I sold audio equipment for a couple of years and one of the first things I got to learn was to always give the customer TWO options. Unless the customer seemed unhappy with both choices, introducing a third option would only make the buying decision harder often resulting in a "need to go home and think about it"-response. This of course combined with lazy salespersons who doesn't feel they need to learn anything more than they absolutely need to close a deal.
This isn't exactly news to people in sales. Anyone trying to enter as a "third option" will have an extemely tough time trying to break through in the market, even if their product is better in many aspects.
(And as with any golden "rule of thumb" within sales, there is of course a shitload of exceptions, but I doubt the smartphone market is one of them)
I agree on this. About a year ago I quit my job to try my luck as an independent web developer. Pretty naively I assumed that all I had to do was make sure I was visible online and people would find me. Nobody did. I started browsing various sites that offered contracts on a freelance-basis but just like the original poster, I was shocked to see pretty complex projects being sold for 1/10th of what I would have offered without even trying to make a profit! Would I have made a better job than them? Probably. Did they care? No. So what to do?
After a couple of months I gave up on trying to outbid the competition and started calling some local companies. Turns out a lot of them needed help either with web related projects or IT in general, such as networking, small office servers, etc. While web development was what I was going for when I started, I've noticed I really like the variation in the tasks I'm assigned now. And I still get to do web development.
Oh, you mean sell hardware and support to companies that wants to use Linux on their hardware? But I was just told that's companies didn't want that due to the GPL?
This was my first thought when reading the headline. I wouldn't actually mind seeing some unobtrusive ads, but knowing ads are unlikely to be deemed "unobtrusive" if the company behind it does not pay for the service makes ad block plus an ad provider, not an ad blocker.
Not that I think the "Catherdral vs. Bazaar" comparison is really that appropriate as a tool for measuring social networks (and it wasn't intended for that either), but using Google+ will always be - no matter how you twist and turn it - on their rules and conditions. And this regardless of wheter anonymous accounts are allowed or not. The only way to have a truly "bazaar" social network model would be using decentralized nodes. I admit I don't know much about Diaspora, but wasn't that one of their selling points?
I don't think it's as easy as just converting the package, since Ubuntu One ties into a lot of other Ubuntu specific packages. I know some have tried it for Fedora, with varying levels of success.
Perhaps, but I've got a few computers all running different Linux distributions (as is common amongst Linux geeks), and as long as they can't sync, Ubuntu One will have to wait.
Some interesting details from Aaron Seigo in a blog post here.
While his post makes a pretty strong point, for those of us who are looking for more specific critique, I found the most interesting parts hidden in the comments, such as this, also from Aaron Seigo:
@Lennart: "If you list this notifier spec, then I can list you the sound theming/naming specs which KDE has shown no interest in."
that's an incorrect comparison.
if we (KDE) had offered a bunch of critique on the sound theme spec, had someone come to us with an implementation in Qt and then still gone off and done our own thing instead, then it would be an adequate comparison. but that isn't what happened, is it?:)
we (KDE) simply haven't gotten around to implementing the sound theming spec. why? as you note, it's not a high priority for us. but i guarantee you that if someone stepped up to do some work on the event sounds infra in kdelibs, stop #1 would be that naming spec.
also, this is not an odd "oops, we just didn't get around to it" event on the part of GNOME: how's that job D-Bus implementation in GNOME 3 coming? you know, the one that needlessly duplicates the one KDE implements, which we actually designed with thought of cross-project use including getting some feedback from non-KDE devs? or how about the screensaver D-Bus API which we implemented specifically with collaboration with GNOME devs at SUSE, only later to have GNOME not implement it and then complain to us that it used the org.freedesktop namespace? or how about how GNOME devs specifically blocked the formation of a common git repository for fd.o specs, and then when there was finally agreement (after an in-person meeting) insist on implementing it themselves, ignoring that repo had already been started but by people with @kde.org email addresses, and then after taking months to eventually duplicate that effort not implement the most critical part of it: the metadata?
in contrast, we could see how KDE implemented support for the visual notificatons D-Bus protocol as implemented in GNOME, even though it has evident limitations and is a 100% subset of something we already have in the form of KNotify... simply to provide compatibility. would GNOME devs do that today? doubtful, because our priorities, as you point out, are indeed different.
what GNOME needs is not more apologists making excuses for poor behavior but people who will stand up and take ownership of their actions.
I'm no Ubuntu fan really, but I find it quite funny how the GNOME devs are famous for not giving a fuck about their users opinions, and still they're somehow outraged when someone doesn't give a fuck about theirs.
He had consensual sex with 2 women, who are now complaining he didn't use a condom, which is apparently illegal in Sweden, but it's hardy rape by most people's definition.
