What about creating a shareware/freeware standards board? SW would be submitted for review, and the board would examine the software, and decide if the readme is honest, and if it does what it says it does (and not more...). After that, software could bear a 'seal of approval.'
This kind of thing is entirely contingent upon widespread use, and strict enforcement - perhaps download sites could ensure that SW they post bearing the 'seal' is legitimately approved.
Because software (esp. small programs, shareware, etc) is provided by so many different sources, it is impossible to rely on the provider's reputation - because most people will have no prior experience with them. The solution is a community one; an organization which is widely trusted, rather than more draconian measures...
What a joke! An incredible shortsighted move, really... As American firms compete to keep programming jobs in the country, a state tax is going to drive firms not only out of the state, but may drive them overseas (i.e., "if we have to move, we might as well make sure we only have to move once").
The question of whether it is appropriate to tax software creation like manufactoring is another matter, but simply from a competitive standpoint, this is a really, really dumb move.
I bet it made tech leaders in countries like India happy!
I'm afraid that they are going to have copyright problems, because this isn't so much a parody as a re-make of PF using SW charictors - word for word from the script. I'm not sure if it is a big enough fish for the lawyers to care, but I'd be watching out for a legal nasty-gram if it were my site.
Actually, I'm not that worried; it's not very funny anyways.
They will be paid one million dollars per episode to film a 1/2 hour TV show. How does that compare to some guy that's doing construction work for 8 hours every day? Think of the pity that the average coal miner would feel for the hard-working cast of Friends.
In case you havn't figured it out yet, people arn't payed based on how hard they work - they are payed based on how much money they make for their employers! An executive who makes $190,000 a year might not work harder than a fast food worker, but he or she does create more buissness; he or she does more for the employer. That's how wages work in our world.
...this is just an intermediate step; why not cut out the middlestep and just implant the damn thing in your wrist now? And then have the McDonald's logo tattoted on.
As they say, marketing is all about perception; if you commit a crime, you wear one of these and they call it a monitoring bracelet; I can't wate to hear what they call it ("McTracker") to get McCustomers to line of for them.
Actually, I'm not totaly opposed to the idea of an implanted chip, as long as it isn't the counter crew at McD's who have to insert it!
Colleges and Universities, as most of you know, have very little tolerance for plagiarism - and rightfully so. High schools, however, have widely varying standards; some schools (often large public school) have near total tolerance of plagiarism, while other schools deal with it as a minor matter. This is not universal; I have spoken to administrators from schools which have a zero-tolerance, or "one bust" rule for plagiarism. The problem comes when students from 'tolerant' schools go to college, and simply don't have a good education in academic honesty.
This service could well help large high school enforce tough anti-plagiarism policies which will not only stop cheaters (a less-important goal) but more importantly, will make sure their students are ready for the next level of academia, when they will be held to a higher standard.
The concerns with privacy and content ownership at this sight are troubling, but they can be dealt with; the most important things is to use the anti-plagiarism resources of the internet as a way to fight the great potential for 'commonplace' (i.e., general papers and reports) plagiarism that clearly exists.
Arguing against those who favor copy protection measures extreme as these can sometimes be difficult for people who arn't particularly technologically inclined; that's why we always see anologies to Ford making cars whose engines need updgrades like Windows does. This article does a good job of making the electronic freedom arguement without resorting to such sillyness by pointing to the underlying economic reality: treating your customers like theives will never increase sales.
Let's hope this is just the first in a long line of articles making a sensible arguments against Disney et al., and their handpicked legislators.
The article is thin on details as to which systems this is compatable with; I know that in my area, the only service availible is thrhough PCS - and yes, I'm looking forward to the day when it isn't so..
What really matters, of course, isn't what they enjoy using at school, what their professors say is the best, what they have the greatest sympathy for ideologically...
...it's what they are provided with at work! Sure, at some point people have power over purchasing decisions, but rarely does a "new hire" come into a firm and tell the company what systems it is to use; if there is going to be a revolution moving away from Microsoft, it is indeed important that CS be exposed to the future, but respect that the real power, the real purchasing decisions, are made by those who are a long time out of school; whose ideological candles have long extinguished.
