The worse offender I've ever come across was when LG and Samsung included tray-resident apps...FOR FIRMWARE UPDATES! There is something seriously wrong with your drive if you need to have it constantly checking for new firmware, only eclipsed by the retarted thinking that people will be able to flash the firmware in the drive and NOT brick it.
Okay, I'm done with my rant. I wholeheartedly agree though, it seems that software devs have confused the system tray with the start menu. No need for 90% of the stuff that starts with computers to start with the computer by default.
Believe it or not, I applaud the efforts of FOSS programmers. If I wasn't dependent on several Windows-only software apps to get my work done, I'd be running Linux right now. The problem is simply that I've got clients who aren't going to wait for me to figure out how to get Adobe Premiere/Encore/Lightroom/Mixmeister/ACID/Sound Forge/Mediashout/AutCAD to run properly in WINE. It's not that I'm a huge fan of Windows, but I am dependent on Windows-only apps to make my living. I'll admit that Linux has definite advantages, but if I spend more time getting the apps to work that make me money, then how much superior is it for me? Not everyone uses solely Office and Internet Explorer on their Windows machines. I can't possibly be alone.
I browse the web with Firefox, NoScript, and Flashblock. I run Avast on a regular basis. I have UAC enabled on Windows 7. I have properly locked down my router. My software comes from store shelves and vendor websites, not Pirate Bay. I don't run Limewire, period. Personally, I consider that to be a fairly responsible setup for a Windows user. Am I in the minority of Windows users? sure. Should I be required to pay a tax solely because the OS I use to make my living is abused by others?
Ad revenue is nice, but too many people making too much content, and a widely fractured audience, make it less and less profitable.
The flip side to that goes back to the article about Sci-Fi renaming itself to SyFy and the fact that they're airing Professional Wrestling. While yes, having huge ratings for the last episode of M*A*S*H is a feat unlikely to be toppled for some time, having more diverse channels gives advertisers a more direct market. A specific group of viewers allow advertisers to have more specific advertisements, and as such viewers are more likely to see advertisements tailored to what they're more likely to buy.
I wonder if research has been done on this, because the ultimate goal of any advertisement is to increase sales. Does a general ad with a broad audience increase sales of a product more than a specific ad to a targeted group? IMO this should be a better measuring rod than raw ratings; 1% of a million viewers buying an item will yield more purchases than.01% of 40 million viewers.
The only people who will successfully ring the bell with the + sign will be the RIAA. They will discover that it is the + sign key by pressing every button on the apparatus and make a note of each sound used, suing him for $150,000 in damages per sound used.
AOL was a crappy ISP with bloatware for their connection software.
I remember the days when AOL used to fit onto a single floppy disk. It might have been bloat relative to the computing power at the time, but there still had to be tight coding to get it to fit the installer into 1.38MBytes.
Can you give an actual example of a Conservative Republican who wants that? I don't think so. Hell, I'd be surprised if you came up with an example of a Conservative Republican, period.
I'll agree that having the different points in history was interesting. I liked the character interactions and the fact that it *wasn't* just Spiderman/Superman/Batman beating the bad guy, but about what happens on the "off hours" and the struggles they go through. Still, by the 2:15 mark, I was def bored and wanted it to just end. Then again, I got bored while watching LotR, so maybe I'm just not cut out for overly long movies.
Oh yeah - they could have EASILY gotten a PG-13 if they wanted to.
I modded you +1 Insightful before I posted this. Someone's sig on here says it well: "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order. Starting now." Ed Howdershel.
to sum up: if it runs exclusively in the tray, it doesn't count. If it's a single app but multiple windows (i.e. 3 Word/OOo documents), it counts as a single process. Explorer windows, task manager, and Installshield/MSI/Nullsoft/Wise Installers don't count at all.
I don't think the RIAA would agree with the micro-royalty system, though. As much as I agree with it (if I don't like a song, it's not worth my time to fight over a nickel or a dime), it doesn't tie in with the RIAA's philosophy - get money from EVERYONE who listens to a song.
One time when I worked at Staples, I got the deal of a lifetime - Adobe Photoshop CS2 for $4.50. Full, retail Photoshop for $4.50. I'm sure that 98% of people who use cracked copies of Photoshop would buy it if it were $4.50. I told one of the guys who replaced me about it, and his response was, "even at $4.50, I still wouldn't buy it." "Do you use it?" "Of course!" "So why isn't it worth even $4.50 to you?" "Because I can get it for free". People like this guy are the reason why the *AA wouldn't go for micropayments, because people like him are seen as money left on the table. They feel that they can't let that happen, and they figure that if TPB/Mininova/Your Tracker Here were shut down, then people like him would be forced to pay $599 for Photoshop, and that he would be willing to do so.
While I would agree that overwriting GRUB/LiLo/Your Bootloader Here is annoying, the average user is orders of magnitude more likely to have an issue with a corrupted, windows-written bootloader than a conflict with an intentionally installed one. Even at that, Windows would have to be added to the list. To my knowledge, that would have to be done manually by the user.
Slashdot Mirror
But can it run Vista?
Rant Warning
The worse offender I've ever come across was when LG and Samsung included tray-resident apps...FOR FIRMWARE UPDATES! There is something seriously wrong with your drive if you need to have it constantly checking for new firmware, only eclipsed by the retarted thinking that people will be able to flash the firmware in the drive and NOT brick it.
