You don't know what those words mean. I also have refrained from calling you stupid and alleging that you like to play with poop. I WILL call you naive, for thinking that Microsoft is going to start playing nice with their captive audience. They've never done so in the past, and I have no reason to think they'll change.
"Apple's first to market success is not relevent to the download/subscription debate"
There is no debate. Buy what you want. I've already offered to purchase your mini.
"The world's changing around them"
Yeah: Changes that Apple set into motion. I don't know if they're going to offer subscriptions or not. Frankly, I think Cringely is right: There's not a forever market in iPods, and some day there will be a good exit strategy from the hardware sales market. They'll license their DRM to somebody, and then there will be more "choice".
But now, TODAY, their strategy is working. Apple has the luxury of considering their future strategy cautiously instead of just haring off after whatever trend Microsoft thinks is advantageous. Fighter pilots call it "being in the elbow". Whatever the opponent does, you're in position to counter.
"Have you ever even tried any of the sub services?"
No, because I don't trust them. Seriously: That is my argument. I have no recourse if they decide to alter the deal. If you think you're going to be just spending $5/mo from now till you die, I think you're insane. They WILL turn the screws, and you CAN'T stop them. It's impossible for me to understand why you think otherwise.
"it's hard to want to go back to buying it one dollar per song."
So don't. CDs work pretty well. So do MP3's from lesser-known bands.
I've bought a handful of songs from iTMS. You don't really think that I'm spending $10,000 to fill my iPod, do you?
"I tried to say something about the merits of this or that"
When was that? I think you're having an imaginary discussion in your head.
"Microsoft's evil and completely sidestep any substantive discussion on the technology"
Huh? You're always on about what the herd makes you do. Is that the substantive discussion part?
Wanna talk technology? Great. "Plays for Sure" deletes your music if you don't hook your player to your computer frequently. Boy, that's some great technology.
I don't like Apple's DRM scheme, but it's far, far less onerous than any of the other ones on the market. They were the first to market, with the least restrictive DRM, and the best user experience. Whatever they're doing is obviously working OK, and I don't see any reason why they should change.
If they start leveraging their "monopoly" (which isn't really a monopoly: There are dozens of alternatives, and Apple has shown no interest in destroying those, unlike some other large computer firms I could mention), then I'll change my opinion.
"I assume you're smarter than your line-item retorts"
Whee! What a great backhanded complement. I feel the love deep in my bones. This must be more of the part where you're not trying to offend me. You're really doing a fine job...it's like I'm getting a hug from somebody I've never even met!
I'm rebutting your "arguments" (if I may use the term so loosely) point by point, which is well established technique.
"Sometimes you miss, what can I say?"
You can say that you're mistaken, which seems to be a pervasive issue in this discussion.
You conclude I'm a zealot (one who has an irrational attachment to something) when I have explained at some length that my only interest in Apple is that, for my purposes, they make good products.
If you think that's what a zealot is, you need a new dictionary.
I didn't take offense, but I will call you when you talk out of both sides of your mouth.
Who cares about Apple's marketshare? Their profitability has been solid throughout the computer slump, and now they're coming out swinging with some really, REALLY good products.
But I guess they must still be beleaguered. And they're on the way down.
"My guess is that you live in either NYC or, more likely, CA"
Nope. Texas. Just moved to Oregon. You really need to take a hard look at your preconceptions. They are not serving you well.
In case I haven't stated this clearly enough: Fuck "cool". I don't care about the herd mentality. Just because that's the way you make decisions, doesn't mean everybody else is like that.
"Either you work for them, own a lot of their stock, or you've got an unhealthy emotional connection to the company."
Ah. I disagree with you, so I must be an emotional zealot.
"and you're not cool by association just because you buy their products."
You're not cool by anti-association if you dis their products. I am comfortable with this notion. Are you?
Hell, I'll give you $100 for your iPod mini. Assuming it's not a stupid color.
You think it's overrated. I don't care how it's rated: It's the best tool for the job.
"too restricted"
I think the restrictions are vastly overblown by haters. You might happen to not like Apple's plan, and you're free to not use it. Nobody's coming to your house with a gun.
"I'm predicting its popularity will decline"
Can't get much higher, so I think you're making a safe guess.
