And exactly what are they using DRM for here... ringtones?
Forward-locking. In other words, if you download an application, ringtone, logo, icon or something else you can't forward it onto your friend. You can't physically get it off the phone (via IR, Bluetooth or PC Link).
DRM in games (as in timeout expiration) is nothing new and doesn't require a DRM enabled platform for it. You simply get the server to pass an identifer in the JAD file which details the download time. The JAR file can use this to work out when an application will expire.
In almost every web browser other than Internet Explorer, innovation is alive and well -- we have popup blocking, ad blocking, tabbed browsing, fine grained scripting control, and nonlinear history traversal, all of which are genuinely valuable innovations that Internet Explorer would do well to adopt.
For the user, yes. Unfortunately in almost every single market (including non-IT ones) you can see that when a company controls a sizeable majority of the market, they don't need to do any innovating, instead relying on the inertia of the userbase.
First off, you might as well tell them up-front that you're a Unix evangelist. It isn't likely to be a secret, and there is always someone who'll chalk up a point or two for honesty.
Well to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't employ a Unix evangelist.
Or a Windows evangelist.
I'd far rather an Best-Tool-For-The-Job evangelist. Evangelism is all very nice and well, but most of the Windows and Linux evangelists I know tend to completely fail to look at something objectivily because of their biasedness towards a particular platform.
If you're totally impartial, you come to an impartial decision, you haven't got clouded vision, you actually do make a difference, you don't waste money going down pointless changes but rather migrate because there are solid facts that tell you that you should and, best of all, you do actually save money for the company.
And, of course, whether that copyrighted software, images or music has been released by the copyright owners for trading has no bearing on whether it's legal or not to download it. Freeware, anyone?
Okay replace the word "copyrighted" with "Freeware" then. It still doesn't change the fact that the chances of finding any freeware software, images or music is extrememly low.
(see my other original paragraph about society seems to be heading towards a "guily until proven innocent" attitude)
Why is there always an assumption of guilt when dealing with file sharing?
Probably because when you search places like Kazaa, the chances of finding any software, images or music that isn't copyrighted is extremely low.
Of course, just because of this doesn't mean that there should be this assumption of guilt, however unfortunately more and more these days it's tending towards the "guilty unless you can prove yourself innocent" way of thinking.
Can someone kindly explain why I should pay more money to upgrade from 2000 to 2003 when 2000 does more that i need and i can get Open office which also does more than i need for free.
You should upgrade if you want the features that 2003 offer. If you don't need them, then you shouldn't "need" to pay more money to upgrade.
That is, of course, until everyone else on the planet uses 2003 and you'll be forced to upgrade so you can read all the documents floating about.
But seriously, you can apply your question to any piece of commercial software. That is why these things get bigger and more processor intensive. They're adding the features that they hope will entice you to part with your pennies.
If the older version does it for you, stick with that. There is no reason why you should upgrade, but there may be a few compelling features.
Would putting firewire or USB2 on really have been so hard? As it stands, the player seems to be in the 'so close but' category.
I would guess that sticking firewire on the product would reduce its attractiveness given than for the majority of PC owners you'd have to open up your case to install the PCI card.
Not everyone is happy about opening up their PC. Most just want to plug it in and forget about it.
When you're trying to sell a product that is moderately niche as it is (not everyone on the planet listens to MP3's as opposed to, say, CD's) the last thing you want to do is make it even more niche with specific requirements.
This is going to get lost in the vaste number of comments already but what the hell:
How will the secure versions of Outlook work? I mean more specifically outside of the local domain? Sure, I can post a message to everyone in my company and prevent them from forwarding it on, but once the email is out into the wild of the internet it's going to have to be backwards compatible for other people to read it.
Therefore assuming these restrictions are in the header (as thats the only place I can think of that would render the email still readable for 90% of the planet):
What is to stop companies modifying all outbound emails to add these restrictions?
What is to stop companies automatically removing these restrictions from all incoming emails?
