The comment in the article about generic software is a clever observation. After all, we have generic drugs, generic foods, off-brand clothing lines. Each of these is most likely a lucrative market for the companies that don't command name brand recognition. A significant portion of the population of the world can't reasonably afford the top o' the line products.
So it seems that generic software, which does almost everything that name brand software does, should be a natural part of the computing world. Yet, where are those generic word processors and spreadsheets and even operating systems? Why is 95% of the desktop market, including these important applications, controlled by one company with nearly impenetrable barriers to entry?
And does this news article point to an example of that very company moving to stamp out a potential insurgence of that generic software? Would we stand for Del Monte moving to shut off the supply of generic branded vegetables on store shelves, especially when someone pointed out that many families couldn't afford the more expensive brand? Why should we stand for Microsoft bringing in jack-booted thugs against schools that have budget shortages?
I find it ironic that a wildly popular peer-to-peer tools that scares the bejesus out of the media conglomerates is being positioned as the secure delivery vehicle to cater to those same media conglomerates. Were I truly paranoid, I could dream up a scenario in which the RIAA were far more clever than we ever imagined and (a) pursued P2P tools via legal attacks while (b) preparing to use their popularity to distribute their own "secure" network tools for which they hold the keys. Then again, perhaps these Brilliant people are really just clever enough to figure out how to sell P2P to the media giants in a form they can stomach. A fancy trick, that, if they they pull it off.
Tangent: It's weird, but as I've become a more experienced computer and software user, I've learned that less software is better for me and for my system. This is just one more example of that, as I see it. But unfortunately most computer users (by which, I suppose I mean Windows users) end up downloading dozens of programs they don't want or need. When I check out a family member's or friend's Windows computer they always have these huge Programs menus with entries they don't even recognize anymore. I suspect a lot of people will be surprised if this method of software delivery is copycatted (and I see no reason why it won't catch on very quickly) and months after they've downloaded, installed, and forgotten that VisualBasic gadget du jour that they got from C|Net's download center wakes up the trojan that came along for the ride and starts offering to sell them printer ink or viagra or green cards.
Although I didn't see him mention this specifically, I think it's worth pointing out, given his discussion of music and the borrowing of material from other sources. In particular, how borrowing is important culturally.
One moment I recall quite clearly from my college years is the day in class when the teacher of the survey course in music asked the question "What makes American music American?" This was something I hadn't considered before, and the answer wasn't clear to me until he asked more precisely "Why is the 1812 Overture so distinctly Russian? Why is Appalachian Spring American?" The answer is that both borrow themes from the folk music of each country. The Russians knew that Tchaikovsky was writing Russian music because it had recognizable themes that reminded them that they were Russian. The Shaker melody in Appalachian Spring is something many Americans had heard many times before, when that piece was written. (And even moreso now, as "Spring" is itself a common piece of music to hear performed.)
So without the ability to borrow ideas and themes and work them into new compositions, music would be a barren landscape.
One could argue, similarly, that if we impose stronger and stronger restrictions on what we can build into software, then we are resisting the natural cultural synergy that results from algorithms and features being shared among the community members.
Not sure if you realized this (I hope you did) but the first link in the Slashdot blurb goes to the actual review. He doesn't address everything you've asked (good points, btw) but he does talk about who should buy it and why, as well as potential cost savings.
The states' call for an open-source version of Internet Explorer would destroy "any incentive for Microsoft to invest in the creation of such new versions," Microsoft said.
So what they're saying here is that when free software succeeds, they can't compete. If ever one questioned whether Microsoft feared free software, this should quell such doubts. They know that as soon as the source is available better products can and probably will be made. And apparently that's competition they can't handle. (Yes, this is toll-like, but I kind of like being a troll sometimes. My next point is hopefully better.:^D )
Also, their objection seems ill-founded to me. If they wish to complain that these states shouldn't be able to bring an anti-trust action that has national implications, I'd want to know if they'd objected to the original 18 states being included. That is, wanting to eliminate states from the equation seems to say that the DoJ is the only body that should be taking Microsoft to court, in which case they should have objected to the original 18 states. Taking issue with the inclusion of any states at this point seems like wanting to change the rules you had tacitly accepted after the game has been played for several years.
