My Mom & Dad use a DVD enabled laptop, plugged into the living room stereo or taken up to the bedroom, to watch movies. Works like a charm. No reason to think they are unique.
Seriously, with iPod (or any MP3 jukebox) and a little cassette adapter, my music worries are over. OVER. No need for satellite or any other radio.
What I would pay for in my car is 100% reliable, commercial-free newscasts from BBC, NPR, and CBS News. Just the news, not the music. Someone make that happen for a lower price, and I'm there.
Um, I thought his terse answers showed more humanity that one could ever get from, say, a Microsoft PR flack. He was clear and to the point! And saying he doesn't know is better than making some shit up.
Okay, moderators, please mod everyone to -1 Offtopic who thinks it is, because everyone in this category did not even read the headline on the linked article. Emphasis added:
Microsoft proposes changes
December 10, 2001: 12:51 p.m. ET
Software maker seeks to modify private settlement to deflect criticism.
Microsoft Corp. is offering to modify the proposed
settlement of private antitrust lawsuits to
deflect criticism it would simply extend its
software monopoly by donating
reduced-priced software, computers and
training to schools.
This concerns a private class-action suit which may or may not have merit, NOT the DOJ sellout. Pay attention people!
I suspect you won't be able to release those products GPL, however. So it would be less useful than other elements of Linux. Not bad, just less useful.
Seriously, MS isn't all shit and vomit. I've used MS Office for Mac for 15 years now (currently using 98) and I am still very happy with it! Since it's not "integrated" with the OS the virus problems are much less common, and it still works quite well (once you turn Dancing Banana Junior 9000 off). Why not make it available for Linux? It might actually make a few people happy, and you certainly don't have to use it if you don't want to.
Get this - when you
call to report a service outage, they ask if you put a *filter* on the *DSL MODEM*!
Umm, maybe this is because it's an easy mistate to make, which would render the service unusable? Just because you understand what a filter does, and why you attach it to a phone and not the dsl modem, you can't expect everyone to know that. Customer care desks try to anticipate the most common problems. Not a bad thing in my view.
I love my iPod too. Now that I have iPod Free File Access (freeware) the one big problem, that you can't transfer songs iPod->Mac, is solved - and the sound quality is very nice (though a little quiet in the car via a tape adapter), and the capacity, battery life, and form factor kick ass. Buy one if you have a Mac with Firewire, you won't regret it.
The computer manufacturers, content providers, and production companies (who are merging and will all be the
same eventually anyway) would much prefer you to lease a Playstation, rather than own a computer.
I don't think that Dell, for example, wants to be in that business. Or Apple. Even if Sony et al. would rather be in that business, they don't have market power - and probably won't be, if users continue to vote with their dollars and make "services" like this the total failures they deserve to be.
It really amazes me that these music execs, who seem to get paid so much, can only come up with unmitigated crap. Oh well, if I don't subscribe, maybe they'll go away.
Okay, so I have an iPod filled with 4G or so of music, and they want me to rent music that I can play on my PC (or Mac) only, and not carry around with me woth the rest of the tunes? I can go to a fucking bar and use a fucking jukebox if I want that.
These will be total failures. Not that this is any surprise to anyone. Maybe they are being set up to fail?
And it is ridiculous that you are flamed so mercilessly for speaking the truth. (Well, really, so what else is new in slashdot-land?) The failings you describe are precisely what holds linux back from being the serious competitor to windows that it so desperately wants to be, and yet so few advocates see this as a problem!
Whatever. Customers will vote with their dollars. Someday Linux developers will figure this out.
Slashdot Mirror
My Mom & Dad use a DVD enabled laptop, plugged into the living room stereo or taken up to the bedroom, to watch movies. Works like a charm. No reason to think they are unique.
What I would pay for in my car is 100% reliable, commercial-free newscasts from BBC, NPR, and CBS News. Just the news, not the music. Someone make that happen for a lower price, and I'm there.
I actually used my ipod to upgrade my Powerbook from 5G to 20G. So it does work, up to a point.
Clearly the answer, for easy backups of a 100G drive, is 21 iPods.
I happily take my iPod to the stereo however. works fine if you have 4.6 GB of tunes.
Should he be fired, impeached, or both? And am I aiding and abetting terrorists by asking such a question?
Um, I thought his terse answers showed more humanity that one could ever get from, say, a Microsoft PR flack. He was clear and to the point! And saying he doesn't know is better than making some shit up.
Microsoft proposes changes
December 10, 2001: 12:51 p.m. ET
Software maker seeks to modify private settlement to deflect criticism.
Microsoft Corp. is offering to modify the proposed settlement of private antitrust lawsuits to deflect criticism it would simply extend its software monopoly by donating reduced-priced software, computers and training to schools.
This concerns a private class-action suit which may or may not have merit, NOT the DOJ sellout. Pay attention people!
Was?
I suspect you won't be able to release those products GPL, however. So it would be less useful than other elements of Linux. Not bad, just less useful.
Seriously, MS isn't all shit and vomit. I've used MS Office for Mac for 15 years now (currently using 98) and I am still very happy with it! Since it's not "integrated" with the OS the virus problems are much less common, and it still works quite well (once you turn Dancing Banana Junior 9000 off). Why not make it available for Linux? It might actually make a few people happy, and you certainly don't have to use it if you don't want to.
IIRC MS-DOS and Windows 3.x were the leading OS in 1991. What's changed?
Umm, maybe this is because it's an easy mistate to make, which would render the service unusable? Just because you understand what a filter does, and why you attach it to a phone and not the dsl modem, you can't expect everyone to know that. Customer care desks try to anticipate the most common problems. Not a bad thing in my view.
So what if I've posted 1423 comments to slashdot?
No "Buy one now at ThinkGeek" link? You guys are slipping.
I love my iPod too. Now that I have iPod Free File Access (freeware) the one big problem, that you can't transfer songs iPod->Mac, is solved - and the sound quality is very nice (though a little quiet in the car via a tape adapter), and the capacity, battery life, and form factor kick ass. Buy one if you have a Mac with Firewire, you won't regret it.
Because most users have no idea what you are talking about, but know what a "song" is.
No, OS/2 is dying. Get with the program!
I don't think that Dell, for example, wants to be in that business. Or Apple. Even if Sony et al. would rather be in that business, they don't have market power - and probably won't be, if users continue to vote with their dollars and make "services" like this the total failures they deserve to be.
That's the idea. Upon reflection I am sure these are PR moes set up to fail. And they will!
It really amazes me that these music execs, who seem to get paid so much, can only come up with unmitigated crap. Oh well, if I don't subscribe, maybe they'll go away.
These will be total failures. Not that this is any surprise to anyone. Maybe they are being set up to fail?
Apple won a bid to provide iBooks? I bet the competition was really fierce.
Whatever. Customers will vote with their dollars. Someday Linux developers will figure this out.
Great, now we'll get 30 minutes of ads and trailers.