What is this world coming to when even 7-digiters are able to mod?!
You have no idea. I mod up everything that has to do with Ballmer throwing chairs, Gotse, ?? Profit, and FIRST POST, while making sure to mod down anything with substance. I considered, albeit briefly, modding with dignity, but then I saw that 7 digit number and realized.. neh, screw it.
I am apparently a Slashdot newb and inadvertently modded your comment Redundant rather than Insightful (slip of the mouse), and the only way I know to undue it is to post here. out of curiosity, is there a better way to do this?
What id quite like is somebody to produce a scanner that lists all non-RIAA music in my collection so i can go and buy the albums the RIAA doesn't "protect".
I think it can be said now: the OLPC program is really just getting these children ready for the frustrations they will imminently face when they finally get to deal with "bug-free" large scale "western" software and hardware. Vista, anyone?
Seriously, though, the legal concerns of this are what really strike me on an Ethical level. If the OLPC company does get sued, it will certainly be by the individuals that live in the richer side of things, citing faulty development etc. And who benefits from that? Certainly not the people this organization is out to help (or, at least, purports to be).
Not only that, but what does "a friendly transaction" even mean? I assure you that a great many Yahoo! shareholders will be more than willing to be "friendly" with Microsoft if it really does come to a showdown...
Interestingly, in our department we use good old fashioned FTP.
Professors have logins - they can drag and drop word documents, excel files with grades, or whatever else they want (maps primarily, or related data, in this case.)
And it works fine. Students go to a website, download material, and bam. Done. Files can be uploaded to seperate servers. Takes *Far* less training than teaching *anyone* how to use the mess that was WebCT and now is Blackboard.
But it is a bit different for us: we still get *paid*. Unlike authors of fiction novels or other individuals that get paid on a books-sold basis, academics are generally paid by the university or other organization to produce their works.
I agreed when I installed Itunes (which, by the way, I am in the process of uninstalling) that automatic updates were OK with me.
Automatic offering me of new programs, under the *guise* of an update that 99% of people just click "OK" on? Here I have a real problem. At the very least it erodes trust in apple, at worst it may be illegal (though, certainly, IANAL).
You mean.. I will finally be able to stop explaining to people the difference between "Memory" and "Hard Drive"?
Going to go hop into my DeLorean, see you guys in about 15 years (suckers!)
Rare Inc. (Perfect Dark Zero) For the most part I agree, but using Rare as an example of a company that succeeded after Microsoft purchased it? Thats one heck of a joke. Prior to its purchase, Rare was creating some of the most outstanding (and genre-defining) games on the market: Goldeneye, Banjo Kazooie, Perfect Dark, Donkey Kong 64 all jump to mind. They pushed the envelope, and did it well. Alas, The old Rare is missed.
Every time I see articles about Cyberstorm it brings me back to the old Cyberstorm strategy games. I wish they still made those (or something similar).
On a side note, if these games teach us anything it's that Cyberstorm 1 will have been a heckofalot better than 2:)
I have to contest this, especially at the undergraduate level. Certainly the best undergraduate environments are those in which students can work together to make eachothers projects better, or help facilitate understandings. This becomes impossible in an online environment if all the undergraduates involved do not have access to either:
(A) A computer or
(B) A computer powerful enough to run the software required by the class
But, they're college students you say! Of course they at least have a computer!
Sadly, this is not the case - I personally work with a number of students that do all of their computing on campus. And, even if they did have the money to afford a computer, it certainly would not have the capability to run some of the software which our classes use on a regular basis.
Thus, I would argue that in no case is it OK to move into a purely online environment. I'm sorry you had a crappy class which forced you to attend at an official university, but just because *you* have the ability to work online certainly does not mean the common person does. Are we really OK with simply giving up on individuals that were either too poor or otherwise disadvantaged to have regular access to computers?
I would just like to comment that I am very much in that boat - I have toyed with linux, configured a few UNIX servers here and there (mostly using guides), and yet I've never put Linux on my desktop (in favor of XP). I'm certainly not a windows nut, but frankly the pure number of linux distros coupled with my concern over getting drivers (I built my own box, picking parts with XP drivers available) has scared me away. Not to mention the number of programs which I use regularly that require Direct X and other (I presume) windows hooks. Taking for instance a few Valve games, I'm not really willing to spend hours configuring my system to play when I could just load up and play immediately on a Windows machine.
I could be wrong in my assumptions - in fact, I regularly am - but if I am I think the underlying reasons of *why* I am wrong rather than the fact I am wrong is far more interesting. Microsoft's advertising machine truly is something to be impressed by (or fearful of). And I, like many others, simply do not have the time to educate myself otherwise (except, of course, the occasional slashdot comment offering insight! I may even build a mythTV soon...)
IANAL, but in order to practice this kind of business I believe you have to meet certain regulations. For instance, its OK for Coke to offer a fast food joint a discount on Coke products if they buy in quantities so large that it would be foolish for them to stock Pepsi at all. While they are driving pepsi out of the market, its "under the table". However, Coke going to that same store and signing an agreement that says "only sell coke and we'll sell it to you cheaper" -- I think thats where the line is crossed.
Slashdot Mirror
You have no idea. I mod up everything that has to do with Ballmer throwing chairs, Gotse, ?? Profit, and FIRST POST, while making sure to mod down anything with substance. I considered, albeit briefly, modding with dignity, but then I saw that 7 digit number and realized.. neh, screw it.