As I recall, AOL chose to stick with an IE-based browser in their latest iteration of the AOL software. If I wanted to take seriously this complaint from AOL about Microsoft being so anti-competitive, I'd like to see AOL stick to their guns and use Netscape/Mozilla as their main browser.
Or even better: give AOL users a choice!
Still, maybe this is all just part of a larger plan: "See, Your Honor?!? We can't even use the browser we own and develop because the defendant's anti-competitive business practices have unfairly made IE the standard browser that web site authors design for. If we used our own browser, our users would complain that too many sites didn't work!"
Dubinsky said:
We are a company that is transitioning out of the organizer business and into the communicator business.[emphasis added]
Now if they'd just work on getting the transporter functional, phaser operational, and making one-piece miniskirt outfits come back in style, I can start living the life of Kirk.;^)
A standard 8 MB Memory Stick® media is included with your CLIÉ(TM) PEG-N760C handheld. This is adequate for storing a few, non-secure, music tracks at a time. To carry more than a few tracks at once, or to download and play secure music (ATRAC3(TM) audio content) requires a larger MagicGate(TM) Memory Stick® media (sold separately).
This makes me wonder a couple of things.
With language like "non-secure", which probably sounds to the uninitiated like something bad, how serious is Sony about pushing secure content? After all, they do own the rights to a ton of music. Wording like this makes me think they're planning to lock it all up and make the general public think they're doing the right thing when they rent their "secure" music from Sony.
Since they've clearly got "secure music" in mind, will we see a day when their stock MP3 player won't play "non-secure" music? If they did so, how open is the Sony hardware to creating third party players that would play "non-secure" music.
I mean, to me it looks like they want to (a) start sell^H^H^H^Hrenting their "secure" music while (b) tying the use of that music to increasing hardware sales (of MagicGate Memory Sticks) and then (c) use scary language and possibly locking up their hardware specs (Warning! Wild speculation!) to prevent the unsaavy from playing "non-secure" music.
I haven't been burned, but I use PayPal as little as possible now. There has to be a better way.
Coming Soon! Xbox version!
on
Portable GameCube
·
· Score: 1, Flamebait
Interact sells an optional battery pack, which IGN claims can power the GameCube and monitor for up to three hours.
You left the part out about the Xbox version which will be out soon. The battery pack can power an Xbox for up to 4 hours along with the 4.5" LCD screen that snaps right onto the ample acreage of the Xbox controller itself. Further, there is some extra juice left over to power the Linux box sitting over on the side so you can actually use the ethernet connection to play with your friends online. As if that weren't enough, it comes in an enclosure no larger than 5 Xboxes and has a sporty green Xbox logo on the side so that everyone knows you are a gamer with a flair and style unmatched by your peers.
At the jaw-droppingly low price of $450 for all the extra hardware (Xbox and games not included), it can be yours.
And you have to admit, it is really quite amazing what they can do now with four car batteries, 20 pounds of wire, and a huge metal cart (required for portability).
Yeah, so brand me a troll. I am, after all, tired and cranky and sitting under a bridge. How about tossing me a Scooby snack while you're at it?
In the article about Microsoft doing well, MSNBC writes:
And its antitrust settlement with the Justice Department earlier this month is expected to free it to focus more fully on expanding beyond PC software.
Isn't that part of the problem? That is to say, are people so blind that they don't see that "expanding beyond PC software" mean (for Microsoft) that they will leverage their grip on the consumer PC desktop to gain advantages in new markets and shove out competitors [sic]? This line of the article says, to me, "the antitrust settlement effectively frees Microsoft to continue to violate antitrust laws".
As part of my research on F. Scott Fitzgerald back in high school, I read his unfinished last book The Last Tycoon. While I enjoyed that part that exists, the experience was unsatisfying precisely because the it was unfinished. The analysis of his notes that followed outlined how the book might have ended, based on some speculation, but that's no way to end any story. It's like reading the first half of Romeo and Juliet and having to read someone else's notes to find out "hijinx ensue, they commit suicide".