Okay, I'm done with my rant. I wholeheartedly agree though, it seems that software devs have confused the system tray with the start menu. No need for 90% of the stuff that starts with computers to start with the computer by default.
WHY DO YOU HATE AMERICA, SIR?
If I answer, do I win a new laptop after I complete three offers?
...and you are an Anonymous Coward!
Believe it or not, I applaud the efforts of FOSS programmers. If I wasn't dependent on several Windows-only software apps to get my work done, I'd be running Linux right now. The problem is simply that I've got clients who aren't going to wait for me to figure out how to get Adobe Premiere/Encore/Lightroom/Mixmeister/ACID/Sound Forge/Mediashout/AutCAD to run properly in WINE. It's not that I'm a huge fan of Windows, but I am dependent on Windows-only apps to make my living. I'll admit that Linux has definite advantages, but if I spend more time getting the apps to work that make me money, then how much superior is it for me? Not everyone uses solely Office and Internet Explorer on their Windows machines. I can't possibly be alone.
I browse the web with Firefox, NoScript, and Flashblock. I run Avast on a regular basis. I have UAC enabled on Windows 7. I have properly locked down my router. My software comes from store shelves and vendor websites, not Pirate Bay. I don't run Limewire, period. Personally, I consider that to be a fairly responsible setup for a Windows user. Am I in the minority of Windows users? sure. Should I be required to pay a tax solely because the OS I use to make my living is abused by others?
That's what the RIAA has been trying to tell us for the past decade!
yes: what year will be the year of the Linux Desktop?
My son got it on his laptop a few weeks ago...The saving grace, I guess, is that it's so virulent it destroys the system before it can spread much.
E-bola?
Are you the Prince of Nigeria?
Ladies and Gentlemen, I think I have solved the internet!
Is that you, Al Gore? Why did you post as Anonymous Coward?
Ad revenue is nice, but too many people making too much content, and a widely fractured audience, make it less and less profitable.
The flip side to that goes back to the article about Sci-Fi renaming itself to SyFy and the fact that they're airing Professional Wrestling. While yes, having huge ratings for the last episode of M*A*S*H is a feat unlikely to be toppled for some time, having more diverse channels gives advertisers a more direct market. A specific group of viewers allow advertisers to have more specific advertisements, and as such viewers are more likely to see advertisements tailored to what they're more likely to buy.
I wonder if research has been done on this, because the ultimate goal of any advertisement is to increase sales. Does a general ad with a broad audience increase sales of a product more than a specific ad to a targeted group? IMO this should be a better measuring rod than raw ratings; 1% of a million viewers buying an item will yield more purchases than .01% of 40 million viewers.
The only people who will successfully ring the bell with the + sign will be the RIAA. They will discover that it is the + sign key by pressing every button on the apparatus and make a note of each sound used, suing him for $150,000 in damages per sound used.
2. ???
3. Profit!
Duh!
In Soviet Russia, Video Cards Render You!
AOL was a crappy ISP with bloatware for their connection software.
I remember the days when AOL used to fit onto a single floppy disk. It might have been bloat relative to the computing power at the time, but there still had to be tight coding to get it to fit the installer into 1.38MBytes.
Can you give an actual example of a Conservative Republican who wants that? I don't think so. Hell, I'd be surprised if you came up with an example of a Conservative Republican, period.
Check my sig, you insensitive clod!
Oh yeah - they could have EASILY gotten a PG-13 if they wanted to.
I own a PS3, you insensitive clod!
But can it run Vista?
I modded you +1 Insightful before I posted this. Someone's sig on here says it well: "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order. Starting now." Ed Howdershel.
to sum up: if it runs exclusively in the tray, it doesn't count. If it's a single app but multiple windows (i.e. 3 Word/OOo documents), it counts as a single process. Explorer windows, task manager, and Installshield/MSI/Nullsoft/Wise Installers don't count at all.
...they'd make it $10/channel.
I don't think the RIAA would agree with the micro-royalty system, though. As much as I agree with it (if I don't like a song, it's not worth my time to fight over a nickel or a dime), it doesn't tie in with the RIAA's philosophy - get money from EVERYONE who listens to a song.
One time when I worked at Staples, I got the deal of a lifetime - Adobe Photoshop CS2 for $4.50. Full, retail Photoshop for $4.50. I'm sure that 98% of people who use cracked copies of Photoshop would buy it if it were $4.50. I told one of the guys who replaced me about it, and his response was, "even at $4.50, I still wouldn't buy it." "Do you use it?" "Of course!" "So why isn't it worth even $4.50 to you?" "Because I can get it for free". People like this guy are the reason why the *AA wouldn't go for micropayments, because people like him are seen as money left on the table. They feel that they can't let that happen, and they figure that if TPB/Mininova/Your Tracker Here were shut down, then people like him would be forced to pay $599 for Photoshop, and that he would be willing to do so.
While I would agree that overwriting GRUB/LiLo/Your Bootloader Here is annoying, the average user is orders of magnitude more likely to have an issue with a corrupted, windows-written bootloader than a conflict with an intentionally installed one. Even at that, Windows would have to be added to the list. To my knowledge, that would have to be done manually by the user.
Server 2003 has been fairly well received. And I handle nearly all of my file copy operations between the third party app Teracopy and Filezilla.
Actually, all of my music, movies, and software are PAID FOR, so not pirating isn't a problem for me.