But why do *bad* CEOs still make so much?
on
The Almighty Buck
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· Score: 2
That's the problem- the shareholders are being robbed by shysters with good PR agents. I have no problem with CEOs making huge amounts of money when they do good work. But running a company into the ground and still making millions is repugnant.
If a CEO does a lousy job, he ought to get- NOTHING! That's right, no compensation at all. One of the problems is that once a person is financially secure, the rest of it is just a game. A guy with 10 million in assets can still lose 9 and retire better than 99% of the population. So let these primadonnas work uncompensated 'til they get results. That's what the rest of us have to do in our ventures, and sometimes we lose- everything. Most of these guys can well afford to work for free anyway.
One can eat only so many carrots. It's time to bring out the stick.
Since when are Redhat, Mandrake, and even VA selling proprietary code? Everything Redhat creates is still open source, right down to their installation program. I don't know for sure Mandrake or VA are like this too, but as a long time Mandrake user I've never seen any proprietary software, except for other companies' stuff like Wordperfect that has been bundled with their distribution. But proprietary Mandrake software? No way...
0-60 in 10s is faster than a BMW 5 series from the 80s, faster than many high priced sports cars from the 70s, and faster than many "muscle cars" from the 60s. Just because the average econobox smokes all of these now doesn't mean it's "slow."
...compared to Napster and Limewire. I don't know about the particular issue being discussed, as I never had a problem with it (I hope). But in general, I find Kazaa to be kind of byzantine, and a pain to use. Napster and Limewire are still the champs in this department, and it's probably one reason for their initial success. If you want to design a good app, just copy them, at least for a start.
Your point is well taken, but let's not limit ourselves to PDF. It's great for distributing printed documents, but lousy for reading them online. If the intended product is a printed document, you can't beat PDF, but if it's meant to be read online, it ought to be HTML or whatever. Frankly, I like DocBook and XML (also open standards) as master formats, which allow easy processing into whatever final format is desired.
Not only do we need to wean government off proprietary file formats, we need to quit wasting so much paper!
Governments *do* and *should* try to use their purchasing power for the public good, whenever it's practical. In many cases, there are several competing products in the same price range that would all do the job as well. So why not spend the money where it has the greatest number of positive side effects?
An example of this is the purchase of fleet vehicles- postal Jeeps, police cars, etc. Usually, by law, these must be American cars. This helps the American auto industry, provides jobs, generates wealth, more tax revenue, etc.
In other cases, such as with the defense industry, the money spent there subsidizes civilian aviation, providing jobs, etc., but also enabling commerce with more affordable passenger and cargo jets.
Similarly, spending money on OSS not only gives the government/taxpayers better value, it also enables commerce by spurring development of more OSS- which everyone can use, for free! This is an investment in our future, just like building highways. Furthermore, it provides more building blocks for even more OSS.
Keep this in mind: the reason Microsoft has been able to make so much money is that its products make other businesses more efficient, enabling so much more commerce. But imagine how much more wealth would be created if the money earmarked for Microsoft, however relatively little, could be spent generating more business instead. Look at a typical company's IT budget vs. its marketing budget, and you'll see what I mean.
So, they gave up trying to please a vocal but miniscule clique of snot-nosed whiners in order to reach a much wider, and more appreciative ($$$) audience. Sounds like a good plan to me!
Talking out both sides of their mouths again...
on
What Free Cable?
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· Score: 2
For one thing, anyone I ever knew who stole cable would never have bought it in the first place, usually because they couldn't afford it. So calling this a "loss" is bullshit.
Second, if there really are 13 million cable thieves in this country, that's 13 million extra pairs of eyeballs adding value to the cable company's advertising/infomercial bundles. And that's *really* what drives the cable business, especially now that it's all owned by the big media conglomerates.
I feel that it's hypocritical to hire a web developer who is used to using Photoshop, a nice solid text editor, and Dreamweaver, throw that developer in front of vi and the Gimp, and expect that web developer to be as productive as before
It's not hypocritical, it's stupid. They shouldn't have hired you in the first place... a point proven when you left anyway.
Schools and small businesses are going to start wondering why they are being nibbled to death by Microsoft and Apple and the various shadowy and dodgy hardware vendors (Compaq, Dell, Packard Bell)
Yeah, they can get nibbled to death by Sun instead!