For that reason, I'd be tempted to stay away from this book by Douglas.
Re:What makes a good IDE, aka: Netbeans is real cl
on
Java IDEs?
·
· Score: 2, Funny
I hate this guy as much as all of you combined;^), but why moderate him as a troll? That's just silly.
AFIK the thing does not have a net connection shiped with it so you can not get any networking. Is there a printer port? Can you plug in a cdrom drive or a fd0/L120 device?
Yeah, since the PS2 has USB ports on the front, it shouldn't be horrible to port any USB device driver to Linux/PS2. Printers, mice, keyboards, tablets, CD-RWs, digital cameras, ethernet adaptors, modems, speakers. Anything that is USB nowadays in theory could be made to work with Linux/PS2.
How it'll probably shake out
on
XBox Delayed
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· Score: 3, Informative
Not that there is anything new, but...
Nintendo's advertising will probably start shortly. While Xbox may be building hype right now, Nintendo has year and years of name brand recognition and several widely known franchises (Mario, Metroid, Pokemon, et al) to their advantage. One good month of advertisements and kids'll be hocking their N64's like there is no tomorrow. Nintendo doesn't need to work as hard as MS to have the same (or greater) effect.
Second, Microsoft is in the unenviable position of having the most expensive console. Sony could potentially drop the price of the PS2 to $250 now that they're over a year into mass production. The Nintendo GameCube has always been targetted at a much lower price point ($200) so it has a fairly good advantage over Sony and MS both in that regard.
Finally, the recession is on the way (face up to it, boys and girls) and that means less money sloshing around to spend on toys. If a full-fledged depression hits, then Nintendo and Microsoft and Sony are all going to take a hit, and the odd man out, Microsoft in this case, will probably fall by the wayside.
Anyway, this doesn't touch on the issues that others might find problems with like (a) having to buy a special remote to use it as a DVD player (b) the network adaptor being effectively useless until at least March 2002, and (c) the lack of real support from Japanese companies. (Token games, for sure, just to test the waters, but they'll probably pull back real quick when the recession hits full on.)
I think you'd have an argument if AOL were in the position that Microsoft is. That is to say, if AOL were a required part of practically every x86 PC sold in the world. As it is, however, you have to choose to download Netscape and AOL; they're not foisted upon you like IE and WMP and MSN Messenger will be in, for example, Windows XP.
Remember that the company that has the monopoly may be required to play by different rules than the companies against which they may compete. Since the US justice system has ruled that Microsoft is a monopoly and that they've engaged in monopoly maintenance, they may be required to act differently than AOL/TWC/Netscape or Sun or anyone else that challenges Microsoft.
Incidentally, I installed Netscape 6 on a Windows 2000 box and was able to uninstall (e.g.) Net2Phone, which is some piece of crap I don't need. I'm not sure whether I had the option to not install it in the first place (which, admittedly, would be bad) but I was able to uninstall it using the Add/Remove Programs control panel program. In Windows 9x, you don't have a choice about uninstalling IE at all. (Unless you use the non-Microsoft program Win98Lite or whatever it's called.)
Re:I'll get hammered, but Internet Explorer 6 is o
on
KOffice 1.1 Rolls Out
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· Score: 2
If they were working towards OS monoculture, wouldn't they be trying to remove functionality from Mac IE?
Not if they think.NET is the platform of the future. That is, they probably see the world as primarily Windows and Mac users; the Linux and other users are too small to count (on the desktop). So if they have a kickass IE for Mac and Windows and both do.NET just fine, then they've made captive the Apple users as well as the Windows users for selling services via the.NET platform.
Then again, Ruffin would probably tell me I've got it all wrong.
Re:Retro gaming takes off
on
MAME on X-Box
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· Score: 2
Personally I'm not a big games fan but if I can run Amiga, PC Engine and MAME games under it then I would be very very happy.