All of this is good news for American farmers, who have, for years, struggled to compete with the cheap labor in other countries. The only reason that most US farmers are still in business is because of inefficient government subsides; if the "american farmer" can be saved through effective technology and increased efficiency instead, all to it!
Sure, MS will keep the prices marching up - but it won't be that big a problem because:
1. People WILL pay it
2. Most people could never know where / how to by a PC without windows.
3. Microsoft will sell different versions ("home" m "Office," "Pro," "God-like," etc, each priced appropriatly - so people like my poss can waste money buying "Pro," because they think that they are important enough to need it - for word processing...
4. Honestly - do you REALLY think that if MS started to see a major slip in marketshare they woldn't cut prices very quickly? Hello - they may be EVIL but they damn well arn't STUPID!
There is no justifaction for paying for/. content - nearly all of the content is contributed free by users (story posts and comments).
The only thing to pay for is the presentation, organization, archiving of that content - i.e., server costs, admin costs, and so forth. People contribute to/. for free, so to charge for that content is crazy! However, it does cost money to serve the content, and that's what/. should / could charge for.
It seems quite stupid to teach kids research skills without computers! Sure, the library is important, but the computer makes using the library more productive.
Moreover, the internet is, realistically, a critical component of *any* reserach these days!
The whole point is not that we should 'ban' computers, but they should be regulated to a role - just one skill. Computers should be a -component- of education - like art, music, etc... Certainly, it is crucial to have exposure to things 'off screen,' but it is equally important to be familiar and comfortable with computers
My ideal situation: hands on (one machine per kid) twice a week for about 3/4ths of an hour for K-3rd grade, typing and lego programming in 4-5, and use of comps for programming, research and word processing during 'free time' (and programming / literacy classes) in 6th grade untill high school
Regardless of whether or not this patent is "silly," it is clear that future ones will be - for one simple reason:
The goal of the patent office is to "assist patent seekers in obtaining patents as quickly as possible."
The point is, there goal is to help give out as many patents as they legals can; they don't consider their job to be weighing the merit of a patent so long as it conforms to broad legal standards.
All that this will do is demonstrate to Congress that we don't need government regulation; that the private sector will take care of itself...
... the trouble is, in this case, the private solution will be pitifull; it is, after all, being proposed by a group which claims that their right to call me during dinner time to sell me a time share vacation EVERY NIGHT FOR ABOUT A MONTH is protected by the first ammendment...
"I bring this all up because now Microsoft has a new version out, Windows XP, which according to everybody is the ``most reliable Windows ever.'' To me, this is like saying that asparagus is ``the most articulate vegetable ever.''
One important question is the value of the data they collect. Will advertisers buy such 'black market' data? Or is the data collected by the developers 'just because they can?'
It is really in these companies' best interest to risk losing the faith of their users for this data which probably won't make them any money?
That "nobody" will use the new service is a bit of a misstatement; I think that there will be a dedicated, but small user base - certainly, nothing like the huge usage Napster once had, but if they are able to create a subscription model that has a good enough balance between Cost/Hassle and Product that Joe User will choose it over messing about with AudioGalaxy, there will certainly be a user base.
Expect a PR campaign simultaneous to the release painting those who use Napster2 as hip, aware people while those who use others as music pirates.
The PR campaign won't be as scary as the legislative offensive launched to outlaw music trading apps without DRM... Napster and the industry will be on the same side.
In other words, this isn't the end of Napster, not by a long shot. And I suspect that, of all the fee-based services, the one from Napster will be more forgiving than the one that MS puts out.
Slashdot Mirror
This post is a troll! This guy posts this every time there is a spam story - and gets +5 every time...
I'll pay for moderation - and look at the banner ads
As always, it's the lawyers who win!
One scumball sues another, or the good guys sue the bad guys, or the bad guys sue the good guys, the lawyers never lose!
Forget IT, that's what my career should have been.
In a commercial setting, the awnser is obvious: how much money the software makes is how to measure the programmer's acheivment.
