>Charge for updates! I could only imagine the backlash to that.
Not "charge for updates," but "charge for Windows Update". There's a difference, and it involves making the patches available for manual installation and charging to make things easier for the customer. You know, like a service.
Oh, don't be such a sourpuss. There's plenty of welcome room for music players as lifestyle accessories, as those who praise the iPod line while lamenting their prices attest. While it can be argued that people are closing themselves off on the street and in on the commuter train via the earphone barrier, history tells us that we've never needed a walkman in order to isolate ourselves among strangers. People in the US complain about the junky cellphones we have compared to people in Asia and Europe, and this is precisely the reason: that they are much more integrated into peoples' lives "over there" so companies put more effort into making them more enjoyable in some way. Not to mention the real value of creative cultural design. How much more technology can a digital player be sold through, and why can't design be considered an advance in technology? It creates tools that are more desirable by more people as they appeal and become absorbed by a greater segment of the population. Sounds like growth to me, even if you don't like the direction.
Twice in the past year, I've submitted patches to the Linux kernel that contained code that was either copyrighted and/or patented by my employer. Both times my patches were accepted.
Well, the trick now is to get enough Massachussetts residents to comment on the changes, pointing out that it is merely a *read only* license. This is Microsoft's gambit to see if the point is to adopt an open XML format, or merely to get a little testosterone-fired license capitulation from Microsoft. They'll certainly eat a little crap in order to get their still-closed format adopted.
I have a slightly different take. While WoW and the phenomenon of the MMORPGs may be absorbing a chunk of Tribes' userland, for me the reason I don't pay attention anymore is Unreal Tournament 2004. I bought Tribes 2 the day it came out based on my good experiences with the first Starsiege:Tribes in, oh, 1998-1999 or so. Tribes 2 sucked so bad. I felt ripped off for the first time (okay, I may be a slight gaming newbie) and vowed never to give them any more money. Seriously, if the game sucks enough for me to give up after 2 days, that's it for me.
I had played and loved the original Unreal Tournament, but I learned my lesson from Tribes2, so I read reviews of Unreal Tournament 2003 when *that* came out. Pure shit, by my reading. What was I going to do? A little sideline off into Serious Sam territory, spending the next few months getting through both of those (great f'in games, btw). Then what? I got into driving games, spending the next 6mos or so on various Need For Speed chapters, buying a wheel and pedals along the way. Good fun! So now, it was almost time for Unreal Tournament 2004 to come out. I read some first-week reviews, it was much more well received than UT2k3, so I bought it. Excellent game, as many people know.
That was a year ago. I'm still waiting for a good new chapter of the Need For Speeds (or a Rally game) to get my driving fix, but I've been playing quite a bit of UT2k4 in the meantime. Then I see this story, making me realize that I didn't even *know* a new Tribes was coming out. Tribes1 got me into online FPS (beyond Doom/Wolf ages ago) hardcore, but for some reason I wasn't able to sustain my attention past a bad chapter like I did with UT. That's how bad they screwed up.
Speaking of checking the posts one is replying to, please do the same. Notice the "$2036" part. If you don't want to dispute the substance of my post and just niggle on little details. Furthermore, Dell's Inspiron line is comparable to the iBook, not the PowerBook.
if anyone doesn't believe me, go and look on apple and dell's website. it took me 3 minutes.
Okay, let's talk about lies, and maybe while we're at it we can go over apples and oranges.
I just went to the Dell site and spec'ed out an Inspiron 700m, their 12" offering, with similar specs as my 12" TiBook. $2036. This does not include any software like iLife, which came bundled with my Apple. Sorry bub, but by "maxed out" I meant 1GB RAM, DVD burner, the highest CPU speed, and all the other "maxed out" types of options. For your information, the backlit keyboard does not come on the 12". However, the new ones also have a swank two-finger window scroll function on the trackpad.
