Re:Download time
on
Lessig @ OSCON
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· Score: 2, Interesting
If you donate $5 or more to the Eldred Legal Defense fund (at http://eldred.cc/howyoucanhelp/), you'll get a copy of a CD I created, with a copy of the website linked in the original post, as well as self-contained flash executables for windows and mac.
The UCLA linux users group has had their own distro out for a while now. Members of the UCLA LUG have also pushed the physics and chemistry lab classes to accept student work in the StarOffice format, previously they only accepted word and excel documents. The UCLA distro is preconfigured to connect to the campus LANs and from home on UCLA's dialups. They throw regular install fests and have a mailing list to boot.
AOL is bad, but RealPlayer is also guilty of this
on
AOL's Upgrade of Death
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· Score: 1
If someone is willing to install AOL 5.0, chances are they're not really comfortable with a "regular" ISP dialup account (and maybe installing software is still something they're new to), so if AOL disables the others dialups, what are the chances these users will be able to get them back? AOL is essentially locking in their userbase.
AOL is far from alone in this, Microsoft routinely does this, Apple does this in the Quicktime 4 player (takes over all media types), but the granddaddy of it is Real Networks.
RealPlayer gets my vote for most annoying software on earth.
If you want to see the level of obnoxiousness in their software, download RealPlayer 7 and install it on a windows system. Then count the number of infections across your system. I remember the following occurring on install: a new toolbar button in IE, new links in my bookmarks, realjukebox installed even though I have no intention of ever wanting or using it, new taskbar program always running, disabling the taskbar icon is now hidden 2 levels deep in its preferences (it used to be one click away), and it associated *everything* imaginable with the RealPlayer, including MP3's which I'm perfectly happy using Winamp or Freeamp for playback. I've forced the mp3 extension to map to Winamp, but still to this day, when I click on a web link ending in.mp3, it plays in the RealPlaer.
I'll also mention that they continue to hide the free player plugin deep in their site, forcing visitors to view multiple pitches to buy their questionably better $30 Plus version. Those are just off the top of my head, I know I missed a couple more...
Real Networks has built its user base to insane numbers because of the infectious nature of their plugin (remember, it's just a plugin, since when should a plugin install things all over my OS?). They've effectively duped their user base into using RealPlayer for everything, and making it near impossible to avoid it or uninstall it. This line of thinking reminds of how the most annoying banner ads and TV advertising is usually the most effective at getting people to actually use or know about a product.
Fortunately, a company that prefers to use deceptive tactics to maintain their market dominance instead of standing behind and continuing to build great products is destined to fail, as they will inevitably piss off their entire user base (see: Linux user base growning as veteran Windows users tire of being fed up with their buggy software).
I liked the story and all, and the Yankees site is pretty tech savvy. I just wish they'd thought of usability when they built it.
After waiting for the index page to load for a while (I'm on a T3 by the way...), what first catches your eye?
The red box with news? Now, after reading the news blurb, what are you supposed to click on? The darkened links at the top of the red box?
Look around the rest of the interface, what's a link and what isn't a link? Some of the links are yellow, others are white, and some are black until you mouseover them to turn them white.
The design is so busy that I didn't even notice the navigation bar at the top. Shouldn't it be more prominent, or look somewhat like a navigation bar?
Overall, I think it's too hard to use and needs a redesign.
I am amazed that the O'Reilly books stay so current with the industry, and each book usually has only one or two authors. If you went with more people per book (like one per chapter or something), do you think you could get books out on new technology faster?
I haven't seen anyone ask the question everyone is dying to know: how do you get an idea green lighted by O'Reilly? [what prompted the question: Right now there are no books on Real's SMIL (their multimedia XML spec), and I've been getting into it for the last couple months.] So if I wanted to be considered for a book on it, should I crank out an outline and a couple rough drafts of chapters, then try to contact someone at O'Reilly?
How on earth did you guys decide to do a Lego Mindstorms book? (I'm looking forward to reading it, but I was surprised you published it)
The problem with the new registrars is that they still have to go through Network Solutions' horrible database system. Almost every problem I've had with my domains has been due to records not being changed in the NSI db, usually without any indication of what was wrong, and sometimes with no indication either way for days. I have friends that have sat for weeks while their dns change forms get denied over and over again.