"they can listen to virtually the entire catalogs of their favorite artists for a whole year"
And have it vanish in a puff of smoke when the seller decides [vader] I am altering the deal [/vader]. Don't think it'll happen? You're more optimistic than I am. I'm pretty sure it happened to me with Netflix: I was a prolific user, and all of a sudden, I couldn't get any movies. 50 movies in my queue, all on "delayed availability". Maybe I'm paranoid, maybe they gamed me. I certainly stopped doing business with them.
History tells me one thing: Anybody who gets into bed with Microsoft winds up getting fucked. And not in a good way.
"I wasn't putting you down."
By implying I'm an Apple zealot who would buy white poop. You'll forgive me for misinterpreting your intentions.
"Only time will tell if I'm right about Apple's decline"
Time has certainly told about Apple's runaway, breakout success, so yeah, it'll tell about Apple's decline too.
"but pointing out my failings as a consumer won't change anything."
Only to illustrate that people who believe the hype, rather than their own judgement, often make poor choices. This is an important realization.
So, when you decide to listen to music, do you say "I think I'd like to listen to some Apple AACs!" or "I think I'd like to listen to some Peter Gabriel?"
Exactly. What difference does it make whether the music you get is from Apple or not?
Either the song you want is available for your portable music player, or it's not. Choose your portable music player accordingly. Maybe I'm crazy, but I bet iTMS carries Peter Gabriel.
"For example, I happen to like Rhapsody's interface quite a lot. But I can't use its subscription service simply because Apple puts their profit ahead of their customer's utility. Where have we seen that before?"
Where is this service that puts the customer's utility ahead of the company's profit? Seriously: I want to know what your benchmark is.
Real tried shenanigans. Apple shut them down. So what?
"I think you're right about the MS/Apple settlement. Apple did have a lot of cash so it was probably just about the IP."
I accept your retraction. The thing that burns me is this: You accuse Apple zealots of buying Steve's white-colored poop, and you can't even be bothered to get your facts straight. And then, later on, you admit to buying a product based on the advertisements, not on an evaluation of your needs. But this is somehow Apple's fault, and not your fault for making irrational decisions.
WTF, dude? Get your shit together.
Re: Your defective battery.
"I have the first model iPod"
I thought you said you had an iPod mini. If you've got a 1g iPod, and it's been in service for years, and the battery is deteriorating, I say: Welcome to the way rechargeable batteries work in the real world.
"Apple covers their ass quite a bit in the documentation,"
By explaining to you the limitations of current battery technology. Wow, how deceitful.
Would you have preferred Steve call you up and ask you if your battery is working out? Come on. If you've got a defective product, you ask the manufacturer to fix it. Sure, you can whine about it on Slashdot, but that won't solve your problem, will it?
If you bought an iPod because somebody told you to, you're a victim of your own ignorance. I bought an iPod because it's the best music player available, based on my needs. Just because you didn't make a rational choice doesn't mean that I can't.
Your choice is Apple, or Microsoft. Microsoft's music sales might have a lot of different names over the door, but it's still the same stuff.
Like Microsoft? Go buy their stuff. But the "choice" that Microsoft is talking about isn't really choice.
"Is there ANYTHING in this world of ours that couldn't go belly up if Microsoft wanted them to?"
Yeah. My Powerbook.
"Remember that bailout MS gave Apple several years ago?"
That's absurd. Apple had (if I recall) ten billion dollars CASH at that time. Apple was not dying.
Microsoft settled a lawsuit (that Apple would have won, there's no doubt in anybody's mind about that) in a manner that was advantageous to Apple and to Microsoft. "Bail out"? Nonsense.
"It didn't occur to me to do so, since that's within the range they say you can expect with heavy use. I'll give it a shot, though, since there is an Apple store right down the street from here."
*eyebrow* Didn't occur to you to ask the manufacturer about a product that doesn't perform up to spec?
Look, Apple's not perfect, but come on: This problem is your fault. Manufacturing problems happen, batteries can be faulty, the only question is whether said manufacturer will stand behind their product.
If you want an iRiver, sell your mini on ebay and buy one.
"owned by the same company I got my music player from is not what I call a good experience."
What does the sign over the door have to do with the experience? You could argue that the "subscription" services are better for your needs, and that would be a legitimate criticism. I certainly wouldn't subscribe to a music service that could go belly-up any time Microsoft crooked its finger, but hey, knock yourself out.