In a different setting, it's not as clear......
What about creating a shareware/freeware standards board? SW would be submitted for review, and the board would examine the software, and decide if the readme is honest, and if it does what it says it does (and not more...). After that, software could bear a 'seal of approval.'
This kind of thing is entirely contingent upon widespread use, and strict enforcement - perhaps download sites could ensure that SW they post bearing the 'seal' is legitimately approved.
Because software (esp. small programs, shareware, etc) is provided by so many different sources, it is impossible to rely on the provider's reputation - because most people will have no prior experience with them. The solution is a community one; an organization which is widely trusted, rather than more draconian measures...
What a joke! An incredible shortsighted move, really... As American firms compete to keep programming jobs in the country, a state tax is going to drive firms not only out of the state, but may drive them overseas (i.e., "if we have to move, we might as well make sure we only have to move once").
The question of whether it is appropriate to tax software creation like manufactoring is another matter, but simply from a competitive standpoint, this is a really, really dumb move.
I bet it made tech leaders in countries like India happy!
I'm afraid that they are going to have copyright problems, because this isn't so much a parody as a re-make of PF using SW charictors - word for word from the script. I'm not sure if it is a big enough fish for the lawyers to care, but I'd be watching out for a legal nasty-gram if it were my site.
Actually, I'm not that worried; it's not very funny anyways.
They will be paid one million dollars per episode to film a 1/2 hour TV show. How does that compare to some guy that's doing construction work for 8 hours every day? Think of the pity that the average coal miner would feel for the hard-working cast of Friends.
In case you havn't figured it out yet, people arn't payed based on how hard they work - they are payed based on how much money they make for their employers! An executive who makes $190,000 a year might not work harder than a fast food worker, but he or she does create more buissness; he or she does more for the employer. That's how wages work in our world.
...this is just an intermediate step; why not cut out the middlestep and just implant the damn thing in your wrist now? And then have the McDonald's logo tattoted on.
As they say, marketing is all about perception; if you commit a crime, you wear one of these and they call it a monitoring bracelet; I can't wate to hear what they call it ("McTracker") to get McCustomers to line of for them.
Actually, I'm not totaly opposed to the idea of an implanted chip, as long as it isn't the counter crew at McD's who have to insert it!
I must speak up in favor of this service.
Colleges and Universities, as most of you know, have very little tolerance for plagiarism - and rightfully so. High schools, however, have widely varying standards; some schools (often large public school) have near total tolerance of plagiarism, while other schools deal with it as a minor matter. This is not universal; I have spoken to administrators from schools which have a zero-tolerance, or "one bust" rule for plagiarism. The problem comes when students from 'tolerant' schools go to college, and simply don't have a good education in academic honesty.
This service could well help large high school enforce tough anti-plagiarism policies which will not only stop cheaters (a less-important goal) but more importantly, will make sure their students are ready for the next level of academia, when they will be held to a higher standard.
The concerns with privacy and content ownership at this sight are troubling, but they can be dealt with; the most important things is to use the anti-plagiarism resources of the internet as a way to fight the great potential for 'commonplace' (i.e., general papers and reports) plagiarism that clearly exists.
What a fantastic piece!
Arguing against those who favor copy protection measures extreme as these can sometimes be difficult for people who arn't particularly technologically inclined; that's why we always see anologies to Ford making cars whose engines need updgrades like Windows does. This article does a good job of making the electronic freedom arguement without resorting to such sillyness by pointing to the underlying economic reality: treating your customers like theives will never increase sales.
Let's hope this is just the first in a long line of articles making a sensible arguments against Disney et al., and their handpicked legislators.
The article is thin on details as to which systems this is compatable with; I know that in my area, the only service availible is thrhough PCS - and yes, I'm looking forward to the day when it isn't so..
What really matters, of course, isn't what they enjoy using at school, what their professors say is the best, what they have the greatest sympathy for ideologically...