NSI's customer service is terrible, and I'd love to use another company that placed importance on customer satisfaction, but if you're having problems changing records on your dotcom records, I don't know how a second party like register.com can help.
If NSI allowed a competing firm to build a web interface that let you edit your records directly (instead of having to use antiquated e-mail forms with cryptic functions and names all over them), I'd move my domains to the new firm immediately. But NSI has registered over 5 million domains (and making half a million a day on registration fees!) and wants to continue doing so, so you'll never see a competing firm offering more features, a better interface, or a price less than $35/yr.
It's called a monopoly, and I think Network Solutions enjoys that status immensely.
If for some crazy reason these parents win the case, all the violent games would be pulled from the shelf, hollywood would never make a violent film again, and you'd never see another porn site based in the USA.
Then we'd really see some people dying (killing themselves from boredom)
Jerky wrote: >Gates says that Linux has no central point >of control. How does that make a system bad?
Bill Gates was born to make money. That's what he does best. Having no central point of control means that there's no one at the helm with a rabid profit motive, requiring users to upgrade at least once a year, every year for an additional $100. With Linux, there's no central point, but that's what makes it so great. Everyone helps out from all sides and miniscule upgrades are added every night. Gates is also a control freak (do you know anyone at Microsoft? Ask them about the building security.), and the communal nature of linux development is a threat to people like him.
If you own a gun, please take a shot for me...
on
InterNIC Redesign
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· Score: 1
tomorrow on your way to lunch.
Instead of improving their customer service, they're portalizing their site and making things much harder to find and use. I called today after I couldn't find something, sat on hold for a half hour before giving up. If they had any competitors, I'd switch in a heartbeat, but alas they don't...
Slashdot Mirror
If you donate $5 or more to the Eldred Legal Defense fund (at http://eldred.cc/howyoucanhelp/), you'll get a copy of a CD I created, with a copy of the website linked in the original post, as well as self-contained flash executables for windows and mac.
The UCLA linux users group has had their own distro out for a while now. Members of the UCLA LUG have also pushed the physics and chemistry lab classes to accept student work in the StarOffice format, previously they only accepted word and excel documents. The UCLA distro is preconfigured to connect to the campus LANs and from home on UCLA's dialups. They throw regular install fests and have a mailing list to boot.
If someone is willing to install AOL 5.0, chances are they're not really comfortable with a "regular" ISP dialup account (and maybe installing software is still something they're new to), so if AOL disables the others dialups, what are the chances these users will be able to get them back? AOL is essentially locking in their userbase.
.mp3, it plays in the RealPlaer.
AOL is far from alone in this, Microsoft routinely does this, Apple does this in the Quicktime 4 player (takes over all media types), but the granddaddy of it is Real Networks.
RealPlayer gets my vote for most annoying software on earth.
If you want to see the level of obnoxiousness in their software, download RealPlayer 7 and install it on a windows system. Then count the number of infections across your system. I remember the following occurring on install: a new toolbar button in IE, new links in my bookmarks, realjukebox installed even though I have no intention of ever wanting or using it, new taskbar program always running, disabling the taskbar icon is now hidden 2 levels deep in its preferences (it used to be one click away), and it associated *everything* imaginable with the RealPlayer, including MP3's which I'm perfectly happy using Winamp or Freeamp for playback. I've forced the mp3 extension to map to Winamp, but still to this day, when I click on a web link ending in
I'll also mention that they continue to hide the free player plugin deep in their site, forcing visitors to view multiple pitches to buy their questionably better $30 Plus version. Those are just off the top of my head, I know I missed a couple more...
Real Networks has built its user base to insane numbers because of the infectious nature of their plugin (remember, it's just a plugin, since when should a plugin install things all over my OS?). They've effectively duped their user base into using RealPlayer for everything, and making it near impossible to avoid it or uninstall it. This line of thinking reminds of how the most annoying banner ads and TV advertising is usually the most effective at getting people to actually use or know about a product.
Fortunately, a company that prefers to use deceptive tactics to maintain their market dominance instead of standing behind and continuing to build great products is destined to fail, as they will inevitably piss off their entire user base (see: Linux user base growning as veteran Windows users tire of being fed up with their buggy software).
