It isn't about not liking Microsoft, it is self preservation. What is Lotus today? What is Novell? Where is Netscape?
What financial interest are you protecting when you create a novel piece of software on a platform made by a company that can compete directly with you, and even give their version of a product away, just so you lose?
And there are plenty of companies making software that does not run on any version of Microsoft, and doing quite well. Apple ???
And the fact that Microsoft wants to compete with iPod and iTunes with its crappy version is proof that they don't really care about your business, even if your stuff runs on theirs.
The moron is people who think that Microsoft with its 90% of the market in OS isn't really a competitor for the stuff they make, and by shear force of will could wipe out any software company they desire. It isn't like this hasn't happened before.
When Articles are written.... Next Page... in a format.... Next Page.... where a single article..... Next Page.... appears spread across..... Next Page.... several pages with.... Next Page.... more ads than.... Next Page.... content on each.... Next Page.... page..... Next Page.... or a horribly.... Next Page.... formated for..... Next Page.... printer version..... Next Page
In that case, why not support Open Office, which is already (mostly) cross platform? I mean besides the fact that it is open source and isn't actually sold.
Or Google Apps?
And I don't use Flash.
My point wasn't about OFFICE applications, but application development in general.
Why create any application that has any level of market penetration, on a platform created by a company that is in direct competition with your product, or at least can enter into competition at any time.
Seriously! We've seen how it works. Mozilla - IE, Word Perfect - Word, 123 - Excel, Quicken - Money, Notes - Exchange, NDS - ADS.
While the lure of 95% market share OS is strong, I would think that in the long run, it is futile; The Borg will assimilate your customers.
If I were an application developer, I wouldn't even try to make a Windows version.
"Or contemplate "This statement is false" as a mind bender."
Actually, there is a THIRD option, one that isn't boolean. Which proves that any analysis that takes at face value the statement is logically flawed. Since the statement assumes only boolean logic, and that assumption is itself flawed, makes any analysis of that statement also flawed. So just suggesting that people contemplate it as a "mind bender" is also logically flawed, because it has as its basis the same exact error as an assumption.
Thus, there is no "mind bender" to contemplate. The assumptions needed to make it a "mind bender" themselves are flawed.
"But we all know that doing so effectively throws away our vote, so we settle for the lesser of the two evils."
Unless you vote for the winner, you've thrown away your vote.
Seriously, there is so much logical reason not to vote third party. Even if they lose every election between now and the end of time. I'm sick of (D) and (R) candidates that I'd be willing to vote any other. Seriously, the whole system is broken when only two choices, both wrong, are the only choice.
Vote Third Party, any third party. Tell EVERYONE involved we're sick of politics as usual.
Linux on a Laptop or not? That is the choice CONSUMERS have.
The vendor's choice is "which distro" and that just leads to a Distro War, and a lose/lose result in the eyes of the consumer.
While I agree that we shouldn't want to reward SuSE/Novell for their boneheaded mistake. That mistake however has no bearing upon Linux what-so-ever. It only bears upon MS and Novell. Linux is largely immune (due to copyright/license type) to what MS thought they were buying. (IMHO)
So, again the choice is "Linux on your laptop" or "Vista on your laptop", which choice do you want???
Never mind the increased (Hopefully) driver support within Linux, which will have to be a large part of a successful Linux story.
Worse that your examples, in the US, it is legal to patent / copyright a number. Go Figure.
That doesn't mean the whole SYSTEM is broken, just parts.
As for GPL3, I'll let history judge it. I personally think it was designed to be viral (bad, no matter if you agree with FOSS or not), and probably unenforceable in the long run. And yes, I've read the whole thing. I actually prefer BSD style license, it is more libertarian. But that is me.
Google's head of patents believes the system is in crisis: 'The Patent Office is overburdened,' she said. 'The volume of patents going in is huge. And the quality of patents coming out -- it could be better.' But Apple's chief patent counsel said the US patent system was 'not broken' and 'not in crisis,' calling it 'the best in the world.'
Here's a novel idea. Is it possible that these two views aren't as mutually exclusive as some think?
My thoughts as to why I postulate this idea (ignoring the obvious "broken" / "not broken" statements).
