"Great, so instead of just watching something instantly on the TV for free"
Instantly, as long as it's the instant that the TV channel wants you to see it. You might have noticed that time shifting and location shifting is something lots of people do nowadays.
Steve Jobs isn't going to come to your house and make you buy these TV shows. I think your knee-jerk reaction, however, is fairly silly.
I'd argue that shared, incompatible code libraries were a Bad Idea.
If your crappy application will only function with a particular version of some.dll, then don't put it in the system directory where it's going to get upgraded by some other app.
Saving disk space by sharing DLL files is like be like saving on grocery bills by shooting yourself in the head.
You're free to use your Tivo/MythTV/crappy old VCR/whatever. Or you're free to pay Apple $2 to package the show neatly for you. Or you're free to throw your TV out the window.
" Renting the DVD is generally going to be a lower-quality experience"
Speak for yourself. I really prefer it to the theater, for a variety of reasons. I would happily rent/buy first-run DVDs, and never set foot in a theater again.
Most people are still recording TV shows on video cassette, which is way crappier than the quality you'll get with these downloads. (I'm not sure why "most people" is even a factor: The cost to operate this service is going to be pretty not significant, and the potential revenue stream even from a modest number of downloaders is big).
Higher resolution will come. This is a proof-of-concept.
Yeah, who watches TV shows from their computers? Oh yeah...everybody who has a Tivo.
I don't care if it takes over normal TV. I only care if it's useful to me, and I can see this being an attractive service (like, specifically, when they start selling new eps of Firefly or Farscape or whatever J. Michael Straczynski is up to these days).
This is the first step. And you did catch the part about downloading it to your new iPod, right?
Hell, I didn't figure anybody would buy UMDs. I was wrong about that. I wager you're wrong about this...
My mistake...I was commingling two discussions myself.
However, I think my point stands: You're making economic predictions, and the economy is nearly as complicated as the climate. Yes, oil will get more expensive, but no, I don't see that becoming a catastrophe.
Again: What action do you think I should take? I ride the bus to work, and I live in the city. My fiancee and I share a reasonably fuel efficient car that we fill up every week and a half. We pay attention to our heating and cooling bills, and we're looking at how to optimize our (well insulated, 100 year old) house for energy efficiency. We eat local produce, and shop at local markets.
I'm not, however, interested in paying the premium on "green" energy sources. If we want to solve the energy problem, we've already got the answer. But too many of the sustainability-environmentalist types think that "nuclear" is a four-letter word.
Basically, I believe much of this "green" stuff is nothing more or less than being fashionable, and I've never been much for fashion. As soon as the marketing engines get a hold of the "green" ethos (and, arguably, they already have) it's going to be more of the same.
If you think modeling climate change is simple, you don't understand the problem. I'm also a little confused as to what, exactly, I'm supposed to do to avert your disaster.
It's funny to me how these mathematical models projecting the future behavior of absurdly complex systems really don't have anything to do with anything.
See "The Population Bomb", as I alluded to earlier.
I don't know who "we" is, because you don't know anything about how I live. And I don't really know what "sustainable" means, but I don't think you really do either.
I guess that overstates it a bit. I understand the sustainability ethic, and I validate the goals. I don't, however, believe that there's an imminent disaster looming unless everybody sells their car and moves into a metropolis. I also don't think that I should increase my costs of living in order to be more "sustainable". I like shopping at farmers' markets, and I prefer to use renewable building materials, but I'm sick of the high prices attached to these trends.
I'm not sure what "villainy" you're talking about. I think you're projecting somebody else onto me.
Problem 1: A net gain is a net gain, particularly when nobody goes to jail (which they don't with anti-trust cases, which is unfortunate).
Problem 2: That's why I said "If", because I don't know. I strongly suspect that control of the market was worth more to them than $300M, but that's speculation, hence my qualifier.
Problem 3: Obviously false, because stockholders continue to invest in companies with anti-trust judgements against them.
"but the reality is that shenanigans like that don't work well in the long run"
Duh. But they don't have to. They just have to work for a quarter or two, which is how long investors can remember stuff.
I don't think corporations are evil, (as a matter of fact they are amoral) but I do think they should be held accountable for their actions, in the same way I (an individual meat person) would be.
Slashdot Mirror
You're saying that there is a world where that is not the case? Certainly not here on Earth, there hasn't been...
Your piano goes to T? Wow.
Who are you? Rip Van Winkle?
Hey, Sparky! Newsflash! A Tivo IS a computer.
"Great, so instead of just watching something instantly on the TV for free"
Instantly, as long as it's the instant that the TV channel wants you to see it. You might have noticed that time shifting and location shifting is something lots of people do nowadays.
Steve Jobs isn't going to come to your house and make you buy these TV shows. I think your knee-jerk reaction, however, is fairly silly.
"realiable"
You've got the same kind of keyboard, huh?
"I enjoy calling Dvorak a blohward with my Dvorak"
I think you need more practice.
I'd argue that shared, incompatible code libraries were a Bad Idea.
.dll, then don't put it in the system directory where it's going to get upgraded by some other app.