Sure the number of people using Outlook 11 won't be massive - but look at how popular Outlook 2000 is now. Give it a couple of years...
What will replace the floppy drive? Granted, it's antique, and @#$ing slow, but what other method do you have to transfer small files easily between two computers, without the net? Granted, everything should just be net based, but what happens if your net connection goes down?
Compact Flash slots would be good. Just so long as there was one mounted in the same place as the floppy disk drive (in other words, I can treat the CF as I would a floppy disk).
But if they expect me to waste a USB port plugging in a CF reader then that seems like a step backwards to me.
If there are one or more bugs in IIS, for example, a representative of the IIS team needs to be present to not only explain the merits of the bug, but whether customers are affected, how the fix might affect other parts of the system, and how soon it will be fixed.
To be honest, I don't see why they just don't hold these bug fixing meetings around the IIS guys desk:o)
Take a look at your full headers, those are forged.
I filter out mail from @yahoo.com|@msn.com|@hotmail.com|@aol.com where the connecting host does NOT end in yahoo.com, msn.com, hotmail.com, or aol.com
Neat idea and would go great with my current spam filters.
I don't suppose you would be so generious to share with us the procmail lines you use to do this? Would be appreciated.
Think about it. The new generation is the generation that will make the bussiness decisions later. Get them hooked up on Windows and the future looks bright for MS.
And how would this be any different with advocates pushing Linux into universities and schools and the such?
Sure, there is the whole licencing issue, privacy and the like - but at the same time Linux advocates also understand that if you introduce technology to the younger audience, they'll grow up using it and making business decisions later in life basing their experiences on it.
I can't see any problem with MS aiming for the 16-24 year group. It's not like everyone else isn't allowed to.
--
On a side note (which actually relates to another persons comment), I do think that likening Microsoft (or any company for that matter) to crack dealers is not the best advocacy tactic to employ. Especially if you want the people who really make the influential decisions to listen to you and not assume you to be some 14 year old school kid.
I know ESR did it a while back in one of the Microsoft internal memos... and he sounded like a kid too.
that it justifies this: "To use threedegrees, prospective testers must be running Windows XP with Service Pack 1, the new peer-to-peer update and MSN Messenger 5 installed on their computer."
No thanks.
In the case of MSN Messenger, they're using existing protocols and applications - which, in the spirit of code re-use, is a good thing.
Since MSN Messenger is for windows, that would explain the Windows requirement (although admitidally no 2000?). SP1 is an interesting one - maybe something in it is required - or maybe they're just using it to presuade people to run the fix. I don't know.
Finally the P2P update. Well that makes sense really.
I know this is a pro-Linux, anti-Microsoft site (you can say what you like to disagree but the comments made by the owners are definately that way and the icons imply the same) but come on, if the requirements had been:
Requires Linux 2.5.62 with KDE 3.0 and peer-to-peer upgrade. (with the subtitling that it doesn't run on windows)
I personally love the Snap-back feature built into Safari, where, for example, if you do a google search, go to a result page, go several links deep and realize this isn't what you want, you just click the snap-back button and you're right back to your search results.
Whats the difference between this and hitting the little arrow next to the "Back" icon and selecting the Google page?
Or in CrazyBrowser (and probably others), right clicking the tab and selecting "Tab Home"?
North Greenwich is hardly central though. I live a block away from a zone 3 station just off one of the other major roads into London (nameless, because I don't want my street crowded with commuters who can't be bothered taking public transport all the way to work), and the parking in my street is free.
Enjoy it whilst it lasts. You must be in one of the very few areas left in London that don't require a parking permit.
Give it time and your borough will suddenly start dropping you letters saying that "due to the requests of the residents (right!), we are planning to turn these streets into parking permit areas".
We had it, friends had it. Consider yourself very lucky:o)
In Singapore, they have a system where every car is fitted with a card reader for a cash card. Every time you enter a zone where they want to keep congestion down (I only saw one while I was there) it automatically deducts $1 off of your cash card. Taxis and busses entering the area charge more, too.