1) From a certain point of view, the patent system is broken: the infamous business model "on the web", swinging on a swing, etc. 2) From another point of view, the patent system is NOT broken: true inventions, novel approaches to solving a problem etc.
Is the whole patent system "broken" because of 1? I agree that certain aspects of the Patent process ARE broken, but that doesn't mean the whole of it is.
FOSS is just as "broken" as Patent System is. Probably more so with people starting to implement GPL3 (which isn't going to have the effect that the authors/designers wanted). Before you mod me down, I support and promote FOSS where I can, when I can. I don't use MS Office, I use Open Office. I use LAMP for all my web design work (I use Joomla, mostly). Firefox, Thunderbird etc for web applications. I think FOSS has a lot to offer, but it is far from perfect.
The different agendas and people trying to force others to their view is insane. While I like the idea behind GPL3 (protect the source), I don't like the implementation. I think it is going to hurt packaging and bundling of components together to accomplish a job because of some clause in the GPL3 is vague enough and can be interpreted in such a way that bundling of a LAMP solution would be viewed as violation of GPL3. What is the difference between linking libraries, and linking applications???? Define a library vs an application. Isn't a library a small application????? It is a bit like defining PORN, isn't it? I mean, we all know "PORN" when we see it, but actually defining it can be.... difficult at best.
I use sarcasm a lot in much of my writings, but sarcasm is hard to get across in writing because there is no intonation that can be expressed in writing.
When I saw the title, I thought, if they Raided (http://www.killsbugsdead.com/) Microsoft Office, that Office would stop working completely. Can't kill all the bugs, some of them might be features!
Professional Poker Players do not always make the final table, but they finish in the money often enough to make a living. Finishing in the money means that you have a chance to make the final table, which is why you see the same set of faces.
Take for instance Annie Duke, who consistantly finishes in the money, and has more money finishes than any other woman on the circuit, but she hasn't finished on the final table of many. Her big win was versus Phil Helmuth at a WSOP Tourney of Champions, where she DID get to the final table, and eventually won that event.
In other words, there are usually enough donkeys in a tourney to keep the professionals in the money. This is a difference in skill, not luck.
"That's chance. That's poker, even if the pros and the weekend wannabes try to argue otherwise."
Poker has an eliment of chance, however chance doesn't explain why you consistently see the top pros at final tables. A poker pro will know how to do the following...
1) Read another player 2) Know how to maximize reward compared to risk 3) Adjust play to compensate for 1 and 2
Poker is a game of skill with chance invovled. Since Chance is equal (over the long haul) between all players, chance doesn't explain repeated wins.
The fact that you think Poker is all "chance" with your "That's Chance, That's Poker" tells me that you aren't very good at poker, and blame your poor performance on "bad luck". I'd love to play poker with you.:-D
First off, congratulations on missing the point. According to you Junior ROTC is nothing but glorified marching band or other similar event, yet it was still kicked out? If it is as harmless as you put it, then there shouldn't be a problem, but then again it isn't as harmless as you seem to think, as the board removed them.
Now, you can ask the real question, if JR ROTC is harmless as you portray, then why did the board remove them. The answer is that they don't want Milatary Indoctrination, which was their stated goad.
As for the USF, UCSF, and SFSU universities, there is a reason why ROTC still exists on those campus', namely FEDERAL $$$$. Every so often one of the more "enlightened" professors will open his big mouth and suggest that ROTC be removed until it is "discovered" that doing so would jeopardize funding. Funny how that works out.
"you can find ONE person in pretty much any sizable group with pretty much any screwball opinion."
Except the one person in the "sizable group" is that the sizable group is only seven or so people. Having seen interviews with some of the other supervisors on TV, I can assure you that the sentiments are not limited to the one, even if the others are more pragmatic.
"It pretty much goes along with the place being a progressive city with many people opposing bush and his war."
Right, because setting up a museum and kicking ROTC out of schools is all about Bush and his war. I wonder where all these protestors were during Clinton's wars, which had less justification than the current one, not that the current "war" is justified in any way.
We're either going to police the world or we're not. I personally would recall all US troops on foriegn soil immediately if I were electedl: Korea, Germany, England, Iraq......... all of them. Let the world police themselves for a bit, without any US support or involvement whatsoever. Let see how long that works.
