Once game publishers see that they can combat piracy with 'added value' (extra's and artwork) instead of the 'reduced value' that DRM offers they will see profits rise again.
Seriously. What the hell happened to all the goodies that used to come with a new game? Used to be you'd get a nice manual, with artwork, some extra backstory, the works.
Now we typically just get a PDF file on the game CD.
An editor realized that there hasn't been a Linux story in a while, he decided to manufacture one. It's pretty easy, you just search for "Microsoft" and "patent", and then add "could this be an attempt to destroy Linux?".
"Unfortunately" modded to flamebait? The guy just called everyone who values freedom and choice over convenience "freetards". That won't exactly endear anyone to his point of view.
If I complained that people were giving up their long-term interests (an app market where apps can't be pulled at the whim of a single company, general openness, etc.) in favor of short-term usability and shininess, I'd have a point and we'd have the beginning of a debate about the pros and cons of the Apple environment.
But if I did so while calling those people "Mactards" or "blowJobs" or "iDiots" or "smug self-satisfied latte-sipping black-turtleneck-wearing fuckwits", you bet your ass I'd be modded flamebait.
Are comic books and rock&roll still corrupting our youth, too?
Actually, hold that thought, I need to set up the sacrificial altar for our next game of Dungeons & Dragons...
This being a government IT project, I predict it will take 5 years longer than planned, cost 10x the initial budget, and still never really work quite right.
I hear Cassandra can even predict when disastrous system failures are going to occur! Unfortunately, for some reason nobody ever believes the warnings.
Google would be stupid to shut off Flash support entirely. But there's nothing stopping them from making it increasingly more difficult to get to the Flash content, while making the "Your browser is obsolete, use one of (list of alternative browsers)!" messages increasingly larger and more annoying.
The end result is that Joe User doesn't get angry at YouTube for "suddenly not working", but eventually gets the message that his browser is broken and needs upgrading.
Tell that to my neighbor. He bought a new computer with Windows 7, only to find that now he has to buy a new printer, because the printer he owns does not and will never have Windows 7 drivers.
What about the Brits, who want to monitor everything? What about the French, who want to kick people off the net for misbehaving? What about Iran, who wants to kick out everyone? Do you really think the USA looks like the good guys to the rest of the 'net? Who gave the world Microsoft, and the RIAA, and the MPAA?
You forgot Australia.
Also, our government doesn't obsessively monitor everyone (Brits), attempt to cram a "3-strikes" law down our throats (French), or attempt to track down dissidents and make them "disappear" (Iranians, Chinese). So, yes, we are the good guys here, relatively speaking.
I don't care what their motivations are. Telling China to take their censorship and shove it, and threatening to pull out entirely, is still deserving of praise (even if it is a couple years late in coming).
On the one hand, casually concluding that people with severe allergies should die for the good of the common gene pool is a horrible thing to say.
On the other hand, if you die by coming into contact with something everyone else eats as a snack, that may be nature's way of saying "you shouldn't exist."
In fact, the city should be grateful. Much better to have a magnitude 3.4 quake now, than to let the stress in the fault line accumulate until it breaks out in the form of a magnitude 8.0 quake.
To bolster your point: How did they find the name of the package? Only someone knowledgeable in Linux could've found that out, or the various locations it installed itself to
To refute your point: Malware can get its hooks into Windows in a variety of different ways, and removal often requires specialized tools. For example, I had to remove one of those hideous fake-antivirus programs from a neighbor's computer. Real antivirus was no help. MalwareBytes Anti-malware couldn't get rid of it. Going into Safe Mode and manually cleaning things out didn't even work. I had to search the Internet and use a specialized tool to finally uproot that crap. (And, while I trusted it, the removal tool could have also been malware, I had no way to tell)
So: Linux gets infected, smart user can eliminate it. Windows gets infected, smart user still needs to rely on either antivirus or malware-specific removal tools.
Well, I skimmed the replies and found an important point missing, concerning how Windows 8 will be marketed: If Windows 8 is going to be released in 2012, that means that sometime in late 2011, Microsoft will start telling us that Windows 7 is, in fact, dog shit.
But Windows 8 will solve all those problems, and be faster and more secure!
if your computer is important to you, don't be an early adopter
Absolute truth. Be it Windows, Linux, or Mac, stay the hell away from a new release if you want to be assured your computer will still do what you need it to do. My laptop I can afford to play around with, hence it got Karmic back when it was still in beta. My desktop that I need to do actual work on? Still using Hardy.
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Once game publishers see that they can combat piracy with 'added value' (extra's and artwork) instead of the 'reduced value' that DRM offers they will see profits rise again.
Seriously. What the hell happened to all the goodies that used to come with a new game? Used to be you'd get a nice manual, with artwork, some extra backstory, the works.
Now we typically just get a PDF file on the game CD.
An editor realized that there hasn't been a Linux story in a while, he decided to manufacture one. It's pretty easy, you just search for "Microsoft" and "patent", and then add "could this be an attempt to destroy Linux?".
