I would just turn my back on tech in general and get work doing, I don't know, digging ditches or something but I'm certain some jackass has patented that already too. This is just fucking perfect. Thanks America.
OK, great,they fixed how it looks but how about the way it works? 5.x had some nasty problems that made me wish I stayed on 4.x and made my 2 year old G3 iBook really show it's age. Guess my cheap ass needs to pony up for a new one *sigh*... 5 even seemed like kind of a hog on the G4 desktop. Never bothered to top on it or anything but it certainly seemed much slower at many things and some crashing now and again too. Guess I'll find out tonight...
There is obviously a transition, albeit slow, at hand. I read and hear more and more often of known musicians doing their own recording and there's a growing number of indie artists doing everything from soup to nuts - meaning recording, producing and marketing their own content. I wish things would speed up. What does it take for this trend to gain momentum? How come I don't see these artist who are involved in producing and marketing their own content banding together and creating their own marketing campaigns to promote purchasing music online? A campaign in direct challenge to these goddamned douche-bag record companies crap anti-piracy/it's not fair to our artists three ring circus?
Here's what things I see needing to happen before everyone can fully give the labels the collective finger
Like I said above, artists need to band together and have a common voice that is well heard. They need to educate the public of the benefits for everyone of buying music online. I also don't see a reason why record stores cannot buy and resell the same music. There's some other possibilities in that idea alone I'll get to later.
Artists, producers, recording engineers and marketeers need to tell the labels to go shove things up their big fat collective ass and set out on their own. Ok, we don't need the marketing guys either, my bad. The way I see it artists can hire producers and engineers as need be. Producers and engineers can also go about setting up their own studios and labels. These "micro labels" could be more versatile and contract themselves to artists who have their own studios as well as providing the entire package. They could offer multiple sales outlets such as direct sales, making a deal with itunes, or basically giving the artist pressed media and masters to go sell on their own.
We need more stores like itunes and they all need to agree on some standards, eg DRM (it will never go away so we'd best figure how to make it easy to live with) format of files, licensing and probably a lot of other things I'm overlooking. Hey, Lord Steveness, if you really want to take the world by storm and piss off "da man" then why in the fuck don't you quit dry humping your giant, inflatable luv ipod and stat licensing your music tech to those who want it? You could sell the "build your own itunes store" in a box. You could be selling Garage Band and some well polished editing/recording apps all rolled up in a studio packaged G5, and, OMG, it one-click [uh, better make that 3 clicks or Bezos will sick a lawyer on you] publishes to "iTunes in a box". Oh, and thee other digital music player manufacturers have well proven that they just can't make something as cool as the ipod so you might as well license your DRM to them as well. Hell, look at Motorola, you gave them the entire thing, interface, DRM and the name association and they still managed to fuck it up. My point is your precious ipod is safe. You need to take full advantage of what it has built for you. Geeze Steve, you could pwnz0r the music industry. I could go on this tirade for a *very* long time.
Music stores could play a big role in all this. Why shouldn't the artists and micro-labels sell to them or sell from the shops on consignment? People are still going to want to buy CDs for a very long time to come and probably some other medium beyond that. I also envision kiosks in these stores where folks can purchase music electronically and burn CD's or even upload playlists they've just compiled to their players. Um, retail version of itunes there Steve-o?
In short. revolt, tear it all down and then all of you people out there in the industry who have an honest and useful talent step up and rebuild it. There's no reason you shouldn't continue making a living and there's every reason to rethink your business and end up making much happier customers and in turn making yourself a really nice living. To hell with fighting the existing recording industry. To hell with them, go around them. What law exists that sa
I was thinking how great it would be to have this thing reproduce the odor, er, I mean aroma that I often make [pull my finger!] for my lovely wife. I would want it to do this whenever I email her, just like the article reads. She could keep it on her desk at work.
There will also be a CD burning, all pun intended, in a town square near you. Bring all those filty OSS CD's we'll torch 'em like the hell-spawn they are!
