Inflation tends to raise the costs of goods and services which in turn can lead to workers needing higher wages which in turn leads to the cost of labor going up. This is pretty much normal behavior for any rapidly growing economy. It's a balancing act for the government which is why you will hear references to China working to slow down the economy growth. What goes up fast tends to come down just as fast if measures are not taking. In the past China has used currency manipulations to keep things in check but that usually just masks the problem and the international community will only put up with this for so long before introducing tariffs to offset the currency manipulations.
"there will never be competition against Microsoft "
Please tell me you are joking. On the off chance you are not trolling please consider this, at a bare minimum MS is up against strong competition in the OS space, Game systems, Database systems, Phone systems, Mail systems, and productivity applications.
I doubt it will take 10-15 years for problems start occurring. People have been predicting that the Chinese economy will surpass the US but most of these projections assume the global economic conditions which led to China's growth will remain static. They have started posting trade deficits this year after posting 15+ years of surplus. They are dealing with rising inflation which is raising the cost of their exports. The only thing that made China attractive was their low labor costs but they are starting to lose that advantage. They have relied on quantity over quality so if the lose the cost advantage they will start having trouble maintaining their growth rate. They are also facing competition from countries like Vietnam, India, and Brazil who can also compete because of low labor costs.
Just one example of US technology advances are the F-35 and especially the F-22 which serve as a virtual showcase of US advanced technology in the areas of ultra high speed computing, advanced materials science, and communication systems. This technology also has a surprising amount of non-military applications.
The Shuttle program has served as a R&D platform ever since the program was started. The Shuttle program has been terminated but they already have a replacement in the X-37 which has used some of the scientific results and data collected during the Shuttle program.
"because it clearly wasn't cost effective,"
Science research and development is by nature not cost effective. If you are lucky the science might provide the opportunity to recoup some of the initial expense if the research can lead to implementations.
"because it clearly wasn't cost effective, "
" there are no limits to speech in these areas either"
You must have been dropped on your head when you were a baby. This has got to be the stupidest statement I have seen all month. It's not the ability to say anything you want that defines free speech it is what happens to you after you say something. Free speech is about allowing people to voice their own ideas without being killed or imprisoned when someone disagrees. Have you heard of the blasphemy laws that utilizes execution as the punishment? How about the protesters in Syria being shot for critizing the state?
The US, Britain, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan supplied Afghanistan with weapons to fight the Russians. In a normal country this type of assistance would be looked upon as something positive. Instead the people supplied with the weapons turned around and used them to suppress their own citizens and setup their own private fiefdoms using the most extreme and perverted version of Islam as the foundation of their society. Nobody ever mentions the US and Britain also supplied large amounts of humanitarian aid to refugee groups running from the violence. It was the refugee situation that first helped persuade the US to get involved in the first place. The real enabler to Afghanistan's violence and mayhem has been Pakistan in their efforts to obtain an ally in their war against India.
Of course the US could be considered aggressors when it feels their interests are being harmed. I am not defending every choice made by the government or agreeing with everything the government deems a threat but I would rather have the government err on being over protective than being to passive. Every country on the planet does the same thing one way or another. The powerful countries use economics and military power to protect their interests while the smaller countries play the big countries off one another to gain favors and protection. The first priority of any government is helping their own country first and everybody else comes in a distant 2nd.
China will only have this tech after they steal it from the US. Why waste their time and money on R&D when they can just get the US to do it.
"heavily dependant on guided munitions, cruise missiles" A practical and effective laser weapon, and I am not necessarily talking about the one in the article would make guided munitions obsolete.
A really good laser could even make ICBMs and cruise missiles obsolete as well. If the enemy can knock down your offensive cruise missiles or any other type of missile why continue building them?
MS has always been lawyers because I can't remember a time in the past 20 years when someone wasn't suing them over something.
Apple are hardware specialist. Proprietary hardware has been the company policy since inception. They suffered when cheaper commodity became the norm. They were so bad off for a while that MS had to invest in Apple to make sure the company survived.
Google is comprised of advertisers and marketers that just happen to use good tech to satisfy their main money making operations.
