I am oddly reminded of the great hoo-ha that went on over advertising on the net. The desire to keep it scientific and personal, the desire to keep it out of the hands of business and corporations. Look at it now - it has bloomed in to something you could never have imagined ten years ago.
Regulating these industries is the next step. Creating enforcable standards is the next step - especially when you are talking about the general public.
An analogy is due, I think: When saftey started becoming a big issue for cars, did everybody say "don't do that, you'll cramp our style" or did they say, "yes, that's sensible, less people will be hurt?" Well, this is a similar issue. If we regulate the net, attempt to narrow the security holes and make it a safer place to talk and play and do business, more people are going to use it and fewer people are going to get burned.
I have been working as a web developer for five years and, as yet, have not managed to create a website that doesn't function or that looks wrong in NN4.
If they are seeing garbage, you are writing the code wrong. You might want to try testing it now and again?
M$ have a site which is attempting to show off MSIE. They have no real reason to support Netscape or Opera (due to user demographics, as well as the fact that they are their competitors) and every reason not to.
It would indeed be lovely if browsers could follow a standard. Only problem is, by the time the next version of the browser has appeared, the standard has changed and your competitor is having to build to a new standard. I really can't blame them for just doing it their own way in an environ like that.
Can you imagine coding a site where the information architecture went through revolutionary changes every few months? It's ridiculous.
I'd say that while the point itself is made in a slightly illogical way, what Urban was saying was true. The vast majority of the funniest, most interesting, most entertaining programmes have their roots in the BBC or Channel 4.
We've got Dr. Who, Red Dwarf, Monty Python, Black Adder, the Goon Show, the Crystal Maze, Blue Peter excetera excetera excetera.
Admittedly, some of my favourite shows come from syndicated stations such as Buffy, Frasier, Cheers, Mash... but they are few and far between.
I couldn't say what the difference really is, but I strongly suspect it is that the BBC and C4 don't always say 'no that's a silly idea'. They don't try to stick to tried and tested, formulaic shows. IIRC, Who Wants to be a Millionaire is the only interesting show that ITV have ever produced.
They get their audience by providing bad sitcoms and bad drama that people watch because it looks flashy or has some good actors in it. The BBC has always been about introducing new faces and new writers and new types of show.
Tom 2.0
Flying on the ground is wrong.
www.fotg.co.uk
Why not? It requires skill, knowledge, bravery..:) There's a certain something in having a piece of equipment that you have modified. It makes it more 'yours'. You can go and buy a computer off the shelf that's just like thousands of other computers, or you can build one. You can modify it, make it just right. It's the same idea, even if the same amount of work is not involved.
Slashdot Mirror
I am oddly reminded of the great hoo-ha that went on over advertising on the net. The desire to keep it scientific and personal, the desire to keep it out of the hands of business and corporations. Look at it now - it has bloomed in to something you could never have imagined ten years ago.
Regulating these industries is the next step. Creating enforcable standards is the next step - especially when you are talking about the general public.
An analogy is due, I think: When saftey started becoming a big issue for cars, did everybody say "don't do that, you'll cramp our style" or did they say, "yes, that's sensible, less people will be hurt?" Well, this is a similar issue. If we regulate the net, attempt to narrow the security holes and make it a safer place to talk and play and do business, more people are going to use it and fewer people are going to get burned.
Seems like a good idea to me.
I have been working as a web developer for five years and, as yet, have not managed to create a website that doesn't function or that looks wrong in NN4.
If they are seeing garbage, you are writing the code wrong. You might want to try testing it now and again?
M$ have a site which is attempting to show off MSIE. They have no real reason to support Netscape or Opera (due to user demographics, as well as the fact that they are their competitors) and every reason not to.
It would indeed be lovely if browsers could follow a standard. Only problem is, by the time the next version of the browser has appeared, the standard has changed and your competitor is having to build to a new standard. I really can't blame them for just doing it their own way in an environ like that.
Can you imagine coding a site where the information architecture went through revolutionary changes every few months? It's ridiculous.
We've got Dr. Who, Red Dwarf, Monty Python, Black Adder, the Goon Show, the Crystal Maze, Blue Peter excetera excetera excetera.
Admittedly, some of my favourite shows come from syndicated stations such as Buffy, Frasier, Cheers, Mash... but they are few and far between.
I couldn't say what the difference really is, but I strongly suspect it is that the BBC and C4 don't always say 'no that's a silly idea'. They don't try to stick to tried and tested, formulaic shows. IIRC, Who Wants to be a Millionaire is the only interesting show that ITV have ever produced.
They get their audience by providing bad sitcoms and bad drama that people watch because it looks flashy or has some good actors in it. The BBC has always been about introducing new faces and new writers and new types of show.
Tom 2.0
Flying on the ground is wrong.
www.fotg.co.uk
Why not? It requires skill, knowledge, bravery.. :) There's a certain something in having a piece of equipment that you have modified. It makes it more 'yours'. You can go and buy a computer off the shelf that's just like thousands of other computers, or you can build one. You can modify it, make it just right. It's the same idea, even if the same amount of work is not involved.