My immediate questions are related to enforcing it. If you have to stop and waive your card to get into the centre, then London would quickly become gridlocked.
However if it used radio waves (or something else) to automatically check car entering and leaving then what is to stop you not having a card? If they can work out what constitutes an individual car (which will be a fair bit of work), then they'll need to take a picture to
follow up on the individal for a fine.
So it's either gridlock or a tagging system that can't cope if people don't buy a tag and requires not only RF hardware but an camera and image recognition. Hmmm.
700 cameras and a lot of.NET software sounds really - pardon the expression - 1990s.
Maybe, but if you can think of something else which ensures the maximum amount of enforcement without stopping the traffic - then I've yet to hear it.
Nice theory, so why haven't we seen it working in practice?
One of the many reasons is because the franchises are short (7 years I think) and it takes 6 years to build new trains.
Therefore unless you are absolutely certain you'll keep your franchise, would you throw several million at a new train when it might only get one years service?
Since people won't be able to drive around the centre of London much less park there they will go and park immediately outside the Congestion Zone which will cause havoc. Fortunately some car parks have already taken note of this and are charging a daily rate of £4.60
Pffft. When was the last time you tried parking in London? 1964?:o)
I don't know where you heard about places charging £4.60 but thats rubbish.
Just because you pay a fiver doesn't mean you're guaranteed a parking space inside the zone. Places outside of the zone are hiking their prices because of the increased demand to park in that area (so capturing the "i'll drive as close as I can and then tube it" group of people).
You can't find a daily rate of less than £20 in the area at the moment. Next week it'll probably hit £25.
In a word, no. Yes these things are "bundled" with most linux distros BUT they are many and varied...there is REAL choice.
Woah there bud, when was the last time you actually used Windows? There is a REAL choice with Windows too - in fact, some would say, a greater choice with Windows software than Linux.
Just search any of the major software sites for proof of choice for Windows. You're making it sound like Microsoft software is the only thing that can run on Windows which is patently false.
You are not expected nor forced (indirectly nor directly) to choose email client X, browser Y, etc. Even in cases where the choice is made for you (RedHat) it is still very much an option that you can easily not go with.
Since when has Windows expected you or forced you to use something? How about Outlook Express for your email? Since when have you been dissuaded directly or indirectly from using it? I can easily go without Outlook Express as I can anything on Redhat. In fact I do.
I'm assuming you're talking about Internet Explorer - but even then I would say that using "indirect forcing you to use it" is a little tenious and carpeting the entire software collection that Microsoft gives you with that comment is just flat out wrong.
I'm all for this anti-trust case, but please, if you're going to knock Windows at least do it with some reasoning that doesn't fall over under even the smallest bit of examination.
Slashdot Mirror
Forward-locking. In other words, if you download an application, ringtone, logo, icon or something else you can't forward it onto your friend. You can't physically get it off the phone (via IR, Bluetooth or PC Link).
DRM in games (as in timeout expiration) is nothing new and doesn't require a DRM enabled platform for it. You simply get the server to pass an identifer in the JAD file which details the download time. The JAR file can use this to work out when an application will expire.
This works for any Java enabled phone.
For the user, yes. Unfortunately in almost every single market (including non-IT ones) you can see that when a company controls a sizeable majority of the market, they don't need to do any innovating, instead relying on the inertia of the userbase.
Well to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't employ a Unix evangelist.
Or a Windows evangelist.
I'd far rather an Best-Tool-For-The-Job evangelist. Evangelism is all very nice and well, but most of the Windows and Linux evangelists I know tend to completely fail to look at something objectivily because of their biasedness towards a particular platform.
If you're totally impartial, you come to an impartial decision, you haven't got clouded vision, you actually do make a difference, you don't waste money going down pointless changes but rather migrate because there are solid facts that tell you that you should and, best of all, you do actually save money for the company.