I have had to work on projects that use outsourced resources and ever single one of them has been a gigantic cluster fuck. The developers have lacked the skill sets needed to build sophisticated applications. I spent so much time answering questions about basic programming that I might as well did it all. The time difference and language barrier also complicate things. Anyway I have noticed that most of good developers from oversees work in the US.
I agree that the patent process is badly broken. I also agree that legal doesn't mean fair or reasonable or even makes common sense. However my original post was about this particular MS action. The gist of the parent post was questioning how MS was making money and his argument was based on the statement. "ANDROID is Linux-based, and Linux is not Windows". My take on why this one statement is invalid is because a lot of software patents are not platform specific.
I'm not saying MS is right for pursuing revenue in this manner but you need to look at a couple of things. #1 Are the patents that other companies are cutting licensing checks for valid or is it just cheaper to pay the license fee then litigate? If the patents are valid and would most likely hold up in a court challenge why should MS be criticized for taking advantage of it? I see no other company or individual out there that wouldn't do the same thing. #2 Android is built on and for a Linux based platform but patents are more geared towards the actual functionality produced not the platform or programming language was used to implement the patented idea.
"This sort of thing is the reason I was in favour of lawsuits against companies in the 80's and 90's who'd profited from slave labour back in WWII."
Why stop at WW2? Why not go back to the south in the 1800's or back even further to the Roman Empire that was built by slave labor? How far into the past do we have to go to punish people today for something none of them had anything to do with?
I spent 13 years in the area so I have a pretty good idea what is going on. Comparing a lack of traffic laws against the basic right of free speech and religious tolerence is a clear sign you do not understand anything of any importance and it's ignorance such as yours that guarantees the animisioty will continue. Personally I don't give a shit what happens over there anymore and they could all drop off the world tomorrow and I doubt many would feel particulary upset about it. Until the countries in turmoil face the fact they have created their own problems and stop blaming everything on outsiders they will never know peace. Westerners who also blame outsiders for all the trouble and assign no responsibility to the people actually living in the effected countries only bolster and justify the extremists views and actions.It's past time to withdraw from these countries and let them continue to wreck their countries by themselves. As long as they stay within their borders they can do anything the want. If they step outside their boarders to promote their ideas they should be stomped on. The Taliban made this mistake and look what happened to that country. They were enforciing a barbaric rule using fear and violence but no one outside was interfering. Aligning themselves with those promoting international violence, even if they themselves did not directly participate in the violence, was their undoing.
Terrorists use the cover of religion as a unifying idea to rationalize killing it's "enemies". The terrorists are no more religious or righteous than the extreme left wing and their progressive political dogma. Terrorists only represent a tiny portion of Muslims but they are experts at getting their message to the masses using fiery rhetoric and the liberal application of C-4. Until the moderate or non-extremist Muslims take a stand against the radicals the animosity towards Islam will continue. Muslims seem to have no problem with loudly and angrily protesting any slight, real or imagined, they feel is directed towards them. The moderate Muslims need to use this same level of passion against the terrorists amongst them if they want put an end to the violence and hatred.
" Westboro Baptist Church" This group of idiots are prime examples of the freedom of speech and assembly and religion that exist in the US. Personally I am surprised someone hasn't given these guys a helping hand to expedite their journey to the promise land. Muslim lead countries actively suppress these fundamental rights amongst their citizens. The Muslim countries display little or no tolerance towards others and they have an annoying habit of bringing their intolerance with them when they immigrate to the west. They demand respect but offer none in return.
Creationism is basically the belief that god is responsible for mankind's existence and any other explanation is heresy. The political application in the modern era may be relatively new but the belief system itself has been around for ages. This type of ideology and behavior has been practiced since the founding of civilization using one god or another. Way back it was not that big of a deal because there was no proof that god didn't create everything. Today we can use science and the accumulated knowledge base to prove that man already existed way before 6000 years ago which is the timeline of creationism is based upon. How people can deny the evidence is beyond me but religion seems to lower the intelligence level of the "true believers" to a point where proof is not necessary to support their delusions. The post that started this discussion claimed it was creationism that is holding back technology advancements and that is just not true.