"Unfortunately" modded to flamebait? The guy just called everyone who values freedom and choice over convenience "freetards". That won't exactly endear anyone to his point of view.
If I complained that people were giving up their long-term interests (an app market where apps can't be pulled at the whim of a single company, general openness, etc.) in favor of short-term usability and shininess, I'd have a point and we'd have the beginning of a debate about the pros and cons of the Apple environment.
But if I did so while calling those people "Mactards" or "blowJobs" or "iDiots" or "smug self-satisfied latte-sipping black-turtleneck-wearing fuckwits", you bet your ass I'd be modded flamebait.
Hmm? How did you miss that whole SCO thing that was going on a few years back?
Are comic books and rock&roll still corrupting our youth, too?
Actually, hold that thought, I need to set up the sacrificial altar for our next game of Dungeons & Dragons...
This being a government IT project, I predict it will take 5 years longer than planned, cost 10x the initial budget, and still never really work quite right.
I hear Cassandra can even predict when disastrous system failures are going to occur! Unfortunately, for some reason nobody ever believes the warnings.
Which is more sexist: The name "Operation Titstorm", or a politician saying that small-breasted women are effectively children?
Google would be stupid to shut off Flash support entirely. But there's nothing stopping them from making it increasingly more difficult to get to the Flash content, while making the "Your browser is obsolete, use one of (list of alternative browsers)!" messages increasingly larger and more annoying.
The end result is that Joe User doesn't get angry at YouTube for "suddenly not working", but eventually gets the message that his browser is broken and needs upgrading.
Tell that to my neighbor. He bought a new computer with Windows 7, only to find that now he has to buy a new printer, because the printer he owns does not and will never have Windows 7 drivers.
What about the Brits, who want to monitor everything? What about the French, who want to kick people off the net for misbehaving? What about Iran, who wants to kick out everyone? Do you really think the USA looks like the good guys to the rest of the 'net? Who gave the world Microsoft, and the RIAA, and the MPAA?
You forgot Australia.
Also, our government doesn't obsessively monitor everyone (Brits), attempt to cram a "3-strikes" law down our throats (French), or attempt to track down dissidents and make them "disappear" (Iranians, Chinese). So, yes, we are the good guys here, relatively speaking.
The cowboy hat makes you look like a moron.
The hoodie makes you look like a tool.
CHOOSE!
Wait. Did you just equate "helping pay for medicine" with "round-the-clock monitoring of your private life by the police"?
We have more choices than "government that never interferes" and "government that controls your life". There are shades of grey possible here.
I don't care what their motivations are. Telling China to take their censorship and shove it, and threatening to pull out entirely, is still deserving of praise (even if it is a couple years late in coming).
On the one hand, casually concluding that people with severe allergies should die for the good of the common gene pool is a horrible thing to say.
On the other hand, if you die by coming into contact with something everyone else eats as a snack, that may be nature's way of saying "you shouldn't exist."
Sure "irregardless" is word. The double negatives cancel out, so it simply means "regard".
In fact, the city should be grateful. Much better to have a magnitude 3.4 quake now, than to let the stress in the fault line accumulate until it breaks out in the form of a magnitude 8.0 quake.
To bolster your point: How did they find the name of the package? Only someone knowledgeable in Linux could've found that out, or the various locations it installed itself to
To refute your point: Malware can get its hooks into Windows in a variety of different ways, and removal often requires specialized tools. For example, I had to remove one of those hideous fake-antivirus programs from a neighbor's computer. Real antivirus was no help. MalwareBytes Anti-malware couldn't get rid of it. Going into Safe Mode and manually cleaning things out didn't even work. I had to search the Internet and use a specialized tool to finally uproot that crap. (And, while I trusted it, the removal tool could have also been malware, I had no way to tell)
So: Linux gets infected, smart user can eliminate it. Windows gets infected, smart user still needs to rely on either antivirus or malware-specific removal tools.
I think they had that on the ship in 2001: A Space Odyssey. How'd that pan out?
Well, I skimmed the replies and found an important point missing, concerning how Windows 8 will be marketed: If Windows 8 is going to be released in 2012, that means that sometime in late 2011, Microsoft will start telling us that Windows 7 is, in fact, dog shit.
But Windows 8 will solve all those problems, and be faster and more secure!
Have you tried running BSD on an OCZ MLC SSD while on LSD? OMG.
And as an added bonus, it'll accidentally take out all those pesky military satellites that don't officially exist!
It actually has a good chance of happening. After all, it's physically impossible for them to get worse.
if your computer is important to you, don't be an early adopter
Absolute truth. Be it Windows, Linux, or Mac, stay the hell away from a new release if you want to be assured your computer will still do what you need it to do.
My laptop I can afford to play around with, hence it got Karmic back when it was still in beta. My desktop that I need to do actual work on? Still using Hardy.
Just wait, soon every purchase of Windows 7 will come with a free slap in the face from a Microsoft rep.