Lastly, we only have 1.5 years left of the current idiot, before the next idiot takes office. Reagan and JFK were the last two decent presidents, the rest were idiots in one way or another.
The plight you just described is commonly known as "lowest common denominator syndrome". It is where people do things to attract the largest audience possible, so they tailor their marketing/product/columns to the lowest common denominator, of the group targeted.
What they miss are missing out on, is the concept of the 80/20 rule where 80% of business is from the top 20% of customers (or something like that). The more effective businesses keep defining and re-defining the 80/20 split of their customers, and target those top 20%, knowing the rest of their customers will follow.
The problem with targeting 100% market share in any area, is you end up with something that wants to be all things to all people but not actually good at any of it (ie Windows) but "good enough" for most people.
Tuesday (11/14/06) night by a vote of 4-2, the San Francisco Board of Ed banned Junior ROTC training in seven city high schools, throwing 1,600 students out of those clubs. This is a direct insult to the U.S. military and violates the civil rights, I believe, of the ROTC students. The federal government should immediately suspend all federal aid to San Francisco schools.
Or perhaps you don't know about San Francisco refusal to allow the USS Iowa to berth there.
As for the Fleet Week, the board of Supervisors is at least is smart enough to set aside the SF values when money is on the line. Fleet Week is a huge tourist attraction in SF, in case you didn't know.
However the FACT that at least ONE person tried to stop it is at least evidence of the ANTI military bias in SF. Remember, Chris Daley was elected to the Board partly because of this very stance.
Slashdot Mirror
"Why is it excusable to use zero brains when accessing a computer, claiming it's "too hard" or "too limiting" .... "
Have you seen some of the users? This is really not too far of a stretch. Seriously.
I'm not a moron.
It isn't about not liking Microsoft, it is self preservation. What is Lotus today? What is Novell? Where is Netscape?
What financial interest are you protecting when you create a novel piece of software on a platform made by a company that can compete directly with you, and even give their version of a product away, just so you lose?
And there are plenty of companies making software that does not run on any version of Microsoft, and doing quite well. Apple ???
And the fact that Microsoft wants to compete with iPod and iTunes with its crappy version is proof that they don't really care about your business, even if your stuff runs on theirs.
The moron is people who think that Microsoft with its 90% of the market in OS isn't really a competitor for the stuff they make, and by shear force of will could wipe out any software company they desire. It isn't like this hasn't happened before.
When Articles are written .... Next Page ... in a format .... Next Page .... where a single article ..... Next Page .... appears spread across ..... Next Page .... several pages with .... Next Page .... more ads than .... Next Page .... content on each .... Next Page .... page. .... Next Page .... or a horribly .... Next Page .... formated for ..... Next Page .... printer version. .... Next Page
In that case, why not support Open Office, which is already (mostly) cross platform? I mean besides the fact that it is open source and isn't actually sold.
Or Google Apps?
And I don't use Flash.
My point wasn't about OFFICE applications, but application development in general.
Why create applications for Microsoft OSes?
Why create any application that has any level of market penetration, on a platform created by a company that is in direct competition with your product, or at least can enter into competition at any time.
Seriously! We've seen how it works. Mozilla - IE, Word Perfect - Word, 123 - Excel, Quicken - Money, Notes - Exchange, NDS - ADS.
While the lure of 95% market share OS is strong, I would think that in the long run, it is futile; The Borg will assimilate your customers.
If I were an application developer, I wouldn't even try to make a Windows version.
"Or contemplate "This statement is false" as a mind bender."
Actually, there is a THIRD option, one that isn't boolean. Which proves that any analysis that takes at face value the statement is logically flawed. Since the statement assumes only boolean logic, and that assumption is itself flawed, makes any analysis of that statement also flawed. So just suggesting that people contemplate it as a "mind bender" is also logically flawed, because it has as its basis the same exact error as an assumption.
Thus, there is no "mind bender" to contemplate. The assumptions needed to make it a "mind bender" themselves are flawed.
"But we all know that doing so effectively throws away our vote, so we settle for the lesser of the two evils."