"comparing yourselves to China and Russia"
No I am not comparing them I am just pointing out how those countries are given a free pass on anything they do and are not held to the standards being applied to the US. Until every country is judged by the same set of standards conflict will continue unabated.
"You're now spying on all your people (and the rest of the world)" Spying on ALL of or people? 100% Bullshit. Exaggerated non-sense to prop up your sense of self righteousness. There has not been anyone convicted of a crime in the US using electronic evidence collected without a warrant. The President and Congress may make changes in the law but ultimately it is the judicial branch who gets the last word on what can and what cannot be used against someone accused of a crime. The Judicial branch has torpedoed quite a few laws that made it through Congressional approval.
"force is the only language you understand" The use of force has been and will continue to be the primary means of change in both international and domestic affairs. I am not saying I agree that force should be used all the time I am only stating that force has been used ever since one caveman hit another over the head with a club to get a bigger cave. Every country on the planet has used force in one form or another when declaring their borders and defending their sovereignty. Every boarder on the plant is drawn in blood. And as far as Yemen, Pakistan, and every other country in the region I don't give a damn what happens to them. I support removing all US presence along with the financial aid and just let them continue to kill one another as long as they want.
You were dropped on your head when you were a baby weren't you? Blaming creationists for turning the country away from technology advancement is BS. If this was true we would not have any technology right now. Creationism is not a new idea and was much more prevalent and politically pandered to in the past. The main impetus for technology advancement is and always will be for the foreseeable future the military. The US has the new vehicle (X37) capable of reaching orbit, maneuvering, and landing. From a military standpoint having the capability to destroy or commandeer other countries satellites or create orbital kinetic weapons is fantastic. If it appears any other country would gain these capabilities before the US you can expect the government to increase more than enough funding and support.
And exactly how many people will get into space before an asteroid or some other catastrophe and where are they going to go? It takes a lot of resources just to put a few people in orbit let alone ferry multitudes looking for escape. It my be possible to create orbiting habitats but even that requires skills and technology that currently doesn't exist. Things like water, food, air and waste disposal management. I have no problem at all with wanting to go into space but at this time it is not yet feasible on a large scale. The government or private industry should continue to be funded to encourage this endeavor but at the moment there a few things a little more urgent that should be taken care of first.
And the laws of other countries don't mean shit to the US. I thought this fact would already be widely known by anyone paying even the slightest attention to what goes on in the world. The government has done nothing but blow smoke and issue crazed rhetoric about Wiki-leaks and the only person being charged is the guy who released the information.
Space? What say we just attempt to make sure nobody dies of starvation or from the lack of medical access? Once that is done we can start allocating resources to space programs.
All they did was out negligent system administrators. One of their victims did not apply the security updates for an Apache fault that was identified over a year ago. SQL injections have also been around for years and any competent developer or system administrator would have made sure this exploit was addressed.
You would have a hard time finding anyone that J. Edger Hoover was NOT spying on during that time. The guy was a zealot and first rate blackmailer that could not be removed from the FBI because he had information on most of the politicians and government officials who could have pushed for his removal.
The US also pushed for the League of Nations but ended up not joining because by the time all of the political drama and compromises had been played out the original League as envisioned by Wilson had been negotiated away.
I'm tired of hearing people bleat on and on about "international law". A law is only applicable if it can be enforced otherwise it's just a bunch of bureaucratic posturing. Also to be "international law" countries would have to surrender their sovereignty and that will not happen anytime soon in the US or any other country with a measure of common sense. Sort of like the political witch hunt posse know as the ICC. The US was roundly criticized for not siging up for this political motivated court. China, Russia, India, or Japan also did not sign up for this but you never hear any complaints about them.
It was the storage of the captured data and what Google intended to do with it that spawned the enquiries. Sure you can collect information when people broadcast in the open but would it be OK for Google to us that captured data to sell or market without your approval? Google is marketing and advertising firm that just happens to use cool tech. The collect and sell personal data. How about people bitching and moaning about the opt-in and opt-out precedence when signing in to a site that collects information for possible distribution. If you intercept the data driving down the street does that bypass the need for getting a persons approval before selling the collected data?