We are also lobbying congress to allow open season on all penguins because they promote Linux which is "Open Sores" software and that promotes P2P which promote THEFT! Fello Americans! Stop your crimes against humanity! STOP THE HURTING!
Hmmm, well, brand new and on sale for $69 I could no longer resist the Tivo. I was going the Myth route at first but once I got a box dialed in well (used on of my linux development boxen (I SAID BOXEN YOU BASTARDS!:-P )) enough for my wife to agree to me building a permanent system the sticker shock kinda blew it for me.
The system I wanted to build was close to $800. The Tivo with life time subscription was still much less money and indeed, much less work. Now, how does this help you? Well, turns out that Tivo just released it's system 7.2 software and accompanying windoze desktop stuff. It just so happens that said arrangement will serve up mpeg files directly to your Tivo. It also so happens that there's some perl project(s) that can, at least, serve MP3's and pictures up to the Tivo. (sorry, too lazy/busy to link, Google is your friend).
I've not tried it yet but the idea is to do a bit of hackery with the existing perl stuff and see if it is possible to get it serving video as well. The worst case scenario (well, unless you prefer windows) is that you'll need to run a windows partition or box. You'll need that anyway if you want to rip tivo content from the DVR unless you want to hack the DVR too. Lots about that out there.
Indeed. And even once you clear those obsticles you still must contend with [insert giant greedy GSM provider's name(s) here] setting a pack of flesh eating lawyers upon you. Seems to me this is better done currently with wifi and some of the wifi VOIP handsets coming down the pike (if not out already). And, there's still more unlicensed spectrum out there to play with so time will tell if someone will come up with a better free/low-cost alternative to current wireless telephony products.
Well, many employers have been making such work requirements for years. So yeah, it's cool if you're gonna bang the bejesus out of your cowoker on the hood of your car in the parking lot of the local watering hole, just don't be wearing your deputy dog shirts while doing so, thereby representing the feeding hand in an undesireable manner, um kay? Common sense... Perhaps the/. editing team should take to reading TFA's before posting.
I don't know how many of you remember the episode of Southpark where Mr. (now MS) Garrison takes on the goddamned airline industry with his wizzy mono-wheel device that wisks mere humans along at >300mph. All I can say is as long as we potential cutomers don't end up having to use those "special controls" (large oral and anal inserts operated with a to and fro bobbing motion but that are totaly optional with the simple joystick thingie being obscured) then hey, it ain't all bad;-)
Yeh, I read somewhere where someone was looking into doing exactly that so to implement a browser. I wonder if Nintendo originally intended to go without any TCP/IP and only allow for adhoc LANs and using 802.11b chipsets was the way to go 'coz they're off the shelf and cheap? Then the "other guys" jumped into that thar interweb thingie... Hmmm...
Actually, the DS is 802.11b but the OS on the handheld doesn't implement a TCP/IP stack. This site has a bit on it. From what I remember the DS h4x0r community has managed to put together a =>win2k driver for a particular wifi card chipset as well as a "server" of sorts which allows a DS to download images to play.
I only know this from googling around on wireless hacks for these things because I have one. Hey, I started a long train commute back before the PSP was out, I couldn't wait:-/ Perhaps someone will get the bug to RUB THE LINUX ON IT'S SKIN as it were. Yup, kernel module, that'd be nice. Perhaps I need to get upto speed on programming for the kernel...
Well, don't worry about it for too much longer, at least here in the US because this is just the first step to Verizon Wireless getting their way. Basically, they want to rule the world and they'll start out by having all of we Americans sitting in wheeled chairs and drooling on ourselves with one of their infernal cellular devices jacked into all of our meat ports. Basically, we will work, receive all of our entertainment, stimuli, needs, through these things and pay like a gazillion dollars a month for our contracts.