Look, I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I'm a former MCSE who has been using Microsoft and Intel since DOS 3.1. It's not like I went into this because all the cute girls in my dorm had iBooks. I did a lot of research, and I actually waited until Jaguar came out before I was satisfied that they were onto something. I've had it for a year and there are still a few interface quirks that I'm getting used to, but with a little perseverance (and a liberal helping of Quicksilver) I am unlearning 20 years of Microsoft without having to sacrifice my 10 years of *BSD. I don't know where you get off, but it's apparent you haven't used Macs much.
If I were a sysadmin in a place like that, I would give Knoppix people the heave-ho too. A non-IT employee using this is likely up to no good.
If you were the sysadmin in a place like that, why would anybody be able to boot from a CD in the first place? Everything you mention can be locked down into a password-protected BIOS.
>Uh, isn't that a bit, just a tiny bit favoring apple?... >First of all, the price could be argued
What's not to favor? I don't believe the price *can* be argued. It could at one time, but not anymore. Once Apple incorporated IDE into their machines the prices have been on par with Intel machines. It's true, it's just the perception of Apples as more expensive that persists. I have a maxed out 12" PowerBook that cost $2k brand new. This is about what I'd expect to pay for a nice Intel laptop with similar specs and is probably quite a bit cheaper than Sony's offering at this level. Apple doesn't offer a $500 WalMart PC, it's true...oh wait, scratch that (and don't gripe: you already *have* a mouse, monitor and keyboard).
>second of all. it seems that you're advocating the FOSS power as a >base or foundation for an operating system, rather than apple's >talents.
Where are you drawing the line? If I take this statement at face value, you're advocating homegrown-only development without considering that Apple's talent here might consist of being able to *choose* FOSS power. Microsoft seems to have painted itself into such a corner so that this option is not available to them at all. That's not a good position to be in when your whole stated development methodology revolves around interpreting what customers want. OS X is eating Microsoft's lunch in this regard.
The developer in the article is trying to backtrack out of Microsoft's age-old discourse about IE being part of the OS. Well, now they call it an API, big whoop. Semantics aside, the thing (whatever it's called now) that Microsoft has built to express this API is a security-lacking bug-riddled piece of shit. I don't think anybody would argue that, even if they can't think of a way to change it. Bill or Ballmer should be writing these things, and the fact that they aren't should tell you something.
Trouble is, geeks carry no weight in business, and the businessfolks have all the money. It's up to us to decide if we want some of that money or not.
Jeez, he just wants documentation. Why is this such a problem for people to understand? It's not about how much money he could be making if he had a better set of kneepads, or if he let Adaptec shine him on because that's the way "the game" is played. It's about being able to do what he wants with the hardware he (or the other users of OpenBSD) use. It costs nothing or next-to-nothing for Adaptec to provide the same documentation that their own developers use, yet apparently Adaptec doesn't wants to keep this secret because it might be embarrassing.
Perhaps you think it's a good idea to keep this information secret because the embarrassing aspects of the docs might get in the way of some of Adaptec's employees' desire to play the game and exercise their ability to go for "some of that money". Or perhaps not; maybe there's another reason not to allow serious and qualified developers access to existing documentation. Theo just wants to write software that people will use and will use as a reason to purchase more Adaptec products. I'm shocked that you would actually teach students that this is a bad idea.
Then again, having a problem with the way someone conducts themselves is no reason to disregard their innocuous requests. The money is not always right.
I'm talking about school budgets, not bureaucracy budgets. I don't know what things are like where you live, but giving a bunch of money to special education programs doesn't help most of the students here. Heck, I'm not even talking about music and art (shameful as the state of those programs are). I think there's at least a 33% chance that Americans aren't *smart* enough to create a secure infrastructure, IT or otherwise.
Anybody think that it might be a little different if the US weren't turning its citizens into worker drones by cutting education spending left and right? Maybe it's time for the DoD to have that bake sale for defense and security that I've been reading about on bumper stickers all these years.
Amazon.com rolls out a new site design that's only renders properly in Internet Explorer. How would you think Amazon's marketing people would react if they were told that 6% of their customers couldn't access their site properly? Betcha they'd get that fixed pretty quickly, no?