Unless you vote for the winner, you've thrown away your vote.
Seriously, there is so much logical reason not to vote third party. Even if they lose every election between now and the end of time. I'm sick of (D) and (R) candidates that I'd be willing to vote any other. Seriously, the whole system is broken when only two choices, both wrong, are the only choice.
Vote Third Party, any third party. Tell EVERYONE involved we're sick of politics as usual.
Linux on a Laptop or not? That is the choice CONSUMERS have.
The vendor's choice is "which distro" and that just leads to a Distro War, and a lose/lose result in the eyes of the consumer.
While I agree that we shouldn't want to reward SuSE/Novell for their boneheaded mistake. That mistake however has no bearing upon Linux what-so-ever. It only bears upon MS and Novell. Linux is largely immune (due to copyright/license type) to what MS thought they were buying. (IMHO)
So, again the choice is "Linux on your laptop" or "Vista on your laptop", which choice do you want???
Never mind the increased (Hopefully) driver support within Linux, which will have to be a large part of a successful Linux story.
So, what you are saying is that Microsoft is playing the same game as GPL3, except to their advantage, not FOSS or GPL3 or ......
Begun the license wars have.
Worse that your examples, in the US, it is legal to patent / copyright a number. Go Figure.
That doesn't mean the whole SYSTEM is broken, just parts.
As for GPL3, I'll let history judge it. I personally think it was designed to be viral (bad, no matter if you agree with FOSS or not), and probably unenforceable in the long run. And yes, I've read the whole thing. I actually prefer BSD style license, it is more libertarian. But that is me.
Microsoft Works
Google's head of patents believes the system is in crisis: 'The Patent Office is overburdened,' she said. 'The volume of patents going in is huge. And the quality of patents coming out -- it could be better.' But Apple's chief patent counsel said the US patent system was 'not broken' and 'not in crisis,' calling it 'the best in the world.'
.... difficult at best.
Here's a novel idea. Is it possible that these two views aren't as mutually exclusive as some think?
My thoughts as to why I postulate this idea (ignoring the obvious "broken" / "not broken" statements).
1) From a certain point of view, the patent system is broken: the infamous business model "on the web", swinging on a swing, etc.
2) From another point of view, the patent system is NOT broken: true inventions, novel approaches to solving a problem etc.
Is the whole patent system "broken" because of 1? I agree that certain aspects of the Patent process ARE broken, but that doesn't mean the whole of it is.
FOSS is just as "broken" as Patent System is. Probably more so with people starting to implement GPL3 (which isn't going to have the effect that the authors/designers wanted). Before you mod me down, I support and promote FOSS where I can, when I can. I don't use MS Office, I use Open Office. I use LAMP for all my web design work (I use Joomla, mostly). Firefox, Thunderbird etc for web applications. I think FOSS has a lot to offer, but it is far from perfect.
The different agendas and people trying to force others to their view is insane. While I like the idea behind GPL3 (protect the source), I don't like the implementation. I think it is going to hurt packaging and bundling of components together to accomplish a job because of some clause in the GPL3 is vague enough and can be interpreted in such a way that bundling of a LAMP solution would be viewed as violation of GPL3. What is the difference between linking libraries, and linking applications???? Define a library vs an application. Isn't a library a small application????? It is a bit like defining PORN, isn't it? I mean, we all know "PORN" when we see it, but actually defining it can be
At the risk of being labeled a religious nutjob ..... I think your sentiments are actually quite old .....
Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
So, which is it? Sucks or Blows?????
Not the bootloader
I use sarcasm a lot in much of my writings, but sarcasm is hard to get across in writing because there is no intonation that can be expressed in writing.
I only wish that there was a sarcasm mark (!)
When I saw the title, I thought, if they Raided (http://www.killsbugsdead.com/) Microsoft Office, that Office would stop working completely. Can't kill all the bugs, some of them might be features!
Professional Poker Players do not always make the final table, but they finish in the money often enough to make a living. Finishing in the money means that you have a chance to make the final table, which is why you see the same set of faces.
Take for instance Annie Duke, who consistantly finishes in the money, and has more money finishes than any other woman on the circuit, but she hasn't finished on the final table of many. Her big win was versus Phil Helmuth at a WSOP Tourney of Champions, where she DID get to the final table, and eventually won that event.