Miss your bill two months in a row 'coz lil' Jimmy burned up the "Every One In The Pool!" account two months ago sending SMSes to all his pals? (yes, SMS will still exist. They'll float in front of your field of vision in VZ-3D! 100 messages for $300, 2000 off peak (1am to 3 am 3rd Sunday of the month and on Ground Hogs day)additional for only $75 more or just get unlimited VZ-3d! texting for $500) Too bad! They pull the plug. Your plugs. All of them. You'll most likely wither and die as you're now cut off from the "world interface" (Denny Striegel strokes his bald cat, lifts the tip of his pinky to the corner of his mouth and lets out a hearty "Muwahahaha!")
Re:More Stupidity!
on
P2P and TV
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
Also FTFA:
"Whether the pilot was picked up or not, it is still the property of Warner Bros. Entertainment and we take the protection of all of our intellectual property seriously," said Craig Hoffman, a company spokesman. "While Warner Bros. Entertainment values feedback from consumers, copyright infringement is not a productive way to try to influence a corporate decision."
It just goes to show that it's not even about the money so much. Don't get me wrong, they'll still hold you up by your ankles and shake the last penny from your pocket. Really, nothing more than a pissing match. "It's mine! I said what I meant, you can't see it! How dare you filthy peons challenge my wisdom!"
They got a freebie marketing test using zero resources beyond the production and have no interest in persuing it and letting the small tresspass that gave them the freebie go. At least, that's the spin I get. Man, that's just plain arogant ignorance.
I think the entire P2P/TV scene is a great opportunity for TV to revive itself. These producers are going to need something to fill up all of that extra bandwidth they've weaseled out of the entire HD/Digital TV boondogle so best they leave no stone unturned.
You TV production folks need to listen up. There's a lot of talented individuals out there with a lot of good production hardware and software very much within their grasp. Stuff that's good enough to produce very watchable content at a fraction of your costs. They have a virtually free distribution and advertising channel available to them. Independant music and film is already here and catching on so I don't see indy TV as a stretch and there's already folks doing this over the internet and right now. I don't think it's too far fetched to see something like a Tivo that can subscribe to RSS feeds of video or something of the like along with live streaming content and when that happens you guys will have a problem. Mom and Dad will be able to "tune in" then even if they could give or know a rats ass about computers and the internet. All some enterprising ISP needs to do is put it all in a box and sell it. Wake up and don't bother with the pack of flesh eating lawyers to knock it all down. That methodology won't last forever.
Heh, you forgot to mention that Ch 11 News in L.A. CA will do at least 15 FUD stories on how evil hackers will steal our phonebooks, identities, memories and souls through our Blue-Cheese phones while we sleep. They will run these stories on the same days they have some clown standing out in the drizzle to let us know of the "BIG STORM!" Oh, BTW, even though I've been known to scan for BT at Union Station I have NEVER sent anyone a picture of the goings on at the platforms - I SWEAR!
I am a programmer at a LA, CA company that is Japanese owned and operated and we all sit at the picnic bench from hell. It's a long table with a W shaped partition that doesn't even bar your neighbor from taking even a casual stretch to see what you're doing and it has these goofy "biometric" incuts that require one to scoot up close to the 'puter and rest their elbows on the table and not the arms of our highly adjustable and otherwise very comfortable chairs. We also have no break room and really bad coffee. But, on the flip side, we all get regular trips to Vegas and Japan as company outings as well as regular team lunches at fine dinning places in LA all gratis and we all work together to make certain that after hours support issues are dealt with quickly and painlessly with minimal to no personal time interuptions. I'd almost kill for a nice cube and some quiet to concentrate ( got this really loud and boisterous group on the other side of the partition from me ) but heh, with my good Sony headphones and the right stream (KCRW.COM) I can't hear 'em 'Nway;-) My point here? STFU! if you have a cube! You could be sitting in the big group room and getting really good pay but still resorting to using piles of mouse pads for your elbows like we all do.
Jeeze. Perhaps you can get a desktop support job at an orphanage. Then you could just eat babies. Or you could work at a cattle ranch, where'd you could while away your lunch hours chasing steers with a fork and a loaf of bread.