Consider this alternate scenario:
Firefox's share increases from 6% to 10% because of its CSS and extension support. Betcha Microsoft might think about the bites they're receiving, no?
>What large and expensive infrastructure? >*.NET download is free
Are you people high, or do you not use computers? Did you ever think that maybe he was referring to the resource expense? That it's a huge file, a huge install, and is overkill for the kinds of projects his company works on?
You can pretty much tell what changes will be made. Ask yourself if the change would increase lock-in or decrease lock-in. Missing stuff will be added, while blatent standards violations will remain.
I wonder, will IE7 be a Critical Update, or merely recommended?
No, either the music industry or the copyright offices need to get off their fat, money-soaked asses and come up with a workable licensing scheme that doesn't turn huge chunks of the country's citizens into criminals. But, as noted in another story, the record companies are using these suits for revenue more than abatement, so don't worry about the Anton Pillar orders going away soon.
It's got a great and long history, but I think the plain truth is that the word "Mozilla" sucks. It was funny in the Netscape 4.x days, "Huh huh, mozilla. Netscape rulez," but it now sounds like a nerdy in-joke. While valuable to the culture of the developers and OG users, there's just no way I could bring myself to tell people, "I use Mozilla browser and email." An irrational personal problem to be sure, but what's so wrong with the animals? Their icons are certainly better and more identifiable.
Slashdot Mirror
He used the phrase "risk matrix", what more do you want?
>Charge for updates! I could only imagine the backlash to that.
Not "charge for updates," but "charge for Windows Update". There's a difference, and it involves making the patches available for manual installation and charging to make things easier for the customer. You know, like a service.
Maybe. What is soccer?
Oh, don't be such a sourpuss. There's plenty of welcome room for music players as lifestyle accessories, as those who praise the iPod line while lamenting their prices attest. While it can be argued that people are closing themselves off on the street and in on the commuter train via the earphone barrier, history tells us that we've never needed a walkman in order to isolate ourselves among strangers. People in the US complain about the junky cellphones we have compared to people in Asia and Europe, and this is precisely the reason: that they are much more integrated into peoples' lives "over there" so companies put more effort into making them more enjoyable in some way. Not to mention the real value of creative cultural design. How much more technology can a digital player be sold through, and why can't design be considered an advance in technology? It creates tools that are more desirable by more people as they appeal and become absorbed by a greater segment of the population. Sounds like growth to me, even if you don't like the direction.
Twice in the past year, I've submitted patches to the Linux kernel that contained code that was either copyrighted and/or patented by my employer. Both times my patches were accepted.
If so, then it's you who is in trouble...
Well, the trick now is to get enough Massachussetts residents to comment on the changes, pointing out that it is merely a *read only* license. This is Microsoft's gambit to see if the point is to adopt an open XML format, or merely to get a little testosterone-fired license capitulation from Microsoft. They'll certainly eat a little crap in order to get their still-closed format adopted.
I have a slightly different take. While WoW and the phenomenon of the MMORPGs may be absorbing a chunk of Tribes' userland, for me the reason I don't pay attention anymore is Unreal Tournament 2004. I bought Tribes 2 the day it came out based on my good experiences with the first Starsiege:Tribes in, oh, 1998-1999 or so. Tribes 2 sucked so bad. I felt ripped off for the first time (okay, I may be a slight gaming newbie) and vowed never to give them any more money. Seriously, if the game sucks enough for me to give up after 2 days, that's it for me.
I had played and loved the original Unreal Tournament, but I learned my lesson from Tribes2, so I read reviews of Unreal Tournament 2003 when *that* came out. Pure shit, by my reading. What was I going to do? A little sideline off into Serious Sam territory, spending the next few months getting through both of those (great f'in games, btw). Then what? I got into driving games, spending the next 6mos or so on various Need For Speed chapters, buying a wheel and pedals along the way. Good fun! So now, it was almost time for Unreal Tournament 2004 to come out. I read some first-week reviews, it was much more well received than UT2k3, so I bought it. Excellent game, as many people know.