"my problem with it is that when you take your finger off the wheel, that often causes the iPod to move off of the item you've selected"
I had that problem for a day or three, then it wasn't much of an issue. Objectively bad design? Don't know about that...it works for me.
"I generally get about 5-6 hours out of my iPod mini."
Oh, so you're not counting the iPods that are cheaper than the x50, because you want the x50 to be the cheapest thing.
Okay. My bad. I thought I was having a rational discussion.
"because they are taking it personally would stop I think you'd see I am just comparing two products that can do similar things in the same price range."
You're comparing the only two things that make your point make something vaguely like sense, and other people are calling you on your silly comparison. Get a thicker skin.
Well, it's my opinion, so I don't need to defend it. But I will.
"given that everybody has had more than enough chance to copy Apple's design"
Two words: Design patent.
"How much can the interface really make or break the machine?"
Interface is the only relevant dimension (again, my opinion.) Smart playlists==the ONLY way to fly. Velocity sensitive wheel==awesome.
"My iPod "crashes" all the time"
Stop using it as a racquetball.
"the battery life sucks"
Twelve hours? You listen to music, away from electrical outlets, for twelve hours? Frequently?
"The thumbwheel idea is cute, but actually fairly imprecise"
Your opinion, and of course, you don't need to defend it.
"Apple will always have a core of zealots who would buy Steve Job's bowel movements if he painted them white"
Thanks for the visual. There will also be the core of haters, who would hate anything Apple produces no matter how good it might be. What's your point?
"In the end, it's about the music, not the company making the player"
It's about the user experience, and the fact that people will pay for a good one. That's why Apple is in business.
Dude, the person you're arguing with obviously considers themself an audiophile.
Unless you can come up with an MP3 player with tube amps and virgin silver-braided oxygen free interconnects that sounds "warm" like LPs, you're wasting your time.
I do have a nice shiny rock you can argue with, though! At least it's sparkly.
I go to church to spend time worshipping (which some people call meditating), singing, taking some quiet time to think about my life and my place in the world, and my relationship with God and my fellow man. I also talk to people, some of whom I agree with, some of whom I do not, but all of whom I can learn from.
Yeah, that's some real scary indoctrination they've got going on there. Don't know how I muster the mental discipline to not get my brain turned into tapioca.
Actually, since the audience to whom he was speaking was largely Christian, it would be fairly silly to try to get them to believe in Jesus (since they already do).
Now, if you want to argue that Lewis was trying to provide people with another perspective on the virtue of sacrifice, I think you'd have an excellent case. Trying to dismiss his works as "Christian propaganda" is silly, because there was nobody to propagandize to.
"inventing implicit assumptions merely tautological for those with an exclusively Christian worldview."
The set of English-speaking Christians was, by and large, a tautology. Them what spoke English, loved them the Jesus. Yes, there were certainly other English speakers that were not Christians, but why go to the trouble of writing a novel to proselytize to them?
"Disclaimers don't excuse oversimplifications, especially after the fact, and when they disclaim an irrelevant bias factor."
I understand what all those words mean, but they don't get me any closer to your point.
Slashdot Mirror
"a few songs you've stolen."
Now THAT'S an ad hominem attack! I knew you could do it. Want a cookie?
I'm done with this. Have a nice day. Guess you aren't THAT unhappy with your mini, or you'd take me up on my offer.
I suggest you get an inexpensive car that's fun to drive not-so-fast, and thereby learn to drive safely at high speeds.
Go get a used Miata and take it to the autocross. I don't know where you are in Texas, but there are SCCA chapters all over the place.
You might be one of those people that think Miatas are girl cars. Those people haven't driven one on a tight race track before.
"You just make ad hominum remarks"
You don't know what those words mean. I also have refrained from calling you stupid and alleging that you like to play with poop. I WILL call you naive, for thinking that Microsoft is going to start playing nice with their captive audience. They've never done so in the past, and I have no reason to think they'll change.
"Apple's first to market success is not relevent to the download/subscription debate"
There is no debate. Buy what you want. I've already offered to purchase your mini.
"The world's changing around them"
Yeah: Changes that Apple set into motion. I don't know if they're going to offer subscriptions or not. Frankly, I think Cringely is right: There's not a forever market in iPods, and some day there will be a good exit strategy from the hardware sales market. They'll license their DRM to somebody, and then there will be more "choice".