GAWDDAMN! Despite Emperor Bush and his jack booted thugs, I've just now decided not to defect to the Netherlands. Sheesh, C'mon folks, since when did music become the new gold? What's next, humming taxes and some deviant of the broken face recognition tech we have in the US but that seeks out folks humming catchy tunes? Yeh, that's it. Will I get locked in the elevator at my office building in downtown LA until I pony up for humming that catchy tune I just heard? This is ridiculous, no, RECALCULOUS! And that's a $5 word;-)
Yes, and oh and how grand the entertainment will be when NOAA cuts the little money grubbing bastards off. "Unleash the flesh-eating lawyers!" and "Let's go get us some satellites, boys!" will be the battle cies heard within the walls of said companies but their press statements will most likely read along the lines of "We're tax payers too and we have a right to that data..." Welcome to the United Corporate Cost Centers of America, formerly the United States...
Re:I got to know myself this morning
on
Mapping the Mind
·
· Score: 1
s/gixmodo/gizmodo/ Damn one handed typing:-D
I got to know myself this morning
on
Mapping the Mind
·
· Score: 2, Funny
...in the shower. And last night before bed. And in just a bit here to some gixmodo gadget pr0n. Oh, wait, not like that? My bad. Time to zip up and skidaddle...
Saving money for the here and now perhaps but either way that money will get spent. In the long run putting that money towards phasing in a better product would be the way to go.
C'mon pal, it should go without saying that any sizeable IT department with any sense about them is not going to jump both feet first into swaping out all of their enterprise and end user systems. With the advances Mac (and linux too) have made in integrating simply and tightly into heterogeneous environments It's quite painless to start dropping them onto desktops as computers need replacing. It's not going to be for everyone at first when you take into consideration replacing applications and retraining end users. If you want to work towards spending less on endless desktop support of an inherently broken OS like windows then you need to start somewhere. I'd be all for keeping MS in the office If they would just drop their arrogance and just stop the lying and denial fix their shit!
Anyway, I was speaking in a very general sense to moving away from an all windows house gradualy and mostly I was reffering to the comment that Linux support wasn't free as opposed to Windows support. Like I said, in general, you get a much more experienced support individual in a *NIX sysadmin than you would an MCSE. I would also have to agree that current Windows platforms are more complex than the NT stuff of past and would require a better and more serious admin. I hope that's a trend which will continue. I've been in the business a very long time as a suport guy, then an admin and also a developer and I'm calling it as I've seen and still do see it.
Oh, and most of corporate America is full of shit. If it wasn't then we'd not be having this discussion which stems directly from Windows, a product of the Microsoft corporation which I think we can all safely agree upon as being quite up to the brim with the smelly and brown. 'Nuff said.
Fellow/.er, my thoughts and experiences exactly. From what I've seen, a great deal of the MCSE's I've come acrossed in the past few years were little more than "paper technicians" spat out from the dot-gone-boom trade school "puppy-mills" for lack of a better description. They still have to be paid a salary. At least most of the Linux suport people employers may meet (and hopefully hire) actually know their craft and can often support much more than just Linux. In my own experiences most of the MCSE's I've met and worked with who were worth their salt were already really good sysadmins in both experience and on paper and had just decided to gain some more skills and another bit of cred.
So come on corporate America, think of another excuse, you're still full of shit, as per usual. Billy-bitches, the lot of you! Hell, buy some Macs for desktop use and then I'd believe you. OS X boxen seem to almost support themselves these days. And all that money you save on desktop support you can spend on *NIX backend support. Or another executive benefit, although we prefer the former.
...now I *WANT* another toy. I'll get it and lock myself in my room and hack and play and my wife will complain and the kids wil be ignored(well, util it's their turn to play with the robot and my cleverly constructed scripts:-) and the grass will get tall and the garage won't be cleaned and the dog won't get walked and...