This statement confuses me. How can you not be a big fan of games, yet want to play console (and old computer) emulators, which are basically game machines? Did you perhaps mean "I'm not a big fan of [today's] games"? That I can understand.:^)
Back on topic...I'm not sure I think that the Xbox is any more suited to running emulators than the PS2 or Dreamcast. Yes, there might be more source code in common (provided the emulator devs are all using Visual Studio or whatnot) and thus easier to just recompile, but any source code (written in C or C++) should be fairly easy to port provided most of what you're doing is 2D stuff. (I'm under the impression, perhaps wrong, that 2D is easy and 3D is harder on, for example, the PS2.)
It is interesting to note, however, that the discussion of emulators has moved completely out of the realm of "Is it legal to own ROMs?" to "When will the next platform be supported?" I mean, the premise of running these games on a PC legally is that you own the ROMs and have a right to run them.
Of course if MAME on any console took off, I'd be surprised if someone didn't get slapped with a big ol' lawsuit right quick. Either the MAME devs or the ROM distributors or even...the console maker itself! Hmmm...maybe MAME on the Xbox isn't so bad.:^D
Read the LinuxToday tell-all article here where it goes into the real story about Loki and how bad their situation is.
Also, LinuxGames did a retrospective article the night that the Loki news first broke. It covers history, achievements, difficulties, and the possible future of Loki. Read it
here
Slashdot Mirror
The comment in the article about generic software is a clever observation. After all, we have generic drugs, generic foods, off-brand clothing lines. Each of these is most likely a lucrative market for the companies that don't command name brand recognition. A significant portion of the population of the world can't reasonably afford the top o' the line products.
:^)
So it seems that generic software, which does almost everything that name brand software does, should be a natural part of the computing world. Yet, where are those generic word processors and spreadsheets and even operating systems? Why is 95% of the desktop market, including these important applications, controlled by one company with nearly impenetrable barriers to entry?
And does this news article point to an example of that very company moving to stamp out a potential insurgence of that generic software? Would we stand for Del Monte moving to shut off the supply of generic branded vegetables on store shelves, especially when someone pointed out that many families couldn't afford the more expensive brand? Why should we stand for Microsoft bringing in jack-booted thugs against schools that have budget shortages?
Yeah, that's inflammatory language. So what?
Except while ye post.
(Probably too obscure for anyone else to get, but that's the way it goes. Research Will Rogers and Wile E. Post.)
I find it ironic that a wildly popular peer-to-peer tools that scares the bejesus out of the media conglomerates is being positioned as the secure delivery vehicle to cater to those same media conglomerates. Were I truly paranoid, I could dream up a scenario in which the RIAA were far more clever than we ever imagined and (a) pursued P2P tools via legal attacks while (b) preparing to use their popularity to distribute their own "secure" network tools for which they hold the keys. Then again, perhaps these Brilliant people are really just clever enough to figure out how to sell P2P to the media giants in a form they can stomach. A fancy trick, that, if they they pull it off.
Tangent:
It's weird, but as I've become a more experienced computer and software user, I've learned that less software is better for me and for my system. This is just one more example of that, as I see it. But unfortunately most computer users (by which, I suppose I mean Windows users) end up downloading dozens of programs they don't want or need. When I check out a family member's or friend's Windows computer they always have these huge Programs menus with entries they don't even recognize anymore. I suspect a lot of people will be surprised if this method of software delivery is copycatted (and I see no reason why it won't catch on very quickly) and months after they've downloaded, installed, and forgotten that VisualBasic gadget du jour that they got from C|Net's download center wakes up the trojan that came along for the ride and starts offering to sell them printer ink or viagra or green cards.
Although I didn't see him mention this specifically, I think it's worth pointing out, given his discussion of music and the borrowing of material from other sources. In particular, how borrowing is important culturally.
One moment I recall quite clearly from my college years is the day in class when the teacher of the survey course in music asked the question "What makes American music American?" This was something I hadn't considered before, and the answer wasn't clear to me until he asked more precisely "Why is the 1812 Overture so distinctly Russian? Why is Appalachian Spring American?" The answer is that both borrow themes from the folk music of each country. The Russians knew that Tchaikovsky was writing Russian music because it had recognizable themes that reminded them that they were Russian. The Shaker melody in Appalachian Spring is something many Americans had heard many times before, when that piece was written. (And even moreso now, as "Spring" is itself a common piece of music to hear performed.)