Okay replace the word "copyrighted" with "Freeware" then. It still doesn't change the fact that the chances of finding any freeware software, images or music is extrememly low.
(see my other original paragraph about society seems to be heading towards a "guily until proven innocent" attitude)
Probably because when you search places like Kazaa, the chances of finding any software, images or music that isn't copyrighted is extremely low.
Of course, just because of this doesn't mean that there should be this assumption of guilt, however unfortunately more and more these days it's tending towards the "guilty unless you can prove yourself innocent" way of thinking.
You should upgrade if you want the features that 2003 offer. If you don't need them, then you shouldn't "need" to pay more money to upgrade.
That is, of course, until everyone else on the planet uses 2003 and you'll be forced to upgrade so you can read all the documents floating about.
But seriously, you can apply your question to any piece of commercial software. That is why these things get bigger and more processor intensive. They're adding the features that they hope will entice you to part with your pennies.
If the older version does it for you, stick with that. There is no reason why you should upgrade, but there may be a few compelling features.
I would guess that sticking firewire on the product would reduce its attractiveness given than for the majority of PC owners you'd have to open up your case to install the PCI card.
Not everyone is happy about opening up their PC. Most just want to plug it in and forget about it.
When you're trying to sell a product that is moderately niche as it is (not everyone on the planet listens to MP3's as opposed to, say, CD's) the last thing you want to do is make it even more niche with specific requirements.
But yes, the omission of USB 2.0 was a bit silly.
Indeed. Does anyone know of one that can be picked up in the UK (preferably London) which has a range that covers the house?
I'd love to tune the kitchen radio into my MP3's playing in my room without having to mess about with cables and moving equipment.
How will the secure versions of Outlook work? I mean more specifically outside of the local domain? Sure, I can post a message to everyone in my company and prevent them from forwarding it on, but once the email is out into the wild of the internet it's going to have to be backwards compatible for other people to read it.
Therefore assuming these restrictions are in the header (as thats the only place I can think of that would render the email still readable for 90% of the planet):
- What is to stop companies modifying all outbound emails to add these restrictions?
- What is to stop companies automatically removing these restrictions from all incoming emails?
Sure the number of people using Outlook 11 won't be massive - but look at how popular Outlook 2000 is now. Give it a couple of yearsCompact Flash slots would be good. Just so long as there was one mounted in the same place as the floppy disk drive (in other words, I can treat the CF as I would a floppy disk).
But if they expect me to waste a USB port plugging in a CF reader then that seems like a step backwards to me.
To be honest, I don't see why they just don't hold these bug fixing meetings around the IIS guys desk :o)
I filter out mail from @yahoo.com|@msn.com|@hotmail.com|@aol.com where the connecting host does NOT end in yahoo.com, msn.com, hotmail.com, or aol.com
Neat idea and would go great with my current spam filters.
I don't suppose you would be so generious to share with us the procmail lines you use to do this? Would be appreciated.
All we need now is two dupes in a row and we'll have a full house ...
And how would this be any different with advocates pushing Linux into universities and schools and the such?
Sure, there is the whole licencing issue, privacy and the like - but at the same time Linux advocates also understand that if you introduce technology to the younger audience, they'll grow up using it and making business decisions later in life basing their experiences on it.
I can't see any problem with MS aiming for the 16-24 year group. It's not like everyone else isn't allowed to.
--
On a side note (which actually relates to another persons comment), I do think that likening Microsoft (or any company for that matter) to crack dealers is not the best advocacy tactic to employ. Especially if you want the people who really make the influential decisions to listen to you and not assume you to be some 14 year old school kid.
I know ESR did it a while back in one of the Microsoft internal memos ... and he sounded like a kid too.
No thanks.
In the case of MSN Messenger, they're using existing protocols and applications - which, in the spirit of code re-use, is a good thing.