Slashdot Mirror
I would just turn my back on tech in general and get work doing, I don't know, digging ditches or something but I'm certain some jackass has patented that already too. This is just fucking perfect. Thanks America.
OK, great,they fixed how it looks but how about the way it works? 5.x had some nasty problems that made me wish I stayed on 4.x and made my 2 year old G3 iBook really show it's age. Guess my cheap ass needs to pony up for a new one *sigh*... 5 even seemed like kind of a hog on the G4 desktop. Never bothered to top on it or anything but it certainly seemed much slower at many things and some crashing now and again too. Guess I'll find out tonight...
Or when the 5kript k1dd13 next door will be streaming PWNZ0R3D! All your speakers are belong to us! over your fancy-shmancy >$1400 speaker system ;-)
There is obviously a transition, albeit slow, at hand. I read and hear more and more often of known musicians doing their own recording and there's a growing number of indie artists doing everything from soup to nuts - meaning recording, producing and marketing their own content. I wish things would speed up. What does it take for this trend to gain momentum? How come I don't see these artist who are involved in producing and marketing their own content banding together and creating their own marketing campaigns to promote purchasing music online? A campaign in direct challenge to these goddamned douche-bag record companies crap anti-piracy/it's not fair to our artists three ring circus?
Here's what things I see needing to happen before everyone can fully give the labels the collective finger
In short. revolt, tear it all down and then all of you people out there in the industry who have an honest and useful talent step up and rebuild it. There's no reason you shouldn't continue making a living and there's every reason to rethink your business and end up making much happier customers and in turn making yourself a really nice living. To hell with fighting the existing recording industry. To hell with them, go around them. What law exists that sa
I was thinking how great it would be to have this thing reproduce the odor, er, I mean aroma that I often make [pull my finger!] for my lovely wife. I would want it to do this whenever I email her, just like the article reads. She could keep it on her desk at work.
We are also lobbying congress to allow open season on all penguins because they promote Linux which is "Open Sores" software and that promotes P2P which promote THEFT! Fello Americans! Stop your crimes against humanity! STOP THE HURTING!
Regards,
Your RIAA
The system I wanted to build was close to $800. The Tivo with life time subscription was still much less money and indeed, much less work. Now, how does this help you? Well, turns out that Tivo just released it's system 7.2 software and accompanying windoze desktop stuff. It just so happens that said arrangement will serve up mpeg files directly to your Tivo. It also so happens that there's some perl project(s) that can, at least, serve MP3's and pictures up to the Tivo. (sorry, too lazy/busy to link, Google is your friend).
I've not tried it yet but the idea is to do a bit of hackery with the existing perl stuff and see if it is possible to get it serving video as well. The worst case scenario (well, unless you prefer windows) is that you'll need to run a windows partition or box. You'll need that anyway if you want to rip tivo content from the DVR unless you want to hack the DVR too. Lots about that out there.
Indeed. And even once you clear those obsticles you still must contend with [insert giant greedy GSM provider's name(s) here] setting a pack of flesh eating lawyers upon you. Seems to me this is better done currently with wifi and some of the wifi VOIP handsets coming down the pike (if not out already). And, there's still more unlicensed spectrum out there to play with so time will tell if someone will come up with a better free/low-cost alternative to current wireless telephony products.
And this is all going to lead up to a Windoze laptop you MUST piss on to keep it running. That's just brilliant :-D You've made my day /.
Well, many employers have been making such work requirements for years. So yeah, it's cool if you're gonna bang the bejesus out of your cowoker on the hood of your car in the parking lot of the local watering hole, just don't be wearing your deputy dog shirts while doing so, thereby representing the feeding hand in an undesireable manner, um kay? Common sense... Perhaps the /. editing team should take to reading TFA's before posting.