But now, TODAY, their strategy is working. Apple has the luxury of considering their future strategy cautiously instead of just haring off after whatever trend Microsoft thinks is advantageous. Fighter pilots call it "being in the elbow". Whatever the opponent does, you're in position to counter.
"Have you ever even tried any of the sub services?"
No, because I don't trust them. Seriously: That is my argument. I have no recourse if they decide to alter the deal. If you think you're going to be just spending $5/mo from now till you die, I think you're insane. They WILL turn the screws, and you CAN'T stop them. It's impossible for me to understand why you think otherwise.
"it's hard to want to go back to buying it one dollar per song."
So don't. CDs work pretty well. So do MP3's from lesser-known bands.
I've bought a handful of songs from iTMS. You don't really think that I'm spending $10,000 to fill my iPod, do you?
"I tried to say something about the merits of this or that"
When was that? I think you're having an imaginary discussion in your head.
"Microsoft's evil and completely sidestep any substantive discussion on the technology"
Huh? You're always on about what the herd makes you do. Is that the substantive discussion part?
Wanna talk technology? Great. "Plays for Sure" deletes your music if you don't hook your player to your computer frequently. Boy, that's some great technology.
I don't like Apple's DRM scheme, but it's far, far less onerous than any of the other ones on the market. They were the first to market, with the least restrictive DRM, and the best user experience. Whatever they're doing is obviously working OK, and I don't see any reason why they should change.
If they start leveraging their "monopoly" (which isn't really a monopoly: There are dozens of alternatives, and Apple has shown no interest in destroying those, unlike some other large computer firms I could mention), then I'll change my opinion.
"I assume you're smarter than your line-item retorts"
Whee! What a great backhanded complement. I feel the love deep in my bones. This must be more of the part where you're not trying to offend me. You're really doing a fine job...it's like I'm getting a hug from somebody I've never even met!
I'm rebutting your "arguments" (if I may use the term so loosely) point by point, which is well established technique.
"Sometimes you miss, what can I say?"
You can say that you're mistaken, which seems to be a pervasive issue in this discussion.
You conclude I'm a zealot (one who has an irrational attachment to something) when I have explained at some length that my only interest in Apple is that, for my purposes, they make good products.
If you think that's what a zealot is, you need a new dictionary.
I didn't take offense, but I will call you when you talk out of both sides of your mouth.
Who cares about Apple's marketshare? Their profitability has been solid throughout the computer slump, and now they're coming out swinging with some really, REALLY good products.
But I guess they must still be beleaguered. And they're on the way down.
"My guess is that you live in either NYC or, more likely, CA"
Nope. Texas. Just moved to Oregon. You really need to take a hard look at your preconceptions. They are not serving you well.
In case I haven't stated this clearly enough: Fuck "cool". I don't care about the herd mentality. Just because that's the way you make decisions, doesn't mean everybody else is like that.
"Either you work for them, own a lot of their stock, or you've got an unhealthy emotional connection to the company."
Ah. I disagree with you, so I must be an emotional zealot.
"and you're not cool by association just because you buy their products."
You're not cool by anti-association if you dis their products. I am comfortable with this notion. Are you?
Hell, I'll give you $100 for your iPod mini. Assuming it's not a stupid color.
*raises hand*
Aerospace engineer, right here! Just out of college, love to stop fixing computers for a living.
It really steams me to read how short supply engineers are in, and how hard it is for me to get a job in the field.
"iPod/iTunes combo is overrated"
You think it's overrated. I don't care how it's rated: It's the best tool for the job.
"too restricted"
I think the restrictions are vastly overblown by haters. You might happen to not like Apple's plan, and you're free to not use it. Nobody's coming to your house with a gun.
"I'm predicting its popularity will decline"
Can't get much higher, so I think you're making a safe guess.
"they can listen to virtually the entire catalogs of their favorite artists for a whole year"
And have it vanish in a puff of smoke when the seller decides [vader] I am altering the deal [/vader]. Don't think it'll happen? You're more optimistic than I am. I'm pretty sure it happened to me with Netflix: I was a prolific user, and all of a sudden, I couldn't get any movies. 50 movies in my queue, all on "delayed availability". Maybe I'm paranoid, maybe they gamed me. I certainly stopped doing business with them.
History tells me one thing: Anybody who gets into bed with Microsoft winds up getting fucked. And not in a good way.