So without the ability to borrow ideas and themes and work them into new compositions, music would be a barren landscape.
One could argue, similarly, that if we impose stronger and stronger restrictions on what we can build into software, then we are resisting the natural cultural synergy that results from algorithms and features being shared among the community members.
...the paperclip, I'm not buying it. ;^)
.doc monopoly" statements here.]
Of course, I'm not buying it anyway. [Insert standard "no reason to further the
Not sure if you realized this (I hope you did) but the first link in the Slashdot blurb goes to the actual review. He doesn't address everything you've asked (good points, btw) but he does talk about who should buy it and why, as well as potential cost savings.
So what they're saying here is that when free software succeeds, they can't compete. If ever one questioned whether Microsoft feared free software, this should quell such doubts. They know that as soon as the source is available better products can and probably will be made. And apparently that's competition they can't handle. (Yes, this is toll-like, but I kind of like being a troll sometimes. My next point is hopefully better.
Also, their objection seems ill-founded to me. If they wish to complain that these states shouldn't be able to bring an anti-trust action that has national implications, I'd want to know if they'd objected to the original 18 states being included. That is, wanting to eliminate states from the equation seems to say that the DoJ is the only body that should be taking Microsoft to court, in which case they should have objected to the original 18 states. Taking issue with the inclusion of any states at this point seems like wanting to change the rules you had tacitly accepted after the game has been played for several years.
As I recall, AOL chose to stick with an IE-based browser in their latest iteration of the AOL software. If I wanted to take seriously this complaint from AOL about Microsoft being so anti-competitive, I'd like to see AOL stick to their guns and use Netscape/Mozilla as their main browser.
Or even better: give AOL users a choice!
Still, maybe this is all just part of a larger plan: "See, Your Honor?!? We can't even use the browser we own and develop because the defendant's anti-competitive business practices have unfairly made IE the standard browser that web site authors design for. If we used our own browser, our users would complain that too many sites didn't work!"
Now if they'd just work on getting the transporter functional, phaser operational, and making one-piece miniskirt outfits come back in style, I can start living the life of Kirk.
This makes me wonder a couple of things.
I mean, to me it looks like they want to (a) start sell^H^H^H^Hrenting their "secure" music while (b) tying the use of that music to increasing hardware sales (of MagicGate Memory Sticks) and then (c) use scary language and possibly locking up their hardware specs (Warning! Wild speculation!) to prevent the unsaavy from playing "non-secure" music.
Again, just wild speculation there.
I'm sure there are hundreds of these. But this one came up in a newsgroup that I read often (rec.games.video.classic):
A n auction for classic video games gone wrong
Then there is the followup:
Victory
I haven't been burned, but I use PayPal as little as possible now. There has to be a better way.
You left the part out about the Xbox version which will be out soon. The battery pack can power an Xbox for up to 4 hours along with the 4.5" LCD screen that snaps right onto the ample acreage of the Xbox controller itself. Further, there is some extra juice left over to power the Linux box sitting over on the side so you can actually use the ethernet connection to play with your friends online. As if that weren't enough, it comes in an enclosure no larger than 5 Xboxes and has a sporty green Xbox logo on the side so that everyone knows you are a gamer with a flair and style unmatched by your peers.
At the jaw-droppingly low price of $450 for all the extra hardware (Xbox and games not included), it can be yours.
And you have to admit, it is really quite amazing what they can do now with four car batteries, 20 pounds of wire, and a huge metal cart (required for portability).
Yeah, so brand me a troll. I am, after all, tired and cranky and sitting under a bridge. How about tossing me a Scooby snack while you're at it?
Isn't that part of the problem? That is to say, are people so blind that they don't see that "expanding beyond PC software" mean (for Microsoft) that they will leverage their grip on the consumer PC desktop to gain advantages in new markets and shove out competitors [sic]? This line of the article says, to me, "the antitrust settlement effectively frees Microsoft to continue to violate antitrust laws".