I don't know how many of you remember the episode of Southpark where Mr. (now MS) Garrison takes on the goddamned airline industry with his wizzy mono-wheel device that wisks mere humans along at >300mph. All I can say is as long as we potential cutomers don't end up having to use those "special controls" (large oral and anal inserts operated with a to and fro bobbing motion but that are totaly optional with the simple joystick thingie being obscured) then hey, it ain't all bad ;-)
Yeh, I read somewhere where someone was looking into doing exactly that so to implement a browser. I wonder if Nintendo originally intended to go without any TCP/IP and only allow for adhoc LANs and using 802.11b chipsets was the way to go 'coz they're off the shelf and cheap? Then the "other guys" jumped into that thar interweb thingie... Hmmm...
I only know this from googling around on wireless hacks for these things because I have one. Hey, I started a long train commute back before the PSP was out, I couldn't wait :-/ Perhaps someone will get the bug to RUB THE LINUX ON IT'S SKIN as it were. Yup, kernel module, that'd be nice. Perhaps I need to get upto speed on programming for the kernel...
Miss your bill two months in a row 'coz lil' Jimmy burned up the "Every One In The Pool!" account two months ago sending SMSes to all his pals? (yes, SMS will still exist. They'll float in front of your field of vision in VZ-3D! 100 messages for $300, 2000 off peak (1am to 3 am 3rd Sunday of the month and on Ground Hogs day)additional for only $75 more or just get unlimited VZ-3d! texting for $500) Too bad! They pull the plug. Your plugs. All of them. You'll most likely wither and die as you're now cut off from the "world interface" (Denny Striegel strokes his bald cat, lifts the tip of his pinky to the corner of his mouth and lets out a hearty "Muwahahaha!")
"Whether the pilot was picked up or not, it is still the property of Warner Bros. Entertainment and we take the protection of all of our intellectual property seriously," said Craig Hoffman, a company spokesman. "While Warner Bros. Entertainment values feedback from consumers, copyright infringement is not a productive way to try to influence a corporate decision."
It just goes to show that it's not even about the money so much. Don't get me wrong, they'll still hold you up by your ankles and shake the last penny from your pocket. Really, nothing more than a pissing match. "It's mine! I said what I meant, you can't see it! How dare you filthy peons challenge my wisdom!"
They got a freebie marketing test using zero resources beyond the production and have no interest in persuing it and letting the small tresspass that gave them the freebie go. At least, that's the spin I get. Man, that's just plain arogant ignorance.
I think the entire P2P/TV scene is a great opportunity for TV to revive itself. These producers are going to need something to fill up all of that extra bandwidth they've weaseled out of the entire HD/Digital TV boondogle so best they leave no stone unturned.
You TV production folks need to listen up. There's a lot of talented individuals out there with a lot of good production hardware and software very much within their grasp. Stuff that's good enough to produce very watchable content at a fraction of your costs. They have a virtually free distribution and advertising channel available to them. Independant music and film is already here and catching on so I don't see indy TV as a stretch and there's already folks doing this over the internet and right now. I don't think it's too far fetched to see something like a Tivo that can subscribe to RSS feeds of video or something of the like along with live streaming content and when that happens you guys will have a problem. Mom and Dad will be able to "tune in" then even if they could give or know a rats ass about computers and the internet. All some enterprising ISP needs to do is put it all in a box and sell it. Wake up and don't bother with the pack of flesh eating lawyers to knock it all down. That methodology won't last forever.
-Nuff said
Heh, you forgot to mention that Ch 11 News in L.A. CA will do at least 15 FUD stories on how evil hackers will steal our phonebooks, identities, memories and souls through our Blue-Cheese phones while we sleep. They will run these stories on the same days they have some clown standing out in the drizzle to let us know of the "BIG STORM!" Oh, BTW, even though I've been known to scan for BT at Union Station I have NEVER sent anyone a picture of the goings on at the platforms - I SWEAR!