"I wasn't putting you down."
By implying I'm an Apple zealot who would buy white poop. You'll forgive me for misinterpreting your intentions.
"Only time will tell if I'm right about Apple's decline"
Time has certainly told about Apple's runaway, breakout success, so yeah, it'll tell about Apple's decline too.
"but pointing out my failings as a consumer won't change anything."
Only to illustrate that people who believe the hype, rather than their own judgement, often make poor choices. This is an important realization.
So, when you decide to listen to music, do you say "I think I'd like to listen to some Apple AACs!" or "I think I'd like to listen to some Peter Gabriel?"
Exactly. What difference does it make whether the music you get is from Apple or not?
Either the song you want is available for your portable music player, or it's not. Choose your portable music player accordingly. Maybe I'm crazy, but I bet iTMS carries Peter Gabriel.
"For example, I happen to like Rhapsody's interface quite a lot. But I can't use its subscription service simply because Apple puts their profit ahead of their customer's utility. Where have we seen that before?"
Where is this service that puts the customer's utility ahead of the company's profit? Seriously: I want to know what your benchmark is.
Real tried shenanigans. Apple shut them down. So what?
"I think you're right about the MS/Apple settlement. Apple did have a lot of cash so it was probably just about the IP."
I accept your retraction. The thing that burns me is this: You accuse Apple zealots of buying Steve's white-colored poop, and you can't even be bothered to get your facts straight. And then, later on, you admit to buying a product based on the advertisements, not on an evaluation of your needs. But this is somehow Apple's fault, and not your fault for making irrational decisions.
WTF, dude? Get your shit together.
Re: Your defective battery.
"I have the first model iPod"
I thought you said you had an iPod mini. If you've got a 1g iPod, and it's been in service for years, and the battery is deteriorating, I say: Welcome to the way rechargeable batteries work in the real world.
"Apple covers their ass quite a bit in the documentation,"
By explaining to you the limitations of current battery technology. Wow, how deceitful.
Would you have preferred Steve call you up and ask you if your battery is working out? Come on. If you've got a defective product, you ask the manufacturer to fix it. Sure, you can whine about it on Slashdot, but that won't solve your problem, will it?
If you bought an iPod because somebody told you to, you're a victim of your own ignorance. I bought an iPod because it's the best music player available, based on my needs. Just because you didn't make a rational choice doesn't mean that I can't.
"My main issue was that I have no choice"
Your choice is Apple, or Microsoft. Microsoft's music sales might have a lot of different names over the door, but it's still the same stuff.
Like Microsoft? Go buy their stuff. But the "choice" that Microsoft is talking about isn't really choice.
"Is there ANYTHING in this world of ours that couldn't go belly up if Microsoft wanted them to?"
Yeah. My Powerbook.
"Remember that bailout MS gave Apple several years ago?"
That's absurd. Apple had (if I recall) ten billion dollars CASH at that time. Apple was not dying.
Microsoft settled a lawsuit (that Apple would have won, there's no doubt in anybody's mind about that) in a manner that was advantageous to Apple and to Microsoft. "Bail out"? Nonsense.
"It didn't occur to me to do so, since that's within the range they say you can expect with heavy use. I'll give it a shot, though, since there is an Apple store right down the street from here."
*eyebrow* Didn't occur to you to ask the manufacturer about a product that doesn't perform up to spec?
Look, Apple's not perfect, but come on: This problem is your fault. Manufacturing problems happen, batteries can be faulty, the only question is whether said manufacturer will stand behind their product.
If you want an iRiver, sell your mini on ebay and buy one.
"owned by the same company I got my music player from is not what I call a good experience."
What does the sign over the door have to do with the experience? You could argue that the "subscription" services are better for your needs, and that would be a legitimate criticism. I certainly wouldn't subscribe to a music service that could go belly-up any time Microsoft crooked its finger, but hey, knock yourself out.
"my problem with it is that when you take your finger off the wheel, that often causes the iPod to move off of the item you've selected"
I had that problem for a day or three, then it wasn't much of an issue. Objectively bad design? Don't know about that...it works for me.
"I generally get about 5-6 hours out of my iPod mini."
Have you returned it for warranty service?
Oh, so you're not counting the iPods that are cheaper than the x50, because you want the x50 to be the cheapest thing.
Okay. My bad. I thought I was having a rational discussion.