I am apparently a Slashdot newb and inadvertently modded your comment Redundant rather than Insightful (slip of the mouse), and the only way I know to undue it is to post here. out of curiosity, is there a better way to do this?
Until you blink naturally, accidentally clicking the "North" button, and you are promptly eaten by a Grue.
:)
And yes, I know you didn't *click* a north button, but that isn't the point here
You mean something like this?
http://www.riaaradar.com/
Exploring the world...
of Warcraft?
Right?
Or are you talking about something else?
I think it can be said now: the OLPC program is really just getting these children ready for the frustrations they will imminently face when they finally get to deal with "bug-free" large scale "western" software and hardware. Vista, anyone?
Seriously, though, the legal concerns of this are what really strike me on an Ethical level. If the OLPC company does get sued, it will certainly be by the individuals that live in the richer side of things, citing faulty development etc. And who benefits from that? Certainly not the people this organization is out to help (or, at least, purports to be).
Not only that, but what does "a friendly transaction" even mean? I assure you that a great many Yahoo! shareholders will be more than willing to be "friendly" with Microsoft if it really does come to a showdown...
Manos causes physical pain to watch. Nothing better than Joel popping up with his cloak painted with feet on it, though :)
Moments after the link was published, it was slashdotted. Perhaps it is for the best :)
Which one was it! I know it was one of you! I know the april fools is somewhere! SHOW YOURSELF! COME OUT! *twitch*
Interestingly, in our department we use good old fashioned FTP.
Professors have logins - they can drag and drop word documents, excel files with grades, or whatever else they want (maps primarily, or related data, in this case.)
And it works fine. Students go to a website, download material, and bam. Done. Files can be uploaded to seperate servers. Takes *Far* less training than teaching *anyone* how to use the mess that was WebCT and now is Blackboard.
But it is a bit different for us: we still get *paid*. Unlike authors of fiction novels or other individuals that get paid on a books-sold basis, academics are generally paid by the university or other organization to produce their works.
I agreed when I installed Itunes (which, by the way, I am in the process of uninstalling) that automatic updates were OK with me.
Automatic offering me of new programs, under the *guise* of an update that 99% of people just click "OK" on? Here I have a real problem. At the very least it erodes trust in apple, at worst it may be illegal (though, certainly, IANAL).
You mean.. I will finally be able to stop explaining to people the difference between "Memory" and "Hard Drive"?
Going to go hop into my DeLorean, see you guys in about 15 years (suckers!)
p.p.p.p.s. and when you're dying I'll be still alive
42. Exactly.
Every time I see articles about Cyberstorm it brings me back to the old Cyberstorm strategy games. I wish they still made those (or something similar).
:)
On a side note, if these games teach us anything it's that Cyberstorm 1 will have been a heckofalot better than 2
I have to contest this, especially at the undergraduate level. Certainly the best undergraduate environments are those in which students can work together to make eachothers projects better, or help facilitate understandings. This becomes impossible in an online environment if all the undergraduates involved do not have access to either:
(A) A computer or
(B) A computer powerful enough to run the software required by the class
But, they're college students you say! Of course they at least have a computer!
Sadly, this is not the case - I personally work with a number of students that do all of their computing on campus. And, even if they did have the money to afford a computer, it certainly would not have the capability to run some of the software which our classes use on a regular basis.
Thus, I would argue that in no case is it OK to move into a purely online environment. I'm sorry you had a crappy class which forced you to attend at an official university, but just because *you* have the ability to work online certainly does not mean the common person does. Are we really OK with simply giving up on individuals that were either too poor or otherwise disadvantaged to have regular access to computers?
I'm not.
I would just like to comment that I am very much in that boat - I have toyed with linux, configured a few UNIX servers here and there (mostly using guides), and yet I've never put Linux on my desktop (in favor of XP). I'm certainly not a windows nut, but frankly the pure number of linux distros coupled with my concern over getting drivers (I built my own box, picking parts with XP drivers available) has scared me away. Not to mention the number of programs which I use regularly that require Direct X and other (I presume) windows hooks. Taking for instance a few Valve games, I'm not really willing to spend hours configuring my system to play when I could just load up and play immediately on a Windows machine. I could be wrong in my assumptions - in fact, I regularly am - but if I am I think the underlying reasons of *why* I am wrong rather than the fact I am wrong is far more interesting. Microsoft's advertising machine truly is something to be impressed by (or fearful of). And I, like many others, simply do not have the time to educate myself otherwise (except, of course, the occasional slashdot comment offering insight! I may even build a mythTV soon...)
I can only begin to guess who the "Anonymous Coward" that posted this story might work for....
Go Go Slashvertisements!
That was the error - they *asked* for a number between 1 and 10.
Don't Panic
IANAL, but in order to practice this kind of business I believe you have to meet certain regulations. For instance, its OK for Coke to offer a fast food joint a discount on Coke products if they buy in quantities so large that it would be foolish for them to stock Pepsi at all. While they are driving pepsi out of the market, its "under the table". However, Coke going to that same store and signing an agreement that says "only sell coke and we'll sell it to you cheaper" -- I think thats where the line is crossed.
Geek Squad: Topless edition! Pornography everywhere... oh, wait, too late :)