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Inflation tends to raise the costs of goods and services which in turn can lead to workers needing higher wages which in turn leads to the cost of labor going up. This is pretty much normal behavior for any rapidly growing economy. It's a balancing act for the government which is why you will hear references to China working to slow down the economy growth. What goes up fast tends to come down just as fast if measures are not taking. In the past China has used currency manipulations to keep things in check but that usually just masks the problem and the international community will only put up with this for so long before introducing tariffs to offset the currency manipulations.
"there will never be competition against Microsoft " Please tell me you are joking. On the off chance you are not trolling please consider this, at a bare minimum MS is up against strong competition in the OS space, Game systems, Database systems, Phone systems, Mail systems, and productivity applications.
I doubt it will take 10-15 years for problems start occurring. People have been predicting that the Chinese economy will surpass the US but most of these projections assume the global economic conditions which led to China's growth will remain static. They have started posting trade deficits this year after posting 15+ years of surplus. They are dealing with rising inflation which is raising the cost of their exports. The only thing that made China attractive was their low labor costs but they are starting to lose that advantage. They have relied on quantity over quality so if the lose the cost advantage they will start having trouble maintaining their growth rate. They are also facing competition from countries like Vietnam, India, and Brazil who can also compete because of low labor costs.
Just one example of US technology advances are the F-35 and especially the F-22 which serve as a virtual showcase of US advanced technology in the areas of ultra high speed computing, advanced materials science, and communication systems. This technology also has a surprising amount of non-military applications. The Shuttle program has served as a R&D platform ever since the program was started. The Shuttle program has been terminated but they already have a replacement in the X-37 which has used some of the scientific results and data collected during the Shuttle program. "because it clearly wasn't cost effective," Science research and development is by nature not cost effective. If you are lucky the science might provide the opportunity to recoup some of the initial expense if the research can lead to implementations. "because it clearly wasn't cost effective, "
" there are no limits to speech in these areas either" You must have been dropped on your head when you were a baby. This has got to be the stupidest statement I have seen all month. It's not the ability to say anything you want that defines free speech it is what happens to you after you say something. Free speech is about allowing people to voice their own ideas without being killed or imprisoned when someone disagrees. Have you heard of the blasphemy laws that utilizes execution as the punishment? How about the protesters in Syria being shot for critizing the state? The US, Britain, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan supplied Afghanistan with weapons to fight the Russians. In a normal country this type of assistance would be looked upon as something positive. Instead the people supplied with the weapons turned around and used them to suppress their own citizens and setup their own private fiefdoms using the most extreme and perverted version of Islam as the foundation of their society. Nobody ever mentions the US and Britain also supplied large amounts of humanitarian aid to refugee groups running from the violence. It was the refugee situation that first helped persuade the US to get involved in the first place. The real enabler to Afghanistan's violence and mayhem has been Pakistan in their efforts to obtain an ally in their war against India. Of course the US could be considered aggressors when it feels their interests are being harmed. I am not defending every choice made by the government or agreeing with everything the government deems a threat but I would rather have the government err on being over protective than being to passive. Every country on the planet does the same thing one way or another. The powerful countries use economics and military power to protect their interests while the smaller countries play the big countries off one another to gain favors and protection. The first priority of any government is helping their own country first and everybody else comes in a distant 2nd.
China will only have this tech after they steal it from the US. Why waste their time and money on R&D when they can just get the US to do it. "heavily dependant on guided munitions, cruise missiles" A practical and effective laser weapon, and I am not necessarily talking about the one in the article would make guided munitions obsolete. A really good laser could even make ICBMs and cruise missiles obsolete as well. If the enemy can knock down your offensive cruise missiles or any other type of missile why continue building them?
MS has always been lawyers because I can't remember a time in the past 20 years when someone wasn't suing them over something. Apple are hardware specialist. Proprietary hardware has been the company policy since inception. They suffered when cheaper commodity became the norm. They were so bad off for a while that MS had to invest in Apple to make sure the company survived. Google is comprised of advertisers and marketers that just happen to use good tech to satisfy their main money making operations.