Nonsense. Having consensual sex without a condom is hardly illegal in Sweden or any other civilized country for that matter. From what I gather, the condom actually broke during intercourse with one of the women and Mr Assange was asked to stop, and he didn't. Yeah, that's at least called sexual assault in Sweden, and since it's no longer consensual I can't really see what else it would be called.
Of course, what really happened between them is only known by Julian Assange and the two women. Let's not judge anyone just yet.
That's right. And don't forget that people have been complaining for ages about regular gnome being too simple (as in "lacks configuration options") as well.
Remember, your job is to make sure everything works smoothly for them, and if that means more work for you, well, that's what they pay you for. There's no one-size-fits-all solution. By asking them what they want and expect, you'll get something to start from.
As much as I love the idea of the Web as it once was - an open platform allowing people to exchange ideas regardless of gender, race, social status, handicap and so on - with the rising popularity of the web this was bound to happen.
Call me a cynic, but most people are happy to sacrifice their privacy, integrity and what not for just a little bit of shiny or simplicity. "Everyone else is doing it, so what could possibly go wrong?" This is really not a problem with the Web as such but with people in general, and to think the Web could somehow be different from the people that populate it is pretty naive (although one could of course wish..)
People prefer simplicity over privacy, and will gladly give up some of their freedom rather than having to learn something new.
The SD did not include any anti-Semitic messages in its platform. On the contrary, it has two Jewish members among its top ranks and has actually come out in support of Israel at times.
Seriously, that's the best you can manage to come up with? One would hope for some evidence of your claims since you apparently feel entitled to judge for others.
Nazis? They are actually more Israel friendly than most established parties, and one of their MP:s is jewish.
While their ideological platform is built mainly on restricting immigration, that hardly qualifies as nazism. And joke votes are hardly a sign of apathy. If you really need to point fingers, why not aim them at the ~18% of the population that didn't vote at all? Get your facts straight.
Well yeah, that is actually often the point of humourus votes. It shows you support the democratic system but perhaps none of the available representatives, whereas ignoring to vote means not using your democratic rights at all.
Sony cannot force anyone to plug an ethernet cable into their ps3.
Sure, they can exclude you from PSN, but a lot of us aren't really into online play anyway.
Slashdot Mirror
Also, how does webshop push you to another phone then the one you are searching for?
That's easy. The WP7 phones are presented with Silverlight.
I sold audio equipment for a couple of years and one of the first things I got to learn was to always give the customer TWO options. Unless the customer seemed unhappy with both choices, introducing a third option would only make the buying decision harder often resulting in a "need to go home and think about it"-response. This of course combined with lazy salespersons who doesn't feel they need to learn anything more than they absolutely need to close a deal.
This isn't exactly news to people in sales. Anyone trying to enter as a "third option" will have an extemely tough time trying to break through in the market, even if their product is better in many aspects.
(And as with any golden "rule of thumb" within sales, there is of course a shitload of exceptions, but I doubt the smartphone market is one of them)
Yeah, except for the fact that the OP makes the case that it's pretty much impossible to earn an income that way.
I agree on this. About a year ago I quit my job to try my luck as an independent web developer. Pretty naively I assumed that all I had to do was make sure I was visible online and people would find me. Nobody did. I started browsing various sites that offered contracts on a freelance-basis but just like the original poster, I was shocked to see pretty complex projects being sold for 1/10th of what I would have offered without even trying to make a profit! Would I have made a better job than them? Probably. Did they care? No. So what to do?
After a couple of months I gave up on trying to outbid the competition and started calling some local companies. Turns out a lot of them needed help either with web related projects or IT in general, such as networking, small office servers, etc. While web development was what I was going for when I started, I've noticed I really like the variation in the tasks I'm assigned now. And I still get to do web development.
So yeah, going local is good advice.
Maybe it's a sign that you should consider a new computer?
Oh, you mean sell hardware and support to companies that wants to use Linux on their hardware? But I was just told that's companies didn't want that due to the GPL?
Yeah, that's why large IT companies like IBM, Intel and even Microsoft are contributing to the BSD:s and not to Linux. Oh, wait..
This was my first thought when reading the headline. I wouldn't actually mind seeing some unobtrusive ads, but knowing ads are unlikely to be deemed "unobtrusive" if the company behind it does not pay for the service makes ad block plus an ad provider, not an ad blocker.
Here is a detailed list: http://en.opensuse.org/Product_highlights
..to patch their kernels.
Not that I think the "Catherdral vs. Bazaar" comparison is really that appropriate as a tool for measuring social networks (and it wasn't intended for that either), but using Google+ will always be - no matter how you twist and turn it - on their rules and conditions. And this regardless of wheter anonymous accounts are allowed or not. The only way to have a truly "bazaar" social network model would be using decentralized nodes. I admit I don't know much about Diaspora, but wasn't that one of their selling points?