Indeed, templates and clipart are really what most people are looking for. There are a jillion office suites on the market, but the ones that sell best are the ones with the most comprehensive collections of templates. Countless times I've heard that people prefer Microsoft Works to Office, because of the templates. Publisher has always been a big seller too. People don't want design flexibility. They want the computer to design their documents for them.
What else are they going to say?
on
KaZaA Collapses
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· Score: 2
Of course they're going to blame their failure on the RIAA or whatever. It sounds reasonable to most people, and therefore is a great face-saving excuse. "We had this brilliant idea, and it would have all been great except for THOSE GUYS!" Gimme a break. Do you really think they'd ever admit their business just plain failed, especially with such a handy excuse being available? I'd take this one with a big grain of salt.
By far the largest number of coders are employed as members of industry. We solve problems through the use of computing technology for other businesses and enterprises.
I'm talking about the coders that work at the banks, the insurance companies, the manufacturing industries, and so on and so forth. We GROSSLY outnumber you in the code-for-sale "industry".
This is true. But the overwhelming majority of these coders use proprietary, code-for-sale building blocks, not free software. Very little "engineering" actually happens. Most coders just hack together pre-made components, in any way that will work. This often takes more effort, and certainly doesn't work as well as a truly engineered solution, but it's all most coders know how to do. So I wouldn't use the doctor/lawyer analogy.
And I wouldn't use the plumber analogy either- pieces of pipe are generic. They're available anywhere from a variety of sources, and all made to a standard, so the pieces are all compatible. And within reason, all plumbers can fix all pipes.
The used car salesman analogy might actually be most accurate- find a good deal on a repo'ed F250 pickup truck with a sketchy history, roll back the odometer, and do a quick detailing job. Mount some fancy wheels, a tow package, and a blade on the front, and unload it on some unsuspecting rube with the promise of riches from plowing parking lots and pulling stumps. Implement your "service" model by selling him a worthless warranty. Now you've got him! Having aready spent the money and afraid to void his warranty, you can charge him over $100 an hour to fix the stuff that (conveniently) isn't covered, while paying dumb laborers $6 an hour to actually do the work.
And that, my friend, is the business software industry in a nutshell.
I recently learned the hard way how much more power an analog signal takes. Normally, my Star-Tac gives me a couple of hours' talk time. But with an analog signal, I only get 15-20 minutes! Obviously, digital service is what allows our phones to be so small these days. Big, bulky, heavy batteries aren't required. If you're going to be stuck with analog service in your area, be prepared!
I recently drove across the country on I-20. From just outside Shreveport, LA, to Brimingham, AL, there were plenty of holes, and no digital coverage at all. I'm sure the user density out there is pretty low, but I'm sure the people who do have cell phones really rely on them. The poor are being screwed again...
There's a big dead spot right in the middle of Irvine, CA- on the hill side of Turtle Rock, right between UCI, and the huge technology center of the Irvine Spectrum. This is really surprising- it's a big, wealthy neighborhood that must have hundreds of Verizon subscribers. It's been a problem for years. Everyone complains about it. But last I checked, a few months ago, the hole was still there.
What about web-based services, like Netledger, Quicken online, or e-Peachtree? The downside is the cost, starting at $10/month. But you can access them from any net-connected computer with a decent web browser.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but since when are Windows and Office upgrades required? AFAIK, it's perfectly OK to still be using Windows NT and Office 97, as long as you paid for it in the first place.
...most notably Amazon. They're still the leader in user-friendliness among ecommerce sites, and always have been, right from the beginning. Not to mention other quality issues. And they were the first major ecommerce player.
In my experience, the basic level of support offered by Redhat with their boxed sets is completely useless. At least half a dozen other people I know have had the same results. Redhat says they offer support, but don't. It's no more than a bullet point on the box to get you to buy their distribution.
I can't comment on their higher levels of support. But their failure to deliver what's advertised for their basic level doesn't inspire confidence.
Bottom line- don't be swayed by "buzz" or a brand name. Buy what's proven- really, truly proven.
There absolutely *is* and archive. All broadcast material is archived on tape, I believe by law. The difference with a website is that anything cah be changed at any time, without anyone but the webmaster knowing anything about it.