That was a year ago. I'm still waiting for a good new chapter of the Need For Speeds (or a Rally game) to get my driving fix, but I've been playing quite a bit of UT2k4 in the meantime. Then I see this story, making me realize that I didn't even *know* a new Tribes was coming out. Tribes1 got me into online FPS (beyond Doom/Wolf ages ago) hardcore, but for some reason I wasn't able to sustain my attention past a bad chapter like I did with UT. That's how bad they screwed up.
>simply go and check it out for yourself.
Speaking of checking the posts one is replying to, please do the same. Notice the "$2036" part. If you don't want to dispute the substance of my post and just niggle on little details. Furthermore, Dell's Inspiron line is comparable to the iBook, not the PowerBook.
I'm sorry, did you just compare a PowerMac G5 to a whitebox PC?
a PS2->USB adapter is only about $20, but it's another trip to the store for someone who was told their existing keyboard would work
Oh cry me a river. Furthermore, I don't know where you live, but around here (the city, admittedly) ps2->usb adapters are $2.
if anyone doesn't believe me, go and look on apple and dell's website. it took me 3 minutes.
Okay, let's talk about lies, and maybe while we're at it we can go over apples and oranges.
I just went to the Dell site and spec'ed out an Inspiron 700m, their 12" offering, with similar specs as my 12" TiBook. $2036. This does not include any software like iLife, which came bundled with my Apple. Sorry bub, but by "maxed out" I meant 1GB RAM, DVD burner, the highest CPU speed, and all the other "maxed out" types of options. For your information, the backlit keyboard does not come on the 12". However, the new ones also have a swank two-finger window scroll function on the trackpad.
Look, I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I'm a former MCSE who has been using Microsoft and Intel since DOS 3.1. It's not like I went into this because all the cute girls in my dorm had iBooks. I did a lot of research, and I actually waited until Jaguar came out before I was satisfied that they were onto something. I've had it for a year and there are still a few interface quirks that I'm getting used to, but with a little perseverance (and a liberal helping of Quicksilver) I am unlearning 20 years of Microsoft without having to sacrifice my 10 years of *BSD. I don't know where you get off, but it's apparent you haven't used Macs much.
If I were a sysadmin in a place like that, I would give Knoppix people the heave-ho too. A non-IT employee using this is likely up to no good.
If you were the sysadmin in a place like that, why would anybody be able to boot from a CD in the first place? Everything you mention can be locked down into a password-protected BIOS.
Something stinks in this story.
>The only thing preventing Firefox from being used
>for Windows Update is the Mozilla foundations refusal
>to support ActiveX
Google and you shall receive.
All of which serve to illustrate the tying-together that every antitrust case against Microsoft has claimed.
>Uh, isn't that a bit, just a tiny bit favoring apple? ...
>First of all, the price could be argued
What's not to favor? I don't believe the price *can* be argued. It could at one time, but not anymore. Once Apple incorporated IDE into their machines the prices have been on par with Intel machines. It's true, it's just the perception of Apples as more expensive that persists. I have a maxed out 12" PowerBook that cost $2k brand new. This is about what I'd expect to pay for a nice Intel laptop with similar specs and is probably quite a bit cheaper than Sony's offering at this level. Apple doesn't offer a $500 WalMart PC, it's true...oh wait, scratch that (and don't gripe: you already *have* a mouse, monitor and keyboard).
>second of all. it seems that you're advocating the FOSS power as a
>base or foundation for an operating system, rather than apple's
>talents.
Where are you drawing the line? If I take this statement at face value, you're advocating homegrown-only development without considering that Apple's talent here might consist of being able to *choose* FOSS power. Microsoft seems to have painted itself into such a corner so that this option is not available to them at all. That's not a good position to be in when your whole stated development methodology revolves around interpreting what customers want. OS X is eating Microsoft's lunch in this regard.