I am a programmer at a LA, CA company that is Japanese owned and operated and we all sit at the picnic bench from hell. It's a long table with a W shaped partition that doesn't even bar your neighbor from taking even a casual stretch to see what you're doing and it has these goofy "biometric" incuts that require one to scoot up close to the 'puter and rest their elbows on the table and not the arms of our highly adjustable and otherwise very comfortable chairs. We also have no break room and really bad coffee. But, on the flip side, we all get regular trips to Vegas and Japan as company outings as well as regular team lunches at fine dinning places in LA all gratis and we all work together to make certain that after hours support issues are dealt with quickly and painlessly with minimal to no personal time interuptions. I'd almost kill for a nice cube and some quiet to concentrate ( got this really loud and boisterous group on the other side of the partition from me ) but heh, with my good Sony headphones and the right stream (KCRW.COM) I can't hear 'em 'Nway ;-) My point here? STFU! if you have a cube! You could be sitting in the big group room and getting really good pay but still resorting to using piles of mouse pads for your elbows like we all do.
Jeeze. Perhaps you can get a desktop support job at an orphanage. Then you could just eat babies. Or you could work at a cattle ranch, where'd you could while away your lunch hours chasing steers with a fork and a loaf of bread.
GAWDDAMN! Despite Emperor Bush and his jack booted thugs, I've just now decided not to defect to the Netherlands. Sheesh, C'mon folks, since when did music become the new gold? What's next, humming taxes and some deviant of the broken face recognition tech we have in the US but that seeks out folks humming catchy tunes? Yeh, that's it. Will I get locked in the elevator at my office building in downtown LA until I pony up for humming that catchy tune I just heard? This is ridiculous, no, RECALCULOUS! And that's a $5 word ;-)
Yes, and oh and how grand the entertainment will be when NOAA cuts the little money grubbing bastards off. "Unleash the flesh-eating lawyers!" and "Let's go get us some satellites, boys!" will be the battle cies heard within the walls of said companies but their press statements will most likely read along the lines of "We're tax payers too and we have a right to that data..." Welcome to the United Corporate Cost Centers of America, formerly the United States...
s/gixmodo/gizmodo/ Damn one handed typing :-D
...in the shower. And last night before bed. And in just a bit here to some gixmodo gadget pr0n. Oh, wait, not like that? My bad. Time to zip up and skidaddle...
C'mon pal, it should go without saying that any sizeable IT department with any sense about them is not going to jump both feet first into swaping out all of their enterprise and end user systems. With the advances Mac (and linux too) have made in integrating simply and tightly into heterogeneous environments It's quite painless to start dropping them onto desktops as computers need replacing. It's not going to be for everyone at first when you take into consideration replacing applications and retraining end users. If you want to work towards spending less on endless desktop support of an inherently broken OS like windows then you need to start somewhere. I'd be all for keeping MS in the office If they would just drop their arrogance and just stop the lying and denial fix their shit!
Anyway, I was speaking in a very general sense to moving away from an all windows house gradualy and mostly I was reffering to the comment that Linux support wasn't free as opposed to Windows support. Like I said, in general, you get a much more experienced support individual in a *NIX sysadmin than you would an MCSE. I would also have to agree that current Windows platforms are more complex than the NT stuff of past and would require a better and more serious admin. I hope that's a trend which will continue. I've been in the business a very long time as a suport guy, then an admin and also a developer and I'm calling it as I've seen and still do see it.
Oh, and most of corporate America is full of shit. If it wasn't then we'd not be having this discussion which stems directly from Windows, a product of the Microsoft corporation which I think we can all safely agree upon as being quite up to the brim with the smelly and brown. 'Nuff said.
So come on corporate America, think of another excuse, you're still full of shit, as per usual. Billy-bitches, the lot of you! Hell, buy some Macs for desktop use and then I'd believe you. OS X boxen seem to almost support themselves these days. And all that money you save on desktop support you can spend on *NIX backend support. Or another executive benefit, although we prefer the former.
...now I *WANT* another toy. I'll get it and lock myself in my room and hack and play and my wife will complain and the kids wil be ignored(well, util it's their turn to play with the robot and my cleverly constructed scripts :-) and the grass will get tall and the garage won't be cleaned and the dog won't get walked and...