
To be more specific, I have a ton of knowledge about the technical side (insofar as my responsibilities are concerned) and enough knowledge about the business side to not only understand their needs, but also why they need them. Acting as a liason between the two seemed like a logical placement.
It is a viable option for anybody. It is not a viable option for everybody. Stop touting something that's difficult as impossible.
I never said it's impossible, I said it isn't a capability built into the phone. You need to use third-party software (which Apple tries to render useless with every update, might I add) that directly modifies the way the device functions. Therefore, it is a modification, not a feature. Were it a feature, Apple wouldn't be actively trying to prevent you from doing it. Semantics, I know.
The reason you can't have the key to the gate is piracy. Same reason you don't get the key to the gate on a console, you can only run games approved by Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo.
Both Windows Mobile (prior to 7, anyways) and Android give you the key; you're allowed to leave the garden whenever you want. People that want to pirate are going to do it regardless of your rules, why ruin it for everyone else?
You talk about consoles on your blog, so their gate doesn't seem to bother you
I would be happy to discuss the walled garden aspect of gaming consoles with you, but not here as that would be entirely offtopic. That being said, your assumption is wrong; the walled garden bothers me on game consoles, but for entirely different reasons. My email address is on my webpage, if you want to discuss this particular subject further.
why does a gate being on a phone bother you so much? Is it because it's enough more like a computer that you just wish it was a computer?
honestly? Because I don't like knowing that I'm locked into a single source for my phone. I readily admit that the appstore would very likely serve any need I could ever possibly have for a phone...but I still don't like the fact that I'm stuck with it. I don't like what Apple is offering, and as such I'm not giving them my money. ::shrug:: Some people accuse me of clinging to some misguided philosophy over usability, but I'm just a consumer; if I don't vote with my wallet, what other course of action can I take?
I would be Bill, although most of the people I work with internally are on the Minda side of the equation. It's my job to listen to their business needs and translate it into a way that we can achieve it from the technical end...I'm something of a translator between the two sides.
Lets say you love application X. You love and need it so much, you buy platform Y because it's can run on that.
Why is that not then considered a feature of the device? To you, as the user, there is no difference - you bought Y and it can do X.
It's a feature because it can run on it without modifying the underlying operating system. Doy?
According to your logic, you could not consider any PC to have a feature that was not included in the original box, since all software updates had to be downloaded.
Wrong. With a PC, it's a feature that I can install whatever the hell I want on there.
You could never buy a car because it was easily tunable for better performance or handling.
Cars are designed in a way that enables you to change parts on them. The iPhone wasn't designed to be jailbroken. If it was, the software to do it wouldn't have been developed by someone other than Apple.
People buy PC's because it can run Autocad. Autocad itself is not a feature, but the ability to run Autocad IS. You can buy and iPhone and run any Cydia app on it - the ability to run Cydia apps IS A FEATURE BECAUSE YOU CAN DO IT.
You don't have to modify your PC to run Autocad. You do have to modify your iPhone to run a Cydia app on it. There is a distinct difference. Do you really not see this?
You are confused because you know something is technically distinct.
Wait...so you agree that there is a difference?
But to REAL users, all they care about is the ability to buy a device to perform a task.
Oh, I get it. Now I'm not a real user because I care about the details of said task?
So they buy the device that gets them as close as they can, and then if that's not far enough take it the rest of the way. They still consider it a feature that it can do X, even if they had to add it later.
Again, Apple didn't make the software that jailbreaks an iPhone. How can you possibly consider utilizing a third-party utility to modify the original operation of a device to be a feature and not a modification?
You are just trying to redefine "Feature" so as to specifically exclude a use case you don't like. As with most attempts to redefine what people do every day and label it uncommon, it simply doesn't work.
Once again, Apple didn't design or release the Jailbreak utility, and they actively try to squash it with every update. If it were a feature, you wouldn't have to hack the fucking phone. What about this don't you understand?
I'm not redefining anything; I'm merely calling a spade a spade. You're trying to tell me that it's not a spade, but in fact a poorly endowed titmouse. Sorry buddy. If I have to hack a device to enable it to do something, that is not a feature, that is a modification. If it was a feature, I wouldn't have to hack the damn thing in the first place.
That's just sad. When did it become about what they let you do, vs. what you can do? If you can make it happen, it is a feature.
Example time:
Do you consider being able to flash the firmware of a 360's disc drive to be a feature? How about flashing a PSP? What about installing a modchip in a PS2?