The developer in the article is trying to backtrack out of Microsoft's age-old discourse about IE being part of the OS. Well, now they call it an API, big whoop. Semantics aside, the thing (whatever it's called now) that Microsoft has built to express this API is a security-lacking bug-riddled piece of shit. I don't think anybody would argue that, even if they can't think of a way to change it. Bill or Ballmer should be writing these things, and the fact that they aren't should tell you something.
Trouble is, geeks carry no weight in business, and the businessfolks have all the money. It's up to us to decide if we want some of that money or not.
Jeez, he just wants documentation. Why is this such a problem for people to understand? It's not about how much money he could be making if he had a better set of kneepads, or if he let Adaptec shine him on because that's the way "the game" is played. It's about being able to do what he wants with the hardware he (or the other users of OpenBSD) use. It costs nothing or next-to-nothing for Adaptec to provide the same documentation that their own developers use, yet apparently Adaptec doesn't wants to keep this secret because it might be embarrassing.
Perhaps you think it's a good idea to keep this information secret because the embarrassing aspects of the docs might get in the way of some of Adaptec's employees' desire to play the game and exercise their ability to go for "some of that money". Or perhaps not; maybe there's another reason not to allow serious and qualified developers access to existing documentation. Theo just wants to write software that people will use and will use as a reason to purchase more Adaptec products. I'm shocked that you would actually teach students that this is a bad idea.
Then again, having a problem with the way someone conducts themselves is no reason to disregard their innocuous requests. The money is not always right.
I'm talking about school budgets, not bureaucracy budgets. I don't know what things are like where you live, but giving a bunch of money to special education programs doesn't help most of the students here. Heck, I'm not even talking about music and art (shameful as the state of those programs are). I think there's at least a 33% chance that Americans aren't *smart* enough to create a secure infrastructure, IT or otherwise.
Anybody think that it might be a little different if the US weren't turning its citizens into worker drones by cutting education spending left and right? Maybe it's time for the DoD to have that bake sale for defense and security that I've been reading about on bumper stickers all these years.
Amazon.com rolls out a new site design that's only renders properly in Internet Explorer. How would you think Amazon's marketing people would react if they were told that 6% of their customers couldn't access their site properly? Betcha they'd get that fixed pretty quickly, no?
Consider this alternate scenario:
Firefox's share increases from 6% to 10% because of its CSS and extension support. Betcha Microsoft might think about the bites they're receiving, no?
>What large and expensive infrastructure? .NET download is free
>*
Are you people high, or do you not use computers? Did you ever think that maybe he was referring to the resource expense? That it's a huge file, a huge install, and is overkill for the kinds of projects his company works on?
Sheesh!
You can pretty much tell what changes will be made. Ask yourself if the change would increase lock-in or decrease lock-in. Missing stuff will be added, while blatent standards violations will remain.
I wonder, will IE7 be a Critical Update, or merely recommended?
notwithstanding your "free bullshit" referral spam, i believe the point of small form factor PCs is to have a small form factor. as in size.
many artists often expect to make a living and/or professional careers out of what they do.
Uh huh, and thusly the privilege becomes a right?
Without the support of the artist-type of person, we will never achieve much of what we want.
Not sure what you mean here, but there's always another way to achieve what you want. Skinning a cat, and all that.
>Trying to change the law is what we need to do.
No, either the music industry or the copyright offices need to get off their fat, money-soaked asses and come up with a workable licensing scheme that doesn't turn huge chunks of the country's citizens into criminals. But, as noted in another story, the record companies are using these suits for revenue more than abatement, so don't worry about the Anton Pillar orders going away soon.
It's got a great and long history, but I think the plain truth is that the word "Mozilla" sucks. It was funny in the Netscape 4.x days, "Huh huh, mozilla. Netscape rulez," but it now sounds like a nerdy in-joke. While valuable to the culture of the developers and OG users, there's just no way I could bring myself to tell people, "I use Mozilla browser and email." An irrational personal problem to be sure, but what's so wrong with the animals? Their icons are certainly better and more identifiable.