"because they are taking it personally would stop I think you'd see I am just comparing two products that can do similar things in the same price range."
You're comparing the only two things that make your point make something vaguely like sense, and other people are calling you on your silly comparison. Get a thicker skin.
Well, it's my opinion, so I don't need to defend it. But I will.
"given that everybody has had more than enough chance to copy Apple's design"
Two words: Design patent.
"How much can the interface really make or break the machine?"
Interface is the only relevant dimension (again, my opinion.) Smart playlists==the ONLY way to fly. Velocity sensitive wheel==awesome.
"My iPod "crashes" all the time"
Stop using it as a racquetball.
"the battery life sucks"
Twelve hours? You listen to music, away from electrical outlets, for twelve hours? Frequently?
"The thumbwheel idea is cute, but actually fairly imprecise"
Your opinion, and of course, you don't need to defend it.
"Apple will always have a core of zealots who would buy Steve Job's bowel movements if he painted them white"
Thanks for the visual. There will also be the core of haters, who would hate anything Apple produces no matter how good it might be. What's your point?
"In the end, it's about the music, not the company making the player"
It's about the user experience, and the fact that people will pay for a good one. That's why Apple is in business.
Dude, the person you're arguing with obviously considers themself an audiophile.
Unless you can come up with an MP3 player with tube amps and virgin silver-braided oxygen free interconnects that sounds "warm" like LPs, you're wasting your time.
I do have a nice shiny rock you can argue with, though! At least it's sparkly.
" If price really isn't important, hotshot, then why not just buy another MP3 player that works with WMA if Yahoo's service looks attractive?"
Because there aren't any WMA players that have a decent user interface.
Of course, that's my opinion, and nobody is bound to share it...
"but if you look at the other side of things, for less then the price of an IPOD (walmart current) you can get a dell Axim X50"
So, basically, as long as you're not talking about price, the Axim is cheaper?
Whahuh?
You can either buy music from Apple, or from Microsoft. Sure, Microsoft has a bunch of different store fronts, but they hold the keys.
Microsoft arguing that Apple is restricting choice is really, uh, ridiculous.
At least my iPod won't delete my music if I don't plug it in to my computer.
"In terms of number of features"
Hardware features, you mean. How's that Dell's photo management and video composition software?
Features are one thing. Capabilities are another. I think you've well encapsulated the Mac vs. Windows dichotomy with your last statement.
Have you used an iBook alongside whatever Dell's selling for $1000 nowadays?
"Upper class" meaning "Superior in every way", yeah.
Yeah, let's distinguish between hd and non-hd players.
What's Apple's marketshare on non-hd players. 60%? More?
What adoption curve are you talking about that wasn't totally dwarfed by Apple's entry into the market?
Yeah, because the keyboard is way easier to use when it's upside down. What a feature!
Well, he's repeating things he's already said because he's answering questions he's already answered.
Some of the articles he's linked are, shockingly enough, pretty thorough.
What should he do? Paraphrase himself?
I go to church to spend time worshipping (which some people call meditating), singing, taking some quiet time to think about my life and my place in the world, and my relationship with God and my fellow man. I also talk to people, some of whom I agree with, some of whom I do not, but all of whom I can learn from.
Yeah, that's some real scary indoctrination they've got going on there. Don't know how I muster the mental discipline to not get my brain turned into tapioca.
Actually, since the audience to whom he was speaking was largely Christian, it would be fairly silly to try to get them to believe in Jesus (since they already do).
Now, if you want to argue that Lewis was trying to provide people with another perspective on the virtue of sacrifice, I think you'd have an excellent case. Trying to dismiss his works as "Christian propaganda" is silly, because there was nobody to propagandize to.
"inventing implicit assumptions merely tautological for those with an exclusively Christian worldview."
The set of English-speaking Christians was, by and large, a tautology. Them what spoke English, loved them the Jesus. Yes, there were certainly other English speakers that were not Christians, but why go to the trouble of writing a novel to proselytize to them?
"Disclaimers don't excuse oversimplifications, especially after the fact, and when they disclaim an irrelevant bias factor."
I understand what all those words mean, but they don't get me any closer to your point.
By "significantly more sane", I take it you mean "is being paid by somebody different whose opinions line up more with yours", I agree.
How is supporting Microsoft's (truly heinous) DRM a win for customers?
"Because the Bible says so" is not specific.