I don't think it's as easy as just converting the package, since Ubuntu One ties into a lot of other Ubuntu specific packages. I know some have tried it for Fedora, with varying levels of success.
it is also available on Windows and Android
Perhaps, but I've got a few computers all running different Linux distributions (as is common amongst Linux geeks), and as long as they can't sync, Ubuntu One will have to wait.
@Lennart: "If you list this notifier spec, then I can list you the sound theming/naming specs which KDE has shown no interest in."
:)
... simply to provide compatibility. would GNOME devs do that today? doubtful, because our priorities, as you point out, are indeed different.
that's an incorrect comparison.
if we (KDE) had offered a bunch of critique on the sound theme spec, had someone come to us with an implementation in Qt and then still gone off and done our own thing instead, then it would be an adequate comparison. but that isn't what happened, is it?
we (KDE) simply haven't gotten around to implementing the sound theming spec. why? as you note, it's not a high priority for us. but i guarantee you that if someone stepped up to do some work on the event sounds infra in kdelibs, stop #1 would be that naming spec.
also, this is not an odd "oops, we just didn't get around to it" event on the part of GNOME: how's that job D-Bus implementation in GNOME 3 coming? you know, the one that needlessly duplicates the one KDE implements, which we actually designed with thought of cross-project use including getting some feedback from non-KDE devs? or how about the screensaver D-Bus API which we implemented specifically with collaboration with GNOME devs at SUSE, only later to have GNOME not implement it and then complain to us that it used the org.freedesktop namespace? or how about how GNOME devs specifically blocked the formation of a common git repository for fd.o specs, and then when there was finally agreement (after an in-person meeting) insist on implementing it themselves, ignoring that repo had already been started but by people with @kde.org email addresses, and then after taking months to eventually duplicate that effort not implement the most critical part of it: the metadata?
in contrast, we could see how KDE implemented support for the visual notificatons D-Bus protocol as implemented in GNOME, even though it has evident limitations and is a 100% subset of something we already have in the form of KNotify
what GNOME needs is not more apologists making excuses for poor behavior but people who will stand up and take ownership of their actions.
I'm no Ubuntu fan really, but I find it quite funny how the GNOME devs are famous for not giving a fuck about their users opinions, and still they're somehow outraged when someone doesn't give a fuck about theirs.
He had consensual sex with 2 women, who are now complaining he didn't use a condom, which is apparently illegal in Sweden, but it's hardy rape by most people's definition.
Nonsense. Having consensual sex without a condom is hardly illegal in Sweden or any other civilized country for that matter. From what I gather, the condom actually broke during intercourse with one of the women and Mr Assange was asked to stop, and he didn't. Yeah, that's at least called sexual assault in Sweden, and since it's no longer consensual I can't really see what else it would be called.
Of course, what really happened between them is only known by Julian Assange and the two women. Let's not judge anyone just yet.
Yeah, you could, but you didn't have to. I don't see what's wrong with that, and I'm a gnome user at the moment btw.
That's right. And don't forget that people have been complaining for ages about regular gnome being too simple (as in "lacks configuration options") as well.
Using BTRFS :)
Remember, your job is to make sure everything works smoothly for them, and if that means more work for you, well, that's what they pay you for. There's no one-size-fits-all solution. By asking them what they want and expect, you'll get something to start from.
As much as I love the idea of the Web as it once was - an open platform allowing people to exchange ideas regardless of gender, race, social status, handicap and so on - with the rising popularity of the web this was bound to happen. Call me a cynic, but most people are happy to sacrifice their privacy, integrity and what not for just a little bit of shiny or simplicity. "Everyone else is doing it, so what could possibly go wrong?" This is really not a problem with the Web as such but with people in general, and to think the Web could somehow be different from the people that populate it is pretty naive (although one could of course wish..)
People prefer simplicity over privacy, and will gladly give up some of their freedom rather than having to learn something new.
Conformity seems hard coded in most people.
But for the benefit of anybody happening upon this post, yes, they are Nazis:
It won't be long before Sweden Democrats show true anti-Semitic nature.
From your link:
The SD did not include any anti-Semitic messages in its platform. On the contrary, it has two Jewish members among its top ranks and has actually come out in support of Israel at times.
Seriously, that's the best you can manage to come up with? One would hope for some evidence of your claims since you apparently feel entitled to judge for others.
Nazis? They are actually more Israel friendly than most established parties, and one of their MP:s is jewish.
While their ideological platform is built mainly on restricting immigration, that hardly qualifies as nazism. And joke votes are hardly a sign of apathy. If you really need to point fingers, why not aim them at the ~18% of the population that didn't vote at all? Get your facts straight.
Well yeah, that is actually often the point of humourus votes. It shows you support the democratic system but perhaps none of the available representatives, whereas ignoring to vote means not using your democratic rights at all.
Sony cannot force anyone to plug an ethernet cable into their ps3. Sure, they can exclude you from PSN, but a lot of us aren't really into online play anyway.