Since MSN Messenger is for windows, that would explain the Windows requirement (although admitidally no 2000?). SP1 is an interesting one - maybe something in it is required - or maybe they're just using it to presuade people to run the fix. I don't know.
Finally the P2P update. Well that makes sense really.
I know this is a pro-Linux, anti-Microsoft site (you can say what you like to disagree but the comments made by the owners are definately that way and the icons imply the same) but come on, if the requirements had been:
Requires Linux 2.5.62 with KDE 3.0 and peer-to-peer upgrade.
(with the subtitling that it doesn't run on windows)
Would someone have made exactly the same comment?
Whats the difference between this and hitting the little arrow next to the "Back" icon and selecting the Google page?
Or in CrazyBrowser (and probably others), right clicking the tab and selecting "Tab Home"?
I repair my ancient 4x CD Rewriter using some meths, a couple of cotton bud, a death metal CD and a hacksaw ... and you all get to see the pictures!
Enjoy it whilst it lasts. You must be in one of the very few areas left in London that don't require a parking permit.
Give it time and your borough will suddenly start dropping you letters saying that "due to the requests of the residents (right!), we are planning to turn these streets into parking permit areas".
We had it, friends had it. Consider yourself very lucky :o)
The *real* IQ test button is hidden on the back of your computer near the power cord.
# NO CARRIER
Wow. I stand corrected. Good cheap car parking skills!
My immediate questions are related to enforcing it. If you have to stop and waive your card to get into the centre, then London would quickly become gridlocked.
However if it used radio waves (or something else) to automatically check car entering and leaving then what is to stop you not having a card? If they can work out what constitutes an individual car (which will be a fair bit of work), then they'll need to take a picture to follow up on the individal for a fine.
So it's either gridlock or a tagging system that can't cope if people don't buy a tag and requires not only RF hardware but an camera and image recognition. Hmmm.
700 cameras and a lot of .NET software sounds really - pardon the expression - 1990s.
Maybe, but if you can think of something else which ensures the maximum amount of enforcement without stopping the traffic - then I've yet to hear it.
One of the many reasons is because the franchises are short (7 years I think) and it takes 6 years to build new trains.
Therefore unless you are absolutely certain you'll keep your franchise, would you throw several million at a new train when it might only get one years service?
Pffft. When was the last time you tried parking in London? 1964? :o)
I don't know where you heard about places charging £4.60 but thats rubbish.
Just because you pay a fiver doesn't mean you're guaranteed a parking space inside the zone. Places outside of the zone are hiking their prices because of the increased demand to park in that area (so capturing the "i'll drive as close as I can and then tube it" group of people).
You can't find a daily rate of less than £20 in the area at the moment. Next week it'll probably hit £25.
Woah there bud, when was the last time you actually used Windows? There is a REAL choice with Windows too - in fact, some would say, a greater choice with Windows software than Linux.
Just search any of the major software sites for proof of choice for Windows. You're making it sound like Microsoft software is the only thing that can run on Windows which is patently false.
You are not expected nor forced (indirectly nor directly) to choose email client X, browser Y, etc. Even in cases where the choice is made for you (RedHat) it is still very much an option that you can easily not go with.
Since when has Windows expected you or forced you to use something? How about Outlook Express for your email? Since when have you been dissuaded directly or indirectly from using it? I can easily go without Outlook Express as I can anything on Redhat. In fact I do.
I'm assuming you're talking about Internet Explorer - but even then I would say that using "indirect forcing you to use it" is a little tenious and carpeting the entire software collection that Microsoft gives you with that comment is just flat out wrong.
I'm all for this anti-trust case, but please, if you're going to knock Windows at least do it with some reasoning that doesn't fall over under even the smallest bit of examination.
Or if you'd seen this in 1999.
I also vaigly remember NorWeb (in the UK) trialling this and finding that every street lamp acted as an emitter.
Granted this was a couple of years ago (also reported by Slashdot) so technology will have improved by then.