Matt
See for yourself, the next scheduled meeting is Jan. 10, 2000:
a lendarCase.cfm?CaseNumber=BC216606
http://lacountycourts.co.la.ca.us/CivilCalendar/C
It looks like eToys.com is giving up their pointless fight
I chatted with the creator of the Netscape Time Capsule, Chuck Lau, and setup a mirror for him on my employer's servers:
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/mozilla
Mac IE 5.0 betas do not support pngs at all, and the Netscape 4.x implementation is broken enough to require plugins.
I liked the story and all, and the Yankees site is pretty tech savvy. I just wish they'd thought of usability when they built it.
After waiting for the index page to load for a while (I'm on a T3 by the way...), what first catches your eye?
The red box with news? Now, after reading the news blurb, what are you supposed to click on? The darkened links at the top of the red box?
Look around the rest of the interface, what's a link and what isn't a link? Some of the links are yellow, others are white, and some are black until you mouseover them to turn them white.
The design is so busy that I didn't even notice the navigation bar at the top. Shouldn't it be more prominent, or look somewhat like a navigation bar?
Overall, I think it's too hard to use and needs a redesign.
Matt
(BTW, did this site remind anyone else of Comdedy Central's site?)
I haven't seen anyone ask the question everyone is dying to know: how do you get an idea green lighted by O'Reilly? [what prompted the question: Right now there are no books on Real's SMIL (their multimedia XML spec), and I've been getting into it for the last couple months.] So if I wanted to be considered for a book on it, should I crank out an outline and a couple rough drafts of chapters, then try to contact someone at O'Reilly?
How on earth did you guys decide to do a Lego Mindstorms book? (I'm looking forward to reading it, but I was surprised you published it)
This is a scary title:
Windows Nt Administration Using Win32 Perl:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos
I wonder if it's even possible without something like a complete overhaul of ActiveState.
The problem with the new registrars is that they still have to go through Network Solutions' horrible database system. Almost every problem I've had with my domains has been due to records not being changed in the NSI db, usually without any indication of what was wrong, and sometimes with no indication either way for days. I have friends that have sat for weeks while their dns change forms get denied over and over again.
NSI's customer service is terrible, and I'd love to use another company that placed importance on customer satisfaction, but if you're having problems changing records on your dotcom records, I don't know how a second party like register.com can help.
If NSI allowed a competing firm to build a web interface that let you edit your records directly (instead of having to use antiquated e-mail forms with cryptic functions and names all over them), I'd move my domains to the new firm immediately. But NSI has registered over 5 million domains (and making half a million a day on registration fees!) and wants to continue doing so, so you'll never see a competing firm offering more features, a better interface, or a price less than $35/yr.
It's called a monopoly, and I think Network Solutions enjoys that status immensely.
In case you didn't know, the Creative DVD kits that run about $200 include line doubling software and composite and S-video outs. Oh AC-3 audio too.
I'm about to get one, to have video out to my TV, but I think it only runs on Win98.
http://www.soundblaster.com/mmuk/dvdrom -6x/
If for some crazy reason these parents win the case, all the violent games would be pulled from the shelf, hollywood would never make a violent film again, and you'd never see another porn site based in the USA.
Then we'd really see some people dying (killing themselves from boredom)
I read it right after it posted, saved it from my cache to my server. Hopefully my pair.com server space won't get /.'ed either:
http://haughey.com/linux.html
Jerky wrote:
>Gates says that Linux has no central point
>of control. How does that make a system bad?
Bill Gates was born to make money. That's what he does best. Having no central point of control means that there's no one at the helm with a rabid profit motive, requiring users to upgrade at least once a year, every year for an additional $100. With Linux, there's no central point, but that's what makes it so great. Everyone helps out from all sides and miniscule upgrades are added every night. Gates is also a control freak (do you know anyone at Microsoft? Ask them about the building security.), and the communal nature of linux development is a threat to people like him.
Instead of improving their customer service, they're portalizing their site and making things much harder to find and use. I called today after I couldn't find something, sat on hold for a half hour before giving up. If they had any competitors, I'd switch in a heartbeat, but alas they don't...