...it's what they are provided with at work! Sure, at some point people have power over purchasing decisions, but rarely does a "new hire" come into a firm and tell the company what systems it is to use; if there is going to be a revolution moving away from Microsoft, it is indeed important that CS be exposed to the future, but respect that the real power, the real purchasing decisions, are made by those who are a long time out of school; whose ideological candles have long extinguished.
...The guy just wrote it because his boss caught him playing Quake!
All of this is good news for American farmers, who have, for years, struggled to compete with the cheap labor in other countries. The only reason that most US farmers are still in business is because of inefficient government subsides; if the "american farmer" can be saved through effective technology and increased efficiency instead, all to it!
What a stupid article!
Sure, MS will keep the prices marching up - but it won't be that big a problem because:
1. People WILL pay it
2. Most people could never know where / how to by a PC without windows.
3. Microsoft will sell different versions ("home" m "Office," "Pro," "God-like," etc, each priced appropriatly - so people like my poss can waste money buying "Pro," because they think that they are important enough to need it - for word processing...
4. Honestly - do you REALLY think that if MS started to see a major slip in marketshare they woldn't cut prices very quickly? Hello - they may be EVIL but they damn well arn't STUPID!
I just realized that I spend more time reading about spam on /. then I do deleting it from my inbox.
There is no justifaction for paying for /. content - nearly all of the content is contributed free by users (story posts and comments).
/. for free, so to charge for that content is crazy! However, it does cost money to serve the content, and that's what /. should / could charge for.
The only thing to pay for is the presentation, organization, archiving of that content - i.e., server costs, admin costs, and so forth. People contribute to
It seems quite stupid to teach kids research skills without computers! Sure, the library is important, but the computer makes using the library more productive.
Moreover, the internet is, realistically, a critical component of *any* reserach these days!
The whole point is not that we should 'ban' computers, but they should be regulated to a role - just one skill. Computers should be a -component- of education - like art, music, etc... Certainly, it is crucial to have exposure to things 'off screen,' but it is equally important to be familiar and comfortable with computers
My ideal situation: hands on (one machine per kid) twice a week for about 3/4ths of an hour for K-3rd grade, typing and lego programming in 4-5, and use of comps for programming, research and word processing during 'free time' (and programming / literacy classes) in 6th grade untill high school
Regardless of whether or not this patent is "silly," it is clear that future ones will be - for one simple reason:
The goal of the patent office is to "assist patent seekers in obtaining patents as quickly as possible."
The point is, there goal is to help give out as many patents as they legals can; they don't consider their job to be weighing the merit of a patent so long as it conforms to broad legal standards.
All that this will do is demonstrate to Congress that we don't need government regulation; that the private sector will take care of itself...
... the trouble is, in this case, the private solution will be pitifull; it is, after all, being proposed by a group which claims that their right to call me during dinner time to sell me a time share vacation EVERY NIGHT FOR ABOUT A MONTH is protected by the first ammendment...
Look, it comes down to this: if you want to say something on your website (not an email you send to the staff), you are free to do so as long as it is
1. True
2. Not protected by a NDA or the like.
I just found my new .sig:
"I bring this all up because now Microsoft has a new version out, Windows XP, which according to everybody is the ``most reliable Windows ever.'' To me, this is like saying that asparagus is ``the most articulate vegetable ever.''
One important question is the value of the data they collect. Will advertisers buy such 'black market' data? Or is the data collected by the developers 'just because they can?'
It is really in these companies' best interest to risk losing the faith of their users for this data which probably won't make them any money?
That "nobody" will use the new service is a bit of a misstatement; I think that there will be a dedicated, but small user base - certainly, nothing like the huge usage Napster once had, but if they are able to create a subscription model that has a good enough balance between Cost/Hassle and Product that Joe User will choose it over messing about with AudioGalaxy, there will certainly be a user base.
Expect a PR campaign simultaneous to the release painting those who use Napster2 as hip, aware people while those who use others as music pirates.
The PR campaign won't be as scary as the legislative offensive launched to outlaw music trading apps without DRM... Napster and the industry will be on the same side.
In other words, this isn't the end of Napster, not by a long shot. And I suspect that, of all the fee-based services, the one from Napster will be more forgiving than the one that MS puts out.