For that reason, I'd be tempted to stay away from this book by Douglas.
I hate this guy as much as all of you combined ;^), but why moderate him as a troll? That's just silly.
Yeah, since the PS2 has USB ports on the front, it shouldn't be horrible to port any USB device driver to Linux/PS2. Printers, mice, keyboards, tablets, CD-RWs, digital cameras, ethernet adaptors, modems, speakers. Anything that is USB nowadays in theory could be made to work with Linux/PS2.
Not that there is anything new, but...
Nintendo's advertising will probably start shortly. While Xbox may be building hype right now, Nintendo has year and years of name brand recognition and several widely known franchises (Mario, Metroid, Pokemon, et al) to their advantage. One good month of advertisements and kids'll be hocking their N64's like there is no tomorrow. Nintendo doesn't need to work as hard as MS to have the same (or greater) effect.
Second, Microsoft is in the unenviable position of having the most expensive console. Sony could potentially drop the price of the PS2 to $250 now that they're over a year into mass production. The Nintendo GameCube has always been targetted at a much lower price point ($200) so it has a fairly good advantage over Sony and MS both in that regard.
Finally, the recession is on the way (face up to it, boys and girls) and that means less money sloshing around to spend on toys. If a full-fledged depression hits, then Nintendo and Microsoft and Sony are all going to take a hit, and the odd man out, Microsoft in this case, will probably fall by the wayside.
Anyway, this doesn't touch on the issues that others might find problems with like (a) having to buy a special remote to use it as a DVD player (b) the network adaptor being effectively useless until at least March 2002, and (c) the lack of real support from Japanese companies. (Token games, for sure, just to test the waters, but they'll probably pull back real quick when the recession hits full on.)
I think you'd have an argument if AOL were in the position that Microsoft is. That is to say, if AOL were a required part of practically every x86 PC sold in the world. As it is, however, you have to choose to download Netscape and AOL; they're not foisted upon you like IE and WMP and MSN Messenger will be in, for example, Windows XP.
Remember that the company that has the monopoly may be required to play by different rules than the companies against which they may compete. Since the US justice system has ruled that Microsoft is a monopoly and that they've engaged in monopoly maintenance, they may be required to act differently than AOL/TWC/Netscape or Sun or anyone else that challenges Microsoft.
Incidentally, I installed Netscape 6 on a Windows 2000 box and was able to uninstall (e.g.) Net2Phone, which is some piece of crap I don't need. I'm not sure whether I had the option to not install it in the first place (which, admittedly, would be bad) but I was able to uninstall it using the Add/Remove Programs control panel program. In Windows 9x, you don't have a choice about uninstalling IE at all. (Unless you use the non-Microsoft program Win98Lite or whatever it's called.)
Not if they think
Then again, Ruffin would probably tell me I've got it all wrong.
This statement confuses me. How can you not be a big fan of games, yet want to play console (and old computer) emulators, which are basically game machines? Did you perhaps mean "I'm not a big fan of [today's] games"? That I can understand.
Back on topic...I'm not sure I think that the Xbox is any more suited to running emulators than the PS2 or Dreamcast. Yes, there might be more source code in common (provided the emulator devs are all using Visual Studio or whatnot) and thus easier to just recompile, but any source code (written in C or C++) should be fairly easy to port provided most of what you're doing is 2D stuff. (I'm under the impression, perhaps wrong, that 2D is easy and 3D is harder on, for example, the PS2.)
It is interesting to note, however, that the discussion of emulators has moved completely out of the realm of "Is it legal to own ROMs?" to "When will the next platform be supported?" I mean, the premise of running these games on a PC legally is that you own the ROMs and have a right to run them.
Of course if MAME on any console took off, I'd be surprised if someone didn't get slapped with a big ol' lawsuit right quick. Either the MAME devs or the ROM distributors or even
Also, LinuxGames did a retrospective article the night that the Loki news first broke. It covers history, achievements, difficulties, and the possible future of Loki. Read it here
It's not like Microsoft was been bothered by Quicktime before and told Apple where they could stick it.
Whatever.