The problem is that school kids tend to be vicious little bastards and have absolutely no problem with using any available and safe (to them) means, including such a service, as a means to exact revenge on classmates for percieved wrongs. Believe me, I've been on both sides of the fence. Such a service will most likely be abused to such a great degree that it won't even function well enough to serve the stated purpse, good or not.
Of course the fact that it doesn't work won't matter just so long as Pinkerton keeps getting their money. This is a profit-making corporation, and their sole interest is to make money. The actual benefits of their programs are irrelevant in all cases but one: to promote their company reputation and thus attract new customers. The point of the customers is to make more money.
One would think that there would be a natural image incentive for Pinkerton to create a truly helpful program, but that is not the case. Unless there are big complaints, and I do mean big, people will not listen when the kids say that the program is causing problems. If the administrators thing that the program is helping, if the parents thing that it's helping, then they will not listen to the kids with respect to the effectiveness of the program. Remember, that the parents consider themselves to know best (they generally do), but if Pinkerton can sell them on an idea then it is irrelevant what the kids say. And even in this case, Pinkerton doesn't have to put much work into it; the media has already done their work, priming the parents to demand that Pinkerton's system be implemented in their child's school at once.
So here's what it comes down to:
As long as Pinkerton has no incentive to act in the childrens' interest, they will not do so. As long as Pinkerton can convince parents that they need this program (the media has already done a good job), there will be virtually no incentive for them to perform well with respect to the kids.
If you want to change Pinkerton, change their profitability. Publicize them, Taco's article, anything about them. Only through public disapproval can WAVE be stopped.
You seriously believe that you'll want to run the same hardware in ten years? Maybe five, but ten? Look at it this way: In ten years a computer with the same capabilities as the one you've got now will probably be available for $25 at someone's garage sale.
Unless you have some sort of really bizarre internal app that you need to keep static over the years (like if you plan to set the thing up as a controller for a security system or some such thing), keeping that old of a machine around really isn't worth the trouble.
And as for donating the thing, better to spend the money on another computer than to spend it trying to prolong the life of your current machine. Really
Mozilla is still under development and should not be treated as a release product. Security bugs should be published openly to ensure the fastest and most robust fix possible. There is no sense in concealing information about a product still under development. z
Slashdot Mirror
The problem is that school kids tend to be vicious little bastards and have absolutely no problem with using any available and safe (to them) means, including such a service, as a means to exact revenge on classmates for percieved wrongs. Believe me, I've been on both sides of the fence. Such a service will most likely be abused to such a great degree that it won't even function well enough to serve the stated purpse, good or not.
Of course the fact that it doesn't work won't matter just so long as Pinkerton keeps getting their money. This is a profit-making corporation, and their sole interest is to make money. The actual benefits of their programs are irrelevant in all cases but one: to promote their company reputation and thus attract new customers. The point of the customers is to make more money.
One would think that there would be a natural image incentive for Pinkerton to create a truly helpful program, but that is not the case. Unless there are big complaints, and I do mean big, people will not listen when the kids say that the program is causing problems. If the administrators thing that the program is helping, if the parents thing that it's helping, then they will not listen to the kids with respect to the effectiveness of the program. Remember, that the parents consider themselves to know best (they generally do), but if Pinkerton can sell them on an idea then it is irrelevant what the kids say. And even in this case, Pinkerton doesn't have to put much work into it; the media has already done their work, priming the parents to demand that Pinkerton's system be implemented in their child's school at once.
So here's what it comes down to:
As long as Pinkerton has no incentive to act in the childrens' interest, they will not do so. As long as Pinkerton can convince parents that they need this program (the media has already done a good job), there will be virtually no incentive for them to perform well with respect to the kids.
If you want to change Pinkerton, change their profitability. Publicize them, Taco's article, anything about them. Only through public disapproval can WAVE be stopped.
[ze Snark]
You seriously believe that you'll want to run the same hardware in ten years? Maybe five, but ten? Look at it this way: In ten years a computer with the same capabilities as the one you've got now will probably be available for $25 at someone's garage sale.
Unless you have some sort of really bizarre internal app that you need to keep static over the years (like if you plan to set the thing up as a controller for a security system or some such thing), keeping that old of a machine around really isn't worth the trouble.
And as for donating the thing, better to spend the money on another computer than to spend it trying to prolong the life of your current machine. Really
zs
Mozilla is still under development and should not be treated as a release product. Security bugs should be published openly to ensure the fastest and most robust fix possible. There is no sense in concealing information about a product still under development. z