Would you consider those features or mods?
I recommend reading The Geek Gap. It might give you some further insight into the topic (and, if nothing else, it might help your boss and their boss understand the importance of a proper department).
I also would recommend anyone in an IT or management position to read that book. It's a great read that can be finished over a weekend.
Thanks :-) I only wish I had previewed it prior to hitting submit; I sound like a drunken sailor on shore leave -_-;;
In this particular parent's case, that is true...but you still presented jailbreaking as a viable option for anybody. Again, stop touting a mod as a feature.
If it's really just that simple, what's the point of the walled garden in the first place? And if your response is "well, just stick to the appstore if that's all you want", why would Apple force someone to hack their phone just to use applications from another source? Why not offer the walled garden for those that want/need it, and allow people to freely download from another source as they saw fit?
That is the question I would like answered: Why does Apple force people to stick with the appstore unless they modify the hardware? Why can't we have the walled garden and a key to the gate?
PS: don't respond with "just don't buy one". I haven't, for this very reason. Respond to the actual question posted above in italics, please.
Stop changing the subject. The point is, you linked to an "alternate" app store that requires someone to hack their phone, thereby voiding their warranty...and presented the option as if it were a feature, as if it was something anyone could do without any consequences.
That's the parent's point.
As I've said multiple times in this thread, stop treating a mod like it's a feature.
My response to that is why not allow the walled garden and, if you so chose, alternative stores?
Think about it: have the phone ship, by default, to only run apps from Apple's official App Store. That way your Mom won't accidentally install something that will screw her phone up. However, you could buy the same hardware, enable the "install from any source" option, and boom goes the dynamite.
I already know the answer to this ("business reasons", or, more simply, "revenue"), but why would Apple not allow you to download from the App Store AND an alternate store? Why force people to hack their phones to do it?
Cydia. And that's not the only alternative App Store.
From your link:
"...a software application for iOS that lets a user browse and download applications for a jailbroken iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad" (emphasis mine)
Again. Telling someone "oh sure, you can use a different store...just hack your phone" is misleading at best.
Like I said in response to one of your previous posts, a mod isn't the same thing as a feature. Stop treating it like one.
or through their website to owners of jailbroken iDevices.
Since when did hacking a device the same thing as using the device "as intended"?
Listen people. I know you can do a whole hell of a lot with a jailbroken ipod/iphone/ipad, but saying you can just hack your device if you want other sources of apps is not an argument that should used to support your hardware of choice Seriously.
A modification != a feature. Stop treating it like one.
Making live beats using something like an MPC 1000 does take a ton of skill...it's just that most of the people who try to do it don't really have it -_-;;
Full Disclosure: I couldn't keep a beat if my life depended on it. That's one of the reasons why I make spacey ambient tunes...can't screw up a beat if there isn't one :-)
Ah, gotcha. The one I mentioned, DownloadHelper, works with any flash object on any web page, whether it's a movie, game, audio file, or anything else. You can download the object as an .flv, and I believe the program supports on-the-fly conversion to just about anything imaginable as well.
Give it a look, awesome stuff.
Does anyone else find it hilarious that one of the primary contributors to Internet Hypochondria has an article about how bad Internet Hypochondria has gotten?
Considering the 3D flatscreens out there are essentially first-gen products, they work amazingly well. I know they aren't technically first-gen, but they are the first mass-produced and "priced for retail" versions available. All things considered, very impressive.
And the nifty Firefox addon that lets me download them to my hard disk.
DownloadHelper? Invaluable add-on. I've used it for all sorts of...um...reputable sites. Nope, they weren't porn streaming sites. Nope. Not at all. ::crickets:: I DON'T USE IT FOR PORN, OK?????
I know that it's a troll, and I know that it's insanely racist...but you know what? If you actually read the whole thing, it's pretty funny. Horrible and wrong, but funny. The jew one that gets posted every now and then is ESPECIALLY funny.
As a jew, I can honestly say that there is nothing funnier than a jew joke. Nothing.
MPCs?
This is what I was referring to.
...will it make those people who upload videos of them working on their MPCs actually talented? I think of all the beatmakers on Youtube, there are maybe a handful that are actually worth watching.
The same cannot be said, however, for guitar players; Youtube is overflowing with them.
...how long until the general public has caught on to the point where Spam is no longer profitable? Then again, I would assume the costs associated with it are fairly low...
Still, how are people dumb enough (or just ignorant enough) to click on spam in 20-freakin-10?