Imagine- they have to individually inspect all the incoming packages, sort and store a bunch of them, enter your address into a database, send you a notice, and deal with you when you get there- all for what, 17% of a $40 sale? I don't see how this can pay!
Slashdot Mirror
That's the problem- the shareholders are being robbed by shysters with good PR agents. I have no problem with CEOs making huge amounts of money when they do good work. But running a company into the ground and still making millions is repugnant.
If a CEO does a lousy job, he ought to get- NOTHING! That's right, no compensation at all. One of the problems is that once a person is financially secure, the rest of it is just a game. A guy with 10 million in assets can still lose 9 and retire better than 99% of the population. So let these primadonnas work uncompensated 'til they get results. That's what the rest of us have to do in our ventures, and sometimes we lose- everything. Most of these guys can well afford to work for free anyway.
One can eat only so many carrots. It's time to bring out the stick.
Since when are Redhat, Mandrake, and even VA selling proprietary code? Everything Redhat creates is still open source, right down to their installation program. I don't know for sure Mandrake or VA are like this too, but as a long time Mandrake user I've never seen any proprietary software, except for other companies' stuff like Wordperfect that has been bundled with their distribution. But proprietary Mandrake software? No way...
0-60 in 10s is faster than a BMW 5 series from the 80s, faster than many high priced sports cars from the 70s, and faster than many "muscle cars" from the 60s. Just because the average econobox smokes all of these now doesn't mean it's "slow."
...compared to Napster and Limewire. I don't know about the particular issue being discussed, as I never had a problem with it (I hope). But in general, I find Kazaa to be kind of byzantine, and a pain to use. Napster and Limewire are still the champs in this department, and it's probably one reason for their initial success. If you want to design a good app, just copy them, at least for a start.
Your point is well taken, but let's not limit ourselves to PDF. It's great for distributing printed documents, but lousy for reading them online. If the intended product is a printed document, you can't beat PDF, but if it's meant to be read online, it ought to be HTML or whatever. Frankly, I like DocBook and XML (also open standards) as master formats, which allow easy processing into whatever final format is desired.
Not only do we need to wean government off proprietary file formats, we need to quit wasting so much paper!
Governments *do* and *should* try to use their purchasing power for the public good, whenever it's practical. In many cases, there are several competing products in the same price range that would all do the job as well. So why not spend the money where it has the greatest number of positive side effects?
An example of this is the purchase of fleet vehicles- postal Jeeps, police cars, etc. Usually, by law, these must be American cars. This helps the American auto industry, provides jobs, generates wealth, more tax revenue, etc.
In other cases, such as with the defense industry, the money spent there subsidizes civilian aviation, providing jobs, etc., but also enabling commerce with more affordable passenger and cargo jets.
Similarly, spending money on OSS not only gives the government/taxpayers better value, it also enables commerce by spurring development of more OSS- which everyone can use, for free! This is an investment in our future, just like building highways. Furthermore, it provides more building blocks for even more OSS.
Keep this in mind: the reason Microsoft has been able to make so much money is that its products make other businesses more efficient, enabling so much more commerce. But imagine how much more wealth would be created if the money earmarked for Microsoft, however relatively little, could be spent generating more business instead. Look at a typical company's IT budget vs. its marketing budget, and you'll see what I mean.
So, they gave up trying to please a vocal but miniscule clique of snot-nosed whiners in order to reach a much wider, and more appreciative ($$$) audience. Sounds like a good plan to me!
For one thing, anyone I ever knew who stole cable would never have bought it in the first place, usually because they couldn't afford it. So calling this a "loss" is bullshit.
Second, if there really are 13 million cable thieves in this country, that's 13 million extra pairs of eyeballs adding value to the cable company's advertising/infomercial bundles. And that's *really* what drives the cable business, especially now that it's all owned by the big media conglomerates.
I feel that it's hypocritical to hire a web developer who is used to using Photoshop, a nice solid text editor, and Dreamweaver, throw that developer in front of vi and the Gimp, and expect that web developer to be as productive as before
It's not hypocritical, it's stupid. They shouldn't have hired you in the first place... a point proven when you left anyway.
Yeah, they can get nibbled to death by Sun instead!
Pretty scary.