In other words, there are usually enough donkeys in a tourney to keep the professionals in the money. This is a difference in skill, not luck.
Made you look.
"That's chance. That's poker, even if the pros and the weekend wannabes try to argue otherwise."
...
:-D
Poker has an eliment of chance, however chance doesn't explain why you consistently see the top pros at final tables. A poker pro will know how to do the following
1) Read another player
2) Know how to maximize reward compared to risk
3) Adjust play to compensate for 1 and 2
Poker is a game of skill with chance invovled. Since Chance is equal (over the long haul) between all players, chance doesn't explain repeated wins.
The fact that you think Poker is all "chance" with your "That's Chance, That's Poker" tells me that you aren't very good at poker, and blame your poor performance on "bad luck". I'd love to play poker with you.
CRM = Customer Resource Management
Basically it is ACT on drugs (Steroids, pot, heroin and Cialis).
First off, congratulations on missing the point. According to you Junior ROTC is nothing but glorified marching band or other similar event, yet it was still kicked out? If it is as harmless as you put it, then there shouldn't be a problem, but then again it isn't as harmless as you seem to think, as the board removed them.
......... all of them. Let the world police themselves for a bit, without any US support or involvement whatsoever. Let see how long that works.
Now, you can ask the real question, if JR ROTC is harmless as you portray, then why did the board remove them. The answer is that they don't want Milatary Indoctrination, which was their stated goad.
As for the USF, UCSF, and SFSU universities, there is a reason why ROTC still exists on those campus', namely FEDERAL $$$$. Every so often one of the more "enlightened" professors will open his big mouth and suggest that ROTC be removed until it is "discovered" that doing so would jeopardize funding. Funny how that works out.
"you can find ONE person in pretty much any sizable group with pretty much any screwball opinion."
Except the one person in the "sizable group" is that the sizable group is only seven or so people. Having seen interviews with some of the other supervisors on TV, I can assure you that the sentiments are not limited to the one, even if the others are more pragmatic.
"It pretty much goes along with the place being a progressive city with many people opposing bush and his war."
Right, because setting up a museum and kicking ROTC out of schools is all about Bush and his war. I wonder where all these protestors were during Clinton's wars, which had less justification than the current one, not that the current "war" is justified in any way.
We're either going to police the world or we're not. I personally would recall all US troops on foriegn soil immediately if I were electedl: Korea, Germany, England, Iraq
Lastly, we only have 1.5 years left of the current idiot, before the next idiot takes office. Reagan and JFK were the last two decent presidents, the rest were idiots in one way or another.
The plight you just described is commonly known as "lowest common denominator syndrome". It is where people do things to attract the largest audience possible, so they tailor their marketing/product/columns to the lowest common denominator, of the group targeted.
What they miss are missing out on, is the concept of the 80/20 rule where 80% of business is from the top 20% of customers (or something like that). The more effective businesses keep defining and re-defining the 80/20 split of their customers, and target those top 20%, knowing the rest of their customers will follow.
The problem with targeting 100% market share in any area, is you end up with something that wants to be all things to all people but not actually good at any of it (ie Windows) but "good enough" for most people.
At least, that is my take on it.
Perhaps you're ignorant like many ....
Tuesday (11/14/06) night by a vote of 4-2, the San Francisco Board of Ed banned Junior ROTC training in seven city high schools, throwing 1,600 students out of those clubs. This is a direct insult to the U.S. military and violates the civil rights, I believe, of the ROTC students. The federal government should immediately suspend all federal aid to San Francisco schools.
Or perhaps you don't know about San Francisco refusal to allow the USS Iowa to berth there.
As for the Fleet Week, the board of Supervisors is at least is smart enough to set aside the SF values when money is on the line. Fleet Week is a huge tourist attraction in SF, in case you didn't know.
However the FACT that at least ONE person tried to stop it is at least evidence of the ANTI military bias in SF. Remember, Chris Daley was elected to the Board partly because of this very stance.
Since you only understand kindergarten logic ...... two things .....
......
.......
1) Sticks and Stones
2) I'm rubber, you're glue