I have had to work on projects that use outsourced resources and ever single one of them has been a gigantic cluster fuck. The developers have lacked the skill sets needed to build sophisticated applications. I spent so much time answering questions about basic programming that I might as well did it all. The time difference and language barrier also complicate things. Anyway I have noticed that most of good developers from oversees work in the US.
I agree that the patent process is badly broken. I also agree that legal doesn't mean fair or reasonable or even makes common sense. However my original post was about this particular MS action. The gist of the parent post was questioning how MS was making money and his argument was based on the statement. "ANDROID is Linux-based, and Linux is not Windows". My take on why this one statement is invalid is because a lot of software patents are not platform specific.
I'm not saying MS is right for pursuing revenue in this manner but you need to look at a couple of things. #1 Are the patents that other companies are cutting licensing checks for valid or is it just cheaper to pay the license fee then litigate? If the patents are valid and would most likely hold up in a court challenge why should MS be criticized for taking advantage of it? I see no other company or individual out there that wouldn't do the same thing. #2 Android is built on and for a Linux based platform but patents are more geared towards the actual functionality produced not the platform or programming language was used to implement the patented idea.
"This sort of thing is the reason I was in favour of lawsuits against companies in the 80's and 90's who'd profited from slave labour back in WWII." Why stop at WW2? Why not go back to the south in the 1800's or back even further to the Roman Empire that was built by slave labor? How far into the past do we have to go to punish people today for something none of them had anything to do with?
I spent 13 years in the area so I have a pretty good idea what is going on. Comparing a lack of traffic laws against the basic right of free speech and religious tolerence is a clear sign you do not understand anything of any importance and it's ignorance such as yours that guarantees the animisioty will continue. Personally I don't give a shit what happens over there anymore and they could all drop off the world tomorrow and I doubt many would feel particulary upset about it. Until the countries in turmoil face the fact they have created their own problems and stop blaming everything on outsiders they will never know peace. Westerners who also blame outsiders for all the trouble and assign no responsibility to the people actually living in the effected countries only bolster and justify the extremists views and actions.It's past time to withdraw from these countries and let them continue to wreck their countries by themselves. As long as they stay within their borders they can do anything the want. If they step outside their boarders to promote their ideas they should be stomped on. The Taliban made this mistake and look what happened to that country. They were enforciing a barbaric rule using fear and violence but no one outside was interfering. Aligning themselves with those promoting international violence, even if they themselves did not directly participate in the violence, was their undoing.
Terrorists use the cover of religion as a unifying idea to rationalize killing it's "enemies". The terrorists are no more religious or righteous than the extreme left wing and their progressive political dogma. Terrorists only represent a tiny portion of Muslims but they are experts at getting their message to the masses using fiery rhetoric and the liberal application of C-4. Until the moderate or non-extremist Muslims take a stand against the radicals the animosity towards Islam will continue. Muslims seem to have no problem with loudly and angrily protesting any slight, real or imagined, they feel is directed towards them. The moderate Muslims need to use this same level of passion against the terrorists amongst them if they want put an end to the violence and hatred. " Westboro Baptist Church" This group of idiots are prime examples of the freedom of speech and assembly and religion that exist in the US. Personally I am surprised someone hasn't given these guys a helping hand to expedite their journey to the promise land. Muslim lead countries actively suppress these fundamental rights amongst their citizens. The Muslim countries display little or no tolerance towards others and they have an annoying habit of bringing their intolerance with them when they immigrate to the west. They demand respect but offer none in return.
Creationism is basically the belief that god is responsible for mankind's existence and any other explanation is heresy. The political application in the modern era may be relatively new but the belief system itself has been around for ages. This type of ideology and behavior has been practiced since the founding of civilization using one god or another. Way back it was not that big of a deal because there was no proof that god didn't create everything. Today we can use science and the accumulated knowledge base to prove that man already existed way before 6000 years ago which is the timeline of creationism is based upon. How people can deny the evidence is beyond me but religion seems to lower the intelligence level of the "true believers" to a point where proof is not necessary to support their delusions. The post that started this discussion claimed it was creationism that is holding back technology advancements and that is just not true.