Indeed, templates and clipart are really what most people are looking for. There are a jillion office suites on the market, but the ones that sell best are the ones with the most comprehensive collections of templates. Countless times I've heard that people prefer Microsoft Works to Office, because of the templates. Publisher has always been a big seller too. People don't want design flexibility. They want the computer to design their documents for them.
Of course they're going to blame their failure on the RIAA or whatever. It sounds reasonable to most people, and therefore is a great face-saving excuse. "We had this brilliant idea, and it would have all been great except for THOSE GUYS!" Gimme a break. Do you really think they'd ever admit their business just plain failed, especially with such a handy excuse being available? I'd take this one with a big grain of salt.
I just downloaded now, no problem...
I'm talking about the coders that work at the banks, the insurance companies, the manufacturing industries, and so on and so forth. We GROSSLY outnumber you in the code-for-sale "industry".
This is true. But the overwhelming majority of these coders use proprietary, code-for-sale building blocks, not free software. Very little "engineering" actually happens. Most coders just hack together pre-made components, in any way that will work. This often takes more effort, and certainly doesn't work as well as a truly engineered solution, but it's all most coders know how to do. So I wouldn't use the doctor/lawyer analogy.
And I wouldn't use the plumber analogy either- pieces of pipe are generic. They're available anywhere from a variety of sources, and all made to a standard, so the pieces are all compatible. And within reason, all plumbers can fix all pipes.
The used car salesman analogy might actually be most accurate- find a good deal on a repo'ed F250 pickup truck with a sketchy history, roll back the odometer, and do a quick detailing job. Mount some fancy wheels, a tow package, and a blade on the front, and unload it on some unsuspecting rube with the promise of riches from plowing parking lots and pulling stumps. Implement your "service" model by selling him a worthless warranty. Now you've got him! Having aready spent the money and afraid to void his warranty, you can charge him over $100 an hour to fix the stuff that (conveniently) isn't covered, while paying dumb laborers $6 an hour to actually do the work.
And that, my friend, is the business software industry in a nutshell.
Nope, I started on I-10 in Los Angeles...
I recently learned the hard way how much more power an analog signal takes. Normally, my Star-Tac gives me a couple of hours' talk time. But with an analog signal, I only get 15-20 minutes! Obviously, digital service is what allows our phones to be so small these days. Big, bulky, heavy batteries aren't required. If you're going to be stuck with analog service in your area, be prepared!
I recently drove across the country on I-20. From just outside Shreveport, LA, to Brimingham, AL, there were plenty of holes, and no digital coverage at all. I'm sure the user density out there is pretty low, but I'm sure the people who do have cell phones really rely on them. The poor are being screwed again...
There's a big dead spot right in the middle of Irvine, CA- on the hill side of Turtle Rock, right between UCI, and the huge technology center of the Irvine Spectrum. This is really surprising- it's a big, wealthy neighborhood that must have hundreds of Verizon subscribers. It's been a problem for years. Everyone complains about it. But last I checked, a few months ago, the hole was still there.
What about web-based services, like Netledger, Quicken online, or e-Peachtree? The downside is the cost, starting at $10/month. But you can access them from any net-connected computer with a decent web browser.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but since when are Windows and Office upgrades required? AFAIK, it's perfectly OK to still be using Windows NT and Office 97, as long as you paid for it in the first place.
...most notably Amazon. They're still the leader in user-friendliness among ecommerce sites, and always have been, right from the beginning. Not to mention other quality issues. And they were the first major ecommerce player.
In my experience, the basic level of support offered by Redhat with their boxed sets is completely useless. At least half a dozen other people I know have had the same results. Redhat says they offer support, but don't. It's no more than a bullet point on the box to get you to buy their distribution.
I can't comment on their higher levels of support. But their failure to deliver what's advertised for their basic level doesn't inspire confidence.
Bottom line- don't be swayed by "buzz" or a brand name. Buy what's proven- really, truly proven.
There absolutely *is* and archive. All broadcast material is archived on tape, I believe by law. The difference with a website is that anything cah be changed at any time, without anyone but the webmaster knowing anything about it.
Imagine- they have to individually inspect all the incoming packages, sort and store a bunch of them, enter your address into a database, send you a notice, and deal with you when you get there- all for what, 17% of a $40 sale? I don't see how this can pay!