If your crappy application will only function with a particular version of some
Saving disk space by sharing DLL files is like be like saving on grocery bills by shooting yourself in the head.
Feel better getting that off your chest? Need a hug?
You're free to use your Tivo/MythTV/crappy old VCR/whatever. Or you're free to pay Apple $2 to package the show neatly for you. Or you're free to throw your TV out the window.
What exactly are you whining about?
" Renting the DVD is generally going to be a lower-quality experience"
Speak for yourself. I really prefer it to the theater, for a variety of reasons. I would happily rent/buy first-run DVDs, and never set foot in a theater again.
Most people are still recording TV shows on video cassette, which is way crappier than the quality you'll get with these downloads. (I'm not sure why "most people" is even a factor: The cost to operate this service is going to be pretty not significant, and the potential revenue stream even from a modest number of downloaders is big).
Higher resolution will come. This is a proof-of-concept.
Yeah, who watches TV shows from their computers? Oh yeah...everybody who has a Tivo.
I don't care if it takes over normal TV. I only care if it's useful to me, and I can see this being an attractive service (like, specifically, when they start selling new eps of Firefly or Farscape or whatever J. Michael Straczynski is up to these days).
This is the first step. And you did catch the part about downloading it to your new iPod, right?
Hell, I didn't figure anybody would buy UMDs. I was wrong about that. I wager you're wrong about this...
"Why were folks like you telling Apple that its dowloadable music sounds "just as good as CD"?"
Because, to my ear, it is. I'm very glad that I'm not an audiophile.
It might not be acceptable to YOU, but I'm not accountable to you. Neither is Apple (unless they want your money).
Renting a DVD is cheaper than going to a first-run movie, too. You understood that you can buy episodes the day after they air, right?
Just because it doesn't appeal to you doesn't mean they won't make a killing with this new service.
You misspelled "Fourteen episodes, including the two-hour pilot".
So you give away the first ep or three, for a certain amount of time. This is a well-understood business model.
Do you seriously think that advertising revenue is anywhere near $2/viewer?
If the TV producers play their cards right, they stand to make enormous piles of money. Note that I didn't say TV networks.
How much would you like to bet that new episodes of Firefly come out on this service sometime in the next three years?
My mistake...I was commingling two discussions myself.
However, I think my point stands: You're making economic predictions, and the economy is nearly as complicated as the climate. Yes, oil will get more expensive, but no, I don't see that becoming a catastrophe.
Again: What action do you think I should take? I ride the bus to work, and I live in the city. My fiancee and I share a reasonably fuel efficient car that we fill up every week and a half. We pay attention to our heating and cooling bills, and we're looking at how to optimize our (well insulated, 100 year old) house for energy efficiency. We eat local produce, and shop at local markets.
I'm not, however, interested in paying the premium on "green" energy sources. If we want to solve the energy problem, we've already got the answer. But too many of the sustainability-environmentalist types think that "nuclear" is a four-letter word.
Basically, I believe much of this "green" stuff is nothing more or less than being fashionable, and I've never been much for fashion. As soon as the marketing engines get a hold of the "green" ethos (and, arguably, they already have) it's going to be more of the same.
If you think modeling climate change is simple, you don't understand the problem. I'm also a little confused as to what, exactly, I'm supposed to do to avert your disaster.
It's funny to me how these mathematical models projecting the future behavior of absurdly complex systems really don't have anything to do with anything.
See "The Population Bomb", as I alluded to earlier.
Is that the sequel to The Population Bomb?
(You know, the one that didn't go off?)
I don't know who "we" is, because you don't know anything about how I live. And I don't really know what "sustainable" means, but I don't think you really do either.
I guess that overstates it a bit. I understand the sustainability ethic, and I validate the goals. I don't, however, believe that there's an imminent disaster looming unless everybody sells their car and moves into a metropolis. I also don't think that I should increase my costs of living in order to be more "sustainable". I like shopping at farmers' markets, and I prefer to use renewable building materials, but I'm sick of the high prices attached to these trends.
I'm not sure what "villainy" you're talking about. I think you're projecting somebody else onto me.
Problem 1: A net gain is a net gain, particularly when nobody goes to jail (which they don't with anti-trust cases, which is unfortunate).
Problem 2: That's why I said "If", because I don't know. I strongly suspect that control of the market was worth more to them than $300M, but that's speculation, hence my qualifier.
Problem 3: Obviously false, because stockholders continue to invest in companies with anti-trust judgements against them.
"but the reality is that shenanigans like that don't work well in the long run"
Duh. But they don't have to. They just have to work for a quarter or two, which is how long investors can remember stuff.
I don't think corporations are evil, (as a matter of fact they are amoral) but I do think they should be held accountable for their actions, in the same way I (an individual meat person) would be.
Oh, good, so once housing in the suburbs is as unaffordable as housing in the city, all our problems will be solved, right? ...
Your optimism is so darn CUTE!
If Samsung made more than $300M, then (from their perspective) the gambit worked, and they should do it again.
Have you priced urban housing lately?
I have. I like living in the city (Portland, OR) but it sure ain't cheap.
Upon what do you base this conjecture? IE which businesses have actually mended their ways because of anti-trust judgements?