"comparing yourselves to China and Russia" No I am not comparing them I am just pointing out how those countries are given a free pass on anything they do and are not held to the standards being applied to the US. Until every country is judged by the same set of standards conflict will continue unabated. "You're now spying on all your people (and the rest of the world)" Spying on ALL of or people? 100% Bullshit. Exaggerated non-sense to prop up your sense of self righteousness. There has not been anyone convicted of a crime in the US using electronic evidence collected without a warrant. The President and Congress may make changes in the law but ultimately it is the judicial branch who gets the last word on what can and what cannot be used against someone accused of a crime. The Judicial branch has torpedoed quite a few laws that made it through Congressional approval. "force is the only language you understand" The use of force has been and will continue to be the primary means of change in both international and domestic affairs. I am not saying I agree that force should be used all the time I am only stating that force has been used ever since one caveman hit another over the head with a club to get a bigger cave. Every country on the planet has used force in one form or another when declaring their borders and defending their sovereignty. Every boarder on the plant is drawn in blood. And as far as Yemen, Pakistan, and every other country in the region I don't give a damn what happens to them. I support removing all US presence along with the financial aid and just let them continue to kill one another as long as they want.
You were dropped on your head when you were a baby weren't you? Blaming creationists for turning the country away from technology advancement is BS. If this was true we would not have any technology right now. Creationism is not a new idea and was much more prevalent and politically pandered to in the past. The main impetus for technology advancement is and always will be for the foreseeable future the military. The US has the new vehicle (X37) capable of reaching orbit, maneuvering, and landing. From a military standpoint having the capability to destroy or commandeer other countries satellites or create orbital kinetic weapons is fantastic. If it appears any other country would gain these capabilities before the US you can expect the government to increase more than enough funding and support.
And exactly how many people will get into space before an asteroid or some other catastrophe and where are they going to go? It takes a lot of resources just to put a few people in orbit let alone ferry multitudes looking for escape. It my be possible to create orbiting habitats but even that requires skills and technology that currently doesn't exist. Things like water, food, air and waste disposal management. I have no problem at all with wanting to go into space but at this time it is not yet feasible on a large scale. The government or private industry should continue to be funded to encourage this endeavor but at the moment there a few things a little more urgent that should be taken care of first.
And the laws of other countries don't mean shit to the US. I thought this fact would already be widely known by anyone paying even the slightest attention to what goes on in the world. The government has done nothing but blow smoke and issue crazed rhetoric about Wiki-leaks and the only person being charged is the guy who released the information.
Space? What say we just attempt to make sure nobody dies of starvation or from the lack of medical access? Once that is done we can start allocating resources to space programs.
All they did was out negligent system administrators. One of their victims did not apply the security updates for an Apache fault that was identified over a year ago. SQL injections have also been around for years and any competent developer or system administrator would have made sure this exploit was addressed.
You would have a hard time finding anyone that J. Edger Hoover was NOT spying on during that time. The guy was a zealot and first rate blackmailer that could not be removed from the FBI because he had information on most of the politicians and government officials who could have pushed for his removal.
The US also pushed for the League of Nations but ended up not joining because by the time all of the political drama and compromises had been played out the original League as envisioned by Wilson had been negotiated away.
I'm tired of hearing people bleat on and on about "international law". A law is only applicable if it can be enforced otherwise it's just a bunch of bureaucratic posturing. Also to be "international law" countries would have to surrender their sovereignty and that will not happen anytime soon in the US or any other country with a measure of common sense. Sort of like the political witch hunt posse know as the ICC. The US was roundly criticized for not siging up for this political motivated court. China, Russia, India, or Japan also did not sign up for this but you never hear any complaints about them.
It was the storage of the captured data and what Google intended to do with it that spawned the enquiries. Sure you can collect information when people broadcast in the open but would it be OK for Google to us that captured data to sell or market without your approval? Google is marketing and advertising firm that just happens to use cool tech. The collect and sell personal data. How about people bitching and moaning about the opt-in and opt-out precedence when signing in to a site that collects information for possible distribution. If you intercept the data driving down the street does that bypass the need for getting a persons approval before selling the collected data?
They saved the information they collected and refused requests for outside overview on how the saved data was handled after capture.