Subscription Service
on
Slashdot Updates
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I work for a company who's primary business is more and more based on providing web content. We have a mixed free/subscription service (20%/80%). Our model is not the same as Slashdot in that we provide a lot of our own content and our target market is rich (i.e. Lawyers). No subscription gets you news and some basic information. Subscription payment gets you full customisation rights, protected content and even specialised linking to our material.
Business websites are VERY expensive to run - ask anyone who has been in the IT business for long enough - and slashdot is part of a company, like it or not, and there is no way on gods earth Slashdot makes any money.
If Slashdot needs larger ads, big deal - its still free so stop complaining. If you REALLY don't like it, then go and start your own Slashdot.
However if you want to start charging for a subscription, you have to then offer some kind of content which is UNIQUE to paying subscribers, and that means authoring your own content. Otherwise, whats the point of paying to see re-hashed material ?
Im my career I've worked a lot with Access, Oracle and SQL Server.
In our organisation, we've made a strategic decision to move away from SQL Server to embrace Oracle, as we wish to centralise and store our data (we publish legal information for corporate lawyers) which consists of large documents, plus financial, customer etc information.
We chose Oracle (at a helluva price in the UK) simply because it allows us to embrace Java, XML etc and run it all on a SUN system which will give us the power to scale up as much as possible.
We're just a small business (80 staff) but the sizable investment in Oracle allows us to protect our data and leverage it into the future and to protect the growth of the company.
I don't like lining Larry Ellisons pockets like everyone else, but when it comes to the future of our business, at least I'll sleep at night.
This article is a nice bit of satire but points out some home truths for the Open Source 'Zealots'. Everyone may hate Microsoft and bitch about them, but it still comes down to the fact that Joe Average wants software on his computer that he can type his letters, play some games and load software he gets on magazine covers. He doesn't want to worry about what Window Manager to install or what version of the kernel he has.
I am a supporter of Open Source, and in the business I work for we are evaluating Linux as an option for some business functions. When it comes down to running our business though, we stick to Microsoft since everyone in the company can use it and we have enough experience to keep it running despite the numerous bugs. Even when we do move to Unix, we'll play safe and go with Sun/Oracle just to make sure we have a reliable upgrade path in 10 years time.
If open the Open Source movement could work together (and I mean TOGETHER - the forking of Samba is another example of this) then we would see more stable distributions of Linux with ONE graphical front end being the standard plus proper applications like Word, Quark, etc.
Then, and only then, will Linux move properly forward to challenge Microsoft on all fronts.
Re:Maybe this is what sunk the Kursk
on
Microsoft Cracked
·
· Score: 1
Very sick and unfunny.
At least 20 or so people died a slow and horrible death on that sub.
Slashdot Mirror
I work for a company who's primary business is more and more based on providing web content. We have a mixed free/subscription service (20%/80%). Our model is not the same as Slashdot in that we provide a lot of our own content and our target market is rich (i.e. Lawyers). No subscription gets you news and some basic information. Subscription payment gets you full customisation rights, protected content and even specialised linking to our material.
Business websites are VERY expensive to run - ask anyone who has been in the IT business for long enough - and slashdot is part of a company, like it or not, and there is no way on gods earth Slashdot makes any money.
If Slashdot needs larger ads, big deal - its still free so stop complaining. If you REALLY don't like it, then go and start your own Slashdot.
However if you want to start charging for a subscription, you have to then offer some kind of content which is UNIQUE to paying subscribers, and that means authoring your own content. Otherwise, whats the point of paying to see re-hashed material ?
For all your backyard astronomers, here are the coordinates : (all information is for London at GMT)
Position information for 16 Aug 2001 09:54:45 (Julian day number 2452137.91302)
- Flamsteed number: 47 Ursae Majoris
- Tycho catalog number: TYC 3009-2703-1
- PPM number: PPM 52175
- SAO number: SAO 43557
- Henry Draper number: HD 95128
- DM number: BD +41 2147
(Courtesy of SkyMap Pro, (c) C.A.Marriott)This page will also show you where to look with the naked eye. (Its a few years old but the picture is very useful for finding it with the naked eye).
Im my career I've worked a lot with Access, Oracle and SQL Server. In our organisation, we've made a strategic decision to move away from SQL Server to embrace Oracle, as we wish to centralise and store our data (we publish legal information for corporate lawyers) which consists of large documents, plus financial, customer etc information. We chose Oracle (at a helluva price in the UK) simply because it allows us to embrace Java, XML etc and run it all on a SUN system which will give us the power to scale up as much as possible. We're just a small business (80 staff) but the sizable investment in Oracle allows us to protect our data and leverage it into the future and to protect the growth of the company. I don't like lining Larry Ellisons pockets like everyone else, but when it comes to the future of our business, at least I'll sleep at night.
This article is a nice bit of satire but points out some home truths for the Open Source 'Zealots'. Everyone may hate Microsoft and bitch about them, but it still comes down to the fact that Joe Average wants software on his computer that he can type his letters, play some games and load software he gets on magazine covers. He doesn't want to worry about what Window Manager to install or what version of the kernel he has. I am a supporter of Open Source, and in the business I work for we are evaluating Linux as an option for some business functions. When it comes down to running our business though, we stick to Microsoft since everyone in the company can use it and we have enough experience to keep it running despite the numerous bugs. Even when we do move to Unix, we'll play safe and go with Sun/Oracle just to make sure we have a reliable upgrade path in 10 years time. If open the Open Source movement could work together (and I mean TOGETHER - the forking of Samba is another example of this) then we would see more stable distributions of Linux with ONE graphical front end being the standard plus proper applications like Word, Quark, etc. Then, and only then, will Linux move properly forward to challenge Microsoft on all fronts.
Very sick and unfunny. At least 20 or so people died a slow and horrible death on that sub.